In the past few decades, the Six Sigma methodology has spread into multiple industries. More than before, it’s becoming a valuable skill for employees to have. However, not all training courses for Six Sigma are alike. For example, certificate courses only provide you with the examination to gain a certification. Whereas, training and certification courses provide both hands-on experience as well as a formal test. In this article, we will discuss the top benefits you will gain from a Six Sigma certification.

First, Enhance your Organization.

Six Sigma is a business process improvement method that aims at reducing production waste, decreasing the likelihood of manufacturing errors, and eliminating unnecessary components. Whether you’re a practicing Master Black Belt or just starting as a Yellow Belt, a certification course will enhance your organization skills. How you work alongside your counterparts greatly depends on the education you receive. From any Six Sigma certification course, you will learn how to organize your tasks, operate more efficiently, and reduce the chances of errors.

Second, Increase your Quality Improvements.

Additionally, Six Sigma focuses on improving the quality of products by reducing errors in the production process. With a Six Sigma certification, you will practice ways to sustain a higher level of quality for your company’s products, services, and attention to details. Through your certification course, you will be exposed to different “tools” you may use to improve quality sustainability. These include Root Cause Analysis, Value Stream Mapping, and the 5S’ of Kaizen. 

Third, Lead Teams and Projects.

The aim for most Six Sigma employees is to become an effective project and team leader. Whether at the senior executive level or on the production line, your certification course will prepare you to lead others better and more efficiently. Likewise, certification will allow you to exercise your skills for training other employees on the business process improvement method. All great business leaders must know how to communicate with their employees and their managers. As a certified Six Sigma professional, you will greatly benefit from the managerial experience gained through your certification.

Last, Greater Pay.

While greater pay should not be your only motivation for seeking Six Sigma certification, professionals with experience in the methodology can expect higher salaries, faster. The increasing in salary, though, corresponds directly to your level within a corporation. With a certification, you will have greater responsibilities, move upwards in managerial levels, and increase in your salary. For many professionals who want greater challenges and more professional leadership roles, Six Sigma certification is an excellent way to achieve this while also earning a higher salary.

The complete list of benefits you will gain from Six Sigma certification is, fortunately, endless. Depending on what certification you achieve and how you practice your knowledge of the methodology, you will continuously gain benefits from Six Sigma certification courses.

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“Without us, you won’t have any sales to boast of”, said the sales person.

“Without us, you won’t have any product to sell”, said the marketing person.

While the sales and marketing functions are intertwined, they operate in their own universe of theory and practice. Whether or not one is more indispensable than the other is not the issue. What’s important is that sales and marketing personnel understand their responsibilities and support each other so that those responsibilities can be executed flawlessly.

What precedes flawless execution? Clear definition of objectives, for one. Resources are another. We’ll throw in guidance and supervision as a third requirement. The question now is, where does one get that guidance and supervision?

Before we answer that question, let’s look at a hypothetical situation.

Company X is a distributor of semiconductors. They have a 150-man product marketing department that oversees supplier relationships, allocation schedules, inventory, and price fixing. Based on past records and current market conditions for any given component, they decide how much to order from a supplier, how much of that is to be released for sale and how much is to be kept on the shelf. They are also responsible for arranging delivery dates, product sourcing and negotiating relationships with suppliers and customers.

The company also has a sales department. Each sales person is assigned anywhere from 10 to 30 accounts. They are supposed to make cold calls, do business trips, and liaise with product marketing to see if some components can be taken off the “hold shelf” and sold.

Black Belts:

How can black belts help company X strengthen its sales and marketing departments?

Some considerations should include:

• A technical background – this will help them understand Six Sigma statistical techniques that can be applied in the sales and marketing functions
• Completion of training – for black belts to make any worthwhile contribution, they should complete a company-approved and company-sponsored training program exclusively dedicated to Six Sigma process philosophies, tools and methods
• A history of producing – black belts must have an outstanding high performance record and must demonstrate their promotability potential to higher, more demanding responsibilities

These minimum qualifications will enable black belts to forge supplier relationships, negotiate better delivery times, spin off inventory with excellent market timing, and determine price structures that will generate profits for the company.

