Ask Your Trainer

Who else can tell you how you’re getting on than your trainer? Think of it as a one-to-one mentoring meeting to discuss your future. Experienced Six Sigma trainers all tend to possess Master Black Belt certification and have a lot to offer in the way of advice. Naturally, they will monitor your progress and improvement as you go along and will address issues as they arise. Moreover, they can point out areas where your results are falling and make suggestions for improvements. Don’t disregard their advice. It could be the difference between Six Sigma success and a cab ride to nowhere. Ask your trainer about your progress. It’s what they’re there for!

Use What You’ve Learned: Apply Six Sigma

If you want to gain a clearer understanding and a better picture of your training progress, why not apply what you’ve already learned? Even something as simple as brainstorming your key subject areas can shed light on which ones you’re struggling with. You’re bound to absorb more information on some subjects than others, but recognizing the areas in which you’re lacking will help you improve. The more you know, the more you grow, after all. Furthermore, you can then apply additional Six Sigma tools to mine the problem deeper.

Using techniques like affinity diagrams and root cause analysis, you can identify what’s holding you back and alter your behavior to improve results. Furthermore, use Lean to search for wasteful practices for you to eliminate. Human error is one of the biggest waste issues, which is why a little process improvement can go a long way to helping your learning experience along. Similarly, by adopting a Kaizen attitude of continuous improvement, you’re sure to see positive changes in your training. Kaizen demands you put in the maximum effort. Condition yourself to stop wasting time and start taking action.

Look at Your Mistakes

When you look at your mistakes, are there any patterns that start to appear? Why do you think you keep struggling with certain tasks? What’s holding you back? By scrutinizing your mistakes down to the minutest detail, you can learn a lot about your development. This can tell you a lot about the reasons behind your mistakes. Use root cause analysis to delve deeper into these issues so you can take corrective action. If you can’t learn from your mistakes, after all, then you won’t get very far.

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At 6Sigma, our goal is to stand out from the competition. Specifically, the illegitimate practitioners. The only way to protect yourself from these scammers is to shine a light on the Six Sigma training industry. By comparing multiple Six Sigma programs, you can work out the pros and cons. Not to mention finding the best deal on the market. Here are a few ways you can compare our programs to others you’re considering.

How to Compare Different Six Sigma Programs

Whether you’re a novice Yellow Belt or an experienced Master Black Belt, Six Sigma training of any kind can create great opportunities. But finding the right training program for you can be a nightmare if you don’t know what to look for. The fact is, there are no clear guidelines on what makes the perfect Six Sigma program, although there are plenty of bad ones. Having no governing body to moderate its practices means fake practitioners can use Six Sigma to clean out your wallets. To avoid this, judge programs against the following factors.

Worthwhile Real-World Applications 

Improvement projects play a substantial part in Six Sigma certification. But there’s more to it than just theoretical study and simulated project work. But if your program helps you apply its theoretical content to real-world situations, then you’re onto a winner. With us, Six Sigma isn’t just bland theory. We apply Six Sigma concepts to real-life situations during training to keep our students on their toes.

Communication and Delivery

Communication is key in Six Sigma. This goes for training too. We pride ourselves on excellent training delivery and prompt communication, but that’s just us. How are other programs taught? Online study is certainly useful to those with tight schedules. However, class-based study is always more beneficial. You’ll be sure to get more one-to-one contact with instructors and develop a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of Six Sigma.

Value Over Price

Value is a key concept in Six Sigma and Lean principles. It’s also one of several subjects you’ll study on your program! Therefore, you shouldn’t be quick to judge a Six Sigma program on price alone. You get what you pay for isn’t always applicable, but higher prices generally equate to higher quality. Assess the contents of the course as well as factors like price. This will help you make the best decision. Remember, your training’s value will surely outweigh its cost. With our Six Sigma programs, you can rest knowing you’ve made the best possible decision.

