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Six Sigma Black Belt

Certification: Six Sigma Six Sigma Black Belt - Six Sigma Black Belt

Certification Overview

Six Sigma Black Belt is a professional certification which shows that an individual is equipped with knowledge and methodologies of the Six Sigma process. The Six Sigma process works on the principle of continuous improvement with the objective of reducing or eliminating waste. This helps to increase the productivity and efficiency of the system. The certification is also named as lean Six Sigma Black Belt because of the inclusion of lean principles in the course content. Basically, there are lean principles included in most of the cases.

There are levels in this Six Sigma certification namely lean Six Sigma yellow belt, lean Six Sigma green belt and lean Six Sigma Black Belt. This article focuses on the lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification.

Who needs this certification?

The course is developed to cater the needs of business professionals who want to develop their critical skills and knowledge about the professional environment. Students who have successfully completed the green and yellow belt certifications are also encouraged to apply.

Benefits

The benefits associated with the completion of this course include development of critical skills required to flourish in the turbulent business arena. The individual will be able to use his leadership skills to reduce wastes in business process which would increase the efficiency of the business. The addition of a professional certificate will increase the attractiveness of the employee in the job market and the range for lean Six Sigma Black Belt salary is higher than the going rate in the market.

Associated Exam

The candidates must appear for a single paper for achieving the Lean Black Belt certification.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for appearing in the lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification exam.

Exam Overview

Candidates who want to sit for the exam are recommended to attend in the lean SixSigma black belt training programs online. This will give an idea of the question pattern.

The Six Sigma methodology can be broken down into 5 DMAIC steps. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. In addition to that there is another step named Six Sigma leadership.

The curriculum of the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt differs from that of the lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certificate. The Black Belt acts as a prerequisite for the Master Black Belt certification.

The course content could be broken down as:

  1. Lean Six Sigma overview
  2. Define phase
  3. Measure phase
  4. Analyze phase
  5. Improve phase
  6. Control phase

The first section stresses on the importance of having understanding of the basic Six Sigma concepts. The concepts related to fundamentals, waste management, selection of projects and waste elements are accounted for in the define phase.

The measure phase develops competencies of the individual in measuring the outcomes using a number of techniques. This requires knowledge about process diagram, fishbone diagram, X-Y diagram etc. The statistical tools needed for data analysis are reviewed in this section. Analyze phase concentrates on data analysis and evaluation from the outcomes based on a number of techniques. The candidates are required to run multiple variance analysis, multiple variance graph and hypothesis testing. The results gained from running those tests are analyzed by using a number of tools and are then combined into a form which could be easily interpreted by users of the information.

Improve phase focuses on improving the processes of Six Sigma for proper solutions. The modules include advanced process modeling, experimental methods, full factorial experiments, fractional factorial experiment etc. The control phase is the final phase on which the candidates are assessed. The candidates are required to have a full understanding of the procedures required to control the business processes. The use of advanced experimentation, lean controls, defect controls, statistical process controls, etc. all is a part of the control phase. The control phase stresses on properly controlling the solutions of the business processes.

Besides that, the lean Six Sigma leadership which is an additional phase expects the candidates to think about how to organize and manage human resources effectively in diverse environments. This helps managers to ensure that the work place is free from conflicts and cultural clashes.

Validity of Certification

The candidates will receive a certificate under the IASSC (International Association for Six Sigma Certification) or the designated institute. The certificate is valid for use during the entire professional career of the individual.

Expert Review

According to Margaret Townsend who is the lean Six Sigma manager of Microsoft, Six Sigma was an established brand in General electric and that brand value was bigger than the inventory or resource the company had.