Six Sigma Certification

Most companies contemplating Six Sigma implementation have most of the costs worked out beforehand. This follows the assumption that taking additional work means involving more people. You either hire people on fee base or recruit them on your payroll at a cost. Well, then there is the cost of implementation above this, which can run into quite a few thousands of dollars depending upon the project on hand.But is that the cost of Six Sigma? There are several schools of thoughts and arguments about how to arrive at the cost of Six Sigma and one of which advocates an interesting theory. This appears to be the closest of all the definitions of Six Sigma.Cost of Six SigmaThe cost of Six Sigma is the cost of lost opportunities due to errand processes or procedures which could have been saved had the procedures or the processes been corrected at the expense of a fraction of the cost.Cost Consideration Before Project SelectionWhile contemplating the deployment, one needs to think about the composition of the team as well. The composition of the team can be so organized to as to contain the cost of hiring. The big question however, is whether the project team be placed within the purview of the QA department or be kept ...

For years, many have held that conventional wisdom dictates that Six Sigma is most appropriate for implementation in large multi million dollar companies.  Massive companies all over the globe have used Six Sigma to save millions of dollars by using efficiently managed processes to cut costs and increase profits.  The general thought has been that Six Sigma is best confined to huge companies that employ thousands.  But this is not necessarily so.  The very nature of the Six Sigma orthodoxy is to implement efficiencies and control them.  That measure can be applicable to any sized business, including new startups.Considering employees, new startup managers who earn Six Sigma Black Belt certificates while at new companies with just a few employees will continue to grow as their careers progress and they eventually move on to larger companies.  Six Sigma is a method of teaching how to increase profits by controlling costs, certainly two things that will never go out of style.  The advantage of a startup company having managers with Six Sigma certification gives the employer the comfort of knowing that the manager is dedicated to running the company with a sharp eye toward the bottom line.Startup companies are also plagued by lack of process control and optimization, a skill that is honed through ...

However, since achieving such high quality levels is often easier said than done, businesses will have to follow the prescribed guidelines while implementing Six Sigma.Explained below are some of the essential requirements of Six Sigma implementations.Identifying Business Processes That Can Be ImprovedSix Sigma implementations are certainly not easy and this is why it is often not feasible for businesses to implement Six Sigma in each and every business process that might exist. The right thing to do is identify processes that might hold the most potential for improvement and implement Six Sigma only in those selected processes.Such identification should be based on the existing overall value that a process might be contributing to the end product and also on how much it can contribute in the near future after the Six Sigma implementations are over. However, since the identification process is itself quite complex, it's recommended that businesses rely only on statistical tools and techniques rather than depend solely on the gut feelings of employees, managers and implementation team members.Getting Professional HelpSince even the basic concepts, tools, techniques used during Six Sigma implementations are quite different from what the employees and the team members might be using while performing their day-to-day scheduled tasks, businesses should always opt for professional help right from ...

If you wish for a dramatic improvement in your business, what can be your best course of action? Perhaps, it would be moving towards a streamlined process that is based on a precise understanding of customers’ needs and eliminating defects in the existing processes. Six Sigma is one such tool that helps you embark upon a process to achieve or exceed such objectives.Six Sigma offers your organization a significant benefit and a positive impact on the organization. It primarily helps to improve the processes of production and service and business processes so as to exceed the expectations of the customer. The main reasons for obtaining Six Sigma certification are firstly to display proficiency in the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge, secondly to increase the desirability by employers, and lastly to increase your productivity and salary.Six Sigma Green Belt course trains a person to lead small project teams. It equips the person undertaking the Six Sigma Green Belt course to use basic problem solving tools, DMAIC, and aspects of DOE and SPC at the basic level. The key responsibility of a ‘Green Belt’ includes data collection along with analysis of action items.A Green Belt workshop training generally lasts one to two weeks as compared to a black belt training, which can extend up ...

Project plans show the why and how of a project, while the Gantt chart shows the relationships among project tasks. A proper project plan is a key factor in the success of any Six Sigma project.What a Plan IncludesThe dictionary meaning of project is a plan, proposal or an undertaking. A plan is defined as a scheme or a program or a systematic arrangement of important tasks. A project brings the plan into actual implementation; it is the bridge between planning and doing.The plan will generally include a goal statement, a timeline for completion of various tasks and the description of various resources required for the project. It also includes the measures of evaluation for the study of the effectiveness of the proposal.Establishing EstimatesThe goals of a Six Sigma project plan are to establish estimates for the overall project as well as the smaller constituents. It is a model of the project that is being proposed. This helps in bringing about timely changes in the project if any drawbacks are identified. Therefore, it helps in understanding how the various components of the project fit in place and the coordination of the various activities to achieve the project objectives.Six Sigma project plans also detail the roles and responsibilities of the participants involved directly ...

