Free or low cost Six Sigma White/Greenbelt Certification?

[passit1]

A heads up regarding a Six Sigma belt without classroom and/or actual experience lead by a master black belt...a very sigma-y hiring manager will ask how many hours of hands on training were included and the where/how of your kaizen events.

Because there is no set standard as to what the requirements are to sit for an exam, training varies wildly and are not all equal. I'd put my 50 hours of combined classroom and kaizen event experience for my white belt up against a dry labbed green or black belt any day of the week.

[RANSOMSOUL]

Great points shared Dina. I earned a SSBB some years back with a top tier medical company and the work load is night and day. However, a times are changing and for someone (young in their career) who put the hours in even through e-learning, continued with annual education, coupled with actual participation in real life products - I could see the development of some strong comparable skills. The White Belt vs Online Green/Black felt like an Online Degree vs B&M Degree debate. I have hired MBAs and non degreed employees and it is always fascinating how in the end, it is the individual effort and desire to be a value to an organization that separates them way more than their credentials. Totally get your overall share and it is important for someone thinking they will be able to breeze through an interview just because they have a certificate.

[soliloquy]

A heads up regarding a Six Sigma belt without classroom and/or actual experience lead by a master black belt...a very sigma-y hiring manager will ask how many hours of hands on training were included and the where/how of your kaizen events.

Because there is no set standard as to what the requirements are to sit for an exam, training varies wildly and are not all equal. I'd put my 50 hours of combined classroom and kaizen event experience for my white belt up against a dry labbed green or black belt any day of the week.

I agree (if I understand what you are saying). LOL. In my view, any course that lets you get a certification without completing at least 3 projects and passing a knowledge test is a disservice to not only yourself, but to potential employers. You won't be ready for what is expected if you go into that field without some serious help but maybe someone who already has the experience and needs the certification can use them. I know there are many people that have years of experience but lack the certifications/degrees.

I feel the same way about the CSM credential. I don't think anyone has ever failed the "final exam" for that class.

[soliloquy]

I completed this course and it's good. Like any professional level certification, it is only as god as the person using it and the competence in it's use. I do not nor have I ever worked for a company that heavily relies on Six Sigma but the information contained within the course has multi-industry utility. In reality, it is simply another form of project management and/or problem solving and could even be utilized for root cause analysis.
As far as reputable, yes I would say it is. Certified by a "certifying agency", not so sure. There are a couple Six Sigma certifying agencies, no matter what Wiki says, but again, if you are interviewing with a company/individual with knowledge Six Sigma or has heavy usage in an organization, a yellow belt might help get you an interview if you are already qualified through other means for the job but I would not bet the job simply on that one certification. A yellow belt simply means you are familiar with the methodology and can contribute to a project, the green belt can help the black belt by assisting with the smaller projects within a larger project and the black belt is the project manager.

Six Sigma is not a project management methodology although there may be some overlapping characteristics. Project management is more broad than Six Sigma's process improvement and Six Sigma's process improvement is more broad than project management's project by project function. Each process in the project management life cycle can generally be standardized or improved through six sigma the DMADV or DMAIC cycle but it is not considered to be a methodology. I've always thought of Six Sigma as being more useful from a strategic management point of view. Some organizations the black belt is the project champion or sponsor and not the project manager.

I do understand that attempting to define these terms is becoming more and more difficult because there does not seem to be one set standard across all Industries.

Editing to add a link I found to help explain it better.

https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-m...gement.php

[DBRENNAN118]

Great points shared Dina. I earned a SSBB some years back with a top tier medical company and the work load is night and day. However, a times are changing and for someone (young in their career) who put the hours in even through e-learning, continued with annual education, coupled with actual participation in real life products - I could see the development of some strong comparable skills. The White Belt vs Online Green/Black felt like an Online Degree vs B&M Degree debate. I have hired MBAs and non degreed employees and it is always fascinating how in the end, it is the individual effort and desire to be a value to an organization that separates them way more than their credentials. Totally get your overall share and it is important for someone thinking they will be able to breeze through an interview just because they have a certificate.

Very well said. I tried to make it pretty clear that I did not consider this online SSBB certificate strong enough to qualify me for a highly complex supply chain process improvement project. That wasn't the goal for me. My job field doesn't exactly require me to reduce defects to 3.4 per million I'm not suddenly or magically an expert in SS, but feel that I am a little bit better than I was before the training. I now can employ DMAIC, fish bone diagrams, the 5S's, etc. in my daily management challenges. That was my goal - to make myself a better manager. I most likely won't end up in front of a sigma-y hiring manager, b/c that's not my field or area of expertise. If I can beat out the competition in my field b/c I have a few extra tools in my toolbox...then the SSBB was well worth it!

I totally agree w/the Online Degree vs. B&M debate comment. I'm actually surprised to read the comments regarding total study hours or minimum # of projects. I'm sure Harvard MBA's are not too intimidated by my 1-year BSBA from TESU, or a 4-month WGU MBA, but we know what we've accomplished is real, and pretty damn amazing!! I don't feel like my degree is worth less because I didn't sit through 16 weeks for each traditional class, attend lectures by renowned scholars, or have access to superior research libraries. I learned, on my own, enough to pass 120 college credits in one year. Should my 6 CR from the Biology CLEP, or my 9 CR from the Spanish CLEP not count b/c I only studied one week for each? I'm not seeking a job at Merck, or as an interpreter at the UN...but that's not the point of our journey, is it?

