There are many training providers that offer Six Sigma Courses in the Planet. Normally a person that has no background with six sigma concept will find himself in a long and mind boggling experience figuring out which provider will he choose. The Internet provides wide selection of courses offered by Independent/private training companies and universities. As a student, we all want to have the best course offered in the market today. And almost all of the training providers are claiming on their marketing ads and websites that you should enroll to their program because they offer distinct features and they have better services. But which one we should really trust with your career and the future of your company? Unless, you have all the money and time to invest, you may try all of them and see for yourself which one is better, of course majority of us will not agree with this strategy, and we don’t recommend this approach.

Whether you are looking for classroom based training or an online training course, we recommend the following basic criteria:

1.     Affordability. Six Sigma course and certification can range from few hundreds to thousands of dollars. The problem here is, why there’s a huge variation in prices for the same six sigma course? Ideally training fee varies based on the course duration & content, track record of training provider, client based & location of the training.  Don’t be blinded by lower price and easy certification schemes, also, higher fees don’t always guarantee positive results. The best measure here is your own financial capability, don’t invest too much or too little that will deprive yourself, it has to be fit within your budget. Remember that Six Sigma should be universally the same, the important thing is you should learn the whole concept and its application, I cannot argue whether you choose the most expensive or the least expensive. Just remember that price is just one of the criteria, this is not the only decision factor. You should consider the rest of the criteria to come up with a decision.   

2.     Credibility. The Institution you choose to enroll will issue your certificate upon completion of the course. The concern here is whether your certificate will be recognized by your company, and other people and organizations. As to this date, there is no official accrediting body for six sigma. Six Sigma is not a University degree course, so the Department of Education is not regulating it. Even if the training provider is a college or a University, it doesn’t mean that the course itself is accredited. However, there are two known independent organization that received high recognition among different Industries. These are the International Quality Federation (IQF) and American Society for Quality (ASQ). Independent means they are not connected with any organization in applying six sigma methodologies, thus, removing all biases and vested interest, the main purpose is to assess candidates and if they qualify, they will be certified and recognized by the Institution. Finding a course geared towards attaining independent certification I suggest is most favorable at this point.

3.     Course Content. IQF and ASQ established Six Sigma Body of Knowledge (BoK). Ideally a course should meet the BOK as the minimum course content. Many organizations will just cover few topics and immediately provides you with a certificate. The best course should offer students the opportunity to apply for independent certification once they finish the course. There should be some Improvement of the course to follow the latest trends, ask for support guidance from experienced mentors (Master Black Belt or Black Belt) is available.

4. Training Deliverables. Select a course that will generate ROI. That’s what makes Six Sigma unique from other training. It should deliver results, in terms of sustained quality improvement and cost savings. A sound training course should include application of the knowledge taught. Having projects are part of the learning process, don’t be fooled by Instant Certification by just attending a training class.