The importance of training content for Six Sigma professionals: Perceptions of Black Belt trainers

Six Sigma has emerged as one of the most successful business improvement models of the latter 20th century; yet, there has been little analysis devoted to the quality of the training curriculum that is the foundation of this quality improvement methodology.; The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of Black Belt trainers with respect to the criteria used to evaluate Six Sigma projects. More specifically, what were trainers' perceptions of (a) the relative importance of the ten certification topics identified by the American Society for Quality (ASQ), (b) the relative importance of non-technical skills for a Black Belt, and (c) the topics' applicability for use as evaluation criteria for Six Sigma projects?; A quantitative survey was developed to collect data from 120 respondents identified on the website isixsigma.com. Four respondents were chosen to be interviewed with these questions and validate the quantitative findings. Findings from the study included (a) the hierarchy of importance for the 10 major topics within the ASQ's Six Sigma Black Belt Body of Knowledge and accompanying subsections, (b) the effect that project evaluation experience has on a trainer's perception of major topics importance, (c) the perceived need and value of having a valid and reliable project evaluation instrument, (d) identification of the appropriate amount of weighted scoring that should be used in the development of a project evaluation instrument, and (e) validation of the affective skills needed to become a successful Black Belt. Recommendations for applying the findings from this study would advise Six Sigma Black Belt trainers to (a) employ an evaluation instrument throughout the training and certification process to report the effectiveness of the trainer, the learning by the trainees, and the trainee's performance on their first Six Sigma project, (b) devote a portion of the curriculum to the development of a Black Belt's communication skills and leadership ability, (c) screen for potential SSBB candidates who possess good communication skills and demonstrate leadership, and (d) concentrate on performing a greater number of project evaluations to obtain deeper understanding of the body of knowledge necessary to become a successful Black Belt.