A Six Sigma certification can do two things for you. Either it boosts up your position in your current organization, or it makes your CV look attractive in the eyes of your next organization. So, let’s talk about the 2nd point now. Shall we?
In this blog, we are going to tell you what a Six Sigma certification can do about your hire ability and the career opportunities of 6 Sigma. Before we start with that, let us tell you a little bit about Six Sigma certifications.
You are well aware of Six Sigma, right? To brief it to you, Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process management. It was introduced by American engineer Bill Smith while working in Motorola. Lean Six Sigma certifications have 3 categories:
- Yellow Belt: This certification is basically for beginners, practitioners, and executives who want a better understanding of Lean and Six Sigma.
- Green Belt: This certification suits senior management, team leaders, ITSM process managers, software professionals, project managers, QA engineers, software QA engineers.
- Black Belt: Both the graduates and the working professionals can go for this one. But people who want to go for a Six Sigma Black Belt certification should have working experience in the Lean Six Sigma field.
So, now that you know about the certifications, you would be able to decide by yourself that which certification would be suitable for you.
Six Sigma Techniques
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is the key process of any problem-solving method and is often utilized in the "improve" phase of the DMAIC methodology. It is a necessary process before anyone starts using any tools. Brainstorming involves bouncing ideas and generating creative ways to approach a problem through intensive freewheeling group discussions. A facilitator, who is typically the lead Black Belt or Green Belt, moderates the open session among a group of participants.
Root Cause Analysis/The 5 Whys
This technique helps to get to the root cause of the problems under consideration and is used in the "analyze" phase of the DMAIC cycle.
In the 5 Whys technique, the question "why" is asked, again and again, finally leading up to the core issue. Although "five" is a rule of thumb, the actual number of questions can be greater or fewer, whatever it takes to gain clarity.
Voice of the Customer
This is the process used to capture the "voice of the customer" or customer feedback by either internal or external means. The technique is aimed at giving the customer the best products and services. It captures the changing needs of the customer through direct and indirect methods. The voice of the customer technique is used in the "define' phase of the DMAIC method, usually to further define the problem to be addressed.
The 5S System
This technique has its roots in the Japanese principle of workplace energies. The 5S System is aimed at removing waste and eliminating bottlenecks from inefficient tools, equipment, or resources in the workplace. The five steps used are Seiri (Sort), Seiton (Set In Order), Seiso (Shine), Seiketsu (Standardize), and Shitsuke (Sustain).
Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
The Kaizen technique is a powerful strategy that powers a continuous engine for business improvement. It is the practice continuously monitoring, identifying, and executing improvements. This is a particularly useful practice for the manufacturing sector. Collective and ongoing improvements ensure a reduction in waste, as well as immediate change whenever the smallest inefficiency is observed.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the technique that employs a set standard of measurement. It involves making comparisons with other businesses to gain an independent appraisal of the given situation. Benchmarking may involve comparing important processes or departments within a business (internal benchmarking), comparing similar work areas or functions with industry leaders (functional benchmarking), or comparing similar products and services with that of competitors (competitive benchmarking).
Poka-yoke (Mistake Proofing)
This technique's name comes from the Japanese phrase meaning "to avoid errors," and entails preventing the chance of mistakes from occurring. In the poka-yoke technique, employees spot and remove inefficiencies and human errors during the manufacturing process.
Value Stream Mapping
The value stream mapping technique charts the current flow of materials and information to design a future project. The objective is to remove waste and inefficiencies in the value stream and create leaner operations. It identifies seven different types of waste and three types of waste removal operations.
Six Sigma Methodologies:
The basic six sigma concept is to reduce waste. In Six Sigma language, anything which doesn’t match the customer expectation is a defect or a waste. Six Sigma follows the DMAIC flow to detect a waste, which is:
- Define: Here you will define the problem and find out how it is affecting the entire process.
- Measure: By measuring the current data and defining the process, you can find out ways to make improvements.
- Analyze: After measuring all the current data, you can start analyzing them to find the root cause of the problem
- Improvement: By this step, you will easily be able to come up with solutions that will bring improvement.
- Control: After implementing the new process, you must be aware of how to control that over time.
Lean Six Sigma Principle:
So, the question is how lean & Six Sigma can work together to eliminate waste?
The answer is simple! Lean Six Sigma!
Now, what is Lean Six Sigma again?
The concept of Lean Six Sigma was created in 2001 from a book- “Leaning into Six Sigma” by Barbara Wheat, Chuck Mills, and Mike Carnell. The book was written as a guide for managers of manufacturing plants on how to combine lean manufacturing and Six Sigma in order to improve quality and cycle time in the plant.
It is a managerial concept of Lean & Six Sigma. Lean focuses on the seven kinds of wastes whereas Six Sigma improves the quality of the entire process.
Let’s check some other benefits of it as well!
Conclusion:
One harsh truth of any business is, most of the customers don’t come back to the business because of bad employee behavior. Once you hold the Six Sigma certification, you will have the power to handle that. And what else can be a better Six Sigma employment opportunity apart from that, right?
Still confused about which certification is going to be perfect for you? Check all of them right here, decide, and go for it!
The Lean Six Sigma method can help supply chain managers ensure that every part of their process isn’t just defect-free, but focused on their customer.
By defining their customer base and needs early on in the DMAIC / DMADV process, businesses can align all of their process improvements to the goal of serving their customers with distinction.
Every team member can stay focused on the ultimate goal, which is to make customers happy with their purchase.Read More About...
One of the prominent facets of the Lean Six Sigma green belt certification is the creation of standard processes that are easy to implement and can enhance business goals effectively.
The certification also reallocates the resources effectively to ensure processes are evenly streamlined, attaining efficiency in every step of the way.
The Lean Six Sigma green belt training also helps the organisations in analyzing the data, to identify the problems, reassess them, and develop an effective strategy to mitigate the effects, ensuring efficiency in the resulting process.I wrote this for my company and the original link to the blog is, https://www.tuvsud.com/en-in/resource-centre/blogs/benefits-of-lean-six-sigma-green-belt-training-to-an-organisation
