What are you supposed to do when your business performance has stagnated? One of the correct answers is to implement the Six Sigma model in your organization. It will help you to streamline a business process and thus improve your profits, quality of products, and employee morale. You can sign up for an online six sigma black belt certification to enhance your organization’s business performance.
Read the following blog to learn the basics of six Sigma and the steps to implement six Sigma in your organization.
What Is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a methodology that empowers an organization to improve the various business processes continuously. It uses project management techniques, statistics, and financial analysis to improve continuously. It is a data-driven methodology that strives to solve key business problems.
Principles of Six Sigma
The online six sigma black belt certification teaches the following principles that must be followed for successful implementation of six sigma concepts:
- Identification of the fundamental causes of the existing problems.
- Maximization of the customer value.
- Implementation of continuous process improvement.
- Coordination and collaboration with various teams, departments, and management.
- Showcasing versatility and agility.
Six Sigma Methodologies
The principles mentioned above of six Sigma give rise to two methodologies, DMADV and DMAIC. We have explained the two methodologies below:
DMADV
The acronyms in DMADV represent the following:
- D – Defining the specific goals of the company and the clients
- M – Measurement of the Critical to Quality characteristics
- A – Analysis of the measurement data
- D – Designing the new processes and according to the analysis
- V – Verification of the new processes
DMAIC
The acronyms in DMAIC represent the following:
- D – Defining the project objectives and the customer requirements
- M – Measurement of the key aspects of the existing processes
- A – Analysis of the measurement data
- I – Improvement of the existing processes continuously
- C – Controlling the implementation process to ensure that there are no mistakes
Six Sigma Levels
The levels of Six Sigma demonstrate an employee’s ability to use the six sigma principles and methodologies while working on a project. You can sign up for lean six sigma courses to achieve these levels. We have listed the levels of six Sigma below that an employee can obtain, and the skills required to obtain that specific level:
1. White Belt
This is the most basic level of an employee following the principles of six singles. In this stage:
- You can learn the basics of six sigma concepts from scratch.
- You will learn how to solve problems as a team.
2. Yellow Belt
- You will participate in the project as a team member.
- You will take part in reviewing the continuous process improvements.
- You will learn the DMADV and DMAIC methodologies of six Sigma.
3. Green Belt
To achieve this level, you need to work for a minimum of 3 years with full-time employment. In this stage:
- You will gain expertise in the methodologies and tools of Six Sigma.
- You will get hands-on experience that needs to undergo a certain level of business transformation.
- You will lead the green belt projects and assist in the black belt projects.
4. Black Belt
To achieve this level, you need to work for a minimum of 3 years with full-time employment in a core knowledge area. You can also demonstrate successful competition of two six sigma projects to attain this level. You can pursue an online six sigma black belt certification to obtain this level. In this stage:
- You should possess the skill of applying multivariate metrics to various business scenarios.
- You will be responsible for leading multiple six sigma teams.
- You will also be in charge of training the other teams in six sigma concepts.
5. Master Black Belt
You must be an existing black belt level employee to obtain this level. You need to have a work experience of at least five years or demonstrate successful completion of 10 six sigma projects. In this stage:
- You are in charge of green training belt and black belt candidates.
- You are responsible for developing KPIs and strategies.
6. Champions
An employee at this level is in charge of six sigma implementation at an organization.
Steps for Six Sigma Implementation
If you want to implement Six Sigma in your organization, you need to follow the steps below to progress in a sustained manner:
1. Get Strategic Management Support
This step involves communicating the need for implementing six Sigma to the Management team and receiving their approval to move forward. The strategic management team and the project members should have a common understanding of the need for continuous improvement and the steps needed to have an impact. The Management team should ultimately support the implementation of the Six Sigma initiative and should be considered an intrinsic part of the company’s strategic objectives.
2. Raise Awareness
The next step in implementing Six Sigma is gathering all the essential knowledge and assets for your perusal. You must ensure that the selected employees are ready to be trained in the six sigma methodologies for the Black belt, Green belt, or Yellow belt. The chosen employees training in six Sigma should share the organization’s vision. You might also have to seek suggestions and recommendations from external consultants or mentors to implement the six sigma methodologies efficiently.
3. Establish Ownership
This step involves creating a sense of engagement and accountability amongst the company’s employees. This can be done by hiring or selecting an employee responsible for the Six Sigma implementation process. This selection or hiring process may involve forming a committee to appoint the right employee. This employee will be the Six Sigma Champion and essential in navigating the implementation process. The Six sigma champion will also report to the management team with updates on the initiative and the value added by the initiative.
4. Define the Value
As discussed above, one of the six sigma methodology principles is to maximize customer value. Before that, you need to define what is ‘value’ for your customers and clients. Once you have defined the value proposition, you can compare it with your existing system to determine areas for improvement. You need to create a measurement system to determine the baseline performance of your organization and compare it with the organization’s improved performance after implementing Six Sigma.
5. Set your Priorities Straight
The Six Sigma implementation team ensures that the initiative complies with client expectations.
- Make sure that the implementation efforts of six Sigma align with the organization’s strategic objectives.
- Evaluate the project risk, the Return on Investment (ROI), budget and time constraints, other resources, etc.
- Determine some key performance indicators to evaluate the performance of the company.
- Establish some CTQ (critical to quality) criteria.
Setting the priorities straight will help the Six Sigma team determine what things to avoid and where to take risks.
6. Collect Measurement Data
In this step of the Six Sigma implementation, the team gathers the maximum amount of data relevant to a particular problem. Then, the team tries to measure the problem via many problem-solving techniques like Value stream mapping, Pareto chart analysis tool, etc.
The Value Stream Mapping technique helps identify the problems in the workflow and indicates all the activities that don’t add any value to the workflow. The Pareto Chart analysis tool helps categorize the problem’s leading causes and determines the problem’s distribution frequency. These tools and techniques will help you in your continuous improvement efforts.
The successful implementation of the Six Sigma initiative empowers the organization to make data-driven decisions which would not be possible without a functional measurement system.
7. Establish Control to Sustain the Improvement
A continuous improvement process and sustaining the attained improvement are essential for any Six Sigma initiative to be successful. To ensure these, you can create a work environment that promotes common learning, knowledge sharing, and being updated with market trends. This work environment creates an atmosphere of efficient communication that promotes collaborative effort and sustains continuous improvement.
You need to keep track of the workflow and use a Six Sigma technique, depending on our business objectives, to implement the six sigma initiatives effectively.
FAQs
1. What job positions can you apply for after getting a six sigma certification?
You can apply for the Six Sigma Analyst, Six Sigma Consultant, Director of Operational Excellence, Functional Project Lead, Project Manager, Business Process Manager, etc.
2. What are Lean Six Sigma courses?
The Lean Six Sigma course amalgamates the lean project management framework and the six sigma methodologies.
3. Name some of the six sigma techniques?
Some of the six sigma methodologies of the six sigma methodology are as follows:
- Brainstorming
- Root cause analysis
- Customer feedback analysis
- The 5-S system (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain)
- Continuous improvement strategies
- Benchmarking
- Value Stream mapping
Conclusion
Currently, the Six Sigma methodologies are widely accepted to improve business performance. There are several lean six sigma courses that you can opt to learn the concepts of six sigma methodologies.
Enroll in the Knowledgehutonline six sigma black belt certification to start implementing the six sigma initiatives in your organization.
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