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By Heather J Lee

The variety of Six Sigma training methodologies and training providers can make the choice of course appear confusing to start with. When choosing your provider and methodology, consider you business' specific needs. The training you decide upon should be provided by fully accredited professionals who can demonstrate that they comprehend your specific requirements. The practical application of the methodology varies, so it helps to have training tailored to your business.

In order to gauge the success of the training, set targets and review them after a six month period. Aspects you should look for in this type of training include implementation of the methodology and its correlation to your working needs, examination of its importance and real-life examples of its success, certification, team-based learning exercises, assessment of each individual's needs and the application of Six Sigma to their role, and a step-by-step learning plan to determine progress against expectations.

Learning Options You can choose between group learning in a classroom environment, online (distance learning), or a mixture of both. These all have their individual benefits and below is a brief outline of each.

Group or Classroom Based Learning Group learning provides a more immersive and hands-on learning experience, and as such, are generally the most popular option and are regarded as having a higher success rate in terms of individual progress and long-term impact upon business practices. However, the downside to group learning is that it's usually more expensive and time-consuming than other options.

Distance Learning Online learning courses offer a more convenient option for most. It allows you train whilst you work, meaning greater flexibility in the process, and in addition, is vastly cheaper due to the reduced training overheads. Despite these benefits, distance learning also has its shortcomings. Firstly, complex Six Sigma training will inevitably take time and if the course is not given the due attention, the candidates' advancement will suffer. Secondly, participation and team-work are important learning processes, which are more difficult to include into distance learning.

A Combination Course It is often the wisest decision to try a mixture of both classroom and distance learning courses. These courses strike a balance, enabling a lot of the difficult concepts to be learnt in the classroom, whilst the individual study sections of the course can be completed at work or home and then submitted online.

Company Hierarchy and Six Sigma Training In order to properly employ Six Sigma methodology, it takes more than simply training a couple of enthusiastic employees; it requires a new institutional attitude. Therefore, a will probably fail unless members of the company at all levels receive the correct training, specific to the roles they need to carry out. The information below explains Six Sigma roles with reference to roles within a company hierarchy, and the training needed to perform them.

Senior Management As senior management develop and drive the corporate strategy, it is important for Six Sigma to be included in their operational plans, with a particular emphasis on the long-term advantages. Whilst it is not necessary to undertake black belt training, as this is largely concerned with the application and management, the more senior managers know of the facets of Six Sigma, the more likely they are to see the advantages and put together the right strategic decisions.

Function Managers This refers to anyone who is in charge of a particular company function, for example, department heads who report directly to senior management. Whilst they may not manage Six Sigma projects themselves, they will be responsible for the execution of methodology based projects in their department. As such, training for function managers should be more process and application, as they need to be able to supervise project implementation and understand the projects' analysis, in order to report to senior management.

Quality Leaders Within the company, quality leaders are vital to the process, as they are consulted on the implementation, assist the function manager, and develop training agendas. In addition, they oversee the project budget and the cost analysis that will verify the success of the project. Quality leaders should undertake Six Sigma Master Black Belt training, as the uppermost level of comprehension in function, process, project management and statistical analysis is necessary to perform the role.

Project Leaders Directly managing the projects, project leaders, with the guidance from quality leaders, are responsible for the day to day project management and decisions. Project leaders are required to have a good understanding of Six Sigma tools, methodology and application and therefore, they are usually trained Black Belts.

Assistant Project Leaders Trained as Green Belts, these are employees assist in the day to day management of Six Sigma projects. Green Belt training gives good grounding in methodology and application tools.

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