All about Six Sigma Green Belt

Six Sigma is a set of tools and techniques used by companies to eliminate defects, improve production processes, and multiply product quality. There are different organizations that decided to mainstream this methodology by validation and authorization.  Six Sigma certification was thus created to help in the validation of professionals who are skilled enough in identifying risks, errors, or defects in a manufacturing process and Eliminating them.

It usually requires a certain level of proficiency and experience for an individual to acquire a Six Sigma Certification.  This Certification will not just help you in increasing your credibility but will also make you a specialist in business process improvement, thus multiplying your chances to climb up in your company.

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What Is Six Sigma Certification For?

So a question arises who is it for in what it takes to get this Certification? So the answer is Six Sigma certification is for all those individuals who are interested in process management, improving the efficiency of manufacturing, or they work in supply chain management. Six Sigma certification does not only help the professionals to boost their subject matter proficiency but also leads to increase employer desirability, which can ultimately pay off as an increment or promotion. The prerequisites that are needed to become a Six Sigma Green Belt include at least three years of experience in the respective field, logical & analytical expertise, leadership skills, right amounts of perseverance, and great passion for improvement. So, if you have got these things in you, and you want to excel in your job, you should go for Six Sigma Certification.

Here is a complete guide to Six Sigma Certifications.

How to get Six Sigma Green Belt?

Well, there is no single body assigned or responsible for giving Six Sigma certificate & related training for the quality profession. However, following the basic rules and roadmap of the Six Sigma methodology, several organizations have taken up this job. Some of the significant Six Sigma training and Certification providing organizations include ASQ, GreyCampus, AcoSixsigma, Acknowledge Benelux, BMGI, PIM Training & Consulting, etc.

But the process of becoming a Six Sigma Green Belt Certified from any of the certification organization is essentially the same. Six Sigma Green Belt certification comprises passing a written proficiency examination and displaying on-hand competency by completing projects based on your subject knowledge. You can either purchase all the related material from any Six Sigma Certification Centers or can enroll in Six Sigma training sessions to acquire the desired levels of proficiency. Once your training is over, you will have to take the written examination that consists of 100 multiple-choice questions that measure your understanding of the Green Belt Body of Knowledge. Once you pass the written exam with at least  50% or above, you will be required to complete one or two quality projects related to Green Belt concepts. This is the most general certification process. However, Six Sigma Green Belt certification requirements vary from company to company.

Benefits of Six Sigma Green Belt

Learning Six Sigma methodologies can impact your career in many ways. Having a Six Sigma Certification added to your resume proves your abilities and commitment to improving your business acumen, analytical skills, and work output. The most quoted benefits of Six Sigma Certification for individuals are as below:

Help You Improve Your Organization’s Productivity:

Acquiring a Six Sigma certification enables an individual to become crucial to an organization’s ability to identify and eliminate errors. Thus all the manufacturing processes are designed to have fewer risks and no errors.

Improve Business  Sustainability:

A Six Sigma Certified person is able to analyze a company’s manufacturing and business processes and to devise plans and create steps to improve them. By reviewing the current practices and implementing the new course of plans, he will be able to improve business to be more stable and the quality to be more consistent.

More Value to the Industry:

Bring an industry-agnostic methodology, Six Sigma techniques are applied in a vast range of industries to streamline business processes, reduce costs, increase employee acceptance, and ultimately increase the overall revenue. Having a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, you will be able to position yourself as a change agent within any organization. Also, by spearheading quality improvement in your organization will bolster your leadership skill set, making you even more valuable.

Help You Rise to managerial positions:

Completing your Six Sigma course and obtaining your Certification will give you a better understanding of measuring and quantifying financial benefits from executing any Six Sigma project.  Such skills are highly valued and appreciated by middle and top-level management for senior managerial positions.

Excellent Salary Packages:

Becoming Six Sigma certified is not a piece of cake. The studies are demanding. The exams are tough to crack. Similarly, to rise from one belt level to another asks for years of actual work. It is, therefore, of no surprise that the individuals who are Six Sigma Certified are highly paid well. According to a survey conducted by indeed.com, Six Sigma certified individuals generally fall in the $100,000+ pay bracket and are among the highest-paid professionals globally.

Six Sigma Green belt jobs in the US

Like all other countries in the world where business management is considered a highly regarded job, the USA, too have an extraordinary amount of allocated employment for highly trained and certified business professionals. If you have acquired a Green Belt certification, it is most that you should have a deep understanding of the basic tenets of Six Sigma, and you should be able to apply Six Sigma principles to your work on a daily basis. Common positions suited for those who own Green Belts include mid- to upper-level project managers, process engineers, consultants, and manufacturing engineers.

