White Belt Archives - 6sigma

Online Certifications: Trends Move Away From The Traditional

OpEx Learning Team — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 06:04:46 +0000

Online certifications are making new inroads. For decades, it has been an accepted principle that if you want a solid professional career, you must obtain a four year degree. This has been a minimum requirement for most employment. This has included performing well in high school, then meeting the required demands of college admissions. Upon graduating college, there was a significant debt load and an expectation that a well paying job would be available. Unfortunately, these trends have been changing, as more and more college graduates are finding that they are are not able to secure the type careers that they thought would be available to them. These struggling graduates are then relegated to working at low paying jobs outside of their career path, while trying to satisfy their debt obligations.

Changing the Expectations

More employers are now hiring applicants without the traditional educations, in lieu of applicants that have obtained their education through non-traditional methods. These same employers are also willing to look at applicants that possess certifications that prepare them for their industry. These new job seekers are finding there are more opportunities in the current job climate than for applicants with a degree. For the job seeker, they are finding that obtaining an online education with blended learning options have a much higher return on investment and significantly lower their debt load when entering the workforce. Freelance professionals are the perfect example of the new face of the American workforce. They are able to take advantage of online certifications, with blended learning opportunities, then land the perfect career situation. According to a recent survey by Upwork, 54 million people worked in a freelance capacity in 2015. That number will exceed 75 million during 2016. That number equates to about 24% of the US population. The attraction of a free lifestyle, coupled with flexible work hours and environment, are the main reasons for this surge. A freelancer is able to easily compete in their industry with either online certifications or an online education background. This strategy is changing the face of the American workforce.

The Future of Online Certifications

For some industries and professions, a formal degreed education cannot be avoided. However, workers are quickly discovering that obtaining an education through online certifications, blended education, or certification options make more sense than the formal education process. Employers are more open to hiring these professionals or working with freelancers in their industry. The Six Sigma and Lean professions are one of those professions that are enjoying this transformation in the workforce. For a person who wants to pursue a career in Lean Six Sigma, a certification with online or blended education programs are now getting them hired! If they choose not to go the traditional route, a Six Sigma or Lean professional is just as able to enter the freelance area and enjoy a productive and satisfying career.

Are you interested in obtaining a White Belt, Yellow Belt, Green Belt or Black Belt online certification?

The post Online Certifications: Trends Move Away From The Traditional appeared first on 6sigma.

Six Sigma Certification – What is it and Why is it Important?

OpEx Learning Team — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 12:41:10 +0000

As far as approaches management can take to improve performance and guarantee quality go, Six Sigma can be considered to be a huge success. Many professionals across various industries, from manufacturing to hospitality to marketing, are getting Six Sigma certified. And an increasing number of organizations are sponsoring their employees to get the certification.

What is a Six Sigma Certification?

A Six Sigma certification is a professional certificate that shows that you have grasped the concepts of Six Sigma at some level. The levels in Six Sigma are known as Belts. These classify professionals into the following categories:

White Belt: This is the basic level of Six Sigma understanding. White Belts are given a general overview of Six Sigma tools and techniques. Their job is to assist Six Sigma project teams in coming up with solutions to a problem during brainstorming sessions.
Yellow Belt: A Six Sigma Yellow Belt has foundational knowledge of Six Sigma concepts. Yellow Belts are part of the Six Sigma project team, usually working in a limited capacity – as part-timers. They cannot work on a project without the supervision of a Green or Black Belt.
Green Belt: A Green Belt is a Six Sigma professional who has understood the advanced concepts of the methodology, such as DMAIC. They can be leaders of a team if the improvement project is not complex. If it is, they will be part of the team and work under the supervision of a Black Belt.
Black Belt: A Six Sigma Black Belt has advanced proficiency in implementing Six Sigma. On top of that, they can explain concepts and techniques to others and often serve as coaches to Green Belts. They also have a demonstrable capacity to take on leadership roles and drive projects to success.
Master Black Belt: This is the highest Belt in Six Sigma. A Black Belt is someone who has worked on the strategic deployment of multiple Six Sigma projects (even complex ones). They are responsible for the development and promotion of Six Sigma curriculums within the organization. Also, they teach Six Sigma to all the other Belts.

