The Benefits of Lean Six Sigma for Professionals and Organizations

Professionals who commit to earning Lean Six Sigma certification can create benefits for both the organization they work for and their careers. Because Lean Six Sigma certification offers transferable skills that apply to virtually every type of business in every industry, those who earn certification can increase their job marketability for leadership roles on teams that focus on process improvement.

Lean Six Sigma combines facets of Lean and Six Sigma methodology, and emphasizes cutting waste, reducing errors and improving customer satisfaction. Those who earn Lean Six Sigma certification learn the strategies, tools and techniques they can apply in many situations, from running a more efficient law office to improving quality care and patient outcomes in healthcare.

Belt Rankings

Professionals can earn Six Sigma belts at different levels. These belts are color-coded as follows:

White Belt: Professionals learn the basics of Lean Six Sigma, including terminology and strategies associated with the methodology.

Yellow Belt: A Yellow Belt further develops skills in using Lean Six Sigma tools, and often works on project teams, helping to create process maps and gather data.

Green Belt: Green Belts learn advanced skills and often do much of the data collection and analysis for project teams. 

Black Belt: Black Belts typically work exclusively on Lean Six Sigma projects. They lead project teams and have expertise in statistical analysis and process improvement.

Master Black Belt: Master Black Belts oversee all Six Sigma-related projects. Reaching this level typically requires at least five years of experience as a Black Belt and completion of at least 10 Six Sigma projects.

How Lean Six Sigma Benefits Careers

A professional who earns Lean Six Sigma certification immediately becomes more valuable because the skills learned are transferable to whatever job they hold. Some factors that make certified Lean Six Sigma professionals in demand include the following.

Problem Solving

Lean Six Sigma provides the tools to quickly resolve business challenges that reduce operational efficiency and lower the quality of products and services. These tools help project teams find the root causes of problems, allowing them to eliminate errors and cut waste. Lean Six Sigma practitioners often lead project teams that seek to reduce costs and increase revenue by optimizing efficiency. 

Immediate Application of Skills

Part of earning a Six Sigma belt designation involves completing projects. This gives professionals the opportunity to learn on the job and immediately apply the skills they learn through certification to their work. By proving their ability to effect positive changes, professionals can quickly move into challenging roles with more responsibility.

Career Possibilities

By providing projects that improve quality control, enhance customer experience, reduce costs and increase profits, Lean Six Sigma professionals may find that employers value the skills they can bring to an organization. These can include positions of leadership on projects and in management roles. 

Higher Earning Potential

By moving into management roles, Lean Six Sigma professionals can help open the door to increased salary potential. The jobsite Salary.com reports that Lean Six Sigma programs managers earn an average salary that falls in the range of $114,400 to $145,800.

Transferable Skills

Lean Six Sigma strategies apply to virtually any type of organization. In addition to private business, those with Lean Six Sigma skills are valued in government agencies and nonprofit work. Nearly every type of organization can benefit from process improvement, which makes Lean Six Sigma skills transferable wherever a professional works.

The Benefits of Lean Six Sigma for Organizations

In addition to benefits for individual professionals, Lean Six Sigma skills also provide benefits to organizations. This often results in companies helping pay the cost of Lean Six Sigma training for employees, knowing they will get a strong return on their investment.

Reduced Waste

Lean Six Sigma focuses on reducing waste in every type of process and operation, eliminating anything that does not benefit the end user or customer. This focus on efficiency and the needs of customers leads to higher quality products and services.

Reduced Costs and Improved Profits

By eliminating waste, redundant processes, and the process errors that lead to product defects, Lean Six Sigma also reduces costs and increases profits. One of the biggest results when Lean Six Sigma is applied to any type of operation is a significant reduction in costs, even in government agencies.

Better Customer Satisfaction

One of the major tenets in Lean Six Sigma is listening to the “voice of the customer” when developing every phase of an operation. This focuses a business on the needs of customers and the creation of products and services that best suit those needs. That, in turn, creates a larger base of loyal consumers.

Better Risk Management

Implementing the changes needed to support continuous process improvement can also lead to better risk management. With higher productivity and improved efficiency, organizations lower their risk of violating compliance standards or facing legal action related to their products or services.

‍