9 Reasons Why Lean Six Sigma Certifications are Desirable
Considering a Lean Six Sigma Certification? Are you on the fence as to whether these certifications are worth it? Lean Six Sigma certification holders command salaries of up to £80 000 and are some of the most respected professionals in the industries that they work in. If you’re new to the Lean Six Sigma methodology, don’t worry, I threw in a video about Ashton Kutcher to help you get a better picture (wink).
A Lean Six Sigma certification is a qualification that covers the Lean Six Sigma methodology. Companies that are passionate about improving processes and increasing efficiency are turning to the Lean Six Sigma method to fulfill their needs. Those who hold a Lean Six Sigma certification are therefore in high demand. Being a certified Lean Six Sigma professional means that you get to be an agent of change within an organisation. In this post we’re going to look at reasons why Lean Six Sigma certifications are desirable. However before we do that, we’re going to briefly unpack what is Lean Six Sigma.
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that focuses on collaboration, in order to improve performance, by removing waste and reducing variation. Say what? If your new to Lean Six Sigma, then check out this short clip on Ashton Kutcher’s response to going to work with his father, a certified Black Belt.
Ashton Kutcher and Lean Six Sigma
As you can see from this short clip, trying to understand the Lean Six Sigma terminology can be difficult, even in ‘plain English’. Therefore I’ve made it my mission to make this post as informative and easy to understand as possible.
Basically, Lean Six Sigma is a combination of Lean and Six Sigma. Let’s unpack these terms so that you can get a better understanding and then we’ll discuss why these certifications are so desirable.
What is Lean?
According to ASQ, “Lean is the elimination of all non-value-adding activities and waste from the business.” Lean is a philosophy about delivering value from your customer’s perspective, while at the same time eliminating waste. It focuses on continuously improving processes and can radically change the way an organisation operates.
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is, “A method that provides organisations tools to improve the capability of their business processes. This increase in performance and decrease in process variation lead to defect reduction and improvement in profits, employee morale, and quality of products or services.” The Six Sigma method allows businesses to track preventable defects, delays and deviation. It starts by searching for the problem and then focusing on what the problem really is. As time and resources are often limited, you decide what you will solve (you cannot solve everything) and then sustain the improvements you have made.
Lean Six Sigma
“Lean Six Sigma is a management approach to business performance improvement that has blended the two individual specialisms of Lean and Six Sigma. The application of Lean Six Sigma allows quality and efficiency improvements to be effectively realised. The focus of Lean is about speed, efficiency and taking waste out of a process. Six Sigma focuses on effectiveness and removal of errors.”
Lean Six Sigma, which is a process improvement methodology, provides a way to find hours of wasted activity that is disguised as productivity. It focuses on performance improvement, by removing errors and then providing an approach to resolving problems. It’s a process of discovering errors and removing waste, in order for an organisation to reach it’s true potential.
In order to be trained in the Lean Six Sigma methodology, you need to complete the various Lean Six Sigma certifications.
Here are the 9 reasons why Lean Six Sigma certifications are desirable:
- Career advancement
- Be able to lead a company to eliminate errors and defects
- A competitive salary
- Be able to work in different industries
- Improve customer satisfaction rate
- Gain a better understanding
- Ensure the company adheres to industry and government standards
- Stand out
- Take on Leadership Roles
- Career Advancement
Lean Six Sigma Job Vacancy Trend
One of the most important reasons for why a Lean Six Sigma certification is desirable, is the opportunity for career advancement. In most cases, furthering your education is the key to advancing your career. Additional training that expands your knowledge, expertise and abilities is one of the ways that people climb the career ladder. A Lean Six certification is also a validation of a professionals skill set and abilities. With a Lean Six Sigma certification, you can be sure to grow in your career.
According to the above chart found on It Jobs Watch, the number of job postings citing Lean Six Sigma from 2000-2017 has increased dramatically. This indicates the growing need for certified Lean Six Sigma professionals, and as a result, the opportunities for career advancement in this field.
- Be Able to Lead a Company to Eliminate Errors and Defects
One of the fundamental aspects of the Lean Six Sigma Methodology, is reducing defects and errors across the entire organisation. As Six Sigma focuses on effectiveness and removal of errors, once you obtain your certification you will be in charge of finding and removing these errors.
In terms of finance, by removing errors you could potentially help organisations save a lot money. Therefore as a certified Lean Six Sigma professional you have the ability to take a company from zero to hero! By applying tools such as Kaizen and Poka yoke, you will lead industry transformation.
- A Competitive Salary
With a Lean Six Sigma certification you will be able to command a bigger salary. Experienced Lean Six Sigma certification holders are among the highest paid professionals globally. The two most well known certifications for Lean Six Sigma are the Green Belt and Black Belt certifications. Below I’ve included two graphs which show the Green Belt and Black Belt salary trends from 2005 till 2017.
