Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Refresher Course

by the 

American Society for Quality Washington DC and Southern Maryland 

Section 509

The Washington DC and Southern Maryland Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ Section 509) is conducting an online refresher class intended to assist qualified individuals in preparing to take the upcoming Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Exam administered by the American Society for Quality on March 5, 2016.

The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt is a professional who can explain Six Sigma philosophies and principles, including supporting systems and tools. A Black Belt should demonstrate team leadership, understand team dynamics, and assign team member roles and responsibilities. Black Belts have a thorough understanding of all aspects of the DMAIC model in accordance with Six Sigma principles. They have basic knowledge of lean enterprise concepts, are able to identify nonvalue-added elements and activities, and are able to use specific tools.[1]

Course Format: Online course using WebEx. Participants will need access to the internet. Use of a headset is strongly encouraged.

Dates: The course will start on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 with a one hour introductory session and then run from Tuesday, January 26^th to Thursday February 25^th. It will consist of 10 three hour sessions from 7 PM to 10 PM EST for a total of 30 hours. These sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays with the exception of the class normally held on Tuesday, Feb 2 to be held on Wednesday, Feb 3^rd. All sessions will be recorded, archived, and available to participants until the exam date (3/5/2016).

Actual class dates are:

·         Jan. 19, 26, and 28, 2016; and

·         Feb. 3 (Wed), 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, and  28, 2016

Refresher Course Tuition: $495 for registrations received by January 19, 2016.

Certificate of Completion: You must successfully complete the entire course a Certificate of Completion can be awarded by the instructor.

Course Registration and Information:  After registration, you will receive a course confirmation receipt. At least 2 days prior to the training, you will receive an email containing course participation details. If you do not receive the email by Tuesday, January 19, or have other questions please contact the instructor: Ronald Kelley at 732-546-8748 or email to .

Course Cancellation: If the minimum number of students (3) has not registered by January 19, the class will be cancelled.

Instructor: Ronald J. Kelley, PhD, ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt
Ronald Kelley is a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) with over 25 years of experience in quality, business management, and operations. He has been a member of ASQ 509's Executive Board for the past five years and currently serves as Chair of the section.  He is also past Chair of the ASQ 509’s Lean Six Sigma Special Interest Group. Dr. Kelley has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and is a Motorola and ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. During his career he led Lean and Six Sigma projects at large and small companies. He has worked on a diverse range of projects in the areas of technology, R&D, manufacturing, finance, and sales. At Motorola, he mentored and trained Black Belt and Green Belt candidates in locations across the globe including Brazil, Israel, and the US.  Later, he founded a successful technology startup company, Gecko Energy Technologies, Inc., that utilized Six Sigma tools to develop intellectual property, innovative products, and processes.  Currently Ron is President and Founder of Green Gap Solutions, LLC.

 

Course Materials, Information, and Topics

Course Materials: We will be using certification materials from the Quality Council of Indiana.  Required materials for the course are:

·         Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Primer, price: $80.00

·         Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Solutions, price: $35.00

·         The CSSGB Electronic Exam is not required but is highly recommended.

Note: These costs do not include tax, shipping, or handling.
Students should order the materials directly from the Quality Council of Indiana (http://www.qualitycouncil.com/CSSBB.html or 800-660-4215 or 812-533-4215)

Pre-Class Work: Students need to complete the reading and answer the questions in sections I, II, and III of the “Primer” before the first full class meeting on January 26, 2015. With only five weeks of class before the exam, it is important to complete the reading ahead of each class session and come prepared to ask questions.

Course Approach: We will begin by reviewing the list of topics in the CSSBB Body of Knowledge (BOK) and the level at which each topic will be tested. Each class will consist of a review of sample questions, accompanied by a more detailed focus in selected qualitative and quantitative areas according to the needs of the participants.

The following topics represent the CSSBB BOK that will be covered in the course:

• Organization-wide Planning and Deployment
• Organizational Process Management and Measures
• Team Management
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Define
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Measure – Data
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Measure – Statistics
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Analyze
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Improve
• Six Sigma Improvement Methodology and Tools – Control
• Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)

Note: This is a “refresher” course in Six Sigma principles and practices. Participants are expected to have a general working knowledge of the topics listed above before attending the course.

Disclaimers

Neither ASQ Section 509 nor the instructor make any guarantee expressed or implied that your participation in this course will ensure that you will pass the certification exam.

ASQ Section 509 reserves the right to cancel or reschedule the course, without advance notice.

Course Withdrawal Policy

The policy for the Web-based Six Sigma Back Belt Refresher Class beginning January 19, 2016:

If you need to cancel your registration or withdraw from the course, we will refund your paid registration fee as noted below:

1.       Requests for cancellations/withdrawal received by January 17, 2016 receive a full refund.

2.       Requests received after January 17, 2016 incur a 25% processing fee.

3.       There are no refunds past January 26, 2016.

Six Sigma Black Belt Exam Information

Exam Date: Saturday, March 5, 2016.

Application deadline is January 15, 2016 and late application by January 20, 2016.

Location: Exam test location is in the Maryland suburbs near Washington, D.C.  Applicants will be notified by National ASQ of their exam location and test time.

Exam Application: An application form and more information on the certification process may be obtained from ASQ online at http://asq.org/cert/six-sigma-black-belt.

ASQ CSSBB Exam Cost: $459 for non-members and $309 for members.  Join ASQ and save!  Exam applicants are responsible for meeting ASQ’s certification requirements. 

Exam Information: Each certification candidate is required to pass a written examination that consists of multiple-choice questions that measure comprehension of the Body of Knowledge. The Six Sigma Black Belt Certification is a four-hour, 150 multiple-choice question examination. It is offered in English. The next exam is scheduled for March 5, 2016. The application deadline for the March 5^th exam is January 15, 2016. The “late application” deadline January 20, 2016

Additional Qualifications for the CSSBB:

In addition to passing the exam, the Six Sigma Black Belt certification requires two completed projects with signed affidavits, or one completed project with a signed affidavit and three years of work experience in one or more areas of the Six Sigma BOK. Please see the ASQ website for further details on qualification, Body of Knowledge, and test administration at http://asq.org/cert/six-sigma-black-belt.

Questions? If you have any questions about the course, please contact or Ronald Kelley at or by phone at 732-546-8748. If you are interested in possible future course offerings, contact Education Chair Kevin King at .