There is an appealing list of Six Sigma Green Belt career paths available for Six Sigma Certified individuals, the reason being that Six Sigma can be equally effective in improving business processes in many different fields. Consequently, a  growing number of companies are now preferring to fill a variety of positions with candidates who are capable of applying the principles of Six Sigma in their daily jobs.

In general, one can safely say that the highest-level leadership positions are reserved for Six Sigma Belts. Six Sigma certification also separates you from non-certified applicants vying for the same positions that require advanced process management skills. Hence increasing your chances of getting selected. It can also prepare them for higher levels of Certification if in case they decide to pursue an executive leadership position.

Typically, the career opportunities that job-search sites post ads from companies requiring Six Sigma Certification include:

• Lean Six Sigma Consultant
• Lead Manufacturing Engineer
• Process Development Engineer
• Compliance Structural Engineer
• Reliability Engineer
• Operating System Specialist
• Senior IT Project Manager
• Warehouse Operations Manager
• Business Process Analyst
• Data Scientist
• Project Engineer
• Director, Performance Excellence

Top books for getting Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

1. The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook, Second Edition by Roderick A. 

If you love problem-solving and want to learn the latest structured problem-solving methodologies to do that, then, Six Sigma is the field you must explore.

There are different ways to get a Six Sigma certificate. There is no single institution that provides a Six Sigma certification service like PMP (Project Management Professional) certificate or CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certificate and many others. You can get a Six Sigma certificate from an independent institution like ASQ (American Society for Quality, your company, or even an educational institution like a university.

I had to read other easier books to familiarize myself with the six sigma concept before getting into this one. I have three Six Sigma certificates, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from my ex-employer, Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate from ASQ, and Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from ASQ as well. This book was helpful for the three of them.

The book is good and well organized. Sometimes you will feel that they have concentrated on a specific topic over another. However, you need to make sure that you really understand everything in the book in order to pass the exam.

You can get this book on Amazon from here.

2. Six Sigma Green Belt Study Guide: Test Prep Book & Practice Test Questions for the ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt Exam

Developed for test takers trying to achieve a passing score on the Six Sigma Exam, this comprehensive study guide includes: -Quick Overview-Test-Taking Strategies-Introduction to the Six Sigma Exam-Overview-Define Phase-Measure Phase-Analyze Phase-Improve Phase-Control Phase-Practice Questions-Detailed Answer Explanations Each section of the test has a full review that goes into detail to cover all of the content likely to appear on the Six Sigma Exam. The practice test questions are each followed by detailed answer explanations.

If you miss a question, it’s essential that you are able to understand the nature of your mistake and how to avoid making it again in the future. The answer explanations will help you to learn from your mistakes and overcome them. Understanding the latest test-taking strategies is essential for preparing you for what you will expect. So if you want to achieve your Six Sigma Certification in the very first attempt, this is a must-have book.

You can get this book on Amazon from here.

3. Six Sigma Green Belt Study Guide 2020-2021: Six Sigma Green Belt Exam Prep Handbook with Practice Test Questions

I have both positive and negative thoughts about this book. While this book did have its fair share of information and a 100-question practice test that will help you crack your written test, it is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, including errors on the practice test.

Furthermore, the practice test has material that was not covered by the review session.

This should not be the ONLY book used when preparing for the LSSGB exam. On a general note, this is a really beautifully designed book with a beautiful layout! The splashes of color throughout the book are a particularly useful touch and provide the eyes a break from the otherwise constant black and white text of a study guide.

You can get this book on Amazon from here.

4. The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook + ASQ CSSGB Study Guide (Set) 

This Six Sigma guide set is widely preferred by aspirants as it is created by a team of ASQ Fellows with over 300 new questions predominantly based on the best-selling second edition of The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook. This book was beneficial for me in passing my writing examination. The best thing about this book is that the answers to each chapter’s questions are provided at the end of the chapter. So the tool of self-assessment helps you a lot in assessing and improving your credentials. 

You can get this book on Amazon from here.

Conclusion

So, having read and researched Six Sigma Certification in detail, the importance of Six Sigma certification cannot be overstated. For individuals, it is very vital for remaining competitive and employable in a world with dwindling job prospects. As an employer, it will give you peace of mind knowing that your production lines are run by professionals whose primary focus is on eliminating waste and increasing quality.

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