Can I Teach Myself Six Sigma?

A quality engineer hopes to become a Black Belt, but her company isn't ready to make an investment in Six Sigma training. She recognizes most of the terminology and tools composing the methodology, so she feels fairly confident about the idea of self-directed study. She surfs the Internet, buys a hefty stack of books, and works on finding a mentor.

A company trainer who earned his credentials before Six Sigma became popular slightly resents the idea of taking classes in the very tools and skills he currently teaches to others. Yet, interested in the potential for career advancement that comes with certification and in the gains Six Sigma could bring to his company, he expands his network to include Master Black Belts who might offer guidance as he attempts to apply the tools he already knows within the overall Six Sigma methodology.

How realistic is it to expect success in teaching the Six Sigma methodology to oneself? Opinions vary according to sharply partisan lines; it is not difficult to predict who holds which convictions.

Staunch Believers in Formal Training Forrest W. Breyfogle, III, founder of a firm that offers Six Sigma training, contends that instruction in the tools alone can be dangerous: "An unsuccessful Six Sigma Training session occurs when just the tools and mechanics are taught with no plan on how to apply them."¹

Black Belt Rama Koganti similarly maintains that knowledge of tools does not ensure their most advantageous use: "Even though you might have had these tools before, you might not have been using them in a structured manner."²

Believers in Experience over Training Statistician Stephen Halliday finds "little new about SixSigma." Quality professionals hoping to use the Six Sigma methodology, he asserts, should focus on honing their knowledge of project management, teamwork, and tools like flowcharts, process maps, the seven simple quality tools, and statistical process control. For any needed assistance, he recommends working with "a company that has had success in the application of statistical methods, not one that simply delivers a training course."³

Another statistical consultant recognizes strong parallels between Six Sigma and TQM. He counsels, "Don't be put off by the mystique, or think that you have to pay vast sums to learn a magic formula. There is a lot of expertise around in companies, based on the whole quality thing of the last 15 years. Firms just need to get the organisational and management issues sorted out so that they can use the methods effectively."⁴

In the end, the answer to the question of how much training is necessary would seem to depend upon the outcome of an even larger debate about the nature of Six Sigma. Is Six Sigma truly new and revolutionary, or is it a repackaging of standard improvement tools that quality professionals are already accustomed to using? Is Six Sigma success defined by completion of a few projects that bring measurable results, or is evidence of broader cultural change necessary?