What is Six sigma?

Six Sigma is a business management strategy, originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. Six Sigma became well known after Jack Welch made it a central focus of his business strategy at General Electric in 1995, and today it is widely used in many sectors of industry. Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. It uses a set of quality management methods, including statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization (“Black Belts”, “Green Belts”, etc.) who are experts in these methods. Six Sigma originated as a set of practices designed to improve manufacturing processes and eliminate defects.

Six Sigma doctrines assert that:

1. Continuous efforts to achieve stable and predictable process results (i.e., reduce process variation) are of vital importance to business success.
2. Manufacturing and business processes have characteristics that can be measured, analysed, improved and controlled.
3. Achieving sustained quality improvement requires commitment from the entire organization, particularly from top-level management.

What is Six Sigma Certification?

Six Sigma certification is a confirmation of an individual’s capabilities with respect to specific competencies. Just like any other quality certification, it does not indicate that an individual is capable of unlimited process improvement, just that s/he has completed the necessary requirements from the company granting the certification.

For example, millions of people have applied for, tested and been granted a driver’s license in the United States. It certifies that a person has passed the minimum guidelines and requirements for driving. The individual must pass both a written and hands-on driving test in order to ‘certify’. Not all individuals in the United States, however, have the same proficiency in driving – even though they may have passed the tests and been granted a driver’s license. The same is true for Six Sigma certification. Certification alone does not summarize the worth of a true quality professional.