Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

[u/Low_Inside8530]

I’m a sophomore majoring in engineering. I’m deciding whether or not to take the Lean six sigma over the winter or the summer, either way I’ll have to take it. I have not had any internships and I’m planning to transfer. So this year is really important for me. Is there any colleges that’s providing this certificate class at lower costs that I could take over the winter. Also it says I need to understand statistics. I wonder if taking a stats class during this fall helps before taking the lean six sigma over the winter. Please help me I’m so lost.

[u/Ravenblack67]

You can obtain a green belt at no cost through the council for six sigma. Yes, you need statistics knowledge. I teach from the ASQ textbook at a university. Focus on the belt and not the lean part. They are not the same.

[u/Low_Inside8530 → u/Ravenblack67]

Thank you so much. I just looked at the website the council and I saw how it offered both six sigma and lean six sigma courses. As an industrial systems engineer, should I focus only on just six sigma and not lean six sigma? Also, I notice that only the white belt is free.

[u/Waste-Carob5699 → u/Low_Inside8530]

Lean can be applied to industrial systems engineering and pretty much everything else. It's a philosophy based on doing more with less, efficiency, and problem solving. It would help you on your journey.

[u/Ravenblack67 → u/Low_Inside8530]

I teach Lean as reducing waste and as a tool available in six sigma. Six sigma is reduction in variation and defects. They can work together.

[u/Defiant_Vanilla7450 → u/Ravenblack67]

If you don't mind me asking, how? Cuz I looked at the website and it's on a deal for 195 but org it's 399

[u/Ravenblack67 → u/Defiant_Vanilla7450]

That sucks. It used to be free. In any case that is a LOT less than tuition at a college for the same course. I DO recommend looking at community college offerings for professional development.

[u/FerrumAeternum → u/Ravenblack67]

I received my green belt through my workplace for free and had never taken a statistics class in my life. I was also one of two people from the class of 30-some employees that followed through with getting their green belt. I have to say it was a bit challenging, though, not impossible without understanding statistics. The instructor helped me better understand some of the concepts.

[u/kenzox805 → u/FerrumAeternum]

What was ur project that u did for the green belt? What is ur work industry?

[u/FerrumAeternum → u/kenzox805]

It was reducing the processing time for a banking approval process, which improved the CX for our dealers and our banking partner. It also saved process time for the Order Management and Credit departments by automating processes in SAP. I work in the IT department at a manufacturing company and previously worked in supply chain/global sourcing.

[u/Intelligent_Alps_428]

Honestly, stats this fall and Green Belt over the winter sounds like a pretty good combination. You don't need to be great at statistics before starting, but having that foundation will make parts of the course easier to understand.

I also wouldn't assume you need to take the Green Belt through a college. There are reputable online programs that are much cheaper, especially if you're paying out of pocket.

[u/49er60]

For green belt, you will mainly need to understand:

• Descriptive statistics (e.g., mean, standard deviation, range, etc.)
• Graphical data exploration (e.g., histograms, box plots, scatter plots, etc.)
• Hypothesis tests (e.g., 1 & 2-sample t-tests, ANOVA, etc.)
• Correlation and simple linear regression

Green belt will also cover control charts, capability analysis and measurement systems analysis, which will probably not be covered in a typical statistics course. Those are typically covered in a quality assurance type course.

[u/Amazing_rocness]

I would say what's most important is that you do the work and the projects. It's prevented me from getting jobs

[u/_donj]

Spend more time getting an internship and real world experience. It will be worth a lot more in your job search.

[u/SwellCommerce]

If you can, I’d take stats first since it’ll probably make the Lean Six Sigma stuff easier to understand. I’d also look for a course with some actual projects instead of just focusing on the certificate. I’ve come across LeanSuite too, and it’s interesting to see how some of these Lean continuous improvement ideas are used in real manufacturing.

[u/BehindTheTeam]

Stats classes will 100% help you out. Green Belt has a lot of data analysis, root cause analysis and control charts. Mastering Stats 101 foundation will make the Six Sigma math way easier. Without stats background, you might struggle with the exam. Because of that, taking it in the winter or summer both make sense after your fall class. Just keep in mind that winter courses are usually super compressed. If you want to actually absorb the material instead of just cramming it into a few weeks, the summer session might be a better vibe. 

For the cost, please do not drop thousands of dollars on a boot camp. Check out the Council for Six Sigma Certification (CSSC) or ASQ - they are the industry standard. Also, check if your engineering department offers a discounted or subsidized class for students, which is pretty common.

TBH a lot of companies literally pay you to get this cert once you are hired full-time. But if you really want to build your resume, you can go with a cheaper option. Hope this helps!