## 1 Introduction  
Currently, because of competition within the global market, companies in the manufacturing industry face the challenge of implementing new organizational and production techniques that allow for competitive performance and maintaining activity within this market. The use of continuous improvement tools has become an opportunity and an effective strategy for companies and industrial organizations to increase productivity and develop manufacturing competencies that impact competitiveness and effectiveness [1]. Similarly, work teams (WT) are one of the most important elements for the development of continuous improvement projects, facilitating the exchange of information. Additionally, gaining contributions and creativity from each team member influences the correct resolution of problems [2]. In accordance with the literature review, the most used concept for evaluating results in work teams is effectiveness [3], which is defined as the reflection of how the achieved results relate to the proposed ones. It is the team's ability to activate resources in pursuit of objectives [1]. In this context, the term critical success factors (CSF), is defined as the identification of all variables (capabilities, resources, competitive advantages, skills, and actions) that characterize an organization and that, if managed appropriately, can be key to achieving project success. With that said, critical success factors express the challenges to be faced and serve as a starting point for leaders of organizations and/or projects to determine which factors have a greater impact on work teams and results. Therefore, it should be considered a priority to achieve the effectiveness of continuous improvement projects [4]. However, there is evidence that many continuous improvement programs are not successfully implemented. In some cases, initial success is achieved, but it becomes impossible to sustain over time or fails to reflect improved financial results for the organization [5]. Stemming from the aforementioned, the objective of this systematic review is to identify critical success factors facilitating effectiveness in work teams for the successful development of continuous improvement projects and the application of corresponding tools in the manufacturing industry. This aim is to provide organizations with insights into human resource management and, concurrently, serve as a guide for future continuous improvement project implementations. Currently, greater emphasis is placed on the analysis of production and quality indices rather than on human resource management. It is important to note that, before the completion of this article, a preliminary search was conducted on Web of Science and Scopus. In this sense, no current or ongoing systematic reviews specifically related to the manufacturing industry were identified. In a systematic review of contextual factors influencing the success of continuous improvement in healthcare, certain team-related factors were found, among them being leadership, team climate, team process, and physician participation in the quality-improvement team. However, supporting evidence was considered limited [6]. A systematic review of interventions to enhance team effectiveness and identify its level was conducted, identifying three categories of interventions: training, tools, and organizational interventions [7]. Meanwhile, the review [8] focuses on providing guidance on the selection of instruments for measuring team-level factors in studies of continuous quality improvement in healthcare. This review distinguishes itself from previous reviews by focusing on the effectiveness of work teams in implementing continuous improvement tools within the manufacturing industry, because existing reviews consider teamwork approaches applied to the healthcare field. Additionally, it is essential to note that the information provided in these reviews is based on studies and data from approximately a decade ago.