Six Sigma is a technical, data-driven and statistical quality improvement program primarily for the manufacturing sector, although in recent years it has been applied everywhere, including the service sector.
Six Sigma advocates quantitative measures of success, not qualitative markers. The people most involved in Six Sigma are those who use statistics, financial analysis and project management to improve business functionality.
Key Findings
Six Sigma is a program that focuses on quantitative rather than qualitative measurements, where employees use statistics or financial analysis to improve business functions.
There are four levels of Six Sigma: yellow, green, black, and black belt masters.
Six Sigma Black Belts are paid an average of $127,000, almost 34% more than Green Belts.
What are the different levels of Six Sigma?
Various Six Sigma certifications:
- Yellow belt
- Green belt
- Black belt
- Master Black Belt
Black Belts tend to be senior managers and are usually mentors to Green Belts. Six Sigma Black Belts are expected to have a working knowledge of Six Sigma methodologies. In addition to technical expertise, Six Sigma Black Belts are expected to lead organizational change and play a strong leadership role.
If the admittedly biased Go Lean Six Sigma training program is to be believed, Six Sigma belts can boost your pay significantly. The average black belt earns $127,000 a year, while the green belt earns $95,000—a jump of almost 34%.
Six Sigma Training
According to the American Society for Quality, at the Black Belt level, students must already have a Green Belt certification or at least three years of work experience in the field, or they must have completed two Six Sigma projects. Work experience must be full-time paid rate. Cooperatives, internships and part-time jobs do not apply.
Depending on the organization, the format of the exam and Six Sigma Master Black Belt Training may differ. Training can take place on site, online, or in a formal classroom, along with mentoring and workshops. Certification requires the completion of two successful Six Sigma Black Belt projects. The project is considered financially successful after approval by the accounting department of the company and the sponsor.
Black Belt certificate courses are based on the Green Belt certificate and generally cover the entire organization.
Apart from DMAIC (definition, measurement, analysis, improvement and control), it adds the following (based on the ASQ black belt certificate):
- Enterprise Deployment
- Integrating Lean and Six Sigma
- Responsibilities of enterprise management and team management
- Six Sigma Projects and Kaizen Activities
- Critical to requirements X (i.e. critical to quality, cost, process, safety, delivery)
- Benchmarking
- Efficiency of business events
- Customer Feedback
- Financial metrics (e.g. return on investment (ROI), profit margin, etc.)
- Differences between black and green belt certifications
- Exam
- The Green Belt certification includes a four-hour exam with 100 questions.
- The Black Belt certificate includes a four-hour exam and 150 questions.
Project
A Black Belt requires the completion of one Six Sigma project. The project must be associated with process changes that result in statistically significant improvements. Examples of a Six Sigma Black Belt project might include reducing invoice processing costs or reducing recruitment cycle times.
Essence
A Black Belt certification is suitable for higher technical positions such as project managers, quality managers, operations managers, and engineers or new product managers. For junior positions in technical industries, a Green Belt certification is likely to suffice.
