The concept behind Six Sigma is a proven and advanced methodology for improving any business process. It involves the use of statistics and data to determine the root cause of any problem or issues and then find a solution by finding the exact root cause. Six Sigma has gained immense popularity among numerous corporate and government organizations and has been adopted by many small businesses as well. This concept was first introduced by Motorola as a tool for improving their quality of manufacturing but later on, it was used for other manufacturing concerns as well. Now, it is used by several large scale companies and organizations as a quality improvement methodology.
There are various advantages of using Lean Six Sigma. First and foremost, this program ensures that there is no wastage of resources. In other words, everything that is utilized should be improved. Another advantage of such a program is that the employees are empowered to take decisions which will benefit the organization. The lean Six Sigma training program not only improves the production of the firm but also ensures that the resources are wisely allocated to improve the overall efficiency and productivity of the firm.
However, getting the lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification is not at all easy. Getting a certification is said to be the last step towards obtaining a management position. Many firms offer a six sigma green belt training program and this could be an attractive option for those who have completed their courses and are looking for a promotion or even a job change. However, there is no guarantee that you will get a job as a lean Six Sigma consultant after your certification. Similarly, there is no guarantee that you will make any significant improvements to your career in terms of career growth.
In addition to that, the certification proves your proficiency in the concepts and tools used in this particular program. However, you cannot expect a lot as far as salary is concerned. You can expect to earn about $75000 per year if you do get hired by a big name company as a Six Sigma consultant. It is not that this amount pales in comparison to the salary of a Black Belt supervisor or even an executive but it is enough to motivate most people to enrol for the training program.
The other benefit of having a certification is that you will get your projects contracted very quickly. There are many senior managers who are reluctant to sign on new projects until they have completed the training. Since you were able to complete the training within the time frame required, you will have an edge over such managers. It will also put your name in good stead when your employer comes calling for you for an interview. If you are lucky enough, your employer might just offer you the job on the spot.
A regular trainee will get a chance to work on projects involving Six Sigma implementation in real life. This will give him first hand experience of what a typical customer facing project looks like. The other advantage is that he can actually use the training for his own projects later on. This will make him more knowledgeable and more capable of handling projects as well.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the Six Sigma Green Belt program has a set of standards for each level. Some of them will be quite generic, while others will focus entirely on your specific field. Make sure that the certification that you get is aligned with the standard of the organization where you will be applying to. Otherwise, you will have wasted your time and your efforts.