Lean Six Sigma - for Professionals

In addition to receiving 3 academic credits which can be leveraged toward a future certificate or degree program, the rigor inherent in an academic course (versus a non-credit training program) means that you will be exposed in more depth to more practical material that will have direct benefit to your job and your organization.  Since your work will be graded, you will be highly vested in your learning and the application of tools and methods to practical problems and processes within your organization.  Finally, the diversity of participants enrolled in these courses provides exposure to experienced professionals from a number of companies in different industries.

Academic courses require about 6-10 hours each week, and it is especially important to keep up with the material since there are deliverables each week and you will be graded on your participation as well as on quizzes, homework, and exams.

Our online format is designed to provide you with flexibility to meet your other commitments from wherever you are while insuring that you are actively engaged with the instructor and your classmates on a weekly basis.  (This is not a self-study course).  Materials are available on our course management website and you submit homework and participate in discussions each week at your convenience.  Homework, quizzes and exams, as well as a simulation exercise are also online.

Yes, but you must first secure a project sponsor and submit a draft charter to the instructor.  The project will likely continue beyond the end of the course, and Green Belt certification is not awarded until the final project report is signed off by your sponsor and the instructor.

Most students will wait until the course is over to work on their projects.  You have up to 2 years after course completion to begin a project.  Extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances but they must be approved by your instructor and your sponsor.

You will be charged $750 for project mentoring.

Students have found the course to provide everything needed to identify and execute a valuable Lean Six Sigma project:

“The course was extremely helpful in preparing me for the project.”

“In addition to providing solid preparation for the project, I utilized a number of slides from the course that identified relevant tools during each phase of the project.”

“The course provided a great foundation and a useful lens that really helped me to identify an appropriate project and to determine the best way to approach it.  I leveraged many of the tools covered in the course on my project.”

“Having taken the course less than a year prior to starting my project, I felt well prepared. I would not recommend waiting too much longer – the fresher the material, the better."

"Hands down, the course was exceptional!  It prepared me to use different tools and to decide when specific tools would be most impactful!  Every company has a different model for problem solving and this course was pivotal in opening my eyes to tools my employer doesn’t currently consider.  682 empowered me to be more creative, to consider other ways to analyze data and achieve results."

A suitable Green Belt process improvement project must utilize the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) structure and return significant benefits, usually at least $50,000, recognizing that other metrics may be more appropriate to your situation. As mentioned above, the project should be completed (with sign-off from sponsor and instructor) within two years of training.  

Every Green Belt project requires a sponsor whose role is: (1) to help identify in advance an opportunity suitable for a Green Belt project; (2) to help remove roadblocks and support project execution; and (3) to participate in tollgate reviews and sign-off on all tollgates. Your direct manager should also provide assurance that he/she understands the demands on your time for and is committed to your success in the program.

After securing a sponsor and discussing project ideas with your sponsor, you will prepare a project charter and get approval from both your sponsor and CQAS (including registering for the project and paying $750).  During project execution you will meet periodically with your sponsor and a CQAS mentor. Your completed project will include a story board of key findings and the Control Plan, and you must also show proof that the sponsor has “signed-off” at all stages of the project. CQAS will review all documentation and provide a report back to you. Should there be any issues, you will be told in writing what needs to be addressed. Finally, the sponsor must submit a brief letter in writing that supports completion of the project. Most Green Belt projects take 6-12 months to complete.

How have other students identified projects?

“The course helped me identify opportunities that could benefit from the DMAIC process, and I ended up selecting a somewhat large and complex project that would have a long-lasting impact on my company.”

“I identified a suitable LSS project by meeting with a cross-functional team to discuss issues that were occurring in my area.  After coming up with a list of potential projects, we analyzed the list to determine which projects could meet the following criteria: (1) follow the DMAIC process; (2) be completed in the 6 months available; (3) aligned with annual business goals.”

"There were plenty of opportunities for improvement projects at my company. I chose a process that I had become familiar with in the few months since I joined the company, and one that not only accounts for a large percentage of product movement at our plant, but also had a large gap for improvement."

Unequivocally, yes!  Not only will you be rewarded with Green Belt certification, but you will be making a solid contribution to your sponsor and organization that will give you visibility and credibility. 

Here’s what some former students have said:

“Seeing results which drastically reduced turnaround time by more than one half was extremely gratifying and valuable to the company.”

