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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Deming’s 14 Points on Quality Management
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Deming’s 14 Points on Quality Management, a core concept on implementing total quality management, is a set of management practices to help companies increase their quality and productivity.
1) Create constancy of purpose for improving products and services. 2) Adopt the new philosophy. 3) Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. 4) End the practice of awarding business on price alone; instead, minimize total cost by working with a single supplier. 5) Improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production and service. 6) Institute training on the job. 7) Adopt and institute leadership. 8) Drive out fear. 9) Break down barriers between staff areas. 10) Eliminate slogans, exhortations and targets for the workforce. 11) Eliminate numerical quotas for the workforce and numerical goals for management. 12) Remove barriers that rob people of pride of workmanship, and eliminate the annual rating or merit system. 13) Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement for everyone. 14) Put everybody in the company to work accomplishing the transformation. |
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5S Program
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FIVE S (5S) Tutorial
The original 5S principles were stated in Japanese. Because of their proven value, they have been translated and restated in English. The 5S is a mantra of sorts designed to help build a quality work environment, both physically and mentally. The 5S condition of a work area is critical to the morale of employees and the basis of customers’ first impressions. Management’s attitude regarding employees is reflected in the 5S condition of the work area. The 5S philosophy applies in any work area. The elements of 5S are simple to learn and important to implement: Sort—Eliminate whatever is not neededStraighten—Shine—Standardize—Schedule regular cleaning and maintenanceSustain— Benefits to be derived from implementing 5S include: Improved safetyHigher equipment availabilityLower defect ratesReduced costsIncreased production agility and flexibilityImproved employee moraleBetter asset utilizationEnhanced enterprise image to customers, suppliers, employees, and management The figure below is an example of a 5S workplace scan diagnostic checklist. |
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SEVEN TOOLS OF QUALITY
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SEVEN TOOLS OF QUALITY: commonly used tools in just about every DMAIC Six Sigma project to help understand an existing process and drive most effective improvements.
1) Fishbone diagram (finding the all the root causes) 2) Check sheet (collecting data) 3) Flowchart (Process Map-what is really happening) 4) Control chart (determining the initial and final state of process) 5) Histogram (determining the data distribution) 6) Pareto chart (finding the vital few) 7) Scatter diagram (for correlation/regression) |
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The Seven Deadly Wastes
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The seven wastes:
One of the key steps in Lean and TPS is the identification of which steps add value and which don't. By classifying all the process activities into these two categories it is then possible to start actions for improving the former and eliminating the latter. Some of these definitions may seem rather 'idealist' but this tough definition is seen as important to the effectiveness of this key step. Once value-adding work (actual work) has been separated from waste then waste can be subdivided into 'needs to be done (auxiliary work) but non-value adding' waste and pure waste. The clear identification of 'non-value adding work', as distinct from waste or work, is critical to identifying the assumptions and beliefs behind the current work process and to challenging them in due course. The expression "Learning to see" comes from an ever developing ability to see waste where it was not perceived before. Many have sought to develop this ability by 'trips to Japan' to visit Toyota to see the difference between their operation and one that has been under continuous improvement for thirty years under the TPS. The following "seven wastes" identify resources which are commonly wasted. They were identified by Toyota's Chief Engineer, Taiichi Ohno as part of the Toyota Production System:[4] There can be more forms of waste in addition to the seven. The 8 most common forms of waste can be remembered using the mnemonic "DOWNTIME" (Defective Production, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-used Employee Talent (the 8th form), Transportation, Inventory, Motion and Excessive (Over) Processing) The Eight Wastes - DOWNTIME[5] 1) Transportation Each time a product is moved it stands the risk of being damaged, lost, delayed, etc. as well as being a cost for no added value. Transportation does not make any transformation to the product that the consumer is willing to pay for. 2) Inventory Inventory, be it in the form of raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP), or finished goods, represents a capital outlay that has not yet produced an income either by the producer or for the consumer. Any of these three items not being actively processed to add value is waste. 