One tip we recommend you try why finding the right Six Sigma practitioner is to request testimonials. These can be from past or current students, or even companies who employ personnel from this particular course. Regardless, testimonials will offer needed insight into your practitioner. Though, practicing this tip can face numerous obstacles. In today’s article, we will outline our three-step approach to asking for testimonials from your online practitioner.

The Approach

Never begin asking for testimonials without a clear mission in mind. First, what type of practitioner are you considering? Do they offer certification, training, or only certificate examinations? Next, decide what information you want to receive. Do you want to read only testimonials from current students or should you request ones from certified Six Sigma employees as well? Once you have compiled your fundamental goal for using your practitioner, contact them

This step will provide you with the first indication of how official your practitioner in question is. If basic contact information, such as email addresses, phone numbers, or a physical address are hard to find, chances are you should find a new provider. If you do have contact information, first begin by sending an email. Briefly, explain that you’re interested in their program (specify which one if there are multiple). Then, ask for a list of testimonials from past or current students. Additionally, you can also request contact information for people who have taken the course, like references on a resume. 

The Response

How and when your Six Sigma provider responds will be your next indication of their program. If you have to wait more than two working days to receive a response via email, look for a new provider. Not only is this unprofessional, but it also indicates the level of attention you can expect to receive from staff if you enroll in the course.

If you get a response back but without any testimonials, this is another warning sign that you should consider a new recruiter. While the practitioner may be caught off guard by your response, providing feedback, positive or negative, on the course is not out of the question. Furthermore, if you received a reply but an answer as to why testimonials would not be provided, try giving them a call. This is also an opportunity to ask questions about the program directly to the provider and to feel out how they will interact with you.

The Conclusion

The end goal of this process is to receive testimonials from your potential Six Sigma practitioner. Now at the final step, your job is to form a conclusion. To help, here are some basic guidelines you can follow to decide if your practitioner is worth your time.

If you receive testimonials without hassle, move forward with said provider. Likewise, if they also provide positive and negative reviews about the course, it’s a safe bet you can trust the information given. However, if you do not receive testimonials, have difficulty communicating with the provider, or face a prolonged delay in contact, walk away. Of course, it can be irritating to have wasted time on an ill-repute practitioner. However, it’s better to waste an email, phone call, and a few days than weeks of partaking in a program, only to not receive what you expected.

Following this simple, three-step guide to asking for testimonials will put you on track to finding the right Six Sigma provider!

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Experience

When interviewing for a new position, you are sure to be asked about your past work experiences. What projects you managed, how you tackled difficult situations, and more, will all be assessed by your interviewer. Likewise, when searching for a Six Sigma accreditor, first look at what experiences you will gain. If a training program is only a few weeks long and offers no hands-on experience, chances are, they are a poor accreditor. Additionally, further warning signs of poor training would be a lack of communication with other students, reluctance to critique your work and progress, and no availability to work on certified Six Sigma projects.

Course Work

Whenever applying to a new course or training program, it’s important to see exactly the institute plans to teach you. Whether you’re seeking a Black Belt certification or just beginning as a White Belt, it’s vital to know what your course covers. Likewise, if you have access to the training program’s content, compare it to other programs. This allows you to assess their similarities and differences. This tip is a easy was to see if you’re facing a poor accreditor based on the lack of relevant content. Remember, the goal of a Six Sigma training program should focus on exposing you to the methodology, not just taking your money.

Past Users

When you shop online, it’s commonplace to read reviews of products you might wish to purchase. Likewise, search for reviews of past individuals who have taken the Six Sigma training course(s) you’re interested in. Are past students now senior managers at well-known corporations? Do they run their own consulting firm? Or have they become stagnant in their progress? Furthermore, if you’re interested in gaining a higher Six Sigma certification, sometimes the best method to find the right training program is to just ask your manager. Chances are, your employer has a list of preferred programs that they trust and send their colleagues to.

Your Next Steps

At the end of the day, finding the perfect Six Sigma training course depends on three things. They are your time limitations, your budget, and most importantly, your own preference. Six Sigma certification is an invaluable asset that will progress you within your career faster than most other certifications. Take the time to carefully find the right program for you and always be on the watch for poor accreditors!