Reviews and Reputability

There’s a reason people tend to prefer Coca Cola over supermarket own-brands. With brand recognition, it’s make or break, and discerning customers almost always go for the safest option. After all, why risk wasting money on what could prove disappointing, when they could have something they know and like? Bad reviews can do permanent damage to a brand’s name, and often for good reason. Pay attention to what other customers have to say. Furthermore, is the program or provider a recognized brand? How long have they been in business? Asking questions like these can provide eye-opening insights. Read our blog and check out our testimonials. You’ll be both pleased and intrigued to learn more.

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“Official” Governing Bodies

Our advice is to avoid any person, website, organization, or training program claiming endorsement from Six Sigma’s official governing body. As we’ve already mentioned, Six Sigma does not currently have an official, centralized governing body. That’s why, here at 6sigma.com, we do our best to educate the public and spread the good news about Six Sigma. Any decent practitioner should care about Six Sigma’s standing. Fake practitioners only interested in using the Six Sigma label to con you out of your hard-earned money are to blame for sullying its reputation.

Neglecting to Research

The best thing you can do is scrutinize the practitioner or the organization. Does anything seem off about them? Scour the web for testimonials and reviews. Look at what other customers have to say. This can help ensure you aren’t disappointed later.

We hear stories about good people like you all the time. People who jump on the first course they find, only to find out later they’ve made a mistake. Furthermore, even those who expend hours of their time searching for the right program are equally vulnerable. The one you settle on may seem too good to be true. It probably is. You might think you’ve got yourself a great deal. Only to realize, halfway through, with hundreds – possibly thousands of dollars – down the drain, that your Six Sigma certification program is complete rubbish.
You can prevent this from happening to you by seeking out only the most reputable Six Sigma organizations. Get in touch. Learn as much as you can. You can save yourself a lot of time and money. Plus, there are plenty of blogs and sites compiling the best legitimate Six Sigma organizations. Use these to your advantage in your search.

Missing the Warning Signs

It’s essential to be aware of the warning signs of illegitimate practitioners and fake Six Sigma certification. You never can tell when and where they might appear. Even professional Six Sigma conferences can also be at risk. Like a wolf among sheep, fake practitioners lie in wait everywhere. Don’t let them take advantage of you. Watch out for these key warning signs:

• A suspicious lack of employee bios on their website.
• Little to no contact information – Always suspicious.
• No blog – Serious organizations take the time to write about their Six Sigma work.
• Few or no client testimonials. Or, even worse, bad reviews.
• All talk, with no demonstration of Six Sigma knowledge or skills.

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How Will Six Sigma Benefit My Business?

Many common problems go unnoticed on a day-to-day basis, growing and accumulating over time until they’re too big to handle. That’s where Six Sigma can help you. By investing in quality Six Sigma training, you can learn to help yourself. You can organize and run Six Sigma projects to target key process areas for improvement. Techniques like DMAIC and Design of Experiments allow you to test and control your processes with the aim of implementing new and improved ones. That way, you can be sure to make a lasting impact on quality and efficiency for your business.

What Do I Need to Know Before I Begin?

Six Sigma doesn’t have its own centralized governing body to monitor accreditation activities. As such, there are three different methods by which to achieve Six Sigma certification. Some corporations, particularly Six Sigma giants like General Electric and Motorola, have their own in-house training initiatives. But, external training providers can also offer training and certification for all Six Sigma belt levels. If you’re considering certification, it’s important to select the right method for you.

What are the Three Certification Methods?

• The first method, known as first-party, involves self-declaration after you have met all the professional standards for Six Sigma certification. Most tend to view first-party certification with skepticism due to its lack of consistency. We recommend alternative methods for your

• Second-party certification, for instance, comes from companies and training partners with their own certification programs. They will validate your certification per their standards, providing a structured and objective assessment of your achievements.

• Finally, third-party certification describes the individuals who identify and validate Six Sigma training, ensuring you satisfy a set of industry-wide standards. They then pass results on to independent and impartial organizations with the goals of maintaining the same industry standards.

