Six Sigma And Project Management

You may have your own method of organizing a project, managing it, and completing its stages. As a manager, you are unlikely to want to change something that’s not broken. Six Sigma’s rigorous methodology can help you succeed, even if only some elements are adopted in project management.

Organize your team to achieve success: Six Sigma is effective because it emphasizes organization right from the beginning. Many projects fail because of organizational problems that date back to their inception, not due to poor goals or errors by contributors. You may not have Black Belt leaders or Green Belt and Yellow Belt members on your team, but you can still use the same concept to ensure that you have strong, experienced leadership, and clearly defined roles in order to avoid conflict and lack of the right skills to complete the project.
Use DMAIC or DMADV to manage your projects: The project management process is itself a process. The steps you take to ensure that a project is successful all form part of an overall process that can always be improved. You may discover areas of improvement and weaknesses that you were not aware of if you do a DMAIC assessment of your project management style. If your plan differs from DMAIC or DMADV you will still benefit from Six Sigma because of its emphasis on clearly defined steps, and an empirical, concrete approach.
Measure, analyze, and find gaps. Six Sigma has its roots in manufacturing. But that shouldn’t stop you from implementing the methodology to reduce and eliminate mistakes. Don’t assume that your team can understand unexpected failures. A scientific, Six Sigma-inspired approach can help you find gaps in your process.
Use data to get a better picture. Even though your team may have already achieved its goals, Six Sigma’s easy-to-follow steps can help you use data more effectively.

You can achieve greater consistency and efficiency by adapting this methodology to your current workflow.

The Six Sigma Certification

Six Sigma certification is a way to ensure that you are a professional who has a set of skills, and a level of knowledge in Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma certification can be obtained online or at a business college.

Six Sigma certification has many benefits for a business, including compliance, increased performance, and of course, reduced waste and errors. Employees may benefit from a higher salary, better job opportunities, enhanced leadership skills, and portable competencies that can be easily transferred between jobs.

The Six Sigma Belt Level Colors

Lean Six Sigma certification levels are organized according to belt colors. This is similar to karate and shows the different levels of training and expertise that a Six Sigma professional may have received.

Six Sigma certification is available at different levels.

White belt: Having only an introduction to Six Sigma concepts, this is the base of recruitment for future Yellow and Green Belts. They help with simple Six Sigma tasks.
Yellow Belt: They are trained in the basic Six Sigma methodology and participate as team members in Green and Black Belt projects.
Green Belt: Trained to solve the majority of process problems, Green Belts assist Black Belt projects through data collection and analysis. Sometimes they lead simpler six sigma project management themselves. Green Belts are commonly tied in with project management efforts.
Black Belts: These experts are the most highly-trained in Six Sigma and they mentor, coach, and lead Six Sigma teams.
Master black belt: They are the Six Sigma experts and teachers in-house. They train lower-level Belts. They also manage the Six Sigma program’s strategy.

Six Sigma is based on strong leadership. Moreover, everyone in the company must understand and be committed to the effort. This is especially true for top management. You can decide as a project manager if this structure is appropriate for your organization or project goals.