Six Sigma Certification : What is it ?
Six Sigma certification is a confirmation that a person has completed the necessary requirements from the organization which is granting the certification. Thus it affirms that person has acquired specific competency and skills related to the subject. However certification is just a testimony that a person has passed the minimum guidelines and requirements and it does not reflect the true quality of a professional.
Six Sigma certification involves learning the required subject matter, passing a written proficiency test, and displaying competency in a real life environment. The certification usually comprises of course materials to be purchased from training and consulting company and classroom training. A typical training session is dedicated to a particular topic and vary in its duration depending on various Six Sigma Levels (green belt, black belt, master black belt, sponsor, etc.).
At the end of the training written proficiency test is conducted by the business hiring the training company. Companies new to Six Sigma may arrange for the training company’s proficiency test. Companies such as Motorola and GE organizes the in-house training and thus administer their own written proficiency test.
After the completion of the training, professionals are required to complete one or two quality projects and showcase the skills acquired and concepts learned in the training. In case of green belt and sponsor it is one project while for black belt or Master black belt needs to complete two projects. However this part of the certification process is not standardized.
Every company which provides Six Sigma Training and consulting provides the certification and no single body is designated to do so. Thus consulting companies differentiate between skills level and charge additional fees. American Society for Quality (ASQ) is the sole certification body of their quality certification titles and thus provides titles like Certified Quality Manager (CQM), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE),etc,