Which Certification Method is Right for Me?

These days, second-party certification is most common for Six Sigma certification. The great thing about second parties is that they allow you to select a training provider to suit your needs. A little research can go a long way to finding the right provider for you, as different organizations may not reflect your goals.

What Is the Key to Six Sigma Success?

For you to ensure Six Sigma makes a strong impact on your business, you must first secure adequate top-down support from higher-ups. If your management doesn’t support Six Sigma, how can you expect it to function? Without an organized, consolidated team-effort, you’ll be left spinning your wheels. Only with the proper support from all levels of your business will Six Sigma keep rolling towards success.

Not every business is alike, and Six Sigma may not take quite as easily under all circumstances. This is why complete investment is so important. As such, Kaizen thinking is essential to much of Six Sigma methodology. It’s all about cultivating a culture of continuous improvement in which everyone has a stake. If you can accomplish this, there’s nothing to stop you from achieving Six Sigma.

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Want to start small? It sounds like Green Belt training is for you! Fancy yourself a Black Belt? Get in touch! Want to aim high? It sounds like Master Black Belt certification is what you need. If you follow our blog, you know how passionate we are about great training. Read on to learn all about our mission and what sets us apart from the competition.

World-Class Training and Certification

Unlike lesser providers, we strive to deliver quality training for all your process and quality improvement needs. All we ask is that you give it everything you’ve got. You don’t become a Six Sigma Green Belt, let alone a Master Black Belt, overnight! Similarly, without complete commitment and a desire to succeed, you can’t expect to Six Sigma to flourish at your company. With us, you’ll bolster your Six Sigma development with Lean principles and Kaizen thinking. With our world-class training, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to set your business on the right path. Our unparalleled real-world training blows the competition out of the water. With programs for all belt levels, including White, Yellow, Orange, and Black, we also offer software tutorials for Minitab and SigmaXL. Master the art of Six Sigma through our first-rate training and certification programs. Let us help you help yourself.7

Professional Consulting Services

You won’t find great services like ours anywhere else. We can provide expert consulting services to help give you peace of mind and point you in the right direction. With our help, you can reduce costs and save massive sums. Each year, we save our clients billions in revenue, all of which goes back into their businesses to ensure future success. Our fully-certified consultants can assess your business and give you detailed feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Certain problems like waste and variation often go unnoticed, but with our help, you can eliminate them for good. You’ll soon see the benefit of Six Sigma once we’re through!

Trustworthy Six Sigma Advice

6sigma.com is the world’s most trusted source of Six Sigma knowledge for a reason. But you can’t always trust what you read on the internet. Six Sigma’s lack of a central governing body means there’s no one around to monitor its activities. This allows just about anyone to take up the Six Sigma name to make a quick buck. But not us. Six Sigma is our passion, and our goal is to educate and serve. 6sigma.com is known for its trustworthy advice on all Six Sigma matters. So get in touch today, and see for yourself why we’re the most reliable source of Six Sigma knowledge on the web.

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Most people, even fully-fledged Six Sigma certifiers, tend to view Orange Belts as the appendix of the methodology. We, on the other hand, believe it to be a highly advantageous Belt to have on your team. But not only that – we think the Orange Belt is a key figure in the world of Six Sigma work. Here are our reasons why you should consider getting an Orange Belt certification.

Ability to Effectively Manage Change

Like all Six Sigma Belts, Orange Belts have their own exclusive responsibilities with which to contend. Orange Belts usually play a supporting role, much like Yellow Belts or White Belts. (Although the latter rarely see much project work, given that they are only just beginning and likely to continue to Yellow Belt level). However, in the absence of a Green Belt, project leaders may also require them to take on a managerial position. Furthermore, there are multiple approaches to managing change that Orange Belts may wish to adopt.

