The buzz around certification courses has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. With the increasing competition, professionals are pushed to turn every stone to enhance their skill set and improve their marketability. Many training and certifying bodies have come up in the last few decades to meet the demand, promising quality courses and certifications. Training and acquiring new skills have never been more accessible. But this also raises red flags related to quality and relevance.

A general answer to these problems comes in the form of Central certifying bodies that work towards monitoring and maintaining the training quality. However, many certifications do not fall under any certifying body. In our previous article, “ The Mystery of Central Certifying body of Six Sigma,” we discussed how specific organizations claim to be Six Sigma's Central Certifying body. Today we will go a step further on the same line and glimpse what others have to say on this subject. The Article will include references to what other Trainers, Professionals, organizations, or individuals have spoken on several social media outposts.

In an article (on the Acuity Institute website), Stephanie Herman has tried to clear the air about the central governing body of Six Sigma. According to Stephanie Herman: “This is a pervasive question, and the simple answer is no, there is no governing body that oversees Lean Six Sigma Certification.”

Another article posted (on www.greycampus.com) under the headline “How to get Certified in Six Sigma Green Belt” informs its readers that there is no central certifying body for Six Sigma. To quote the Article: “There is no single body assigned to give Six Sigma certificate to the quality profession. “

Rex Jayso Tuozo, a Philippines-based trainer, agrees with this as well. Rex Jayso also provides the answer to the second most obvious question: “Who provides the certification if there is no Governing Body for Six Sigma?”

According to Rex Jayso: “It is the Master Black Belt that certifies an individual, only ‘through’ the organization he/she represents.”

You might get certification with the organization’s name on it, but it’s the instructor who enables the organization to do so. Losing the Mater Black Belt instructors would directly result in the organization losing its potential to grant Six Sigma certification.

Rex Jayso also speaks about organizations that directly or indirectly claim to be the central certifying body for Six Sigma. Concerning the International Association for Six Sigma Certification, Rex Jayso says: “While I admire how they positioned their business to earn money, I see no value-adding to the Six Sigma practice.”

Concerning The Council for Six Sigma Certification, he says: “Its website does not state the name of its officers, consultants, institutions, Six Sigma expert-members that form the "Council. It doesn't even publish its office address which raises another red flag.”

Not having a governing body comes with certain disadvantages. 6sigma.com provides ‘5 Biggest Risks Six Sigma Faces Without a Governing Body’, where it explicitly describes the problems faced because of the absence of a central governing body. According to the website, the top 5 risks are:

• Lack of Consistent Training
• Lack of Organization
• Loss of Transparency 
• The abundance of Illegitimate Training
• Growth of a Poor Reputation for certified professionals

There are a lot of other discussions and points that are being brought up. For example, Smart sheets compare people's salary holding Six Sigma certifications and people who do not contain any certificate.

Matt Hansen, in his LinkedIn article, has tried to answer several other questions related to Six Sigma certifications like:

• Do organizations require me to attend their training?
• Do they validate my application of the Lean Six Sigma tools?
• Do they offer online or classroom training options?
• How much do they cost?

With all the discussions going on, we can be sure that there is no central certifying body for Six Sigma. While the absence of a governing body brings a few issues, it also creates flexibility. Organizations get options to fine-tune the course to suit their objective. If you are a professional looking to take up Six Sigma certification, it would be advisable to do your homework, understand if you need the certification course, and choose a training provider that delivers the best within your comfort range.

All About Six Sigma Certifications:

The demand for quality management professionals is also high in all industries. Several certifications are available for professionals willing to work in quality management or professionals already working in quality management. Quality management certifications enable you to reach all the aspects of quality, such as:

• Customer satisfaction
• Consistent performance
• Higher efficiency
• Enhance understanding between the internal processes
• Risk Reduction at an early stage
• References to secure other projects

The list of top quality management certifications are:

• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
• Dual Lean Six Sigma Yellow & Green Belt Certification
• Dual Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt Certification

Certification planner also offers high-end training along with IASSC exam vouchers:

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Plus IASSC Exam
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Plus IASSC Exam

Lean Six Sigma certification is a quality management certification offered by the International Association of Six Sigma Certifications (IASSC™) designed to reduce variations and eliminate waste, ensuring the quality of the process.

Get LSS certification to excel in your career. However, there is no prerequisite to take any of the Lean Six Sigma Certification exams accredited by IASSC™. But LSS has a hierarchy of certifications to progress in career path:

• Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

The certifications as mentioned above or a combination of credentials can help the professionals in the following role:

• Quality Managers
• Quality System Managers
• Quality Engineers
• Quality Supervisors
• Quality Analysts
• Quality Auditors
• Team Leaders
• Software Professionals
• Project Managers
• Improvement Managers
• Operational line managers

The examination format for LSS certification for the different hierarchy is:

Questions: 60 multiple-choice questions

Duration: 2 hours

Qualifying points: 230 points out of 300 points

Questions: 100 multiple-choice questions

Duration: 3 hours

Qualifying points: 385 points out of 500 points

Questions: 150 questions multiple-choice questions

Duration: 4 hours

Qualifying points: 580 points out of 750 points

Certification Lifecycle: LSS Certifications come with lifetime validity. Most professionals do take the course every 3-5 years to stay up-to-date with the latest updates. However, it is still a personal choice to make. 

Explore our Lean and Six Sigma Catalog and choose the course that enables you to improve your skill. You can also reach out to our career experts at support@certificationplanner.com if you have any queries related to Lean Six Sigma certifications. Happy Learning!