Many questions arise in the minds of six sigma certification candidates. These questions range from the most strange to the most genuine concerns. There is a compelling need to explain things regarding the exam for the benefit of those who have questions but don't know where to find the answers. Here is brief outline of a few fundamental questions that are frequently asked about Six Sigma Certification.What Is Six Sigma Certification?Six Sigma Certification is documented proof that a person has acquired certain standardized capabilities with regard to the quality management technique that, when applied, works towards error/defect elimination and prevention. However, the certificate does not guarantee that a candidate has implementation skills, but only certifies competency in the subject matter. One can attain certification in any of the key roles (Master Black Belt, Champion, etc.).Basis For Six Sigma CertificationSix Sigma Certification typically involves studying the related subject matter and passing an exam. Training institutes or companies provide certification tests and six sigma training courses. It is not unusual for new companies to have their employees test on a training institutes' tests. This completes the first part of the written test in the candidate's proficiency in the subject matter. Now comes the real test! Once having passed the written test, The candidate must ...

Six Sigma is a methodological strategy by which errors in a company's current processes and plans are identified and strategies to rectify the same are formulated. It is fact-based technique, involving a lot of data handling, which provides scientific results for cost cutting and reduction in waste of resources. Today, many organizations, large and small scale, are applying Six Sigma to ensure improved, faster and cheaper services to their consumers without compromising on the quality quotient.Various LevelsImplementation of Six Sigma requires professionals who have been trained in the program and have had exposure to practically applying the concepts in different organizations across industries to know how to go about its application on the job. There is a Six Sigma certification program that has to be undertaken for gaining knowledge about this particular quality measurement practice. Six Sigma certification is similar to other professional courses in that after having cleared specified guidelines and followed the required procedure, individuals are certified as capable of employing the gained knowledge in their respective field. There are several stages of the program and with each qualifying level, certain tests that have to be cleared. These levels are labeled in the same manner as a martial arts certification grade. There are various belts such as green belt, black ...

Lean manufacturing combined with Six Sigma have been combined to form Lean Six Sigma. Both are basically techniques to improve business. The concept of Lean manufacturing comes from Toyota Production System while Six Sigma owes its origins to Motorola. Both concepts when combined, can transform organizations.Elimination of waste and reduction in the time cycles are the goals of Lean while Six Sigma focuses on improving quality and reducing variability. The goal of any business is to maximize shareholder value. This can be achieved by reduction in cost, increase in quality, increase in process speed, a better return on invested capital and improved customer satisfaction.When Lean Six Sigma is applied to businesses, there are significant benefits in terms of improved lead time, reduction in costs and enhancement of quality.The US Army has adapted the Lean Six Sigma to its growing needs to eliminate waste in time, money and material. To this end, the US Army Installation Management Command or IMCOM for short has drawn up a training program for enhancing productivity and reducing costs.IMCOM has a training program for bringing about transformation in the US Army through Lean Six Sigma. The curriculum includes awareness and conceptual training on how the concept of Lean Six Sigma fits into the overall strategy of the US ...

Although Six Sigma has its roots in manufacturing, it works just as effectively in service industries. It's no secret that service environments, such as financial organizations, healthcare providers, retail companies, and hospitality organizations have a harder time applying Six Sigma principles. However, the core principles of Six Sigma allow it to cost-effectively translate manufacturing-oriented Six Sigma tools into the service delivery process.Service organizations have different root causes of problems and a unique set of processes and metrics. Thus, the tools and methodology required to achieve the improvements of Six Sigma are significantly different. While problems in the manufacturing setting may lie within a process, the issue in a service environment often is the process itself. Service industries are full of waste--and ripe for the benefits of Six Sigma. It is easy to apply relatively simple statistical and lean tools that will reduce costs and achieve greater speed with less waste in service processes. There are numerous case studies that demonstrate how Six Sigma can be used in service organizations just as effectively as in manufacturing-and with even faster results.In a service organization, the critical factors in quality and efficiency are flow of information and interaction between people, especially interactions with customers. Transforming the process of these flows will yield quality results. At ...

Dealing with a Six Sigma company means that a customer can count on receiving the same high quality experience each time there is an interaction.  Six Sigma was begun by Motorola Corporation as a method of eliminating variance in production methods.  This increases quality.  If a compny employs the Six Sigma discipline, it has learned to identify and reduce the causes of product variety.For someone seeking a quality control or waste reduction position at a company, the advantages of Six Sigma Certification are obvious, but far too many job seekers overlook the value of this certification when seeking positions outside quality control.  Whether or not the actual job title or the company's description of a given position contains the phrase 'quality control', every position can benefit from Six Sigma methods. Let's say that again, "EVERY position can benefit from Six Sigma methods."Companies are well aware that paying a little more to get a job done right is more cost effective than paying to get the job done wrong, than paying for the mistake to be corrected. Whether it's lost time, material costs, or customer satisfaction, doing a poor job costs far more than just the salary of the employee who performed the task.  Sitting at an interview table with someone who is ...