Six Sigma Black Belt Frequently Asked Questions
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Course Questions
Project Questions
Project Updates
So what is so great about ROI's Black Belt training?
There is no doubt about it - Black Belt training is becoming
commodified. This is not entirely a bad thing, since this tends to decrease the
price to get trained as a Black Belt. However, it also has the effect that a
lot of people are offering "Black Belt training" with varying degrees of
competence and experience.
ROI personnel developed our Black Belt training from courses
that we have taught at Fortune 500 companies since before 1985. These courses
were honed over the years until they were precisely what companies needed in a
way that worked in real life. These courses were then further concentrated and
optimized to meet the growing demand for advanced problem-solving training,
resulting in the Black Belt course. We encourage you to compare our
course contents with any other Black Belt course.
You will find we cover more topics in more depth than any other. We can do this
since we use MVPstats to make the basic and
intermediate statistics very easy and quick to learn, and because our
instructors have many years of experience in making it easy to understand
topics that can be confusing. We provide many forms and useful tools to help
you on your way.
The Black Belt discs are a multimedia capture of a live course
taught at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The format of the capture itself makes learning easier. We
frequently heard back from our live trainees that they learned a lot from the
training, but that they are concerned that they will forget some test when they
need it. Since you are given the entire course on disc, this will never be a
problem for you. You can use an index to find the topic you are interested in
reviewing, click on it, and jump right to it in the presentation by using a
search function or browsing the slides.
The last reason our training is so well received is that we only
use one trainer for the class. This puts a high requirement on our trainers,
but we feel that is outweighed by the ability of an individual to bring
multiple areas of expertise to bear on questions in the course. This is
reflected not only in the training, but in the online
support available to Black Belts-in-training.
What does the course look like?
The course is fully contained on the discs that you will
receive. Here is a snapshot of what the course looks like as it plays in
Internet Explorer:
Click for a larger
picture
The course runs on a computer from DVD-ROM or CD-ROM within
Internet Explorer. (See computer requirements here.)
On the left is a small video of the instructor, while on the right is a large
picture of the slide, with any annotations appearing real time. When the
instruction switches to one of the software applications, each step is captured
to show you how to use the program. Click here to view an
actual lesson from the Black Belt discs. (Note
that you need to be browsing with Internet Explorer to view the
lecture.)
What kind of support to attendees receive?
You will have access through our
Online Six Sigma portal, including a
Discussion Board
through which you can post questions to your instructor and to your other
classmates. You can also e-mail your instructor directly.
Of course, if you need to talk directly to your instructor, this
can be arranged as well, and a reasonable amount of telephone consultation time
is included in the course.
What is included with the course?
The course includes:
- Discs that contain the entire course. You get to keep these
discs for future reference
- Four hardcopy texts
- Effective Teaming (our team dynamics toolbox)
- Quality Tools (our basic quality tools
reference)
- Quality with Confidence (our statistical process
control reference)
- Orthogonal Arrays (used to design and modify
experiments)
- (A hardcopy text of all the course slides with space for
notetaking is available at an additional charge)
- Lifetime online support for projects and statistics
questions, provided via our Discussion Board
- Teleconference available if needed
How do I earn a certificate?
ROI offers two levels of certification. The first is a
Certificate of Completion. This indicates that you have viewed the
entire course and taken the four online assessements and achieved at least an
80% on each. Once you have discussed any missed questions with your instructor,
and once your instructor concurs, you will be issued the Certificate of
Completion.
The next level is the ROI Alliance Certified Black Belt.
A Black Belt certification means that you not only know the information, but
that you can take this knowlege an use it in a real situation to bring a
cross-functional team to bear to solve a significant problem. To achieve this
highly regarded recognition, you need to demonstrate your knowledge of the
problem-solving and teaming tools by completing the four online assessments
with at least an 80% and guiding a team through the DMAIC to successfully
complete a project. Once you review your project results with your instructor,
and once they concur, you will be issued your Certified Black Belt.
If you wish, ROI provides a free project tracking service. As
you complete projects throughout your career, we will maintain this information
in a database. Should you find a need to document the savings you have brought
to your teams, we will provide it.
Will ROI's Black Belt training enable me to take a third-party
Black Belt certification test?
At this time there is no consensus on what a Black Belt should
know, and as a result there is high variability in the skills people possess
who say they are Black Belts. A couple of organizations have recently put
forward certification tests and seek to become recognized as de facto
third-party certification bodies. Neither certification is required in addition
to the ROI Black Belt certification, nor is either
certification considered a professional license, but they do offer some degree
of standardization. ROI's Black Belt training will prepare you for either one.