With an Orange Belt certification, you can utilize both Top-Down and Bottom-Up change management strategies. Orange Belt training is all about opening your mind up to new ideas, preparing you for further study and practical Six Sigma management situations. You can learn and hone both your leadership and your teambuilding skills with Orange Belt certification.

Utilizing Kaizen to Make Lasting Changes

Six Sigma is compatible with various other process improvement philosophies, including Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Orange certification teaches you how to cultivate and maintain a culture of continuous improvement in the workplace. This will strengthen your knowledge of Six Sigma and how it relates to Kaizen. It will also ensure you can manage projects effectively, using established methods to promote and drive change. Tools and strategies like PDCA and the A-3 report are useful here as you continue to adopt a managerial role. Having them in your toolbox will hold you in good stead for your Six Sigma future.

Practical Knowledge of Six Sigma Orange Belt Tools

Each Belt level of the Six Sigma hierarchy comprises various levels of study. Each level of certification devotes itself to different sets of tools and strategies for process improvement. With Orange certification, you will learn the difference between Muda (waste) and Mura (unevenness). You will be introduced to numerous Six Sigma concepts, plus various Lean performance metrics, and useful tools like value stream mapping. Furthermore, Orange Belt training sets you up Green Belt study, as you strengthen your management skills and learn how to create capable processes.

Learn more about our training and Courses

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Lack of Consistent Accreditation

There is currently a staggering amount of inconsistency between Six Sigma accreditation programs. You wouldn’t be wrong to assume all programs should operate using the same standards. Unfortunately, most simply don’t. Some programs, though they bear the Six Sigma name, bear no resemblance to it at all! Many training programs differ in their curriculums and course requirements. Our advice is to do your research. Educational institutions like universities are always trustworthy too. Provided they aren’t based on the internet.

Unreliable Training Institutions AKA Certification Mills 

Unreliable training institutions, or certification mills, are all over the internet. They tend to outnumber the reliable sites and organizations promoting Six Sigma certification too. Without a central governing body, these sites can make outrageous claims and charge extortionate prices. They are interested in making a profit, not providing great training or promoting the Six Sigma philosophy. It’s also important to note the difference between certification and accreditation. Master Black Belts certify individuals on Six Sigma training programs, whereas accrediting bodies provide accreditation to Six Sigma organizations. Therefore, if you lose your MBB, you can’t provide certification.

Multiple Organizations Claim to be the “Central” Governing Body for Six Sigma

There are many organizations out there claiming to be “central” certifying bodies for Six Sigma. The fact that there is more than one institution making this claim should be a clue not to trust them. It’s important to remember that pioneering Six Sigma companies like Motorola or General Electric have never claimed to be “central” certifying bodies. It is only recently that different organizations have been making this claim.

False and Contradictory Claims

They state that “the beauty of Six Sigma is it is very flexible […] there is no need for a one size fits all body of knowledge.” This is simply not true. Their website alone provides more than one red flag to the discerning Six Sigma practitioner.

Little to No Standardization of Practices

The lack of a central governing body to oversee Six Sigma organizations means there’s no one there to monitor standards. Ironically, many supposed “central” governing bodies will likely suffer from low sigma levels themselves, so they are doubly not to be trusted. Without anyone to regulate procedures and curriculums, it becomes difficult to view these institutions as reliable. Moreover, variation, waste, inefficiency, and under-utilization all arise from a lack of standardization. Six Sigma should eliminate these problems, not proliferate them.

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These course programs often do not reflect the required level of detail that ours do. Our Six Sigma courses offer a fully comprehensive training program to suit your needs. Whereas, other providers may fall short of the high bar Six Sigma demands. They may even miss out many of the core concepts that form the crux of all Six Sigma work. Beware of swindlers, as some providers will pass off their substandard program as the real deal just to take your money.