Here’s a specific example: A product marketing manager in charge of resistors is having issues with one supplier. The supplier refuses to renew the distribution agreement because the supplier says that the company’s projections don’t match actual sales. The supplier’s argument was, “why should we believe you when you say you can sell 1.2 million pieces next year when you sold only 45% of our product last year?”

The Black Belt can step in and explain the 45% figure, why he thinks the situation will improve next year, and what the market would be prepared to pay for resistors in the next 12 months. He can produce percentages of how cold calls by the sales department led to closing of deals and a list of new customers who would potentially be interested in bulk orders for resistors.

Green Belts:

Green belts must demonstrate:

• Some degree of competency in Six Sigma tools and how they can be applied to specific processes
• Commitment, motivation and speed in executing process changes
• Provides support to Black Belts in times of need
• Constantly be on the lookout for areas that can be improved

Taking the same situation above of the reluctant supplier, what can a green belt contribute to the effort?

A Green Belt will carry out thorough research on resistors: who’s hoarding, who’s buying and at what price, shortages, supply and demand. He can also speak to sales persons who have booked volume orders for resistors to find out how resistors can be marketed and sold more efficiently. He can conduct studies on who is making the best resistors and which brands are frequently returned.

Some or part of the information gathered by green belts can be shared with black belts so that the black belts can have an intelligent conversation with the supplier. One argument that can be raised is, “could it be that the resistors you delivered to us last year were defective? Our merchandise return division said that among the five resistors we distribute, yours had the highest rate of return. Perhaps that would explain the 45% weak sales?” Black belts must have the “smarts” to know that it doesn’t end there. A clever black belt will convince the supplier that next year promises to be a better market for resistors and explains why, in very concrete terms and backed by solid data.

Learn more information about 6Sigma.com’s Lean Six Sigma training coursework, available as classroom, onsite, or online options.

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Let us understand the concept of Lean Six Sigma in a better way. Earlier most companies use to follow only the six-sigma method to boost the overall development. As this method gave immediate results, entrepreneurs often relied on it to obtain desired results.

Sometimes to obtain more preferred results, companies had to collect and analyze the data accurately and this process took longer time. As a result, it led to slow changes and illiberal practices. To combat such practices, public sectors incorporated lean flow method in the six-sigma method, which is jointly called as lean six-sigma method.

Therefore, Lean Six Sigma is the combination of two methods, lean flow and Six Sigma. Use of Lean Six Sigma in the public sector is an implementation of a non-formalize type of investigative approach in the workflow of companies or organizations. The application of this method is suitable only after the immediate rescheduling of the new or improvised processes.

Thus, lean six-sigma method helps organizations to attain the synergy levels due to which various mechanisms and labor force work in harmony.

Application Lean Six Sigma In Different Units Of Public Sector:

Different manufacturing units in the public sector use several approaches of Lean Six Sigma to achieve desired results.

However, the typical methodology includes:

1. Examining different steps of a company process and determining the final steps.
2. Next, it includes calculating the cost that is associated due to the elimination of not so important steps. Next, it includes comparing those outlays versus the potential benefits.
3. It also includes the process to determine resources and devising out a final plan.
4. The last step includes taking the action.

However, the use of Lean Six Sigma method is not confined to manufacturing units only. In fact, any office or process may incorporate this method, because all organizations are mainly concerned for improving the quality and harnessing or reducing the amount of waste. Even in the public service sector such as documentation offices, the role of Lean Six Sigma strategy is notable.

Lean six-sigma applications lead to greater deficiencies, improvised quality, reduced burden of workflow, saved time and energy, evoke better response, reduce the cost, and enhances the customer service.

The use of Six Sigma in the document management sectors of the state and the local government organizations have improved the deficiencies by carrying out the repository solutions. It simplifies and rationalizes the document business processes.

Some of the repository solutions consist of scanning, coordinating, and storing of back files and arriving documents for the officials to have an easy access, when they need them.

Some government agencies also take help of industry professionals to help them implement the change using lean six-sigma method.