Benefits of Getting a Six Sigma Certification

It takes time and money to become Six Sigma certified. Many people often wonder why they should do it. Here are a few reasons why a Six Sigma certification is important:

Improve performance: When trained in Six Sigma, you will be able to identify the root causes of problems and eliminate them so they never happen again. You will also be able to identify the organization’s main KPIs and metrics, as well as measure and improve them. This is because the tools and techniques you’ll learn will allow you to gain and understand valuable business insights from analyzing the KPIs and metrics and use those insights to make data-driven decisions.
Leadership roles: During Six Sigma training, you will learn core managerial competencies that will allow you to undertake leadership roles.
Job satisfaction: A Six Sigma certification offers a self-esteem boost. The training prepares you to think of out-the-box solutions that improve your organization’s efficiency. This means you will experience greater job satisfaction knowing that your contributions are making a huge difference.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty: With a Six Sigma certification, you can help your organization improve its customer experience. This means customers will be more satisfied and can even become loyalists.
Best candidate: If you have worked on improvement projects that have helped organizations reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction and increase their bottom lines, you will become more hireable.
Better salary: Six Sigma certifications allow you to demand better salaries from employers. On average, certified Six Sigma experts are making upwards of $100,000 a year.

Conclusion

By getting a Six Sigma certification, you are ready to apply its tools and techniques to benefit your organization. This is the case no matter the Belt you aim for. Furthermore, you are ensuring that you propel your career forward by possessing skills and knowledge that your peers don’t have.

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Why You Should Consider Becoming a Six Sigma White Belt

Stefan Ionescu — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 20:33:34 +0000

There will be a point in time when you could use a change in your career. If you make the change, it could propel your career forward, whether you’re looking to get a promotion or a better job. However, current or potential employers are going to want to see proof that you are making positive steps for your career.

One of the best ways to open yourself up to more career opportunities is to get a White Belt. This is not in karate but in Six Sigma, which is a great start if you don’t know anything about the methodology but are still looking to make a change. Below, we will list some reasons why this is a good career move, but before we get into that, let’s briefly define what a Six Sigma White Belt is.

What is a Six Sigma White Belt?

To be regarded as a White Belt in Six Sigma, you don’t really need to get any certification – although taking a course that offers one is a plus. All you need to do is get an overview of the methodology’s concepts, tools and techniques to be able to add valuable input to your organization’s continuous improvement initiatives. This means you will be able to make meaningful contributions by helping the Six Sigma team with process improvement through problem-solving.

Top 3 Benefits of Being a Six Sigma White Belt

If you are wondering what the benefits of being a Six Sigma White Belt are, here are three of the top ones:

1. Entry Point Into the World of Six Sigma

If you want a strong foundation in Six Sigma before attempting the higher Belts (Yellow, Green and Black), the White Belt is a good entry point. When training to become a White Belt, you cover important topics, from process variability to continuous improvement. These will help you gain a firm grasp of the more advanced topics as you gain more Belts.

2. Gives You a Competitive Advantage

The reason you are looking to make a change in your career is so you can gain a competitive edge over others. Compared to your peers, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills that will make your resume stand out compared to theirs, especially if you are competing for the same promotion.

3. You Can Take Part in Six Sigma Projects

Becoming a White Belt only requires you to complete a 6 to 8-hour training session. Afterward, you are able to work with others on Six Sigma projects as the need arises. This will also make you an indispensable member of the organization you work for. And in the current employment environment, employers are always on the lookout for outstanding individuals with some Six Sigma knowledge and experience.

Conclusion

Professionals are always looking for ways to make themselves stand out and be more valuable in the job market. Getting a White Belt is one of the easiest ways to do this. Plus, you will learn things that will be of use to your current organization, on top of proactively meeting the expectations of future employers.

Get one here!

Learn more about our training and courses

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Overview: Timeline of Your Six Sigma Journey

admin — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:26:55 +0000

Before starting on your Six Sigma journey, it’s best to prepare yourself for the road ahead. Employers expect the best of the best when hiring Six Sigma practitioners, so fortify your knowledge from the get-go. In this article, we will provide you with an essential roadmap to your Six Sigma journey and all it entails. Learn what belts and skills you will achieve, when, and more!

White Belt

The White Belt is the beginning of your Six Sigma journey. The shallow end of the pool. You study a basic overview of Six Sigma knowledge and teamworking skills here. White Belts will track Six Sigma’s evolution from its earliest beginnings to present day. Key Six Sigma skills like DMAIC and value-stream-mapping provide the foundation for further belt progression.

Yellow Belt

Once you have earned your White Belt, you can take the step up to Yellow. This signifies the inciting moment on your journey. From here, it’s either give up or full steam ahead. While White Belts are foundation level, Yellow Belts are the first rung on the ladder. Equally, you will learn how to utilize basic measuring and analytical tools so you can understand and leverage data. Key problem-solving and process improvement skills allow you to perform novice Six Sigma project work while preparing you for further study.

