The implementation of the six sigma process in the manufacturing and service industry is a current and upcoming trend which is expected to dominate business practices in the world in the near future. Career opportunities in the Six Sigma sector are on the rise and I would like to choose this field and pursue training as a six sigma professional.
The Six Sigma Quality Management system has enhanced efficiency in process management and revolutionized management techniques both in the field of manufacturing and in service related industries. Though different strategies exist to improve quality within an organization, Six Sigma is one of the most important strategies in this realm. Where most strategies are able to help organizations achieve certain quality levels, Six Sigma is able to aid the organization achieve its full potential. According to Peter Pande and Lawrence Holpp (2002:2), Six Sigma is used for successful businesses and exemplary department management. It is a method wherein the customer is the primary concern of the organization, and decision-making is always based on data and facts in order to create wise solutions. It is also a strategy which aims to improve customer satisfaction, reduce defects, and decrease cycle time. If an organization can improve the three aforementioned areas, there is a high probability that the business will be able to save costs, gain loyal customers, expand in the market, and create a good reputation (Pande and Holpp 2002:3).
Six sigma professionals can find lucrative opportunities both working as consultants with large organizations or in launching their own consultancy businesses. Unlike other fields in business which are now saturated such as investment banking or marketing management the six sigma profession offers plenty of growth opportunities. A person can start their career in this field by undertaking six sigma training and qualifying either as a black belt or green belt A random keyword search for six sigma professionals revealed a high demand for these individuals even in today’s depressed job markets. The average salary for these professionals is between $80,000 to 100,000. The Master Black Belt professionals are trained at a higher level and are more in demand as compared to greenbelts who tend to be employed at the lower level. Though there are jobs which employ freshly trained recruits most organizations prefer to hire six sigma professionals who have successfully implemented at least one or two projects.
To be effective in their jobs Black and Green Belt professionals must have strong analytical abilities. People who venture into this field must be willing to change the status quo. They must possess the ability to continually question existing norms with the intention of making an essential contribution to modifying the norms in an effective manner. They need to be confident and extremely motivated. They should also have a strong focus on problem resolution and the ability to think outside of the box. The six sigma professional should also exhibit flexibility in their attitude. If the professional has a rigid mindset they will not always be able to find the best solutions for their organizations problems. It is imperative that they also exhibit a high degree of self confidence motivation and a superior level of interpersonal skills. To convince management and employees to change processes six sigma professionals must be able to communicate well and be highly sociable.
I feel I have the core skills required to be successful in this profession. I have always been an analytical thinker and an avid problem solver. I find myself continually challenging the traditional status quo and seeking to usher in new creative ways of doing things. I am not afraid to experiment with new procedures. I think outside of the box and from different as well as multiple perspectives. I also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and am also highly sociable. In my previous job I had initiated a change in our company’s inventory management system by designing a simple database program. I fed in all inventory records into the database and linked it with the automatic ordering system. Every time a new order was placed the database automatically calculated the existing inventory and also issued automatic alerts each time the supply of an existing item was depleted. The new system not only made the inventory management process more efficient it also resulted in saving time and resources for the organization.
Personal Development Plan â€" Six Sigma Consultant
What is my current state?
I am currently a business management student with limited work experience. I want to make a career in a field which is highly specialized, offers lucrative career options, has not achieved saturation and is still hiring in a depressed economy. I would also like to go in a field which requires me to travel a lot
My strengths
I am an analytical thinker. I have the ability to think outside the box and from multiple perspectives. I have excellent communication skills. I am willing to accept change and have experience in re-designing processes in one of my old jobs. I also love to travel and would prefer a job which involves travelling. I am also good at making presentations
My weaknesses.
I cannot do monotonous and rigid tasks on a daily basis. I need a job which requires analytical thought process as well as communication and interaction with people
What are the common feedbacks (positive and negative) that I received from others
My friends often tell me to go into a career which involves travel, thinking outside the box, the use of my analytical abilities and communication with people. They feel that my nature is not suited for a mundane behind the desk job.
What other performance indicators can I notice?
I am also a good mentor and would probably do well at a higher stage where I can teach and transfer skills to sub-ordinates
What is my desired state?
