Today’s businesses face many challenges, including uncertain economic times, staffing shortages, and increased competition. So, any company that wants to not only stay afloat but thrive needs to continually improve, minimize waste, and maximize value. These goals coincide with the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt process, and professionals certified in this methodology are in high demand.
This article focuses on preparing for the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification exam. Lean Six Sigma certification is an in-demand asset for any professional specializing in process improvement. We will discuss what Lean Six Sigma certification entails and its importance. Then, we will get to the heart of the matter: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam preparation tips. We’ll round things out with a look at potential career opportunities and a Lean Six Sigma program to help professionals prepare for the exam.
What is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) Certification?
Lean Six Sigma results from fusing Six Sigma with Lean management principles. Lean Management aims to reduce waste and, as a result, the time needed to complete the production process, whereas Six Sigma strives to reduce variation in the outputs. So, the Lean methodology is deployed first to boost the process’s efficiency, and then the Six Sigma techniques are brought in to fine-tune the remaining project components.
The Six Sigma methodology is a data-driven strategy designed to make business operations more efficient. Lean Six Sigma is a collection of tools and techniques for quality management and company improvement. The methodology tries to enhance quality by finding problems, determining their root cause, and then enhancing the necessary procedures to maximize the precision and reusability of the process results. In the long run, Lean Six Sigma offers a business the advantages of enhanced productivity, higher product quality, timely delivery, and reduced faults while promoting employee confidence and satisfaction.
The International Association for Six Sigma Certification (or IASSC for short) is the governing body for Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, which introduces candidates to process improvement, waste minimization, and value maximization.
There are five levels of Six Sigma certifications, each called a belt. They are:
- Six Sigma White Belt certification
- Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification
- Six Sigma Green Belt certification
- Six Sigma Black Belt certification
- Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification
Also Read: Six Sigma Tools: Here’s Top Powerful Tools You Should Know in 2024
Why Should Professionals Take up LSSGB Certification?
The certification process, in general, is a solid concept because it not only entails learning the right skills needed for certification but also provides potential employers with verifiable credentials that show that you have the right skills for the job. It’s not unusual to see IT professionals obtain multiple certifications. There are certainly many different types available!
Becoming a Six Sigma Green Belt is also a great opportunity to advance your career, increase your potential salary, and put you one step closer to earning your Six Sigma Black Belt. A Green Belt certification shows recruiters that you have mastered the fundamentals of Six Sigma and how to apply them in a chosen industry.
Green Belt certification is advantageous if you are interested in learning process improvement techniques or a professional looking for these approaches to meet your organization’s needs by employing Lean Six Sigma methodologies.
With the aid of Green Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma, you will learn how to:
- Reduce errors while controlling expenses and budgets
- Streamline processes and raise the project success rate
And here’s a roundup of the benefits a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt professional could enjoy:
- Increasing your value to your organization (e.g., supervisor, manager, team leaders)
- Increased performance (e.g., sales)
- Gain experience by delivering an improvement project during the certification training process
- Learning how to improve business processes and sustain quality improvement
- Increasing your value across entire industries, which is a huge advantage if you ever plan on switching careers
- Expedited movement into managerial roles
- Higher salary expectations
Now that we’ve established the value of Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification let’s consider what prerequisites you need before taking the Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
The Prerequisites for Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
To be considered for Six Sigma Green Belt certification, you need three to four years of professional work experience in one of the fields covered by the Green Belt curriculum. Furthermore, this work experience must be in a full-time position to qualify; part-time and internship work doesn’t count. It would help if you considered how to prepare for Six Sigma certification and your career path to ensure your work complements your training.
Regarding time commitment, students who want to earn a first-time passing score on their exam should allocate about four weeks to complete the course content and sit for the exam. To get the most value from your SSGB training, it’s a smart idea to familiarize yourself with the commonly used quality tools (e.g., Check Sheet, Fishbone Diagram, Histogram, Pareto Chart, Scatter Diagram, Stratification). Additionally, you should understand the principles and application of statistics; this knowledge will give you an advantage when taking Six Sigma courses and can help you get the most out of your training and certification exam preparation efforts, regardless of which belt color you’re going for.
