Formal Certification: Independent Organization or Company Issued, Which Way to Go?

       I recently saw a discussion in a LinkedIn group around six sigma certification.  The question is a good one.  Is six sigma black belt certification from ASQ or another respected, accredited organization the way to go or is through your work organization the better path to take?  There is another question which needs to be asked at the same time also.  Do you intend to stay with the organization or do suspect you will eventually seek employment elsewhere?

      If the organization you work for is Motorola, Allied Signal, General Electric, or another recognized as a six sigma leader, a company issued certification is the way to go.  These organizations have credibility producing top shelf six sigma belts.  Individuals selected to six sigma certify go through thorough training, need to demonstrate mastery of the body of knowledge and complete an appropriate project.

      Many other organizations offer six sigma certification but do not have the same level of credibility.  In all likelihood, those organizations have high standards and are as rigorous to certify belt status as the three companies above.  But outside the organization, their certifications are questionable.  In the future, you might apply for a position at another organization and if the company you received certification from is one they never heard of, you could have a problem.

      That’s where ASQ or other credible, accredited organization certification is the path to follow.  ASQ certification is recognized and readily accepted by organizations worldwide whereas a six sigma green belt from XYZ Widgets is not.  The same goes for other quality certifications, along with non-quality certifications such as the PMI PMP, CAPM and PgMP certifications.

      All my quality certifications come from either ASQ or Villanova.  I am a certified quality manager from ASQ and have lean six sigma master black belt certification from Villanova.  I also have ITIL and CMMI certifications.  If I should ever leave the organization where I now work, I know all of these certifications will be recognized as credible and accepted.  Others I know who company certified and then left their organizations had their certifications questioned and in some cases were not recognized at all.  Given the dynamic, readily changing world we live in today, that’s not a risk I suggest anyone take.

Lean Six Sigma – Is it an Oxymoron?

      During a conversation with a colleague this week, we got into a discussion around a favorite topic, lean six sigma.  Both of us received our initial training when it was just called six sigma.  Lean tools were briefly mentioned in the body of knowledge.  The formal addition of ‘lean’ came about in the early to mid-2000s.  The conversation eventually lead to the point where we tossed around the question of do the two belong together?

       At a certain level one could argue they do not.  Lean looks to improve efficiency with a laser focus on optimizing processes to reduce or eliminate waste.  Steps of the process or processes are examined for either value-added and non-value added activities.  Other concepts include pull systems, value stream mapping, Kaizen events, and 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain).

      Six sigma seeks to improve effectiveness of processes with an intense focus to determine, meet and satisfy the needs of customers.  A strong underlying philosophy is that if one puts customer needs to the front of the line, the net results will improve the bottom line.  There are frameworks such as DMAIC and DMADV, each with a plethora of tools we all know very well.

      So is there a conflict here?  I’ve seen and I’m sure you have also the definition of efficiency as doing things right and effectiveness as doing the right things.  I’ve seen situations where too intense focus on efficiency ended up producing a product or service customers perceived as cheapened and stopped their purchases.  I’ve also seen situations where listening excessively to customers resulted in a great product or service the customer was delighted with but nearly bankrupt the organization. 

Coexistence is the best way to describe it.  At certain points in a process improvement project, you should pull out the lean tools.  Example are when you look at the existing processes or processes and propose new ones.  At other times in the same project don’t forget the six sigma tools such as the voice of the customer and critical to quality.  So like many areas of life the need is for balance. 

Self-Focused Continual Learning: Keeping Your ‘Edge’ as a Six Sigma/Process Improvement Professional

      As I write this PIP, it is January 3^rd, 2015.  Like many of you, I make New Years’ resolutions and I’ll achieve some but may come up short in others.  When the end of this December rolls around though, I will have improved myself in many areas with professional development being one of them.  With that in mind, I’d like to share with you some areas where six sigma and process improvement professionals can focus on to further or fine tune their skills.

      First is applied statistics which is a key tool and knowledge area for any six sigma belt level.  For many of us, statistics was challenging to learn and the ease with which we learned was in direct proportion to the effectiveness of our teacher/professor.  Recently I got my hands on three basic statistics books with simple, even humorous approaches.  I intend to read them and incorporate as appropriate their approach to teaching.

      Second is project management an area where a number of process improvement projects I’ve been involved with were lacking.  Right now, I’m going through DVDs, CDs, and books to prepare for the PMI PMP exam.  I see a lot of information in the PMBOK which we should use on our projects.  Even if you are a PMP you might want to pull out the latest PMBOK book and go through it again for ideas.

      Finally is to review the basics of six sigma.  I obtained both my LSSBB and LSSMBB certifications through the University Alliance/Villanova University.  Both courses supplied printed material and CDs with the course lectures in video format.  Over the course of this year, I will go through each one of them again.

      To conclude, I’d like to remind everyone of something I heard earlier in my career around professional athlete skills.  When those professionals need to improve their game, do they seek new techniques?  Occasionally yes but more often they work over and over relentlessly on the fundamentals.  Daily batting practice for baseball players and foul shots for basketball players among others.  In your profession, you are no different than they are.

‘Customers’: A Multidimensional Term We in Process Improvement Use Which Requires Listening to All

      Listen to your customer.  That is a core concept of any quality, six sigma, or other process improvement initiatives.  You need to get their input.  Reach out to them and they’ll tell you.  This is all well and good but any organization has many types of customers who occasionally have conflicting needs, wants and desires.

      Let’s start with end of the process chain, the consumer of the product or service.  He or she ‘uses’ what you produce.  But does that person pay for the product or service?  In a business to consumer (B2C) situation, the answer is usually yes.  In a business to business (B2B), that’s not always the case.  For example an organization which outsources its IT functions, the consumer could be the user but the customer (or client) is the IT organization.

      And that is where you need to be carefully listen to the customer. The consumer in this situation is going to tell you ‘when my PC or printer breaks, I want a technician to come to fix it right away.’  If you speak to the client in management of the IT organization they will tell you ‘there is no way the organization can afford to have that many technicians sitting on the bench ready for an emergency like that.’

      So you need to listen to all of the ‘customers’ and get their input.  The above is an example of just two but depending upon your product or service this can also include wholesalers, retailers, resellers, and many other external customers.  Internal customers can include your sales, marketing, finance, legal and others again depending upon your product or service.  You need to listen to them all and then make decisions on those which are your projects critical to quality (CTQs).