The KAIZEN-SiGMA System
The KAIZEN-SiGMA System is the integration of Kaizen Philosophy and Six Sigma (6) Methodology in continuous business process improvement. This blend is a perfect complementation for innovation, improvement and problem-solving as 6 Sigma brings data driven approach to Kaizen or continuous improvement which is known to be sensitive on improvement opportunities and strong in process innovation. In production or service process environment, Kaizen is always on the watch for chances to improve. It sees problems as glitches which when addressed, improve the local process that ultimately go all the way to the evolution of total production system. With this amazing integration, Kaizen is enhanced by Six Sigma’s discipline on measurement, data analysis, precision control, and high level of process capability. It brings the level of improvement management to a higher dimension consistent only with the demands of the current high technology environment. It is envisioned that this added dimension in continuous improvement will enhance the company’s quality and Kaizen programs.
Section 1: The Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program
Recognizing the need for Kaizen practitioners to be more proficient in problem-solving, measurements and statistical analysis, Kaizen Management Systems, Inc. (KMSI) takes this opportunity to establish the Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program. The Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program aims to develop problem-solving, statistical/data analysis, process management and leadership skills of Kaizen-Sigma practitioner whose job really is to help his/her company train and mentor problem-solving teams in systematic problem-solving process and statistical tools.
The Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program is a system of certification for Green Belts, Black Belts, and Master Black Belts. To be certified, a candidate must be able to demonstrate proofs of proficiency in systematic problem-solving, statistical analysis of data, and actual experience in design and improvement projects. The certification system provides that six sigma credentials may be earned by accumulating points that will qualify the candidate to take a closely supervised examination which when passed awards corresponding Kaizen-6 Sigma belt. KMSI regularly conducts seminars and training programs that can also earn points for sigma belt programs. A candidate must accumulate the required number of training points and sigma project points to qualify. Past training programs and seminars attended from KMSI and other training institutions may be submitted to and validated by the Committee on Certification which may award training points. Sigma projects points can be earned by a documented participation as a team member or a leader in a completed sigma project. The guidelines on earning credit points for various belt levels is provided in the “Guidelines for Earning Credit Points for Kaizen-6 Sigma Belts”.
Section 2: The Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Certification Process
The Kaizen-Six Sigma certification process is under the supervision of Kaizen Management Systems Inc. (KMSI), a training and consulting company with more than 27 years of experience in Southeast Asia, particularly, the Philippines.
The prospective Kaizen-Sigma Practitioner must first enroll in the Kaizen-6 Sigma Certification Program. He/she can be certified after meeting the eligibility to take the Certification Examination. This eligibility refers to the educational background, and the training and project credit points earned corresponding to the belt that is applied for. For Kaizen-6 Sigma Greenbelt: 90 points i.e. 50 points of training plus 40 points on projects.
Section 2-A:Earning credit points on training
Firstly, the prospective candidate must enroll and be accepted in the Kaizen-6 Sigma Certification Program of KMSI.
Secondly, get training points by either of the 2 ways or both:
1. Attend the recommended training programs implemented by KMSI. These training programs have corresponding number of credit points. (Please refer to the table below: Training Requirements for Various Roles and Belts in Kaizen-Sigma System)
2. For those seminars and training not taken from KMSI, the candidate may present proofs of training (certificates and course content/syllabus with number of training hours) – to the Kaizen-Sigma Certification Committee of KMSI who has the authority to determine the number of points to be awarded. This may require interview. Processing of credit points are subject to full payment of the processing fee.
Section 2-B: Guidelines for Earning Credit Points for Kaizen-6 Sigma Belts
1. To qualify for Kaizen-6 Sigma Green Belt Certificate, a candidate must be at least 3rd year college or its equivalent, have at least 50 points on training, at least 40 points on projects, and a 70% passing grade in the Examination for Kaizen-6 Sigma Greenbelt given by the Kaizen-Sigma Certification Committee.