Orange Belt

Often forgotten about, the Orange Belt is as important as Yellow or Green. Yellow Belts must earn their Orange before they can move up to Green. Highly effective team members, it is here you learn how to hone your leadership and team-building abilities. Orange Belts, like Green, are also potential management material. Furthermore, management strategies like PDCA and the A-3 report, alongside practical project work will allow you to handle a team effectively.

Green Belt

Highly flexible, Green Belts can take on the management responsibilities of a Black Belt, while performing advanced data analysis. Combining all heretofore acquired knowledge from White, Yellow and Orange Belt education, you will put complex Six Sigma concepts into practice. Green Belt study is both comprehensive and intensive. Here, you will take concepts like Lean and Kaizen and incorporate them into your process improvement work. Moreover, Green Belts work alongside Black Belts to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, while aiding your team in identifying and eliminating problems as they occur. You will also implement preventative measures to ensure these same problems do not recur.

Black Belt / Master Black Belt

If you’ve made it this far, you’re a born leader. Black Belts are primarily responsible for coaching and directing Green, Orange, Yellow and White Belts. You will also liaise with Master Black Belts to encourage and support improvement goals at all levels of your Six Sigma journey. Black Belt training is the penultimate stop on your journey. Taking all your prior education, from DMAIC to complex data analysis, you will combine your expertise with advanced team dynamics management. Moreover, you will acquire an extensive range of process improvement techniques like

Black Belt training is the penultimate stop on your journey. Taking all your prior education, from DMAIC to complex data analysis, you will combine your expertise with advanced team dynamics management. Moreover, you will acquire an extensive range of process improvement techniques like design of experiments, process mapping, and root cause analysis. Similarly, with Green Belts to support you, Black Belts learn how to implement Lean and Kaizen to enhance and bolster your Six Sigma work. Furthermore, from here you can progress to Master Black Belt level, in which you further enrich your leadership skills. You will also learn how to design your own Six Sigma curriculums, and implement both classical and advanced Six Sigma metrics.

Furthermore, from here you can progress to Master Black Belt level, in which you further enrich your leadership skills. You will also learn how to design your own Six Sigma curriculums, and implement both classical and advanced Six Sigma metrics.

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Six Sigma White Belt Syllabus Content

admin — Wed, 17 May 2017 21:25:49 +0000

If you know anything about Six Sigma, you’ll be familiar with the Belt-based hierarchy used to classify Six Sigma practitioners. Unique colors differentiate each Belt. The first of the six major Belt colors in the chain of command is white. Each color has a special significance in Six Sigma, reflecting the level of the training, due responsibility, and experience of the practitioner.

Similarly, in karate, the white belt signifies a seed buried by snow, and the beginning of your training. White belts are just starting out and mean to learn more about their art. For Six Sigma, it means much the same thing. At White Belt level, you are also at the very beginning of your journey into Six Sigma literacy. For you to fulfill your duty and support the rest of your team effectively, you must have a thorough understanding of your Belt level. Furthermore, here we look at our White Belt syllabus in detail. That way, you’ll know what the course covers, and what you can hope to get out of it.

What Does the White Belt Course Cover?

The White Belt course will cover the basics of Six Sigma work. Think of it as a primer to prepare you for further training and study. It will pay particular attention to the following subjects:

The history of Six Sigma. Where it originated, how it has changed over the years, and so on. What are the fundamentals of Six Sigma? Much like in karate, where you study the history and philosophy of the sport, here you do the same for Six Sigma.

DMAIC methodology. Looks closely at each letter, Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. How to use each of them, plus what do they offer?

Where is the White Belt located in Six Sigma hierarchy? How does it relate to other belts? What are the responsibilities of a White Belt? How do they support the rest of the team? And most importantly, what do they do?

Understanding customer demand. How to use it to your advantage. How to predict future demand using processes like value-stream-mapping.

The variation and waste minimization process. What is waste (Muda)? What is variation? How do you eliminate them? And how do they relate to customer satisfaction?

Additional related subjects. The basics of Lean, Lean Six Sigma, and Kaizen. What process improvement tools do Six Sigma White Belts use? In karate, the White Belt possesses a base number of moves and stances (kata) which he must learn. Here you must learn the tools and skills required of a Six Sigma White Belt.

How is Certification Awarded?

