IASSC Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (exam included)

Course details

Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement. It was introduced by engineer Bill Smith while working at Motorola in 1986. Jack Welch made it central to his business strategy at General Electric in 1995. Today it is used in many industrial sectors. 

Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of the output of a process by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes. It uses a set of quality management methods, mainly empirical, statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization, who are experts in these methods. Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has specific value targets, for example: reduce process cycle time, reduce pollution, reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction, and increase profits.

The term Six Sigma originated from terminology associated with statistical modeling of manufacturing processes. The maturity of a manufacturing process can be described by a sigma rating indicating its yield or the percentage of defect-free products it creates. A six sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of all opportunities to produce some feature of a part are statistically expected to be free of defects (3.4 defective features per million opportunities). Motorola set a goal of "six sigma" for all of its manufacturing operations, and this goal became a by-word for the management and engineering practices used to achieve it.

What is the difference between Green and Black Belt?

The referencing of "belts" by color is a simple and effective way of quickly understanding an individual's skill level. Here's a quick look at the differences: 

A Green Belt might be someone who is just learning the tips and techniques that make for good Six Sigma or Lean project execution. They are usually cutting their teeth on a first project and have received fundamental training in Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control - the project execution building blocks.

In some circumstances, a Black Belt can be a former Green Belt who has shown a real knack for six sigma, likes it, and has moved forward to deliver a number of projects with quantifiable results. They also will have received additional training in deeper analysis tools (think stats) and perhaps even some instruction on change management or stakeholder influencing.

Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belts

The IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (ICBB) is a professional who is well versed in the Lean Six Sigma Methodology, who leads improvement projects, typically in a full-time role. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt possesses a thorough understanding of all aspects within the phases of D-M-A-I-C. They understand how to perform and interpret Six Sigma tools and how to use standard principles of Lean.

About the certification

Upon successful passing of the official IASSC exam, you will receive a Certificate, suitable for framing, issued by the International Association for Six Sigma Certification. You will also receive the IASSC Marks/Logos and IASSC Marks/Logos Usage Policy which may be used on public profiles such as LinkedIn. You may use the designation ICBB (International Association for Six Sigma Certification Certified Six Sigma Black Belt), and IASSC Certified Black Belt or any approved variation of the designation after your name in accordance with the IASSC Marks Usage Policy.

What does it mean to be certified?

The IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (ICBB) is a professional who is well versed in the Lean Six Sigma Methodology who both leads or supports improvement projects, typically as a full-time role. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt possesses a thorough understanding of all aspects within the phases of D-M-A-I-C. They understand how to perform and interpret Six Sigma tools and how to use standard principles of Lean. They also possess a more comprehensive understanding of the D-M-A-I-C phase than a Green Belt.

At the end of this Six Sigma Black Belt certification course, you will be able to:

• Become a key stakeholder in leading, and implementing lean six sigma projects in your organization
  
• Understand Six Sigma and DMAIC Methodology
  
• Describe how to identify an improvement project in the Define phase
  
• Explain how to measure process and product in the Measure phase
  
• Perform data analysis and hypothesis testing in the Analyze phase
  
• Identify the possible improvement actions for the performance of variations in the Improve phase
  
• Define efficient operating levels for inputs and outputs in the Control phase
  
• Identify the voice of customers, their requirement & needs
  
• Understand their role in the success deployment
  
• Understand how to develop a strategy for Six Sigma approach
  
• Apply the DMAIC process to business issues

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt is most beneficial for organizations that encourage employees to take up Quality projects and ensure efficiency in all business/industry processes. This certification is most suited for:

• Quality and Process Managers, System Managers, Analysts, Auditors, Engineers and Executives who need to have a better understanding of Six Sigma and the application of Six Sigma in process/quality improvements.
  
• Production Managers, Production Supervisors, and Customer Service Managers
  
• Persons wanting an initial introduction to Six Sigma thinking and techniques
  
• Consultants who want to incorporate Six Sigma Black Belt into their service offerings
  
• Professionals working in the support functions like Finance, Purchase, Sales, Marketing, Training, Recruitment, Operations, IT-Support, Travel
  
• Six Sigma Green Belts looking to progress to Black Belt
  

Key Points

• Provided by an IASSC fully Accredited Training Organisation (ATO): Hudson
  
• Exam fee paid for/included to sit the official IASSC exam and get certification from the IASSC
  
• Official exam can be sat at home or in the office
  
• Upon successful completion of the final exam, you will receive a certification from the IASSC confirming you are fully Six Sigma Black Belt certified
  
• Course can be completed in 30-60 days
  
• 12 months access to course material
  
• Course created for Minitab

The IASSC Six Sigma Black Belt Certification exam is made up of 150 multiple choice and true/false questions. Your time allowance for the exam is 4 hours, although you may finish the exam sooner if you are able to.

In order to achieve the professional designation of IASSC Certified Black Belt (ICBB) from the IASSC, you must score a minimum of 580 points out of a total 750 points.

How will I take the exam?

The IASSC official exam can be conducted online in the comfort of your own home or office. In order to sit the exam online, you must meet the following hardware and software requirements:

• A computer with a keyboard and mouse
  
• A quiet and calm location at your home or office
  
• A web camera that you can rotate 360 degrees so you can be observed by a proctor (the observer)
  
• An active reliable broadband/high-speed internet connection of at least 4Mbps
  
• Browser compatibility: the latest version of Internet Explorer, Windows Firefox, Windows Chrome, Mac Firefox, Mac Chrome with Java (these can be downloaded for free before beginning the test)
  
• Enabled Java Runtime and cookies enabled which comes standard with web browsers