The responses were varied. While many had no problem with it, there were others who were very uncomfortable. In fact, many people said that they had never even heard of a six sigma certification before. The most difficult thing for us, as consultants, was explaining why someone would take the six sigma certification and what they would get from it. Luckily, we were able to explain it in a way that everyone could understand.
My department was assigned the task of making Six sigma green belt training accessible to everyone within the company. In other words, if you weren’t born into the Six Sigma program, you didn’t have to go through it. We would make it very clear that Six sigma is a process that cannot be completed without extensive education and training. It also should be noted that most Six Sigma Green Belts does not require any additional training after they complete their certification, but rather just get re-certified every two years.
When we started the project, we spent a considerable amount of time making sure that the Six sigma green belt training that would be provided to all employees was comprehensive. During the first meeting, we had our employees write down their answers to the frequently asked questions that they might have. These questions were then used in the planning of the meeting. We also used a spreadsheet to track all of the data that would be generated during the meeting. This spreadsheet was used to determine who knew what and when. For example, someone who called in with a question about training and getting a six sigma green belt would be marked on the spreadsheet as someone who needed further information and would need to be called back.
After this first meeting, our second meeting was held at the University of Miami. Again, we had an entire team write down their answers to the frequently asked questions. We again used the spreadsheet to determine who understood the material and who did not. Obviously, the six sigma green belt certification requirements would vary depending on the level of management and the employees.
Our third and final meeting was held at the University of Miami. Again, we had a whole team write down their answers to the six sigma green belt training requirements. This time, we went over the project management portion of the course, but did include a much larger section on the six sigma tools. At this point, we had a clear understanding of the project management requirements and were able to tailor the training to the needs of the project.
Now that the project had been rolled out, it was important to monitor the results. At this point, I had already started attending Six Sigma Green Belt Certification events around the United States and Europe to see what the feedback had been. What I found was that most employees were very pleased with the Six Sigma tools and process that we had put in place for the Miami area Six Sigma Team. They also told me that they wanted to get the same certification for themselves, so they attended one of our Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Events in Miami as well.
While we had definitely come up short on the project management side of the Six Sigma Process, we had definitely come away with some strong points about using the tools effectively and having a good structure for the whole Six Sigma Process. The University of Miami Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Program was a successful experience for us, and we are very happy with the results. In fact, the Six Sigma green belt training that we did there made my own personal learning experience much easier. If you have the opportunity to attend a University of Miami Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Program, I would strongly suggest that you do so. The benefits are significant, and you will quickly realize the improvements that you see in your work processes. For more information about Six Sigma courses or other green belt certifications, please visit the University of Miami website listed below.