Getting Certified

Six Sigma and the “belt” level certification process sounds much like Karate. In a way it is! Just as Karate “Sanseis” are recognized and honored for their individual expertise training in the “dojo”, practicing Six Sigma Master Black Belts are recognized and go through a rigorous process to be able teach and certify specific Six Sigma techniques with “belts”. The progression of Six Sigma is White, Yellow, Green, Black and Master Black Belts the same as in Karate. Only Master Black Belts “Sanseis” are able to issue certifications that are recognized in all levels.

To that end, it was not the intent to ever create a single, all-encompassing certification entity, but place the credibility of the certification on the company “Sanseis” it came from just like in Karate Dojos. The Cii certification is recognized due to founder, Phil Reinke, being one of the original 30 Master Black Belts from one of the founding organizations in Six Sigma General Electric which is recognized as one of the highest level of credible certification institutions. Learn more about our founder’s expertise here.

The Cii certification is recognized and supported by the South Florida Manufacturers Association, along with the numerous organizations and educational institutions listed above.

students’ requirements for certification

Upon completion of the course, passing a final exam and the delivery of an actual project that meets certification requirements, the student is awarded an industry accepted certification. The Cii program and its certifications span the entire four years of high school:

Freshman – White Belt Certification
Sophomore – Yellow Belt (LEAN) Certification
Junior – Green Belt I Certification (School focused improvement)
Senior – Green Belt II Certification (Internship project)

Cii certifications are trusted because they are more than passing an exam and the presentation of a project deck. The Cii is involved in the training, testing and work as a mentor and coach with each project, from beginning to delivery to ensure that the student truly knows the tools and activities well and that the improvement expectations of the project champions and sponsors are met.

In the academic setting, the materials, exams and even the instructors are constantly monitored and supported to ensure that “success” is also continually improved.

At the discretion and choosing of the school and successful delivery of the certification requirements, the certifications are awarded to the student. Examples include:

A separate awards ceremony including guests, parents, industry representatives.
At the school’s awards ceremony.
A private ceremony in the classroom

domain of the certification focus area

It is important that students demonstrate domain of the critical aspects of Six Sigma received throughout the training and coursework of each certification: White Belt, Yellow Belt and Green Belt.

Besides completing the training and all the coursework and assignments, Cii has implemented mentored and supervised DMAIC project delivery and exam testing into the trainings to measure the knowledge of each student in Six Sigma.

DOMAIN AREAS

Project – Objective Domain

(selection, development and completion)

All of the training and certifications provided to students includes an assignment of a DMAIC project which is selected making sure that the student is using all of the tools learned in training.

These projects are mentored and guided by specialists, reviewed by a certified review board and must be presented by the student to stakeholders for approval.

The core of certification is the delivery of a project that has:

utilized the methodology
Shown competence in the applicable tools and techniques
Driven the process and/or organizational change necessary to sustain its objective

The project process through certification is as follows:

Project Development
- Charter of Project (details include)
  - Problem selection
  - Goal Establishment
  - Historical Baseline Performance
  - Capture of process Performance
- Root-Cause Identification through analysis
- Identification of viable solutions
- Establishment of process continuity
Formal project documentation (MS PowerPoint)
Structured project review by Six Sigma/Lean review board
Formal Project presentation(s) to project champion(s)

Exam – Objective Domains

Regardless of the certification level, the five-phase structure of Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) lends itself to a test structure in which 20% of the exam poses questions directly related to critical toolsets and concepts related to discipline and project success. The test acts as the first step in certifying that the participant is capable of delivering to expectations and commitments required by organizations recognizing the certification and the abilities inferred by it.
The certification exam is proctored and overseen by certified professionals. This written exam, created by certified Master Black Belts, ensures that students’ domain and knowledge of the certification’s focus area is being tested and must receive a grade of 70% or better on a written final examination.

Exam requirements