Six Sigma enables companies to eliminate errors in their organizational processes, ranging from production to administration. Industries such as software development, manufacturing, customer service, and so on have all benefited from Six Sigma methodology. It works by identifying and devising solutions to process problems, using data to locate opportunities for cost reduction and waste elimination. Six Sigma deals with scientific results based on hard facts, especially for data-handling exercises.  If you want to learn what goes into true Six Sigma certification, then read on.

How Does Six Sigma Belt Certification Work

To become a fully qualified Six Sigma practitioner, you must receive certification. This is only possible if you receive training, just like any qualification. We just so happen to offer a wide variety of excellent Six Sigma training courses to suit all your needs. From as low as White Belt up to Master Black Belt and beyond. Today, we look at how certification works for Six Sigma Belts. But are all Six Sigma courses created equal? Unfortunately, however, other Six Sigma training providers cannot boast our same level of quality.

Implementing Six Sigma demands that practitioners have received comprehensive training in their area of expertise. Yellow Belts differ from Black Belts, for example, just as housecats differ from lions. They are both parts of the same family but are radically different in various ways. Six Sigma certification should provide trainees with adequate exposure to practical elements of Six Sigma work. Concepts such as project work and continuous improvement. As well as how to apply Six Sigma tools and techniques in a practical setting. It’s one thing just to theorize a solution to a problem, but it’s another to put it into action!

Depending on the backgrounds of each of the trainees, you should also introduce them to the myriad ways of applying Six Sigma in their industries. All of this, in addition to intensive theoretical study of Six Sigma and related methodologies, is necessary for a worthwhile certification. If you are to acquire the knowledge required to drive lasting changes in your organization, Six Sigma training is a must. The better your certification, the greater your chances of success with Six Sigma. You’ll also have a more reputable qualification.

How Should Six Sigma Belts Be Certified? (And How Not)

Six Sigma certification courses are also similar to other professional courses, such as MBAs, both requiring very cleared, highly specific guidelines for them to be successful. Certification providers must teach trainee Six Sigma practitioners to follow standardized procedures and use a range of process improvement strategies and quality measurement tools. In addition to cultivating an expert-level body of knowledge of Six Sigma practices and theory. Following certification, your trainees should be able to employ their knowledge in real world situations. If this is not the case after completing your Six Sigma certification program, you may have been deceived by false advertizing.

Bad Six Sigma certification courses are everywhere, and it can difficult to tell the difference. Good courses are always classroom-based and taught by a qualified practitioner. Watch out for too-good-to-be-true online courses that promise quick results. The ideal program for Six Sigma certification should provide multiple study stages for each qualifying level, with a variety of theoretical and practical tests to clear. These may include mock Six Sigma project as well as theoretical multiple-choice tests for candidates to complete under examination conditions. There are multiple belt types, based on the color-based hierarchy found in martial arts. Two of the most prominent Six Sigma Belt levels include Green Belt and Black Belt, each coming with its own requirements.

Green Belt Certification Requirements

Green Belts appear early in the Six Sigma hierarchy. Trainees can usually only complete Green Belt certification once they have completed a prerequisite two weeks of training and qualifying exam. Green Belt training teaches students all the core ideas and methodologies in Six Sigma. One of the core components of Green Belt curricula is DMAIC. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. DMAIC enables Six Sigma practitioners to define customer needs, plus potential future demand. Green Belts learn how to define process limitations, as well as to track process flow to develop improvements.

Certification at the Green Belt level should teach how to measure performance through data collection via numerous sources. Six Sigma’s fact-oriented nature also demands Green Belts scrutinize data for flaws. They should also learn how to analyze processes to get to the root cause of problems. Green Belt training also requires trainees learn how to devise adequate improvements to the problems they face. Certification should teach them to redefine earlier processes and deploy implementation plans effectively. Finally, it’s essential for Green Belts to learn how to control and maintain the changes they implement.

