Prior to the issue of the new International ISO Standard, ISO18404, there was no way to know if a Lean and/or Six Sigma practitioner was genuine. This paved the way for a very lucrative market to be abused; bad practise became a mainstay as a result.
In recent years, some courses aimed at bringing a potential Lean and/or Six Sigma candidate up to scratch were heavily reduced and in many cases were not fit for purpose. Could this be a reason why Six Sigma and/or Lean is often implemented so poorly globally? - Quite possibly.
For example, if your organisation advertised for a Six Sigma Black Belt and a candidate appears purporting to be one, there would be no sure-fire way of knowing if they were legitimate and internationally recognised. One of the more fundamental purposes of ISO18404 standard is to fill this void.
ISO18404, which was issued in December 2015, will now set out clear competency requirements for those appearing to be a Six Sigma Green, Black or Master Black Belt, alongside their Lean equivalents. On top of this, the practitioners will have to adhere to regular in-house and external checks in order to retain certification.
ISO18404 and the Roles of a Master Black Belt and Lean Expert.
As guided in the ISO18404 standard, Master Black Belts are required to:
Lead improvement projects as required;
Determine if any training activities are appropriate and effective;
Provide training in one or more of the tools and techniques;
Associate with Six Sigma to Black and Green Belts as required;
Assist in the identification of suitable improvement projects;
Assist in the determination of the scope of the selected improvement project;
Assist in periodic reviews of the improvement projects;
Provide 'internal' consultancy in advanced statistics;
Provide support so that improvements identified within the nominated projects are realised and maintained;
Coach and mentor the Black Belts in the application of the DMAIC methodology and the selection and use of the tools and techniques required.
Similarly, Lean Experts are required to:
Lead improvement initiatives as required;
Determine if any training activities are appropriate and effective;
Provide training in Lean approaches to Lean Leaders as required;
Assist in the identification of suitable areas for Lean implementation;
Assist in periodic reviews of the implementation;
Provide 'internal' consultancy in Lean;
Provide support so that improvements identified are realised and maintained;
Coach and mentor the Lean Leaders in the implementation of Lean principles and the selection and use of the techniques required.
If you’d like some more information regarding the new international ISO standard, please don't hesitate to contact us!