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What is a Gantt Chart?

Before you start using Gantt Charts, you must understand what they are, and how they fit into your Six Sigma toolkits. First of all, a Gantt chart is used for purposes of project management. It’s a popular and effective method of displaying activities, tasks or events against a period of time. Each activity is represented by a bar on the chart. The size and position of which show the start date, duration and end date of the activity. Gantt charts will typically illustrate such things as:

• The activity in question.
• When the activity begins and ends.
• How long it lasts.
• Where activities overlap.
• When the project begins and ends.

But why use a Gantt chart? What does it offer? Well, by using one, it can help determine responsibility for tasks, as well as potential problems that may occur. This information can be very useful to have in the early stages of your project, and the Gantt chart makes it easier to absorb by displaying it in a visual manner. It can also help identify critical paths, such as task sequences and minimum delivery times, so don’t dismiss the Gantt chart as just another Six Sigma tool. It could make your project far simpler to deal over time.

How to Use a Gantt Chart

Below are the key steps involved in creating a strong Gantt chart that is bound to be an effective asset to your project:

1. Identify the Essential Processes. All your activities necessary to project completion need to be included if a Gantt chart is to work. Establish your essential tasks by breaking down the processes to determine importance. Calculate timescales for delivery before ranking them by length. 

2. Identify the Task Relationships. Your chart should illustrate how project tasks are linked and how they affect one another (sequential tasks), and how they work when independently (parallel tasks). Remember, some tasks rely on other tasks being completed beforehand, so bear this in mind when designing your chart. For example, your need to have finished an article before it can be posted online. 

3. Input Activity Data into a Template. Software like Gantto, Microsoft Project or Excel, and Matchware can also be used for this purpose. But sometimes, creating your own template is the best option. 

4. Track the Progress. As your project makes progress, it will start to change, so be sure to keep track of how. Regularly update your chart with new information, to ensure it is up-to-date and completely accurate. The better your data, the more likely your Six Sigma success!

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What are the Metrics?

Within the  Six Sigma methodology, metrics tend to focus on one or a combination of three vital factors.  Namely: quality, schedule, and cost. These metrics are particularly useful as they often serve as the root drivers behind an organization’s Six Sigma transformation.

• Critical to Quality. Quality metrics (CTQs) involve measuring process performance and operational performance. One of the oft-used methods for doing this is via Process Capability Indices. This is when a process is broken down to determine if it meets the demands of the customer. 

• Critical to Schedule. Schedule metrics (CTSs) generally deal with cycle times and scheduling proficiencies and deficiencies. There are four key concepts that link to CTSs: process cycle efficiency, process lead times, process velocity, and overall equipment effectiveness. 

• Critical to Cost. Cost metrics (CTCs) calculate, render, and compare data that can inform business opportunities. These include such metrics as Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return. They are designed to be equally critical to both schedule and quality, as cost often impacts on almost every other area of a business’s infrastructure.

How to Use Metrics to Deliver Strong Leadership

The first thing you need to know about being a good leader is how to provide meaningful direction to your team. Remember, you are someone they look to for guidance, and example, so be prepared.

One way to do this is by defining objectives in terms of your Six Sigma and/or business strategy. Demonstrate how these goals are to be met, break it down into manageable data chunks, for easy absorption. Be clear, be succinct, and your team will thank you for it. This will also help strengthen Critical to Quality metrics, in turn providing a strong picture of how their work benefits the project.

Monitoring results is another important factor. By acknowledging and recording achievements, your team will acquire a stronger sense of direction for it. By completing each goal, they will feel the project drive towards its ultimate objective. Critical to Schedule metrics will play a role here, as they can help set out effective timelines.

Moreover, drivers and processes are essential to Six Sigma, and you should identify them quickly and effectively to make your objectives actionable. Techniques such as Pareto Charts and Driver Trees can help break processes down to determine their drivers. This level of detail is important for you to be comfortable with, as your team may struggle to have faith in you as a leader, if you offer only vague advice and a basic understanding of the key issues at work. An in-depth understanding of the processes will also enable a thorough understanding of the costs involved. This will help you direct workers in line with budget goals.

