Helping Engineering Students Decide on the Advantages of Obtaining Lean or Six Sigma Certification Dr. Joan Burtner Dr. Melinda Hollingshed Mrs. Shelia Barnett ASEE Zone II Conference San Juan, Puerto Rico March 2017

History of Professional Certifications in the Quality Field - ASQ The American Society for Quality (ASQ) began administering quality-related professional certifications in 1968. The first, and most popular, ASQ certification is the Certified Quality Engineer (CQE). ASQ has developed many more quality professional certifications (eg CMQ/OE, CQPA, etc). All ASQ certifications are based on a Body of Knowledge (BOK) that is revised on a periodic basis. ASQ BOKs are the industry-standard in their respective fields. March 2017 ASEE Zone II Conference Dr. Joan Burtner, Presenter

Six Sigma Certifications Six Sigma is a statistical methodology with a goal of reducing variation and therefore reducing costs. Six Sigma has been described as a data-driven process improvement methodology that aims to reduce defects. Early Six Sigma (SS) certifications Green Belts, Black Belts and Master Black Belts (hierarchy) Project documentation required for Black Belt certification Training and testing conducted in-house by large companies such as Motorola or GE Training and testing conducted by limited number of outside organizations More recent trends in SS certifications Yellow Belts and White Belts are also offered Training/testing or testing-only options offered by many organizations Costs are varied Project is not always required for Black Belt certification March 2017 ASEE Zone II Conference Dr. Joan Burtner, Presenter

ASEE Zone II Conference Dr. Joan Burtner, Presenter Lean Certifications Lean had its roots in the Toyota Production System and emphasized the elimination of waste with the goal of cycle-time reduction. Lean differed from Six Sigma Did not emphasize data-analysis or statistical thinking Easier to learn by those who did not have strong math skills Easier to conduct in-house training Early Lean certifications Green Belts, Black Belts and Master Black Belts (hierarchy) Project documentation required for Black Belt certification Training and testing conducted in-house by large companies such as Motorola or GE Training and testing conducted by limited number of outside organizations More recent trends in SS certifications Yellow Belts and White Belts are also offered Training/testing or testing-only options offered by many organizations Costs are varied Project is not always required for Black Belt certification March 2017 ASEE Zone II Conference Dr. Joan Burtner, Presenter

Why Obtain Certification? March 2017 ASEE Zone II Conference Dr. Joan Burtner, Presenter