Green Belt Salary Trend
The above graph shows that in the UK today Green Belt holders may command a salary of up to £70 000.
Black Belt Salary Trend
For the Black Belt certification, the salary trend is quite similar to the Green Belt’s. As you can see from the graph above, those who hold a Black Belt certification may command a salary of up to £80 000.
- Be Able to Work in Different Industries
Holding a Lean Six Sigma certification means that you will be able to work in different industries. This is because Lean Six Sigma is an industry independent methodology.
Some of the industries that Six Sigma has been applied across include:
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- Aerospace
- Health
- Textiles
- Banking
- Hospitality
- Marketing
- IT
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This means that once you have obtained your Lean Six Sigma certification, you will be able to work in a variety of industries, organisations and businesses. You’ll also be more likely to find employment as your skills and knowledge will be applicable to many companies.
- Improve Customer Satisfaction Rate
An important aspect of the Lean Six Sigma methodology is customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, both the business and the customer want to walk away satisfied. With a Lean Six Sigma certification you will have the skills to reduce the number of customer complaints. Applying this methodology to customer relations is said to reduce complaint resolution time, and decrease the number of complaints. As a result this will lead to improving customer relations, which can have a dramatic overall effect on the organisation as a whole.
This means that you won’t only improve efficiency and productivity, you’ll also play a part in how your organisation is perceived.
- Gain a Better Understanding
Experience is a great asset to anyone who is pursuing a professional career. However, a certification can give you a deeper understanding into your chosen field. Those who are Lean Sigma certified will have a better understanding of certain topics, as well as the ability to best apply the methodology. Being certified in this methodology means that you’ll be able to focus on fixing the right issues by using a combination of your experience and knowledge.
- Ensure the Company Adheres to Industry and Government Standards
Six Sigma enforces strict quality standards. Once you have gained your Lean Six Sigma certification you will guide the organisation by ensuring that it complies with industry and government standards. This means that you could be the one to bring about change in an organisation. Those who are Lean Six Sigma certified will lead the strategies in the organisation that are responsible for achieving or maintaining profitable contracts.
Ensuring that the organisation adheres to industry and government standards not only results in an increase in profit, you could save an organisation from any legal implications they may face if they don’t follow protocol.
- Stand Out
In today’s competitive job market, you can’t afford not to be certified. Having a Lean Six Sigma certification means that you will stand out as a proactive and determined individual. With this certification you will have an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and also be at the forefront of organisational change.
In a Lean Six Sigma project you can expect to work with a broad range of people. This means that you will constantly be building on your professional network. Having a broad network is another way you can stand out and build your professional career
- Take on Leadership Roles
With a Lean Six Sigma certification you’ll be ready for leadership roles as this certification prepares candidates for leadership positions. As a Black belt, you will have the opportunity to become an expert in executing Lean Six Sigma projects. This means that with this certification, you will be in charge of leading change and managing complex projects. If leadership is in your career plan, then a Lean Six Sigma certification is the stepping stone you were looking for.
Lean Six Sigma Certification Levels
If reading these “9 Reasons Why Lean Six Sigma Certifications Are Desirable” has sparked some interest, check out the Lean Six Sigma certifications that are available at ITonlinelearning.
The Lean Six Sigma certification track consists of 4 levels, namely:
- Yellow Belt
- Orange Belt
- Green Belt
- Black Belt
We’re going to briefly touch on two of these certifications.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt is for those who would like to specialise in executing Lean Six Sigma projects. It’s aimed at teaching students to identify, analyse and solve quality problems within improvement projects. This course covers the phases of DMAIC and how to oversee small projects. At the end of the course you will be able to execute and interpret Six Sigma tools and how to use Lean principles. By completing this course you will become a specialist in executing Lean Six Sigma projects.
Find out more about ITonlinelearning’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Course.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
If you’re interested in becoming an expert in executing Lean Six Sigma projects, then you should consider the Black Belt course. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certified professional is at the highest level of Six Sigma certification and is regarded as an expert in this field.
A certified Lean Six Sigma Black belt is someone who has skills for applying analytical tools and skills for leading change. With a Black Belt certification you could find yourself in a position where you are responsible for managing complex projects and supporting improvement teams.
Find out more about ITonlinelearning’s Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Course.
Conclusion
Lean Six Sigma certifications are some of the most popular and recognised certifications to date. They are beneficial for not only the individual, but for the organisation too. With some of the benefits including career advancement, a competitive salary and being able to work in different industries, this is a certification not to miss.
Do you know of any other benefits of being Lean Six Sigma certified that didn’t make it on to my list? Leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