Now, on to the tips!
Also Read: Six Sigma Black Belt Salaries in 2024: Everything You Need to Know!
Useful Tips to Prep for the Six Sigma Green Belt Exam
- Use a Lean Six Sigma Study Guide. A wide selection of study guides are available online explicitly designed to help students study for the Green Belt exam. The Six Sigma Green Belt Study Guide, published by Trivium Test Prep, is among the most popular study guides. The guide emphasizes easy-to-understand and streamlined content and includes a comprehensive review of practice questions and all exam concepts. If you want additional reading, or you’re looking for a more practical approach to implementing Lean Six Sigma methodologies with your business or team, consider getting the Lean Six Sigma Minitab by Quentin Brook. This Lean Six Sigma guide is well established as the go-to practical guide for business improvement professionals worldwide, with over 150,000 copies sold. You’ll get 140 Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques and interactive Lean examples inside.
- Test yourself with practice questions. If you want certification, you must pass the multiple-choice Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam. Before taking the exam, make sure you’ve thoroughly tested your knowledge. Use online practice tests to familiarize yourself with the questions you will get and hone your exam technique.
- Immerse yourself in all aspects of Lean Six Sigma methodology. When taking a certification exam, you must learn through your experiences using a trial version of the technology or individual product. However, dealing with the Lean Six Sigma methodology is a little more challenging. Your best choice is to immerse yourself as much as possible in Lean Six Sigma outside of studying for the exam. You should take advantage of the countless websites, blogs, and other online content to accomplish this. There’s plenty of information geared towards the uninitiated and content that explains much of Lean Six Sigma’s tools and terminologies. Reading and remaining current can give you a better understanding of the Six Sigma methodology, particularly its evolution, and how your knowledge and skills can be utilized in today’s real-world business environment.
- Take a Green Belt Certification course. Lean Six Sigma courses are created to impart as much knowledge and skills as possible, helping you pass the exam and put the methodologies you’ve learned to good use in natural business environments. The benefits you gain depend on the type of course you decide to take.
- Join a dedicated Six Sigma Green Belt forum. There’s nothing like first-hand information from your peers. Due to project management’s broad and widely applicable nature, you can access an impressive selection of online forums and discussions. One of the best forums is hosted by iSixSigma, boasting many topics and contributors. You’ll find a comprehensive range of Lean Six Sigma topics split into topic areas for easy navigation. Bear in mind that, as is true for all online forums, not everyone is an expert, and not all contributions will be totally relevant, applicable, or even accurate. Consider the source.
A Look at Lean Six Sigma Career Opportunities
The Six Sigma methodology is prevalent in today’s corporate sector. Consequently, a certified Six Sigma Green Belt professional can find work in many different fields, including manufacturing, human resources, health care, logistics, the automotive industry, supply chains, and retail services.
Production, process engineering, and quality control jobs often require some form of Six Sigma Certification. While specific responsibilities vary by sector, most Green Belt positions involve a combination of project management, process optimization, and data analysis. A Green Belt can help their organization’s quality assurance efforts and support the Black Belts and Master Black Belts working on company-wide projects. That exposure is also excellent if you want to become a Black Belt!
Here are some job titles typically held by certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt professionals:
- Continuous Improvement Specialist
- Manufacturing Engineer
- Operational Excellence Manager
- Process Engineer
- Quality Assurance Engineer
- Project Manager
Are You Ready for Lean Six Sigma Certification?
If all this information about Lean Six Sigma has piqued your interest, why not get started on the certification path? This 24-week online Six Sigma bootcamp is aligned with IASSC-Lean Six Sigma and instructs students on the valuable core concepts of Lean Six Sigma.
Ziprecruiter.com reports that a Quality Manager can earn a yearly average salary of $91,047. If you’re ready to change careers or upskill your current skill set, check out this online certification course and get the valuable training needed to succeed in today’s competitive markets.
You might also like to read:
Quality Management Process: A Beginner’s Guide
