Six Sigma and other certifications.

[Robert Stanley]

I'm getting a green belt cert in the near future. Could you give me some advice about what to expect with that and any other training certifications that you would recommend? My goal is for my resume and experience to help me make more $ so that I can navigate this approaching recession.

Extra details so you don't have to ask: The Texas company is pharmaceutics but my department is a machine shop that makes the pharma machines. Company is financed by investors and in the red. I'm the quality manager/engineer for the department. I'm in my early 40's & I have a BS is polisci and a AS in business. I'm a certified 9001:2015 auditor. 15 years quality experience. The department is just 6 guys and we have all the QA SOP's and documentation in place. We're ISO certified. We have a good inspection process with a CMM but our project management software is FileMaker and really bad. Vendors are unpredictable. Parts sit on the shelf for weeks or months waiting to be reevaluated after they've been rejected. Timeframes are arbitrary and rarely met but the machines are impressive. Good group of guys. I've been here 5 years. Shop is semi-5S.

 

[optomist1]

congrats on the green belt! As soon as possible secure a Black Belt (you will need some hands on experience to secure it)...to be certain it is NOT a silver bullet...however it is an effective tool in analyzing and improving processes...a +. And continue to frequent this excellent site; full of bright AND experienced folks...you will learn much.

hope this helps...
Optomist1

 

[Tidge]

The following is written by me, a person without any sort of "six sigma certification".

The first Green Belt certification offers one advantage IMO: *if* you can implement something like a six-sigma project where you currently work *and* show some sort of real improvement (in cost savings) this(*1) could be the sort of thing that makes you an attractive candidate at places even if they don't intend to implement anything like a six-sigma project.

I've seen a very wide gap between companies that can speak the language of six sigma and embrace it (to any degree, even in small ways) and companies that pay lip service to it while ultimately not even coming close to six-sigma (ironic perhaps to think of the performance of such companies as being more than six sigma away from the average performance of 'world class' companies). With your experience so far, you should be able to sniff out which companies are which, even if the job descriptions are vague.

(*1) it could also be your Black Belt project, I suppose... but I've seen some pretty sorry Black Belt projects that reminded more of the average first grade science fair project.

 

[Miner]

Regarding the green belt cert, or any color cert for that matter, there is no widely recognized standard for the body of knowledge or the training content, depth or duration or for certification.

I have seen green belt courses that last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. They vary widely in content and most only hit the Remember or occasionally, the Understand level of Bloom's Taxonomy. My company's training is 2 weeks to the Apply level. The ones that have an exam for certification have easy, no-brainer questions (e.g., 100 questions in 2 hours?). Our exam is 60 in 8 hours. The shining stars can do it in 3, but most take 6-8. Many companies do not require a project for certification, but a project is essential to demonstrate competency. So if you still have an option on where you get your green belt, it should be 2 weeks in duration, teach to an Apply level and require a project for certification.

The ISO standards below give expectations for training and content for each belt level.
ISO 13053-1 Quantitative methods in process improvement — Six Sigma — Part 1: DMAIC methodology
ISO 13053-2 Quantitative methods in process improvement — Six Sigma — Part 2: Tools and techniques

ASQ has a Body of Knowledge for each belt level as well as an exam and certification requirements. Then you have IASSC and CSSC who claim to be Six Sigma Standards organization. None of them agree with each other.

Regarding the benefit and money associated with a green belt or black belt, that will depend largely on the company and whether they value six sigma. If they don't value it, it won't help you at all. If they do value it, it can definitely open doors for promotion and raises. In my company, all the master black belts have been promoted as high as director level and principal engineer with the corresponding pay. Most of the black belts have been promoted to manager level. Green belts typically have worked projects part-time in conjunction with their day job. They probably have done better with raises than their non-green belt peers but that is difficult to know. I would get certified as a green belt, then pursue black belt to following year.

 

[Randy]

What experience do you have other than Quality?

Are you "certified" as a 9001 auditor or did you just take a training course and get a Certificate of Competency or something like that?

In the last few years I've seen "Six Sigma" start to become another flavor of the month like TQM and the like.

You want to make $$$? Broaden your horizons, finish getting a BS in Business and go for the MBA (Polici to the vast majority of employers is "who cares").

 

[ScottK]

Honestly, I don't have much regard for 6S in most organizations because they don't have any sort of deployment, they just do the occasional Kaizen event and claim it's 6S. I did the green belt just so I could put Six Sigma on my resume 20 years ago or so. It's good to have it on your resume to check a box, but unless you really want to be a Six Sigma practitioner in a company that has a Six Sigma deployment, then I would not bother with the time and effort to get a black belt.
Unless your company will pay for it...
If you want to stay in Quality and advance in it you will be better served by getting ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Manger of Quality/OE, Certified Supplier Quality Professional, etc. And upgrade your ISO9001 auditor cert to Lead Auditor if it's not.
Or better yet go for an advanced degree like a Master's in Quality Management. With your experience you should be able to get into one of those programs.

 

[Miner]

... I've seen some pretty sorry Black Belt projects that reminded more of the average first grade science fair project.

This is a distinct possibility when using a "fly by night" certification mill. My company has controls over that. We have standards for what is an acceptable project by belt level, and the candidate's champion and mentor have to approve the project.

 

[Kurt Smith]

I am currently studying for the ASQ Green Belt exam. One thing I have seen in preparing and in previous jobs, there are a lot of ways to get a green belt without actually knowing what to do with it. A company I was at previously had plans to send a handful of people to a 3 day conference that would "Make them green belts" by the end. In similar vein I have met several professionals who claimed to be green belts, but did nothing beyond hanging 5S posters on the wall and call it Six Sigma.

All that to say, I plan to bring more to an interview than the certificate. Others here can tell me if I am wrong, but I wouldn't expect it to hold a lot on it's own without a portfolio of improvement efforts.

 

[ChrisM]

This:
"All that to say, I plan to bring more to an interview than the certificate. Others here can tell me if I am wrong, but I wouldn't expect it to hold a lot on it's own without a portfolio of improvement efforts."
You need to be able to demonstrate that not only do you have the knowledge, but you can apply it. For example in your inspection role, can you demonstrate that by conducting root cause analysis of inspection rejects and working with Machine Shop staff you reduced the percentage./number of rejects dramatically over a very short time-frame, e.g. 60% fewer rejects within 18 months of commencing your role?
Also you will need person-management skills to move on and upwards, so you should look into training courses aimed at building the full set of management/supervisory skills

 

[Randy]

I sense a bit of this happening about now