In both exams there are some topics in each that we do not cover, since our
experience is that Black Belts do not perform those functions, or in the case
of ASQ's certification, that the technique is invalid. So if you do want to
proceed with third-party certification, we do recommend to reduce your stress
by discussing these topics with your instructor and/or by purchasing a study
guide from the respective organization. A comparison is in the table below.
Comparison of ASQ and IQF Third-Party
Black Belt Registration |
|
Number of Previous Projects |
Body of Knowledge |
Test Information |
Cost |
| ASQ |
2
(1 with three years work
experience) |
Some invalid procedures |
Offered twice per year, open
book, no computers |
$180 members
$225
non-members |
| IQF |
2 |
Better than ASQ |
CD-based test, open book,
computers allowed |
$199 |
The most well-known of these is the American Society for
Quality, or ASQ. ASQ also offers Black Belt training. (We urge you to compare
their Body of Knowledge with ours.) ASQ's Body of Knowledge is based on Six
Sigma Academy training, and as such contains tools advocated by Dorian Shainen
that have been known for many years to be invalid. Additionally, the ASQ test
is less technically rigorous than the IQF exam, probably due to the fact that
since you can't use a computer in the exam they can only test you on concepts
for most statistics tests. Click here to learn more about
ASQ's
Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
The International Quality Federation (IQF) was created in
response to ASQ becoming a competitor to its own members through offering one
Six Sigma provider's training and Body of Knowledge as its standard. In our
opinion, IQF has a better body of knowledge than ASQ and is more technically
rigorous. Since you use a computer during the exam to analyze data, it is also
a more realistic test of your skills. It does test on a couple of areas that
most Black Belts usually do not perform (financial analysis in particular), and
as such are not part of our training. It offers the added bonus of CD-based
tests which can be taken on the Black Belt's schedule and potential or current
employers can easily verify certification status. However, IQF is not very well
known. Click here to learn more about
IQF's Six Sigma Black Belt
Certification.
How much time will the course take to go through?
You can work through the course at your own pace, but we
recommend that you plan on spending about 40 hours for each of the four
modules. This time includes watching the course on disc, doing the examples and
student review opportunities, and the online assessment.
What prerequisites do I need to take the course?
The course is designed to be accessible to anyone willing to put
forth the effort to become an expert problem-solver. For example, knowledge on
how to use the advanced experimental design tools is built from basic
probability and statistics instruction in the course. Those attendees who have
experience working in processes, and those with familiarity with at least
algebra will find it a bit easier going, mostly regarding context. However, the
instructor will provide numerous anecdotes to give the instruction meaningful
context for those who have limited work experience. For those who find they
need more practice in the basic probability and statistics section, we
recommend Statistics
for Managers by Levin and Rubin.
What are the system requirements for the on-disc
course?
- A computer with Pentium III (or equivalent) processor
or better and 128 MB or more of RAM, adequate free hard drive space, 16-bit or
better sound card and speakers (or headphones), 65,000-color or better video
display card. If you are choosing the DVD-ROM version, you will need a DVD-ROM
drive in your computer. Otherwise, you will need a CD-ROM drive in your
computer. DVD-ROMs are very inexpensive now - try searching amazon.com using
the box on the right if you are interested in purchasing one.
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- Display properties: You should view the class recording in
800x600 resolution, or higher, and use 16, 24, or 32 bit display.
- Download Tegrity Java component - Microsoft Internet
Explorer: Class recordings will prompt you to "trust Tegrity" in order to
install the Tegrity Java component. You can view the class even if you do not
check the "trust" box. We strongly recommend allowing this installation of the
Tegrity Java component for reducing download time for future viewing.
- Microsoft Virtual Machine upgrade: If you are using Microsoft
Internet Explorer and experience problems while viewing or closing the
recording, we recommend upgrading your Microsoft Virtual Machine. It can be
downloaded from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
using the "Product Updates" link.
You can test your current system by viewing one of the
course demos on the website.
What if there is a group who wants to go through the training
together?
Sometimes groups want to take the training at the same time. It
could be trainees at the same company, a group of company, suppliers, and
customers, or a group of business associates. Having a group go through the
training together has the benefit of providing a stucture as well as knowledge
or experience held in commmon by the group. Either way, we can set up a custom
group course for you. Depending on your needs, we can provide target dates for
each section and online assessment as well as password-protected access to a
private area of the Discussion Board to protect proprietary group-specific
information. Contact us to let us know your group's
needs.
Do you need a project to start the course series?
We HIGHLY recommend that you have the support to bring a
project to completion before starting the course. Having a project as you work
your way through the material will greatly aid you in seeing how the tools you
are learning apply in real life situations. While we recommend that you have
the support before beginning the course, you may wish to view the first
instruction block (Week 1) before finalizing your project with your Champion.