2. . To qualify for Kaizen-6 Sigma Black Belt Certificate, a candidate must be a college degree holder, a certified Kaizen-6 Sigma Greenbelt who earned at least 100 points on training, at least 100 points on projects (60 points of which are earned through direct participation in sigma projects as a team leader) and an 80% passing grade in the Examination for Kaizen 6-Sigma Blackbelt given by the Kaizen-Sigma Certification Committee.
3. To qualify for Kaizen-6 Sigma Master Black Belt Certificate, a candidate must possess a Master’s Degree, earn at least 250 points on training, at least 500 points on projects (240 points of which are earned through direct participation in sigma projects as team leader) and a 85% passing grade in the Examination for Kaizen 6-Sigma Master Blackbelt given by the Kaizen-Sigma Certification Committee.
4. Only those formally enrolled in any of the three (3) Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program are qualified to earn credit points.
5. Credit points are earned by a candidate by taking the prescribed points-earning training courses of Kaizen Management Systems, Inc. (published in Kaizen Catalog) and by engaging in Kaizen-Sigma projects.
6. Past trainings/seminars completed by a candidate may be qualified to earn credit points on training provided that those were completed not longer than 5 years to the date of accreditation.
7. The Kaizen-Sigma Certification Committee is the body that determines the number of credit points to be awarded to a candidate based on the training and project documents presented.
8. For acquiring training credit points, a candidate must present proof of training: certificates, course outline, duration, and provider of training/seminars completed to the Kaizen-Sigma Committee. Training and seminars taken from KMSI automatically earn specified credit points and do not need crediting by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Certification Committee.
9. earn points on projects, a candidate must present project documents following the
Guidelines on Kaizen-Sigma Projects:
9.1 Organization: Team Leader and Members
9.2 Define: Problem Statement
9.3 Measure: Data Gathering, Data Presentation
9.4 Analyze: Cause & Effect Analysis, Data Analysis, and Root Causes
9.5 Improve: Countermeasures and Solutions
9.6 Control: Implementation, Validation, and Standardization
9.7 Gantt Chart of Activities
9.8 Actual/validated Financial Benefits
9.9 Certification signed by Six Sigma Director or Quality Manager or President indicating the level of involvement of the candidate in the project.
10. Kaizen-6 Sigma Project Involvement Levels and corresponding points on a completed project:
| Candidate’s Project Role | Credit Points per Project |
|---|---|
| Program Director or Equivalent | 20 |
| Mentor, Coach or Coordinator | 30 |
| Team Leader | 60 |
| Member | 40 |
Training Requirements for Various Roles and Belts in Kaizen-6 Sigma System
| Training Component | Key Content | Participants | Duration (days) | Green Belt | Black Belt | Master Black Belt | Ref: Kaizen Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation to the Six Sigma Concepts | Basic Six Sigma Principles: review of business need for Six Sigma: brief practice &/or simulation: overview of roles & expectations | All | 1 – 2 | B6S* -2 | B6S* -2 | B6S* – 2 | SSQ or B6S |
| Leading & Sponsoring Six Sigma Efforts | Role requirements & skills for Leadership Council & Sponsors: Project Selection: Reviewing team projects | Business Leaders, Implementation Leaders | 1 – 2 | KAI -2 | KAI-2 LKN-2 LMW -2 |
KAI/ LKN/ LMW | |
| Six Sigma Process & Tools for Leaders | Condensed & adapted instruction in Six Sigma measurement & analysis process/tools | Business Leaders, Implementation Leaders | 3 – 5 | COQ – 1/2 MSA* -1 |
COQ – 1/2 MCS – 1MSA -1 |
COQ, MCS, MSA, | |
| Leading Change | Concepts & practices for setting direction, promoting & guiding organizational change | Business Leaders, Implementation Leaders, Coach/Master Black Belts, Team Leaders/Black Belts | 2 – 5 | Hoshin-Kanri or Pol Deployment -1 | Hoshin-Kanri, Pol Deployment | ||
| Six Sigma Improvement Basic Skills | Process Improvement, Design/Redesign, & core measurement & improvement tools | Team Leaders Black Belts, Managers/Green Belts,Team Members, Project Sponsors | 6-10 | PPT* – 2 | PPT *- 2, FMEA* – 1, WHY* – 1 |
Adv 5S – 1 PPT*-2 FMEA* – 1 PYK – 1 MUD – 1/2 WHY* – 1 VAVE -1 |
