Know About Six Sigma Certification

By Author: John Asher
Total Articles: 18
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Six sigma certification originates from the initial idea of six sigma that was developed by the Motorola company. The former Chief Executive Officer of the General Electric Company, Mr. Jack Welch, first introduced this idea in American companies.

The main focus of six sigma is to create measurable benchmarks for business and organizational performance. The main purpose of six sigma is being able to measure organization performance. It introduces a form of scientific measurement to the continual improvement and growth of a specific company. A that a company can measure improvement of its performance against specific standards.

Hence, the concept is beneficial to companies in two ways. First, it sets specific benchmarks and parameters that a company can measure its performance against. The initial idea was setting benchmarks for goods and services produced by companies. Second, six sigma is a process. It creates procedures and specific steps that a company follows to achieve the organization's growth. Therefore, the responsibility of its effectiveness is placed on the senior management, the establishment of infrastructure ...
... and a laser focus on the company's bottom line.

Since its introduction, the concept has since been adopted to improve business performance and there has been an expansion of its application on new areas apart from goods and services. A major development in the expansion of the idea has been the introduction of six sigma certification. The certification was first introduced in companies like General Electric and Motorola to train its employees. The training involved six major objectives in the cognitive and the affective domains.

The different cognitive levels of the training were ranked respectively as knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. On the other hand, affective objectives were respectively ranked in relation to response as passive, willing, appreciation, internalization, and integration. The employees were given the six sigma certification based on their level of competency. Team members were given yellow belts. The six sigma project leaders were given green belts. The highest ranking certification was the black belt that was divided into different components. Black belts were meant to ensure the realization of the organization's six sigma objectives through delivery of high quality six sigma objectives.

Six sigma certification is offered by different organizations based on the initial certification model. However, there is no main six sigma certification body exists. Different organizations tailor make the certification according to their interpretation of the initial idea. The certification process involves written test and practical applications. The certification is offered by several universities including Ohio State University, Rutgers University, University of Texas etc. International Quality Federation offers further, online classes of the certification. The certification offers several benefits. Apart from the fact that one gains knowledge on practical business application, certification may increases one's employability. The certification is a quality control indicator of competency in business application. This may lead to a higher salary or a bargaining chip for a higher salary. Hence, getting a six sigma certification can be an added benefit to your future career progression. It offers an excellent opportunity for employees to gain invaluable skills that are applicable in a wide variety of career. On the other hand, employers can use it as a mechanism to train their employees and improve their businesses.

The author of this article is associated with Best Practice Research providing certification for six sigma training.