Black Belt Certification Requirements

Professionals with four weeks of prerequisite training behind them will receive Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Quality providers build their training programs on top of each other. Black Belt training, for example, should encompass and build upon trainees’ existing Green Belt certifications. Black Belt certified professionals are leaders on Six Sigma projects and must learn to train others. Certification should include appropriate training as well as testing to assess Black Belt capabilities. This level of training will allow them to develop their skills as a project leader, mastering Six Sigma roadmaps, extensive arithmetical methodologies, plus cross-functional process improvements.

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Non-Profit Accrediting Bodies

Non-Profit corporations differ from For-Profit companies because their interests are not, and cannot be, based in generating profit. As such, Non-Profits do not distribute their income to corporate shareholders. Revenue must remain within the company to pay for salaries, expenses, and business activities. Non-Profit businesses treat salaries as necessities of operation rather than personal benefits. Excluding volunteers, staff require salaries to work, which in turn ensures the smooth running of the organization. Non-Profit companies are commonly referred to as “Non-Stock companies” as they have no investors or stockholders. The only income Non-Profit companies receive is either from the government, charitable donations, or fees for services provided. Some Non-Profit organizations are also exempt from state tax and employment programs.

Why Non-Profits are Superior

In Six Sigma, Non-Profit accrediting bodies will charge for services such as accreditation for Six Sigma courses. Some accrediting bodies also provide professional training services as well. All proceeds go towards maintaining the standard of services the company offers. In other words, Non-Profit companies exist solely to complete their specified goal. In many ways, Non-Profits are superior to For-Profit accrediting bodies, as they are not concerned with generating profit through financial links to training providers. Therefore, Non-Profits are ultimately far more objective in the criteria they use to certify organizations and individuals.

For-Profit Accrediting Bodies

For-Profit accrediting bodies’ primary purpose is to generate profit from Six Sigma accreditation. Income is distributed to owners and stakeholders of the business. One benefit of For-Profit businesses is that they allow the owner to achieve substantial gains from their enterprise. This allows them to pursue wider interests than Non-Profits. For-Profit companies receive income from investors as well as from services offered. They raise capital by offering investors stock shares in the company.

The services For-Profits offer include Six Sigma accreditation and in-house training. While For-Profit organizations put revenue towards growing and maintaining the business, their interests and responsibilities are farther reaching. For-Profit responsibilities include: paying employee salaries, sustaining and improving products and services, corporate expansion, advertising, and reinvesting in new enterprises. As such, For-Profit Six Sigma accrediting bodies also have a brand image to preserve. Examples of For-Profit organizations include technology companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Apple, and food companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. In layman’s terms, For-Profit organizations’ income goes toward the personal benefit of its individual(s), through salaries, benefits, etc. As such, For-Profit Six Sigma accrediting bodies will use profits to maintain a strong consumer base and value stream and generate more profit.

The Downside of For-Profits

For-Profit organizations also have their downsides. It may not be the case for all Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma accreditation bodies, but many For-Profit organizations tend to have strong financial links to external training providers. As such, Six Sigma Belts are often short-changed by providers whose focus is on profit motive. This is due to inadequate certification criteria and shorter courses that lack valid projects. In comparison, Non-Profits are far more objective in their criteria, especially when distanced from, and not promoting, any external training organizations.

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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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Is Your Business Ready to Start Undertaking Large Process Improvement Projects

There are a number of effective and successful process improvement methodologies, with the most popular being Lean and Six Sigma. They can be extremely beneficial to a business and can increase its competitiveness by a large factor, while making it more efficient and productive.

Before implementing one of these major initiatives, you need to make sure that your business is in a position where it can extract all the potential benefits.  You need to make sure that your business is receptive to the changes that need to happen, and has the mindset to deal with the amount of problems that will be identified. The problems already exist, but these initiatives will expose them, and make them obvious, which often makes it seem like they are new problems caused by the initiative. This can be confusing for many companies, who don’t realize this is normal at the beginning of a new improvement program.

There are businesses that are simply not ready for implementing major projects of that kind, so before deciding to do so, one should evaluate their business’ readiness. If they determine that the business is ready, they can proceed and are likely to reap a lot of benefits from doing so. If their business isn’t ready for such changes, it would be a much better idea to work on increasing its readiness before proceeding with project improvement.

