Lean Six Sigma certifications

Lean is a management philosophy and set of principles aimed at maximising efficiency and minimizing waste in processes. Originating from manufacturing practices pioneered by Toyota, Lean emphasises the relentless pursuit of value from the customer's perspective, elimination of non-value-added activities, continuous improvement, and respect for people.

The key principles of Lean include identifying and eliminating various forms of waste, such as overproduction, waiting times, unnecessary transportation, excess inventory, overprocessing, defects, and underutilised talent.

Through continuous improvement and a focus on creating value, Lean seeks to optimise workflows, reduce lead times, enhance quality, and ultimately deliver better products or services with greater efficiency and customer satisfaction across various industries.

Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement that was originally developed by Motorola in the mid-1980s. The term "Six Sigma" refers to a statistical concept that measures how far a given process deviates from perfection. The goal of Six Sigma is to improve process performance by identifying and removing the causes of defects and variability in manufacturing and business processes.

The core idea behind Six Sigma is to achieve a level of quality where the likelihood of producing a defect is extremely low—approximately 3.4 defects per million opportunities. The methodology uses a data-driven approach and follows a structured set of phases, typically referred to as DMAIC:

1. Define: Clearly articulate the problem, the goals, and the customer requirements.

2. Measure: Gather data and quantify the current performance of the process.

3. Analyse: Identify and analyse the root causes of defects or inefficiencies.

4. Improve: Implement changes to the process to address identified issues.

5. Control: Establish controls to sustain the improved process and monitor performance.

Six Sigma employs a variety of statistical and analytical tools, such as control charts, regression analysis, and hypothesis testing, to identify and quantify variation in a process. The methodology is widely used in manufacturing, but it has also been applied to various industries, including healthcare, finance, and services, to improve overall operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

The term "Six Sigma" itself represents a statistical measure of a process's ability to produce outputs within specification limits. In a Six Sigma process, the goal is to have six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit, resulting in a process that is highly consistent and produces very few defects.

Lean and Six Sigma are complementary methodologies that, when combined, create a powerful approach known as Lean Six Sigma. The integration of Lean and Six Sigma leverages the strengths of both methodologies to achieve comprehensive process improvement.

By integrating Lean and Six Sigma, organizations can achieve a holistic approach to process improvement, resulting in increased efficiency, higher quality, and better customer satisfaction. This synergy creates a robust methodology that addresses both process speed and process quality, making it a widely adopted approach in various industries.

To achieve Green Belt certification, you will attend a one-week Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Practitioner course. Following the course, you will complete a work project of your choosing and submit a project Storyboard within 12 months for accreditation.

After obtaining Green Belt certification, you can progress to the Black Belt level by attending the two-week Lean Six Sigma Black Belt course and submitting a Black Belt project storyboard within 18 months of completing the course to attain Black Belt certification.