Six Sigma To Gain Strength in ’07: Study

By Priya Jestin, Staff Writer

A recent survey published in the November/December issue of iSixSigma Magazine shows that most companies using Six Sigma think they are on the right track. Around 50% of the respondents using Six Sigma said they would maintain their current level of training and staffing for 2007, according to Michael Marx, research manager for iSixSigma Magazine.

Nearly 1,500 professionals from a broad range of companies took part in this survey. More than one third of the respondents expected to increase the training investment. Nearly 50 percent of those surveyed said they intend to increase the staffing level. Now contrast this with firms that are already involved in Six Sigma. Only 17 percent of the respondents whose companies are already involved in Six Sigma expected to spend less on training, and just 8 percent expected staffing levels to decrease.

What’s odd is that despite the obvious benefits of using Six Sigma, those who haven’t made the commitment, are still pretty reluctant to do so. Probably, this idea needs some more time to catch on.

Six Sigma certificate from Kaplan University

Here is some good news for working professionals who are interested in leading complex process improvements. The Kaplan University has recently launched its online Six Sigma Certificate program. The certificate program is a self-study program that has two levels. The first level is the Green Belt level that can be completed in six months. The advanced part of the program, the Black Belt level will take about 12 months to complete.

It may be recalled that the methodologies of Six Sigma are intended to help businesses improve productivity and also generate tangible savings. Today more and more companies are interested in improving their processes, maintain quality and yet manage costs. Six Sigma is the answer to their requirements. It is therefore felt that with the growing need in adopters of Six Sigma methodologies, more and more companies will be hiring trained personnel and hence the case for the certificate program. Reliable Plant reports:

“Professionals with Six Sigma certification typically earn nearly 10 percent more than those without certification, according to the American Society of Quality 2004 Salary Survey. The typical salary for a Six Sigma Black Belt is $88,858″.

Six Sigma shows promise of growth in 2007

If a recent survey is to be believed Six Sigma seems to be working for companies. iSixSigma Magazine recently published a report on the acceptance levels and growth in the adoption and implementation of Six Sigma in a wide variety of companies. The magazine interviewed at least 1500 respondents hailing from a wide cross section of companies. The report stated that nearly half of the companies that are already using Six Sigma intend to proceed with their current level of training and staffing for 2007. And over one third of the same base is working on increasing the training investment.

It was found that less than 20% of the respondents reported that they wish to lower their expenditure on training and staffing. If one were to consider the entire base, the magazine has ensured that it has a good representation of respondents from the entire spectrum of the industry. In a nut shell, the report signals that the Six Sigma industry is thriving and has a great future. Market Wire reports:

“Despite this strong level of commitment among companies using Six Sigma, there is still a lot of reluctance to get involved by those who have not made a commitment yet. “Just over half (53%) of the companies who were not yet involved in Six Sigma planned to do so at some point in the future, and 47% said they had no plans to do so.”

Does Six Sigma Pay?

— By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer

Ever wondered if those obscene amounts spent on improvement operations such as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing ever paid off? Looking at the pioneers in these technologies like Motorola, Toyota and Ford, one would assume that they did. But what about the average-Joe companies those embark on these ventures?

A survey of 1,500 professionals from a wide spectrum of organizations conducted by iSixSigma found that the dollars poured in did reap in the expected rewards. Among those companies that already had Six Sigma efforts going on:

  • Nearly 50 percent said they would continue at the same level of training and staffing next year.
  • More than 33 percent said they would boost investment for training.
  • At least 44 percent said they would increase investment for staffing.
  • Only 17 percent said they would reduce training expenditure.
  • Just 8 percent felt the need to decrease staffing levels.
  • As much as 46 percent said they had enterprise-wide Six Sigma deployments in place.
  • More than 43 percent said they were expecting enterprise-wide implementations of Six Sigma sometime in the near future.

Of those who had yet to test the Six Sigma waters:

  • A little more than half, 53 percent, said that Six Sigma featured as part of future plans.
  • The other 47 percent had no intentions of going anywhere near Six Sigma.