Formulating for Success!

Six Sigma Black Belt

Course Description

Welcome to Six Sigma!  Six Sigma is a business and data-driven, disciplined approach to minimizing defects in any type of process (be it manufacturing or services). Popularized in the mid-90's by companies such as Motorola and GE, Six Sigma has grown greatly in acceptance among thousands of companies, and has proven to be both a time and money saver when implemented properly. This course is designed to provide students with an overview of Six Sigma and the DMAIC methodology.

This course assumes students have no prior knowledge about Six Sigma, Quality, or Lean and delivers lessons and examples to build management skills. We examine Six Sigma case studies from various perspectives- Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Construction, Government, Finance, and IT.  Specific topics include: Maximizing Business Value, Critical to Quality, Voice of the Customer, Measurement Systems, Data Collection Plans, Design of Experiments, Analysis, Process Control, and Response Plans.

Students who are interested in mastering the Six Sigma methodology can also use this course for that purpose.

Course Outcome

After completing Six Sigma, students will be equipped with a basic understanding of the following:

• The Six Sigma methodology and the DMAIC process
• How to lead and drive Six Sigma projects within your organization
• How to function effectively as a Six Sigma professional
• How to identify defects in your process
• How to develop cost saving recommendations

Recommended Prerequisites

• No prior experience necessary
• Basic mathematics skills
• Basic understanding of Microsoft Excel

Assessment

Students will be assigned 5 homework assignments, and 1 final exam.

Syllabus

Lesson 1- Introduction
Introduction reviews the basics of the Six Sigma methodology, and why it is important to the business. The managerial and technical level are introduced, along with a review of Critical to Quality (CTQ), Voice of the Customer (VOC), and how to establish specifications. The Six Sigma infrastructure is introduced- Project Sponsor, Black Belt, Green Belt, and Core Team

Lesson 2- Define Stage
Define Stage introduces the DMAIC process, and defines the Define Stage. We cover the various elements of this stage including project definition, process flow diagram, SIPOC, problem and objective statement, and the project charter.

Lesson 3- Measure Stage
Measure Stage defines measurement, and how it fits into the Six Sigma methodology. We review CTQ, process inputs (X) and outputs (Y), how to measure these characteristics, our data collection plan, and measurement effectiveness.

Lesson 4- Analyze Stage
Analyze Stage reviews the various graphical and statistical techniques for interpreting measurement data. We introduce statistics, control charts, scatter plots, how to develop trends and correlations, sample size needs, and defect definition.

Lesson 5- Improve Stage
Improve Stage explains how to develop improvement plans. We explain the importance of experiments, the various types, and how to generate designs of experiments.

Lesson 6- Control Stage
Control Stage ensures that we lock in the gains obtained from our improvement plan. We introduce the Process Management Summary, Process Control Plan, Statistical Process Control (SPC) basics, and the Response Plan.

 Course Delivery

This course is Instructor-led and delivered through our award-winning online Learning Management System. See our FAQ for more details.

Education Credit

This course has 20 contact hours and can be used for 2 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Course Registration

Course only: $49

Course + Certificate: $99