-Redesigning Supply Chain Processes in the Digital Era: A Lean Six Sigma Approach for Operational Excellence

This study explores how Lean Six Sigma (LSS), a data-driven process improvement methodology, can be effectively redesigned through the integration of digital technologies in the context of supply chain management. The research adopts a qualitative, literature-based approach using secondary data extracted from peer-reviewed case studies and technical documentation. By analyzing these published examples, the study identifies how digital tools such as IoT, cloud computing, AI, and data analytics can be integrated into the DMAIC framework to drive operational excellence. The findings reveal that digital enhancements to LSS amplify its impact on process efficiency, quality, and adaptability. The study concludes with strategic recommendations and introduces a DMAIC 4.0 model as a roadmap for digital transformation in supply chain environments. To address this, the research focuses on how Lean Six Sigma can help redesign supply chain processes to make them more effective. Using the DMAIC approach (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), The study examines published case examples from industries like manufacturing, retail, and logistics. It shows how organizations have applied Lean Six Sigma tools to reduce waste, improve delivery times, and better manage inventory. This study adopts a qualitative, secondary-research design grounded in a structured literature review. The search strategy was carried out mainly in Google Scholar, complemented by Scopus, Web of Science, Emerald, Taylor & Francis to ensure coverage of peer-reviewed publications. Keywords such as “Lean Six Sigma,” “Industry 4.0,” “Supply Chain,” “Operational Excellence,” and “Digital Transformation” were combined using Boolean operators. The search was restricted starting mainly from 2010 period (with some exceptions), reflecting the rise of Industry 4.0 technologies in supply chain management. To ensure academic quality, only English-language, peer-reviewed articles, books, and conference proceedings that explicitly addressed Lean Six Sigma in digital, or supply chain contexts were included. After screening and applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, a final sample of a specific number of studies was thematically analysed.