“Most rewarding was working closely with operators and the project team, and transitioning the improved process to the owners to give them a tool to help earn a bonus.  The leadership team subsequently included this project into their key initiatives for yield improvement.  This has confirmed for me that my work was useful and will live on.”

“The timely completion of my project provided valuable additional training that improved skills, impressed training partners, and garnered rewards for the participants.”

“The most rewarding part of the project was analyzing the data after improvements were made.  It was gratifying to see the benefits and that the project goals were not only met by surpassed.”

"The most rewarding part of the project was actually seeing the results. Knowing that a change you made is making a noticeable difference daily on the line is extremely rewarding."

"Not only did my employer present my project as a department action towards cost-of-poor-quality reduction, it also motivated other product lines to adopt a similar strategy. I have also leveraged the project for a promotion."

Identifying project opportunities and a supportive sponsor can be challenging, which is why it is so important to have discussions with others.  Finding the time to complete a project can also be a challenge, but if it can be a part of your expected on-the-job responsibilities, then the project become embedded in your work rather than an extra task.

Other challenges from students:

“Gaining buy-in from the front line workers was challenging as well as setting aside time to work on the project.”  "Convincing the operations team that implementing proposed changes, such as routine cleaning checklists, would actually make their lives easier in the long run."

“We had problems with one of the project assets, but this is something that will likely happen in any project and is a good experience to have.  It was also difficult to balance project workload with other job responsibilities. 

“The most challenging part of the project was completing it in the proposed timeframe.  While this was a challenge, it further refined my time management and prioritization skills.”

"It’s not always possible to pick your team members, and resistance can arise when you’re trying to change entrenched practices.  Fortunately, having an effective and engaged manager or mentor can make all the difference."

No, credit is not given for projects that are either in-process or were completed prior to the start of the course.

No.  Green Belt and Black Belt are two distinct certifications which must be completed separately. RIT currently does not have an academic pathway to Black Belt certification but CQAS doesn have a contract training program for groups and organizations.

A textbook is required: "An Introduction to Six Sigma & Process Improvement,” Second Edition by James R. Evans and William M. Lindsay, published by Cengage Learning.  Textbooks can be purchased or rented at https://rit.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php. A simulation also is required at a cost of $50.

All presentation slides will be available in our online repository, from which you can print a copy for your own use.  Links to the videos are also provided. 

No special software is required. Excel is utilized for statistical tools and examples, which are also illustrated in Minitab if you prefer this statistical package.  Minitab is available to students free of charge.

As mentioned earlier, ISEE 582/682 is offered online during the fall (late-August until mid-December), spring (mid-January until early-May), or summer (mid-May until early-August) terms.  See https://www.rit.edu/calendar for specific course dates or contact us at cqas@rit.edu.

We suggest (see Step 1) that you submit the non-degree enrollment form to cqas@rit.edu no later than the following dates, although we urge you to submit even earlier since the courses fill quickly:

• For the fall semester, the form should be submitted to us by August 1.
• For the spring semester, the form should be submitted by December 15.
• For the summer semester, the form should be submitted by April 15.

In order to cancel your enrollment without incurring tuition charges, you must drop the course within the first 7 days after the course begins.  You can either do this yourself by logging into your student account at http://sis.rit.edu or by sending an email to cqas@rit.edu before the drop period ends.  More information about RIT’s tuition refund policy can be found at https://www.rit.edu/sfs/tuition-refundadjustment.

Your RIT transcript will show the grade you received and the associated credits (3), which you can download/print as proof that you completed the course.

You will also receive (via email) a Yellow Belt certificate provided that you achieved at least a “C” grade in the course.

Here are some thoughts from other students:

“I feel more confident because of the deeper understanding associated with this skillset.” 

"I plan to utilize the knowledge and experience gained from the course and project to help inform future improvement projects.  Having a more concrete understanding of the DMAIC methodology allows me to stay focused on project goals without falling into scope creep or losing track of project goals. I have a toolkit ready for data collection and analysis as well as stakeholder management."

"The project has saved my employer over $100,000 while helping me learn how to select impactful projects and how to better work with others and develop positive relationships."

Vincenzo Buonomo at (585) 475-7207 or vxbasp@rit.edu, or cqas@rit.edu.