Excellence Ambassador	Perspective	Togy's Response
Rajesh Chakrabarty	YES!! As the experience and the transferable knowledge gained from the project counts. The more the projects completed, the better.	While end-to-end project experience is certainly an advantage, if the Individual has enough "Project Management" experience (maybe with a PMP background) wouldn't that coupled with a BB / MBB certification ensure the individual has the maturity to lead large / complex projects while still have indepth LSS knowledge?
Santosh Chitale	Yes.   A Six Sigma experience in at least two or more should be the minimum criteria for onboarding into a Black Belt. Six Sigma gives a wide range of experience in the tools, analysis, and project management of a diverse team. Only with this range can one really go for the challenges that are part of Black Belt.	1) Given that in some industries (eg: Consulting)   where LSS is not encouraged but there are enough high quality profiles, would we want to be limited by this requirement? 2) Even if someone were to claim having done a project end to end, there is no way to review the data and verify the findings on account of confidentiality. So we’ll limit ourselves to just checking only conceptual clarity anyway. 3) Not every LSS intervention needs to be a project, even a well-timed and well-documented FMEA can help with prioritised corrective action or a well documented QFD can help with a well structured design process. So a certified BB who has a done a lot standalone interventions deserves a chance.
Krishnamurthy Rao	Yes, for the role of an Improvement manager, a full-fledged project experience would be absolutely necessary. An improvement manager would be responsible for the successfully executing multiple projects which needs to show significant improvement in savings. An improvement manager will also have to guide the members of the team which would need practical on hands experience for a manager. Also on-hands experience would be necessary to carefully understand and work on the minor integrities which might not be acquired only with theoretical experience for a manager to successfully run & complete projects.	Handson experience can be achieved by working on projects with clear deliverables even if they are not LSS projects. The key is to ensure that we're using LSS tools / templates to ensure the project is benefiting from the LSS methodology.

No, completion of a full-fledged DMAIC or DMADV project is not an essential factor for hiring an improvement manager job role. Six Sigma is one of the method for process improvement. There are various methods through which improvements is achievable . One must have sound knowledge of all tools and techniques for effective problem solving and choosing correct approach for process improvement.

No. Not at all. Completing DMAIC Or DMADV project undoubtedly will give great confidence for any professional in this field. The "Hands on experience to say". Such an experience is definitely required and will be an added advantage while hiring improvement manager in any organisation.

However, question here is "Is it essential or mandatory that the candidate should have completed the DMAIC Or DMADV project?" then the clear answer is NO.

  

Role of Lean Six Sigma Black Belt professional as an improvement manager demands that the candidate should be able to identify the right kind of projects to begin with and then mentor both function specific and cross functional projects involving varying level of skills - Leadership, communication, interpersonal (Soft skills) and also rock solid knowledge base - not only on DMAIC or DMADV but also on several other aspects like maturity and ability to understand the business in totality - "vantage" which is built over years of experience.

 

Completion of one or two Six sigma projects may not qualify or ensure that the candidate is fit for the role of improvement manager. However, it could be an added advantage to some deserving candidates when assessed for the role. 

It is interesting to see that the Excellence Ambassadors have quickly delved into the crux of this question – what are the competencies that we need this person to excel at in order to be successful in this role, if not just a certificate. It is interesting to see how all participants – for and against – cited these competencies in their own way. Some points brought out, in addition, are – does one need to do DMAIC/DMADV projects to become good at these competencies, how is practical knowledge different than theoretical (what competencies do you get to hone). I would add that the success or the lack of it will also depend upon how resourceful this person is, are they willing to learn as they go along, are they someone who builds on and learns from every project, do they read and research extensively or not.

 

FOR – Krishnamurthy Rao mentions some of the competencies that become more developed if one has completed DMAIC and DMADV projects. This includes not only successful projects, but also learning from the projects that were not successful, which is a great point to make.

AGAINST – Togy brings out some interesting points about what is really needed in a BB role rather than just focusing on project completion.

On 1/5/2018 at 1:08 PM, TogyJose said:

Valid point Santosh, but 

 

1. Given that in some industries (eg: Consulting)   where LSS is not encouraged but there are enough high quality profiles, would we want to be limited by this requirement?
2. Even if someone were to claim having done a project end to end, there is no way to review the data and verify the findings on account of confidentiality. So we’ll limit ourselves to just checking only conceptual clarity anyway.
3. Not every LSS intervention needs to be a project, even a well-timed and well-documented FMEA can help with prioritised corrective action or a well documented QFD can help with a well structured design process. So a certified BB who has a done a lot standalone interventions deserves a chance. 

Togy Jose,

100% agree with you. Nowadays, many of the Business Excellence Professionals forget the basic tools like FMEA, QFD, etc.

 

No.

In my view, the basic quality to be seen while hiring a Business Excellence professional are, asking sensible questions, challenging the status quo & strong in Lean fundamentals.