What Is Lean Six Sigma Certification?
Six Sigma has become a very important part of improving businesses and organization. This set of tools, strategies and concepts provides the means to make necessary and ongoing changes to any business process, resulting in better stability, better quality, better profitability and greater satisfaction for end users or consumers. Lean processes, on the other hand, focus on removing waste and cost from business processes (similar, but not the same to “improvements”). The combination of these two schools of thought is called Lean Six Sigma. Certification in Lean Six Sigma is very important. What is it and what should you know?
The Combination of Lean and Six Sigma Concepts
At first glance, Lean concepts and Six Sigma techniques might not seem to mesh particularly well. However, that’s deceptive. While each focuses on a different aspect of creating a healthier, more profitable business, they are nonetheless both essential. For business owners and executives, hiring an individual (or building a team within the company) with certification in both schools of thought helps cut time and cost, while ensuring that their business is able to see the utmost in terms of better success.
Those who earn Lean Six Sigma certification will have undergone considerable training. Lean concepts help remove waste from a business cycle (at all points in the circle). Six Sigma concepts improve the processes that create the business cycle itself. Together, they form a seamless whole. However, Six Sigma is about much more than just cost savings – it helps improve customer satisfaction and business reputation by eliminating many of the defects found in manufacturing processes (and the combination of Lean ensures waste reduction at the same time).
Additionally, those who earn Lean Six Sigma certification will have the ability to ensure that Lean concepts do not actually cause more harm than good. Because Lean focuses on removing waste, there are times when a particular element or process is deemed extraneous and not capable of providing value when that is not the case. Those who hold certification in Lean Six Sigma can identify processes that should not be removed, but can be improved, thus helping the business enhance production and quality without encountering the problems that would result had that process or element been excised.
Where Do You Get Certification in Lean Six Sigma?
Finding an education provider that offers Lean Six Sigma certification is not something to be taken lightly. The quality of the courses available vary drastically, and there is no governing authority to certify which courses are “good” and which are “bad”. For the aspiring professional, that puts the onus on you to vet each course provider on your own in order to make an informed decision that benefits your career. The best place to start comparing courses is by looking at the reputation of the course provider – are they known around the world for the quality of their education? Do they have ties with Fortune 500 companies? Do they have a strong history of course graduates going on to see success?
Based on these questions and your own research, you should be able to find an excellent Lean Six Sigma certification course and go on to earn your certification.