The Lean Six Sigma Certification Roadmap
Interested in a Lean or Six Sigma certification?
This page will provide you with the resources and information to be able to navigate the certification options and requirements, so you can:
- Identify the best certification program for your needs (maybe certification isn’t necessary…)
- Determine the gaps to achieving the goals and objectives you identified
- Close the gaps in your goal through training, coaching, improvement projects, studying and self-learning
- Achieve your goal!
Why Certification?
Green Belt certification can increase your salary by $5,000 to $10,000 USD (ASQ survey), based on comparisons with individuals who do not have any Six Sigma certification. This can also move you towards a Black Belt certification, which can increase your salary an additional $15,000 to $20,000 USD. The impact of a Lean certification are not studied as much, since it is not as well established or as integral in the methodology.
Learn more about the background on Lean and Six Sigma certifications, or read more about salary comparisons, check out the 2023 ASQ salary survey.
Here are the 5 steps we’ll walk through on your journey to achieving a certification or leveling up of your experience in process improvement!
1. Certification Discovery Call
There are a lack of standards for a Lean or Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma certification. I get asked a lot about the “official” certification body, but there isn’t one.
Each company, organization, or consulting firm can develop and manage their own certifications.
This can be confusing and frustrating, but we will help you through the most common and well-known options based on different criteria, such as:
- Likelihood of completion
- Price and total cost
- Reputation of certification
- Effort to achieve
- Your purpose for achieving it
In fact, sometimes certification is NOT the best solution for you. You may just want to increase your skills, experience and practice using the tools and techniques.
Most certifications require at least 2 of the 3 requirements:
- Completion of training course(s)
- Passing score on exam or knowledge assessment
- Completion of successful project or event on a real-life problem
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE AN EXAM FOR CERTIFICATION!
As mentioned above, you can opt for training and completing a real-life project. I’ve heard from a few people that they think an exam is the only option available, but that requires many hours of studying and hundreds of dollars each time you take it (if you don’t pass the first time).
Ready to discuss your situation? Book a 15 minute coaching call for free or email us with some background on your situation.
At the end of this step, you’ll have identified which certification works best for you (if any), and defined your goals and objectives for leveling up your skills (promotion, pay raise, different job, bonus, new challenge, rewarding work, etc)
2. Identify Roadblocks
Now that you have determined the end goal, you’ll need to assess the current situation.
What is preventing you from achieving this goal right now?
Typically, it involves one (or more) of the following actions:
- Studying for an exam and taking practice questions
- Completing a Lean kaizen event or a Six Sigma DMAIC project to gain real-life experience
- Taking a course to learn about tools and techniques
At the end of this step, you will come up with a plan to address any barriers or roadblocks to your goal.
3. Choose your Own Adventure
Based on your roadblocks, you will be guided through your plan based on the path that is most difficult or challenging for you
- Complete a Six Sigma DMAIC project
- Complete a Lean kaizen event facilitation
- Study and prepare for an exam
- Complete training courses
We help you through weekly coaching calls with others going through a similar pathway. You will also be assigned homework (as needed) to be done between coaching calls. Learn more about the certification support help we provide.
At the end of this step, you will have addressed the roadblocks and are prepared to move forward towards your goal.
4. Complete the Journey
Now it’s time to execute on all the preparation you did!
- Complete the documentation for your Six Sigma DMAIC project and get it reviewed and approved
- Complete the documentation for your Lean kaizen event facilitation and get it reviewed and approved
- Schedule your exam date and take the exam
- Complete all required training courses and obtain a training certificate
- Receive your certification (if applicable)
At the end of the step, you will have taken a test or submitted some documentation of your work, and are now waiting on a decision.
5. Celebrate Progress
How did it go?
Did you acheive your goal?
If yes, reflect on what you did, and think about the key learnings that made you successful
If no, reflect on what happened, and why you think you fell short
Regardless of the outcome, you should give yourself time to celebrate the progress you’ve made (even if you fell short of your goal).
We also want you to determine your next steps in your lifelong journey of learning. Are you going to continue towards your goal, or set a new goal?
To get started, book a 15 minute coaching call for free, so we can go through the Certification Discovery Call together and decide what option(s) are best for you.