Adv 5S, PPT, FMEA, PYK, MUD, WHY, VAVE |
| Collaboration & team Leadership Skills | Skills & methods for developing consensus, leading discussions, conducting meeting, managing disagreements | Business Leaders, Coaches/Master Black Belts, Team Leaders/Black Belts, Managers/Green Belts, Team Member | 2 – 5 | MAC – 1 | TSM -1 MAC -1 MCW – 1 |
TSM, MAC, MCW | |
| Intermediate Six Sigma Measurement & Analytical Tools | Technical skills for more complex project challenges; sampling & data collection; Statistical Process Control; Test of Statistical Significance; Correlation & Regression; basic design of experiments; etc. | Coaches/Master Black Belts, Team Leaders/Black Belts | 2 – 6 | BST1* – 2 | BST1* – 2 BST2* – 2 SPC* – 2, DOE1 – 2 |
BST1 -2 BST2 – 2 , SPC – 2, DOE1 – 2 | BST1, BST2, SPC, DOE1, |
| Advanced Six Sigma Tools | Modules in specialized skills & tools: Quality Function Deployment; Advanced Statistical Analysis Advanced DOE; Taguchi Methods; etc. | Coaches/Master Black Belts, Internal Consultants | 6-10 | Adv Stat -1 QFD-1 DOE2 -2 | Adv Stat, QFD, DOE2 | ||
| Process Management Principles & Skills | Defining a core or support process; identifying critical Outputs, Requirements, & Measures; Monitoring & Response plans | Process Owners, Business Leaders, Functional Managers | Varies | PMP – 2 | 8-D – 1 PMP* – 2 | 8-D -1 LMF -2 TPM – 2 MMG – 2 PMP – 2 | 8-D, LMF, TPM, MMG, PMP |
| Total No. of Days Training Required | *5-6 days | *10-12 days | 20 -22 days |
Section 3: Program Cost
The cost of certification varies from person to person, depending on the training and projects the candidate has already received or accomplished prior to enrollment into the program. Section 2-B provides the mechanics on how to earn credit points for training and projects. The following sample cost table presents the program cost for Kaizen-6 Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt if trainings were taken from KMSI and projects were sponsored/implemented in the candidate’s company.
Sample Program Cost
| ITEM | REQUIREMENT | FEES (VAT inclusive) |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment into the Green Belt Program | Proof of College Level Education | 2,800.00 |
| Training & Seminars for Green Belts (Section 2-B1): | ||
| Basic Kaizen-6 Sigma (B6S) – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Problem Solving Process & Tools (PPT) – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Basic Statistics I (BST1) – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Project Implementation as a member (Section 2-B1) | Project Documentation (Sections 2-B1, 2-B9 & 2-B10) Company sponsored project | |
| Evaluation of Training & Project Documents | Minimum of 90 points total on Training & Project | 3,360.00 |
| Examination for Green Belt | 1,344.00 | |
| Awarding of Certificate | 1,120.00 | |
ESTIMATED COST FOR KAIZEN-6 SIGMA GREEN BELT PROGRAM |
56,560.00 | |
| Enrollment into the Black Belt Program | Proof of College Degree | 4,480.00 |
| Training & Seminars for Black Belts (Section 2-B2): | ||
| Basic Statistics 2 (BST2) – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Statistical Process Control – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Why-Why Analysis (WHY) – 1 day | 6,384.00 | |
| Project Management (PMP)- 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA) – 1 day | 6,384.00 | |
| Design of Experiments (DOE) – 2 days | 11,984.00 | |
| Measurement System Analysis (MSA) – 1 day | 6,384.00 | |
| Project Implementation (Section 2-B2) | Project Documentation (Sections 2-B2, 2-B9 & 2-B10) Company sponsored projects | |
| Evaluation of Training & Project Documents | Minimum of 90 points total on Training & Project | 5,600.00 |
| Examination for Black Belt | 5,600.00 | |
| Awarding of Certificate | 1,120.00 | |
ESTIMATED COST FOR KAIZEN-6 SIGMA BLACK BELT PROGRAM |
83,888.00 | |
Master Black Belt |
Any Master’s Degree |
By Special Arrangement |
Section 4: Registry of Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Holders
1. A Registry of all Certified Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Holders shall be kept, maintained and published by Kaizen Management Systems, Inc. (KMSI) on its website (www.kaizenmgtsys.com)
2. The Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Certificate contains a QR code that leads to the KMSI website’s location of the Registry.