All Six Sigma trainees must prove themselves capable of handling improvement projects and related work. Teamwork and communication skills will be assessed as part of your training. White Belt certification is an entry-level course, ideal for those looking to learn the basics of Six Sigma. Moreover, a key skill is understanding how to use Six Sigma to drive process improvement, which will form part of your assessment. White Belts assist in change management activities as well as inter-company problem-solving, which also figures into your final exam. Your Six Sigma instructor will provide you with the exam. However, to complete training and attain certification, some programs require you to carry out a Six Sigma process improvement project. This will provide valuable practical experience that will hold you in good stead in the real world.

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Six Sigma Tools Know-it-all: Six Sigma Definition

OpEx Learning Team — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 17:11:52 +0000

What is Six Sigma?

It is an often asked question, but providing a short, concise answer can be difficult. Here are some key points to help you understand.

Six Sigma is an approach to quality control and improving businesses processes that was developed by Motorola in the mid-80s. It strives to virtually remove imperfections and flaws altogether. Its main focus was to reduce manufacturing defects to miniscule proportions by constant evaluation and improvement.

Since then, Six Sigma has evolved into a philosophy that deals with business management of all sorts, not just tied to physical production. In most modern applications, Six Sigma is an approach that strives for near perfection in any type of process (finance, sales, government, and office processes), through the power of data-driven analysis and continual improvement.

The name of Six Sigma comes from the basic statistical principle that underpins the approach the nearest specification limit should be six standard statistical deviations away from the mean in any business process. To achieve this, a defect of any sorts should not appear more often than 3.4 times per 1 million opportunities. Being heavily rooted in statistics, Six Sigma implies constant measurement and analysis of the performance of each process. To put it simply, this methodology puts forward goals that are quite ambitious, but that are measurable and that are subject to detailed analysis.

Of course, Six Sigma wouldn’t be a complete methodology without including the means to make improvements, let alone a methodology with such popularity and acclaim. In order to help businesses reach their lofty goals, it relies on two essential sets of methods DMAIC and DMADV.

DMAIC

DMAIC is an abbreviation that stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control which explain the five phases. This is the approach used when working to improve an existing business process that is performing below the Six Sigma standards. The Define phase is used to set the project’s goals, mainly from the point of view of the customer, while the Measure phase is concerned with gathering the relevant data. The Analyze phase deals with finding cause-and-effect relations between different factors in an attempt to find the root causes or sources of variation of underperformance. The Improve phase deals with optimizing the process, using multiple data-driven techniques, in order to develop a process that would meet the Six Sigma standards. The Control phase looks to implement and sustain the improvements with monitoring charts and reports to ensure that the performance does not degrade over time, and it continues to drive improvements.

DMADV

While the DMAIC focuses on existing processes, the DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) is the methodology that deals with designing new processes specifically to work with the Six Sigma framework, and to produce results that would fit the Six Sigma quality standards. It is also referred to as DFSS, which stands for Design For Six Sigma. Instead of dealing with an existing process with actual data, the DMADV methodology uses historical data to model and simulate how a new product or service will perform, to see if it will achieve Six Sigma performance. Gaps and deficiencies can be addressed while the cost to make the change is minimal. The initial design can be tested and verified in practice, to compare to the simulated results, and any gaps can be improved in the model for next time. The goal is to minimize problems with new products and services. Any remaining problems would be subject to the DMAIC methodology for improvement using actual data.

Roles

Another important aspect of Six Sigma is the roles it defines for the professionals that are in charge of its implementation. Their mastery of the methodology is signified by belt colors, which was adopted from the belt system used in martial arts.

Master Black Belt Develops strategies and metrics for the organization, works on higher level projects (across departments), coaches and teaches lower level belts (Black and Green) and top level leadership

Black Belt Leads Black Belt projects on challenging problems that require the highest level of expertise, teaches and coaches lower level Belts (Green, Yellow and White), and coaches project sponsors and champions

Green Belt Assists Black Belts and/or lead Green Belt projects, teaches lower level belts (Yellow and White), receives mentoring from Black Belt and Master Black Belt

Yellow Belt Participates in projects and takes part in process improvement, learning is primarily hands-on

White Belt Understands the basics of the methodology, but not trained on how to apply specific tools

While the belt roles are concerned with professionally operating Six Sigma projects and are subject to official Six Sigma certification, projects need to interface with the company and its values, goals and management. That’s why Six Sigma also defines Champions and Sponsors as roles that guide and support the whole Six Sigma program and its projects.

Want to learn more? Check out our Six Sigma video series >>>

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