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″.

 

Outsourcing has become a “charged’ word. It is an important concept to understand because of its business applications (both for corporations and for small businesses) and because of its political implications. The following is intended as a primer on the main topics related to outsourcing. We have included a (hopefully) balanced summary of the “offshoring debate” without a definitive conclusion as we do not intend to take a political stance on this issue.

Definition of Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the act of obtaining services from an external firm.

Business Process Outsourcing
In the corporate environment, the term “outsourcing” often refers to a particular type of outsourcing, business process outsourcing (BPO). BPO occurs when an organization turns over the management of a particular business process (such as accounting or payroll) to a third party that specializes in that process. The underlying theory is that the BPO firm can complete the process more efficiently, leaving the original firm free to concentrate on its core competency.

Roots of Outsourcing
The concept of outsourcing was first made popular by Ross Perot when we founded Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in 1962. EDS would say to a potential client, “You are good at designing and manufacturing widgets, but we are skilled with managing information technology. We will sell you the IT services that you require, and you can pay us periodically with a minimum commitment of two years.” Today, EDS is a multi-billion dollar company with over 70,000 employees and is only one of many global BPO firms.

Offshore Outsourcing
Offshore outsourcing, or “offshoring”, refers to outsourcing to firms in foreign countries, often to take advantage of labor arbitrage. In the past 10 years, business process outsourcing contracts have increasingly been given to firms in developing countries. Typically educated workers in developing countries, such as India or China, work for a much lower wage than do similarly educated workers in developed countries, such as Japan. Savings from the lower wage rate must exceed the increased costs of management and risk associated with offshore outsourcing for it to be economically viable.

The Politics of “Offshoring”
Offshore outsourcing has recently become a hotly-debated issue in the national media. When the American economy began to pull out of recession in 2001, unemployment did not decrease as expected. Offshore outsourcing was blamed as a contributing factor to this “jobless recovery”. Information Technology was a particularly soft sector, and many American programmers lost their jobs to lower-paid foreign counterparts. Many economists however have recently conjectured that the higher-than-expected unemployment numbers were not the result of offshore outsourcing, and that offshore outsourcing has actually had a positive impact on the American economy. Undoubtedly the debate will continue into the presidential campaign.

 

Although I wouldn’t sign up for you certification(most likely because I already own one from ASQ ) but I would like to elaborate on six sigma a bit more than where you left.

Six sigma provides a set of statistical tools and techinques which when implemented and carried out correctly helps companies save “waste” which of course is a profit in the long run.

The greatest misconception in this regard is that, top managment wants results over night which is not possible. companies need to show patience, be committed and execute the plan thoroughly.

Motorolla Inc. in US successfully executed the plan and rose their company reserves far more than my country’s foreign reserves. I live in pakistan and Pakistan’s foreign reserves are approximately 12 $ billion. This is the difference six sigma can make.

 

Podrías informame si sabes de algún event en Costa Rica, sobre Six Sgma.

Gracias