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When mishaps occur, it’s easy to become frustrated. However, as a Six Sigma professional, it’s your responsibility to get the project back on track as quickly as possible. To better prepare you for the unavoidable future, here are a few tips you can use when mistakes arise.

Prepare

The best way to resolve production errors is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Six Sigma is a business process improvement method that focuses on reducing waste and removing unnecessary components. For most Six Sigma Projects, this methodology will automatically reduce the chance for errors. Although, mistakes are still not completely avoidable. Before beginning a project, ensure your employees have thorough training and understand the Six Sigma methodology completely. A comprehensive understanding with adequate practice is the best way to prevent errors from occurring.

Damage Control

However, when errors do occur, the first thing you should do is remind yourself and your team that you are human. Mistakes will happen and while perfection is a goal, it’s not necessarily achievable. Likewise, when mistakes happen, assess where and when the error occurred. Using your Six Sigma Toolkits, such as Root Cause Analysis, you can locate and correct the production error and get back on track. Additionally, you can also integrate the Kaizen methodology to maintain a clear workspace, revisit locations of errors, and reorganize your components. While you may lose time when a production error occurs, it’s crucial to take the time needed to locate and correct what exactly went wrong.

Getting Back on Track

Whether you have just finished fixing a production error or are practicing prevention methods, getting back on track with your project should always be the end goal. Getting back and staying on track requires discipline, obedience, and a strong management team to motivate their employees. When management communicates effectively with other employees, it’s easier to maintain a proper business process and Six Sigma project. Additionally, practice is always key. If you want to avoid errors from occurring, practice the Six Sigma methodology in all of your business processes when available.

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At some point in life, everyone dreams of being their own boss. Running your own company as an entrepreneur reaps numerous benefits, such as flexible hours, better pay, and most of all, control over what you do and when you do it. However, not everyone has the courage to form their own startup consultancy. Many will invest countless hours and hundreds of dollars into a business model that simply does not work. Some may fear that creating their own business is too risky and does not offer stable benefits their families will need. Yet, the remainders will strive and work as hard as possible to get their company off the ground and in the end, succeed. Whether you have years of experience in a professional industry, a technical education background, or are starting completely new, Six Sigma certification will put you on the path to success!

Six Sigma and Consultancy

Six Sigma is a world-renowned business process improvement method that has integrated itself into numerous industries. Additionally, the Six Sigma methodology uses data-driven analysis to reduce production waste, increase process efficiency, and deter manufacturing defects. Like most business methodologies, you can earn a variety of level certifications that qualify you to work on specific tasks. Beginning with White Belt, you can test your knowledge of Six Sigma and gain higher ranking certifications throughout the program. Furthermore, most entrepreneurs that create their own Six Sigma consultancies have Green Belt certification. This is the medium rank and proves that you possess a thorough understanding of the methodology and how to implement it into practice. However, most successful entrepreneurs continue to learn the details of Six Sigma and earn higher certifications throughout their experience.

What You Will Need

Before you begin creating your own firm, there are a few key things you must have. First, above all else, you must have an exponential desire to succeed. Statistically, four out of five consultancies will fail in the first stages of their life cycle. To beat this, you must believe in yourself, possess a strong passion for your work, and practice a sustainable business model. Next, as a Six Sigma consultant, you must ensure your knowledge of the business process methodology. Consultants, either individually or as a team, are expected to have basic to advanced knowledge on most subjects pertaining to Six Sigma. When advertising your services to potential clients, find ways to express your understanding and why they should choose your services over someone else.

Additionally, it is crucial to have a united workforce. Most consultancies begin small, three to five people at most. When working with your team, continuously practice and test their knowledge of Six Sigma and encourage them to expand their skillset. Finally, every consultancy needs a concrete business model with a solid mission statement. What are your services, what are your specialities, and how will you profit from them? Too often, young consultants spread their workforce and knowledge base too thin and cannot maintain a precise company image. Find what services you offer best and perfect them!

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