3. This Registry shall be available to anyone with permission to view the names and registration numbers of Kaizen-6 Sigma Master Blackbelts, Blackbelts and Greenbelts.
Section 5: Terminologies
Accreditation – the process of earning credit points intended for Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt certification.
Belt – Problem-solving and statistics skill grade defined by any of the three Kaizen-6 Sigma Belts, e.g. Kaizen-6 Sigma Greenbelt.
Candidate – a person who is enrolled in the Kaizen-6 Sigma Program. S/He receives a program registration number (PRN) after paying the corresponding registration fee.
Certification – the process of acquiring skills grading (belt) for Kaizen-Sigma practitioner.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Belt Program– the program of certifying skills grade under the Kaizen-6 Sigma System.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Black Belt – A Kaizen-6 Sigma practitioner who possesses advanced problem-solving and statistical skills with a college degree education and duly certified by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
Kaizen-6 Sigma System – a skill grading scheme for Kaizen-6 Sigma practitioner.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Certification Examination – An examination to be passed by a Kaizen-6 Sigma belt candidate. Scheduled, announced, and administered by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Green Belt – the lowest skill grade in the Kaizen-6 Sigma System. A Kaizen-6 Sigma practitioner who possesses basic problem-solving and statistical skills with at least 2 years of tertiary education and duly certified by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Master Blackbelt – A Kaizen-6 Sigma practitioner with a Master’s Degree and whose capability includes designing company-wide Kaizen-6 Sigma programs and training trainers/sigma black belts and duly certified by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
Kaizen-6 Sigma System– a skill grading scheme for Kaizen-6 Sigma practitioner.
Kaizen-Sigma Committee on Certification – an autonomous body composed of Kaizen-6 Sigma Master Black Belts, independent minded individuals authorized by Kaizen Management Systems to evaluate credentials and endow training and projects points, develop and administer certification examinations for Kaizen-Sigma Belts, and award Kaizen-6 Sigma Belts to qualified candidates.
Kaizen-6 Sigma Practitioner – a person whose role in an organization is to teach, advise, or mentor people and teams involved in Kaizen-Sigma projects. This role may include being a team member, leader or program director of a formal Kaizen-Sigma program.
Kaizen-Sigma Program – the improvement of a company that adopted Kaizen-Sigma System of calculated continuous improvement of the “production system”.
Kaizen-Sigma Projects – are projects implemented in a company following Section 2-B.9 with validated financial benefits.
Production System – the way a manufacturing or service organization conducts its business which includes policies, production process, quality system, all the procedures, corporate culture, the way customers are treated, the way of working together, attitudes and behavior of people, including all the physical aspects of its manifestations. Also known as the “Business System”.
Project Points – credit points on kaizen-sigma accomplished projects awarded by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
Registry – A maintained and published listing of all certified Kaizen-6 Sigma Master Blackbelts, Blackbelts, and Greenbelts with corresponding registration numbers.
Training Points – The credit points on training taken from KMSI and other training institutions awarded by the Kaizen-6 Sigma Committee on Certification.