So...I learned, on my own, enough to become a SSBB in less than one week. Those skills are now mine, and I'm satisfied with that.

Look - I'm pretty sure I'm not suddenly qualified to be CFO of a Fortune 500 company...and it's just as unlikely that I'll be tapped by Toyota to revolutionize their production system. Doesn't mean my BSBA or my SSBB are worth any less to me. I know I'm better now than I was before. That's been my goal throughout this process.
It was just a groupon :o

[bjcheung77]

Great points shared Dina. I earned a SSBB some years back with a top tier medical company and the work load is night and day. However, a times are changing and for someone (young in their career) who put the hours in even through e-learning, continued with annual education, coupled with actual participation in real life products - I could see the development of some strong comparable skills. The White Belt vs Online Green/Black felt like an Online Degree vs B&M Degree debate. I have hired MBAs and non degreed employees and it is always fascinating how in the end, it is the individual effort and desire to be a value to an organization that separates them way more than their credentials. Totally get your overall share and it is important for someone thinking they will be able to breeze through an interview just because they have a certificate.

Very well said. I tried to make it pretty clear that I did not consider this online SSBB certificate strong enough to qualify me for a highly complex supply chain process improvement project. That wasn't the goal for me. My job field doesn't exactly require me to reduce defects to 3.4 per million I'm not suddenly or magically an expert in SS, but feel that I am a little bit better than I was before the training. I now can employ DMAIC, fish bone diagrams, the 5S's, etc. in my daily management challenges. That was my goal - to make myself a better manager. I most likely won't end up in front of a sigma-y hiring manager, b/c that's not my field or area of expertise. If I can beat out the competition in my field b/c I have a few extra tools in my toolbox...then the SSBB was well worth it!

I totally agree w/the Online Degree vs. B&M debate comment. I'm actually surprised to read the comments regarding total study hours or minimum # of projects. I'm sure Harvard MBA's are not too intimidated by my 1-year BSBA from TESU, or a 4-month WGU MBA, but we know what we've accomplished is real, and pretty damn amazing!! I don't feel like my degree is worth less because I didn't sit through 16 weeks for each traditional class, attend lectures by renowned scholars, or have access to superior research libraries. I learned, on my own, enough to pass 120 college credits in one year. Should my 6 CR from the Biology CLEP, or my 9 CR from the Spanish CLEP not count b/c I only studied one week for each? I'm not seeking a job at Merck, or as an interpreter at the UN...but that's not the point of our journey, is it?

So...I learned, on my own, enough to become a SSBB in less than one week. Those skills are now mine, and I'm satisfied with that.

Look - I'm pretty sure I'm not suddenly qualified to be CFO of a Fortune 500 company...and it's just as unlikely that I'll be tapped by Toyota to revolutionize their production system. Doesn't mean my BSBA or my SSBB are worth any less to me. I know I'm better now than I was before. That's been my goal throughout this process.
It was just a groupon :o

+1, this is exactly what I was thinking also. That has pretty much summed up what I needed to re-assure myself of as well.
For the OP, if you need a Green Belt, this is on sale for $44 and it includes the Certification Exam (I had an online chat session to confirm).
Do not go for the more expensive advancement option (exam not included) - https://www.groupon.com/deals/simplilearn-184-san-jose

[sterlingg]

will six sigma green belt satisfy Excelsior project management requirements?

[bjcheung77]

will six sigma green belt satisfy Excelsior project management requirements?

Close but no cigar - Excelsior CPD for Six Sigma Black Belt is worth 3 credits as it's NCCRS recommended.
Details : Excelsior College, Center for Professional Development | NCCRS
Cost is too expensive for 3 credits: Six Sigma Black Belt | Center for Professional Development

If you're going for Excelsior, do the Project Management course at Sophia.org and it's only $300 for 3 upper level credits
And if you're going to be taking another course, you will get a 20% discount for your entire degree at Excelsior.
See here for more info: https://excelsior.sophia.org/

Note: The only thing it doesn't tell you is the fine print, you need 12 credits from Excelsior to get the 20% off entire tuition
https://my.excelsior.edu/documents/46041...684f3652af
But if you're going to be taking 6 credits from Sophia.org and 12 credits from Excelsior, the degree can be had for pretty cheap.

[Togas]

Something to keep in mind.
Not all Lean / Six-sigma programs are created equal.
The best and most highly respected program (world wide recognition/understanding even in areas that use ISO and would be getting your qualification from ASQ. ASQ Six Sigma Forum
Order a copy of the Indiana Primer for your qualification level and study like crazy.
Certification Material
Green belt stuff here CSSGB Primer

The University programs are typically stripped of a lot of information and usually focused for a local industry demands.
I am in the process of studying for my ASQ Green-Belt and can safely say that I know more about the process then people getting their black belt at my local university.
(I say this based upon conversations with those exact cert holders.

I guess you can think of it as Harvard vs University of Phoenix.

Find your local ASQ chapter and check them out. Maybe they will let you attend a meeting with out joining and paying dues.
Otherwise look for a meet-up or six-sigma club and see if you can rent/borrow text books or join study groups.

The information can be very dry. Just a heads up.

[Jody7818]

... I have hired MBAs and non degreed employees and it is always fascinating how in the end, it is the individual effort and desire to be a value to an organization that separates them way more than their credentials. Totally get your overall share and it is important for someone thinking they will be able to breeze through an interview just because they have a certificate.

I wish more managers had a philosophy such as this. More degrees/certificates doesn't necessarily mean a greater amount of motivation.