3) Motion In contrast to transportation, which refers to damage to products and transaction costs associated with moving them, motion refers to the damage that the production process inflicts on the entity that creates the product, either over time (wear and tear for equipment and repetitive strain injuries for workers) or during discrete events (accidents that damage equipment and/or injure workers). 4) Waiting Whenever goods are not in transport or being processed, they are waiting. In traditional processes, a large part of an individual product's life is spent waiting to be worked on. 5) Over-processing Over-processing occurs any time more work is done on a piece other than is required by the customer. This also includes using components that are more precise, complex, higher quality or expensive than absolutely required. 6) Over-production Overproduction occurs when more product is produced than is required at that time by your customers. One common practice that leads to this muda is the production of large batches, as often consumer needs change over the long times large batches require. Overproduction is considered the worst muda [according to whom?] because it hides and/or generates all the others. Overproduction leads to excess inventory, which then requires the expenditure of resources on storage space and preservation, activities that do not benefit the customer. 7) Defects Whenever defects occur, extra costs are incurred reworking the part, rescheduling production, etc. This results in labor costs, more time in the "Work-in-progress". Defects in practice can sometimes double the cost of one single product. This should not be passed on to the consumer and should be taken as a loss. Mnemonics An easy way to remember the 7 wastes is TIMWOOD. T: Transportation I: Inventory M: Motion W: Waiting O: Over-processing O: Over-production D: Defect Another easy way is NOW TIME: It's now time to eliminate Mudas: N: Non-Quality O: Over-production W: Waiting T: Transportation I: Inventory M: Motion E: Excess-processing DOWNTIME D: Defective Production O: Overproduction W: Waiting N: Non-used Employee Talent (the 8th form) T: Transportation I: Inventory M: Motion E: Excessive (Over) Processing The best way to remember the muda 7 wastes according to Coull & Conroy is WIMPDOT: W: Waiting I: Unnecessary Inventory M: Movement P: Inappropriate Processing D: Defects O: Over Production T: Transportation Other candidate wastes: Other sources have proposed additional wastes. These may work for the proposers or they may overlap or be inconsistent with the originals which came from a coherent source. Latent skill Organizations employ their staff for specific skills that they may have. These employees have other skills too, it is wasteful to not take advantage of these skills as well. "It is only by capitalizing on employees' creativity that organizations can eliminate the other seven wastes and continuously improve their performance."[6] |
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What is 3P and Why Should I Use It? |
What is 3P and Why Should I Use It?
I recently spoke with Allan Coletta, who is the author of a new book titledThe Lean 3P Advantage: A Practitioner's Guide to the Production Preparation Process, and asked him directly: "What is 3P and why should it be used when developing new products?" Here is Allan's full response: Lean 3P (Production Preparation Process) is an event-driven process for developing a new product concurrently with the operation that will produce it. 3P is a game-changer that results in better products that require less initial capital investment and lower ongoing costs. Previously, Lean had been largely relegated to fixing existing problems in our manufacturing plants. 3P takes Lean principles upstream into the new product development arena, and applies them liberally at the point in the process where they can have the most influence on both product and operation. Enormous advantages are created by deeply understanding customer needs and developing alternative designs that will create breakthrough benefits. Time is no longer spent trying to fix “baked-in” problems. New products and new operations require many functional groups working together, but traditional development is typically a series of successive sub-optimizations and hand-offs. Time pressure and a passion to quickly reach a design decision squashes innovation. Lean 3P brings stakeholders together and sequentially takes them through a process where products are developed alongside of the manufacturing operations. Design engineers interact with process engineers, marketing, and research & development team members; each declaring their preferences and capabilities and developing alternative options against agreed criteria. Manufacturing and maintenance teams weigh in with preferences for operability and maintainability, standardization, ergonomics and flow. The Lean 3P advantage is about rapid learning, collaboration, and innovation, and it works with new or established products and on any sized project. Companies in virtually every industry are applying Lean 3P to drive competitive advantage. Why do you think of Allan's thoughts on 3P? Have any of you applied 3P when developing new products? What were the results? |
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Determine the Root Cause: 5 Whys |
Determine the Root Cause: 5 Whys
