Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Six Sigma Black Belts Are Needed

By Craig Calvin

There is no disagreement among companies around the world that Six Sigma is a valuable and important part of success. Companies employ Six Sigma with the intent to making it a culture in their businesses, and as such, they have signed on to the discipline of problem identification, analysis, solving and monitoring. For this to take place, they must have highly trained employees who can achieve results under the Six Sigma doctrine. The business world offers various jobs, either based on expertise in a particular field, or on experience over time. There is contract work available, as are full time positions.

Every company has its own staffing needs for its particular niche in the business world. While the jobs may be similar to one another from company to company, each business may provide different names to them. Just as the names may differ, there will likely be some variance in the requirements for each. Some companies prefer to train within, promoting existing staff they want to place in leadership positions, while some prefer to hire outside experts. Senior positions such as a Six Sigma Black Belt graduate may hold, may refer to a higher level program manager. These graduates have the experience and expertise to undertake management of projects at various levels in the organization.

Six Sigma Black Belts do indeed hold an important position in the organization. These members are certified as Black Belts and receive training on Six Sigma tools and techniques like DMAIC and DFSS methodologies. They have a high level of expertise with the usage of the statistical tools and an understanding of the indicators that the data provides for the project's progression. These experts may be selected internally or may be hired from outside. If there is a need for an experienced person to come into the organization who can train further the Black Belts in the company, then such a person may be hired externally.

There are certain skills that will be required for lead management jobs, and such skills are present in Black Belt certified candidates. When advertising for applicants, many companies won't advertise specifically for a Black Belt, but may refer to the position something else, such as Systems Analyst, Program Manager, Project Lead, etc. Positions at this level usually require skills commensurate with a certified Green Belt or Black Belt holder. The company may also require experience in its own industry.

No matter what the position, candidates today need to have a deep understanding of Six Sigma with a proven ability to apply their skills to positive results in project management. Creative skills are also needed, which will help when conceptualizing issues and designing business proposals. Six Sigma jobs exist today in industries all across the spectrum, and they all require the skills and determination to help companies develop processes that will lead to more profits. - 16732

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