Conclusion:

When public sector companies use Lean Six Sigma technique, the method replaces the slow processes with highly streamlined and efficient workflow. In addition, the information gathered during the process of lean flow execution helps to discover new opportunities. It gives an ideal structure to produce high quality goods, work faster, and produce the results with least time consumption.

Numerous companies use Lean Six Sigma method to increase the speed, reduce the waste, and improve the quality. Therefore, Lean Sigma process certainly has the potential to improve the quality of public sectors.

If you’re excited to be a part of Six Sigma journey, we are coming to your city or town during October and November 2016! Please go through the course schedule and register.

If you’d like to contact us for more information, please call (855) 674-4622 or through our website.

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Upper management decided that you’ve got what it takes to implement change. They combed your credentials with a fine-tooth comb, watched you in action during company activities, and appreciate your leadership qualities and people skills.

As a change agent, you could be venturing into uncharted territory. Even if you’ve spent many years in the company and think that you know it like the back of your hand, taking on critical responsibilities puts you back on learning mode.

When you’ve served in a specific position for years, you’re familiar with the rules of the game. But when you’re appointed as a change agent, you’ll need to transition into new functions, deal with people you’ve probably never dealt with before, and get acquainted with processes that you don’t recognize.

So you’ve earned the vote. What’s next?

Essentials for a Change Agent

The role of change agent is scary. It could make or break your career.

In their book, The Change Agent’s Guide to Radical Improvement (American Society for Quality, 2002), Miller and Lawton say: “Ideally, as change agents, projects would come to us crystal clear. We would know what the issue is and who needs to be involved… Unfortunately, things seldom work that way. Change agents are often recruited by someone… who has only the vaguest idea of how the project should unfold.”

We’ll discuss five indispensable traits that a change agent must have:

• Know thy culture – knowing the hot buttons of your organization will help make your task easier. How much you know of culture determines the amount of influence you can wield over people. Some issues to consider: is the company known as an early adopter of new ideas and technologies? Is there an atmosphere of distrust or collaboration among staff? Do employees nurture career aspirations? Do employees use the suggestion box frequently or do they ignore it?

• Collect the right data – knowledge is power, they say. The data you collect will depend on the type of change being implemented. If the change is to improve the rate of repeat orders from a certain geographical area that your company serves, you need to ask: who services this area, what products or services are sold, which of these products and services bring in the least and greatest amounts of business, how are complaints handled, and what’s the competition doing? When you gather the right data, you ask the right questions and then decide on the right processes. Good data can reveal a gap between what company staff perceive to be the problems of the product versus what the customers think are the problems.

• Be specific – the problem with large companies is that they acquire what is called “organization-speak.” This means that the entire communications network is camouflaged in terms that mean nothing at the grassroots level. To say “our company needs to be profitable in the next quarter” is vague. To announce that “changes are underway to make the company more efficient” is vague.

As a change agent, you need to say it “like it is.” Take the first example above. Wouldn’t it be more meaningful to say, “our company recorded profits of $800,000 last quarter. For the next quarter, we need to increase that by 10% so we should all aim for $880,000 by the end of the next quarter. If we make this profit, 50% will be devoted to upgrading our training rooms and materials so we can train 25 more people every month.” By stating figures and targets and the reasons for them, team members will have something to work with.

• Master the tools, experiment with new ones – it isn’t enough to know the principles of Six Sigma. You have to master its statistical tools: pie charts, T curves, value stream mapping, and variance tables. If Six Sigma tools don’t apply to the specific change, there are other change management tools that you can use. An example would be the Prosci Change Management Maturity Model which utilizes bench-marking and assessments of interactions with companies under doing change.

• Delegate – refusing to delegate is a sure sign that the team spirit may not be all there. When a change agent delegates, he or she spreads the fun by letting others discover their own talents. Team members need to feel that you value their core competencies and that you’re giving them free rein to use their talents to bring about change.

If you’re excited to be a part of Six Sigma journey, we are coming to your city or town during October and November 2016! Please go through the course schedule and register.

If you’d like to contact us for more information, please call (855) 674-4622 or through our website.

The post They Voted For You. Now What? appeared first on 6sigma.