I hope to pursue a successful career as a qualified and experienced six sigma consultant
What do you hope to achieve
I hope to achieve certification as a Master Black belt six sigma professional and a Lean Six Sigma consultant
Why do you want to achieve that (career implications)
It will allow me to achieve career progression. Black Belt and Lean Six Sigma professionals work at a more advanced managerial level and receive more pay than green belt professionals. They are also in higher demand than green belt professionals and thus find it easier to switch jobs and avail more lucrative career opportunities.
What are my short-term goals?
My short term goal is to work in a consultative capacity as a six sigma consultant with at least 5 reputed organizations and help them successfully implement more than 20 projects
What are my long-term goals?
My Long term goal is to own a six sigma management consultancy company. My company will offer both consultancy services for organizations planning to implement the six sigma methodology and also train future six sigma consultants. I aim to personally train six sigma professionals in the future and also offer online training classes for those who wish to earn certifications in foreign countries.
3. How will I get there?
The first step in achieving my ambitions is to enroll myself in a six sigma training program. I plan to find a credible online training provider and enroll for a number of six sigma training courses. There are a number of prominent online six sigma training programs. Perhaps the most reputed provider among all these programs is six sigma. us This program offers a range of certification including Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt, Champion and Lean Agent Certification. The six sigma certification stage is in itself a process. It is important to achieve each certification and then progress to the next one. After each certification I plan to take a break and work at least a year on two projects at the appropriate job level designated by that certification. After adequate experience I go back to training and get a higher certification. After completing the higher step of certification I will once again switch jobs and look for a position more in line with my advanced certification. Alternatively I can choose to work in a consultancy and ask for career progression as I achieve higher certification. Once I have earned experience working on at least three projects at the highest certification level I will start my own freelance consultation business. I plan to work on my consultancy for a whole year while keeping my full time job. After the consultancy has completed at least three projects successfully I will resign from my full time job and start working for my own company full time. I plan to fund my own operations through a bank loan and personal savings. Around this stage I also plan to offer online six sigma training courses. After completing these courses promising students can be offered opportunities to achieve practical training in my company and work as trainee consultants.
What do I need to learn/improve/experience to achieve the desired state?
Ongoing training is essential to achieve my ultimate ambition to run my own six sigma consultancy. I also need to have a work experience of successfully implementing at least 20 projects. In addition I need to have established a good understanding of the industry and created a name for myself among the major players and consultants in the field. In addition I also need to have established relationships with major co-corporations who can recommend my services to their future clients as well as business partners.
What is the possible resource for that?
One chief resource is to gain membership in an association of six sigma consultants. Such an organization will help professionals in the field connect with each other, share ideas and establish contacts. I plan to participate in such on organization or contribute to the establishment of one if it does not exist in my area. Another important resource is to work for an important six sigma consultancy. Here the employer will pay for my ongoing training, I will be connected and linked to a team of consultants and also exposed to a number of major players in the field.
4. Timeline.
When do you want to achieve the desired state?
Achieving my desired state will take planning, ongoing training, work experience and a good amount of time. I have a grand ambition and it cannot be achieved overnight. To achieve fruition my plan will take at least 6-10 years. To establish my own consultancy I need to have established a commendable track record as well as inculcated vital business contacts that are willing to work with me on future projects.
What is your schedule to work on these focus areas.
My schedule of work and training will involve a difficult juggling act. Since I plan to work and train simultaneously my total training period from the green belt level to Lean six sigma expected to take between 2-6 years. Only the period where I get my initial green belt certification will be the one solely dedicated to training. The rest will involve balancing training and work time together. This is the reason why I have chosen the online training medium to obtain certification. Working fulltime will probably mean that I will not have time to achieve certification. Since I plan to enroll in any new certifications which become available in this field the training period could extend further. Apart from training my schedule entails working for at least 8-10 years as a full time consultant at varying levels of seniority to achieve the successful implementation of at least 25 six sigma projects in various organizations. My schedule also entails socializing and establishing contacts with major players in the field either through personal relationships or by subscribing to the membership of an affiliation or charter of six sigma consultants.
The job of a six sigma consultant is well suited to my personal traits and characteristics. It is also a job which is currently heavily in demand and has a lot of potential in terms of growth. Both men and women are making tremendous growth in this career and it has no gender based constraints. In fact women often find the interpersonal and relationship building aspects of the role an easy task as compared to the tasks. I believe that the plan outlined above will make it easy for me to achieve my ambitions of being a successful six sigma consultant and starting my own consultancy in the future.