Asking “Why?” may be a favorite technique of your three year old child in driving you crazy, but it could teach you a valuable Six Sigma quality lesson. The 5 Whys is a technique used in the Analyze phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology. It is a great Six Sigma tool that does not involve data segmentation, hypothesis testing, regression or other advanced statistical tools, and in many cases can be completed without a data collection plan. By repeatedly asking the question “Why” (five is a good rule of thumb), you can peel away the layers of symptoms which can lead to the root cause of a problem. Very often the ostensible reason for a problem will lead you to another question. Although this technique is called “5 Whys,” you may find that you will need to ask the question fewer or more times than five before you find the issue related to a problem. Benefits of the 5 WhysHelp identify the root cause of a problem.Determine the relationship between different root causes of a problem.One of the simplest tools; easy to complete without statistical analysis.When Is 5 Whys Most Useful?When problems involve human factors or interactions.In day-to-day business life; can be used within or without a Six Sigma project.How to Complete the 5 WhysWrite down the specific problem. Writing the issue helps you formalize the problem and describe it completely. It also helps a team focus on the same problem.Ask Why the problem happens and write the answer down below the problem.If the answer you just provided doesn’t identify the root cause of the problem that you wrote down in Step 1, ask Why again and write that answer down.Loop back to step 3 until the team is in agreement that the problem’s root cause is identified. Again, this may take fewer or more times than five Whys.5 Whys Examples Problem Statement: Customers are unhappy because they are being shipped products that don’t meet their specifications. 1. Why are customers being shipped bad products? – Because manufacturing built the products to a specification that is different from what the customer and the sales person agreed to. 2. Why did manufacturing build the products to a different specification than that of sales? – Because the sales person expedites work on the shop floor by calling the head of manufacturing directly to begin work. An error happened when the specifications were being communicated or written down. 3. Why does the sales person call the head of manufacturing directly to start work instead of following the procedure established in the company? – Because the “start work” form requires the sales director’s approval before work can begin and slows the manufacturing process (or stops it when the director is out of the office). 4. Why does the form contain an approval for the sales director? – Because the sales director needs to be continually updated on sales for discussions with the CEO. In this case only four Whys were required to find out that a non-value added signature authority is helping to cause a process breakdown. Let’s take a look at a slightly more humorous example modified from Marc R.’s posting of 5 Whys in the iSixSigma Dictionary. Problem Statement: You are on your way home from work and your car stops in the middle of the road. 1. Why did your car stop? – Because it ran out of gas. 2. Why did it run out of gas? – Because I didn’t buy any gas on my way to work. 3. Why didn’t you buy any gas this morning? – Because I didn’t have any money. 4. Why didn’t you have any money? – Because I lost it all last night in a poker game. 5. Why did you lose your money in last night’s poker game? – Because I’m not very good at “bluffing” when I don’t have a good hand. As you can see, in both examples the final Why leads the team to a statement (root cause) that the team can take action upon. It is much quicker to come up with a system that keeps the sales director updated on recent sales or teach a person to “bluff” a hand than it is to try to directly solve the stated problems above without further investigation. 5 Whys and the Fishbone Diagram The 5 Whys can be used individually or as a part of the fishbone (also known as the cause and effect or Ishikawa) diagram. The fishbone diagram helps you explore all potential or real causes that result in a single defect or failure. Once all inputs are established on the fishbone, you can use the 5 Whys technique to drill down to the root causes. Take-away Quotation “If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.” – Edward Hodnett |
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What is 5C Workplace Organization |
What is 5C Workplace Organization
5C workplace organization for lean manufacturing is a method to ensure that your working environment is organized into a safe, efficient, ergonomic working space with clear visual management. 5C has been developed from the Japanese tool 5S(Part of Lean Manufacturing) and is basically the same thing by a different name. The idea of implementing 5C is to eliminate or reduce the impact of the seven wastes on your working environment. The steps of Lean Manufacturing 5C Workplace Organisation are; C1 Clearing ( C2 Configure (Seiton, Set in order) C3 Clean and Check (Seiso, Shine & Check) C4 Conformity (SeiketsuStandardise) C5 Consensus or Custom & Practice (Shitsuke This is a westernized version of the original 5S tool which forms one of the most important foundation stones of Lean Manufacturing. This is often the first tool that a company will implement in its drive to improve their business performance through lean manufacturing, 5C or 5S is just as effective if implemented as a stand alone tool. Implementing 5C workplace organization is a very important first step in achieving Lean production processes or even a lean office environment. |
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What Is the 5 P's Model of Lean Manufacturing? |
What Is the 5 P's Model of Lean Manufacturing?