The Naval Sea Systems Command, the largest of the Navy’s five systems commands, has introduced a program called Navsea Lean. The programme is based on a business improvement methodology termed Lean Six Sigma (LSS.) LSS is a fusion of two Toyota inspired business transformation models, Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing. Through data collection, data analysis and solution finding both models seek to eliminate waste in terms of over-priced budgets, non-binary process steps, faulty product manufacture and slow process speed. The final result, when the system works, is stream lined processes that delivers better service.

Lean Six Sigma projects are administered by leaders termed black belts within the organisation. Undergoing intensive Lean Six Sigma management training, these black belts are responsible for directing teams of green belts. Black belts are rumoured to save hundreds of millions of dollars on the projects with which they are involved and a typical project lasts around six months. Since its instigation, LSS has played a part in streamlining the naval contracting process, decreasing decision times and accelerating and economizing on base check in check out procedures.

The decision was made in 2004 to introduce Lean Six Sigma initiatives into Navsea (Naval Sea Systems Command.) To date, its application has been broad, with 30 Navsea organizations forming part of the initiative. Following initial introduction, results have been more than impressive. Significantly, the initiative has been held directly responsible for saving two hundred million US dollars before the start of year two of its implementation.

It was Toyota that introduced the systems that spawned LSS. Curiously, it seems that, now, the navy is responsible for exporting LSS back to the nation where its concept was born. It seems somewhat ironic that the U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center in Yokosuka, have a fully integrated LSS program for which the training is executed in both English and Japanese.

Following on from Lean Six Sigma successes in other US service departments, the Department of the Navy (DoN) came to the conclusion that they needed to integrate Lean Six Sigma into their training portfolio. As such, in 2006 they took steps to legitimize their in house training processes by partnering with the world’s leading authority on quality, the American Society for Quality (ASQ) in order to develop a customized Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

A three-year action plan mandating Senior leaders to place LSS at the top of their problem-solving toolkit has been issued by the Secretary of the Navy who personally cross-examines his management team to determine how they are applying the methodology to solve their most pressing issues. There is an expectation, proven in many cases, that the benefits from LSS, will include more rapid transactions and decisions, superior quality control, cost savings and a better safety record. The following is quoted directly from the, “Statement of the Honorable Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy before the Senate armed services committee – 28 February 2008. Under the title of, “Management Process Improvement,” he writes,

“Complementary action to our acquisition improvement initiatives is our commitment to enhancing process improvement across the Department of the Navy to increase efficiency and effectiveness and responsible use of resources. The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) program, planned for implementation throughout the Department, began initial implementation at Naval Air Systems Command in October 2007. It is an integrated business management system that modernizes and standardizes business operations and provides management visibility across the enterprise. The Department continues to champion the use of Lean Six Sigma as the primary toolset as a means toward increasing readiness and utilizing resources efficiently. Over 4,420 leaders have completed Lean Six Sigma training, and there are over 2,000 projects underway. The Department’s Financial Improvement Program leverages ERP and strengthens control of financial reporting. The Marine Corps expects to be the first military service to achieve audit readiness.

A major process improvement initiative to ensure that the Department applies fundamental business precepts to its management is the Secretary of the Navy’s Monthly Review (SMR). The SMR is a senior leadership forum, involving CNO, CMC and Assistant Secretaries, designed to afford greater transparency across the Department and set into motion actions that garner maximum effectiveness and efficiency for the Department. The SMR reviews a portfolio of the bulk of Department activities and programs involving manpower, readiness, acquisition, infrastructure, etc. Using Lean Six Sigma tools and other business tools, this forum reviews the most urgent issues and discusses and implements appropriate solutions. Ultimately, this monthly interaction serves as a means to synchronize the Department’s actions to comprehensively address complex problems, accomplish strategic objectives, and better position for challenges in the future.”

Note: This document is irrefutable proof that the Lean Six Sigma stamp of approval has been indelibly written into Naval policy. We can only wait with interest for histories analysis of its legacy.

Learn more information about 6Sigma.com’s Lean Six Sigma training coursework, available as a classroom, onsite, or Six Sigma online training options.

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