The discussions we have this week will help you with the "Define" phase of your
project. Additionally, ROI consultants can help you in project selection.
Should you not have a project, it is still possible to take the
course and earn a Certificate of Completion. However
you will not receive a Black Belt Certification
until you bring a project to successful completion. This can be done at a later
date, but again, we strongly urge you to try to attain a project prior to Week
2's material. In certain rare instances, ROI may be able to procure a project
for a Black Belt trainee to work.
How do I choose a Black Belt project?
Ideally, you have a support infrastructure that takes input from
Champions and selects and prioritizes potential projects and delivers these to
Black Belts-in-training. Of course, this is not always the case, so here are a
few thoughts to help you choose a good Black Belt project.
- The project needs to have a major impact on your
company. Projects that have minimal impact may be easier to achieve, but
the benefit of the training is in solving problems that have been previously
considered insolveable. Maximize your return on your investment.
- Make sure that you have sufficient support by area
managers. If you are attempting to solve a problem that you haven't been
able to solve before, you will have to do something different than what you
have done before. Many people believe that doing what you do now, but more of
it, will solve these problems. You will be asking them to go beyond that during
the course of your team's work. Without strong management commitment to change,
you will find that the closer you get to a solution, the higher the probability
that the people in the area resist your team's efforts. It is best if the
decision-makers in the area in which you are working have a financial interest
in following the DMAIC methodology.
- Make sure that there is a link between the project you
choose and the business' strategic direction. This is part of making a
"business case." In the absence of this linkage, it would be difficult, and
perhaps inapproriate, to maintain interest in completing the project throughout
the project lifetime.
- Improving quality is not necessarily the best way to
increase profit. Although improving product or service quality frequently
results in bottom-line savings, there may be other ways to make bigger
improvements to your bottom-line. Six Sigma is a business improvement
initiative, not a quality improvement initiative. For example, you may find
that eliminating a certain product or service results in a much larger
contribution to profit than improving its quality.
- Manufacturing is not always where the money is.
Manufacturing has borne the brunt of improvement activities and cost-savings
over the years because it is easy to quantify the savings. In many cases
however, the non-manufacturing aspects of a business have not been examined and
improved as a process. This is frequently where inefficiencies and waste occur,
and since most businesses allocate these costs equally across all products and
services, the opportunities for improvements are hidden and massive. Bob Galvin
estimates that starting out by focusing soley on manufacturing at Motorola may
have cost the company tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Customer satisfaction is not necessarily related to
profit. People frequently think that businesses always need to improve the
satisfaction of their customers. In reality, many businesses have gone out of
business doing exactly that. Some customers do not contribute to profit, some
product or service improvements incur costs but customers are not willing to
pay any more for the improvement, and some customers tell you they want one
thing when they really want another. These and many other reasons are why
customer satisfaction improvement alone is not a reason to do a project. The
project needs to be linked to improvements in profitability, or to the survival
of the company.
What support do I need to have a successful Black Belt
project?
The success of a Black Belt project depends on many factors.
First is support and comittment to the DMAIC process from the manager(s) in the
area(s) affected by the project. Second, you need to build a cross-functional
team representing the various interests that come into contact with the area
affected by the project.
How much time should the Black Belt project take?
Some people say that a Black Belt project should take about
eight months, but we find that this is entirely dependent on the type of
project that you choose. We recommend that you look for a project with a scope
that lends itself to completion in less than a year, though for seasonal
issues, this may be extended.
In regards to team member time commitment, keep in mind that you
and your team will have a lot to understand and learn about the process you are
working on. We usually recommend that a team spend more time meeting per week
up front in the Define, Measure, and Analyze phases. The Improve and Control
phases tend to lend themselves to more work outside of the formal meeting
times, so these meeting times usually decrease.
What is expected from a project update?
Each Black Belt in training will make a short (5-15 minute)
presentation at the beginning of the second, third, and fourth instruction
blocks to show the class your progress and lessons learned since the last
session. Showing these to your project Champion would be a great way to keep
them involved. Please notify your instructor if there will be issues with
proprietary knowledge ahead of time. These presentations would be identical to
ones you would be making to your project Champion.
How can I do a project update?
An integral part of the course is providing a project update to
your instructor. This gives you the opportunity to get helpful input and
practice presenting status reports to your Champion. There are a few different
ways you can do this.
- Videotape your presentation and
- send a videotape or DVD to ROI
- e-mail the digital file (resolution 640x480 is fine)
- Send your instructor your PowerPoint presentation, then
schedule a conference call to go through the slides
- If you happen to live near one of our instructors, you could
set up a time to present directly to him or her
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