So what factors should you consider to determine this?

Proficiency and Competence

As you probably know, project improvement is a discipline of its own, and doing it well requires knowledge, experience and even certification (such as Six Sigma Black Belts). This means that before you can implement a particular methodology, your management team needs to have secured access to enough competence and experience to ensure a proper implementation. Ideally, the management team has been trained and has experience in the methodology, so they can properly communicate and lead the initiative.

If they don’t have the experience and knowledge, that needs to be addressed first. Often times, there are people within the company with this expertise who are not using their skills today, and could be moved into a position to lead the initiative. The advantage is that they already know the business and have built up some credibility. But they need to have the right skill set for working with management and workers. Just having the training and knowledge is not enough.

If there are no internal employees with the proper background, they can hire experts into the company (create a new position), or use external consultants. No matter how you secure your access to well-trained and experienced professionals, you need to make sure that you have enough of them to carry your process improvement efforts to success. This is especially true for methodologies like Six Sigma, where complex statistical tools play an important role. If there aren’t professional that have a deep understanding of the framework and its tools, there is no way for the methodology to be properly implemented.

The first part of business readiness is to have the leadership trained in the methodology first, and have access to expertise on planning the roll out of the program.

Resources

Implementing a process improvement methodology is never an easy or a small task, and it should never be done on the side. It’s something that is going to have far-reaching effects, so it needs to be treated as the crucial undertaking that it is, otherwise it is going to be doomed to failure. It’s very important to understand that implementing something like this is a resource-intensive task, and an organization needs to be able to allocate the needed resources to go through with it.

One of the most important resources to be allocated is management. If everybody involved in the process improvement efforts is doing it part-time, failure is very likely. When the main people that are supposed to oversee and guide the process improvement efforts of a particular organization have other day-to-day tasks, it’s very likely for them to get caught up in the daily issues of their job, and not have time to work on the process improvement plan. This is why having at least one top-level manager dedicated to working on the process improvement efforts throughout the organization is essential, and might even require multiple resources depending on the size of the company. A best practice is to have a process improvement top-level leader and at least one dedicated process improvement expert.

Besides that, implementing such a methodology always requires effort and time from management and staff at every possible level and department, so this is something that needs to be planned for and the resources required should be secured. If a business cannot allocate a full-time manager and full-time expert, implementing a process improvement methodology might not be feasible at that particular moment in time. There needs to be both top-level support for the project and motivated and dedicated employees that are ready for change.

Organizational Stability

Despite the fact that implementing a process improvement methodology implies change, the company should actually be organizationally stable to provide the proper environment for it. If an organization is undergoing some other type of restructuring, merger or replacing important parts of its management team, the time would not really be right to begin with the process improvement efforts. All process improvement methodologies require a certain level of process standardization and data about the outcomes. If an organization is undergoing some sort of rapid change, everything will be skewed, and there will be no way for the methodology to yield the desired results. We’ve also seen organizations try to start an initiative when key leadership has not been replaced, or they’ve been out on medical leave, and that makes it very difficult to make any progress. That’s why such efforts should only be started when the business has reached some basic level of organizational stability, and is not in turmoil. This is another reason methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma should not be viewed as a way to solve crises or short-term operational problems.

Conclusion

Because of all the reasons above, it’s essential to first evaluate your business readiness to successfully implement a large process improvement project before giving it the green light.

The key criteria are as follows:

1. Management trained
2. Management willing to deal with problems
3. Dedicated management position
4. Dedicated experts (internal or consultants)
5. Stable management team

If the business is not ready for the undertaking for some reason, it might end up hurting its competitiveness, instead of bolstering it, which is by no means desirable and could be avoided with the proper preparation.

To learn more about starting a Six Sigma initiative, check out our Six Sigma videos >>>

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