For any business that manufactures products, efficiency plays a significant role in everything from profitability and product delivery to the knowing how large an order the business can accommodate. Lean manufacturing, which originated in Japan during the 1980s, seeks to minimize waste and makes it a goal for step in the process to generate a benefit for end users. One model breaks lean manufacturing down into five essential features, known as the 5 P’s. Sponsored Link Try Google AdWordswww.google.com/AdWords Target and Attract New Customers. Get Your Business on Google Today. Purpose Purpose boils down to the essential reason for making a given product. On a lean manufacturing view, this translates to determining what benefit the product will generate for the customer while still providing the company a profit. For example, e-readers provide customers the benefit of easily carrying an otherwise unmanageable number of books, and e-reader manufacturers profit by selling content in a compatible format. Process Process refers both to the methods the business uses to reach its intended customer base and the steps it employs in making the product. Under a lean model, the ideal situation consists of being able to show how every step contributes to fulfilling the purpose. Redundant or unnecessary steps get scrapped. If, for example, the business sells most of its product to a particular market segment, the business likely would end marketing efforts that fail to address that market segment. People People comprise two distinct areas for lean manufacturing. In one sense, it refers to the people within the company who take responsibility for making sure the processes and steps remain necessary to fulfilling the purpose and delivering benefit to the end users. In a separate sense, it refers to the end users themselves, as they represent a focal point for the product, the purpose and the process. If your company produces dangling widgets, you want to task staff members with reviewing the process to ensure the removal of manufacturing steps rendered obsolete by new machinery, for example. Platform The term platform refers generally to the various technologies used in the manufacturing process, such as heavy machinery or computers. The focus is on making sure the technologies are employed as intended, with an aim toward achieving the most efficient process for the purpose. A staff member using a computer to update a status on a social networking site rather than to check the production numbers represents a simple case of undermining the platform, as the action delivers no benefit to the end user and lowers efficiency. Performance Like all productivity-enhancing approaches, lean manufacturing takes care to monitor performance. This may take the form of checking simple metrics, such as production quotas. It also might take the form of a more complex evaluation that aims to discover if efficiency actually improves from a baseline following the removal of a step in the process. |
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5Z
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5Z
This standard defines the procedure of “5Z Accreditation” which is the scheme to promote, evaluate, maintain and improve process control using the Genba Kanri principles. “5Z” is a general term for the following five actions ending with “ZU”…meaning “Don’t” in Japanese. -UKETORAZU (Don’t accept defects) -TSUKURAZU (Don’t make defects) -BARATSUKASAZU (Don’t create variation) -KURIKAESAZU (Don’t repeat mistakes) -NAGASAZU (Don’t supply defects) |
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6 Ms |
6 Ms
The traditional 6Ms are: * 1) Machines * 2) Methods * 3) Materials * 4) Measurements * 5) Mother Nature (Environment) * 6) Manpower (People) Other definitions: Machines Methods Materials Measurements Milieu (Mother Nature, surroundings, environment) Manpower (People/mainly physical work) Mindpower (Also people/mainly brain work) Management (separate from Manpower/People because it considers Tampering) Money Miscellaneous (the) Moon (so far unknown cause) |
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6W
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6W
Your project planning should answer following question: WHAT : What will you make/do this? WHY : Why will you make/do this? WHERE : Where will you make/do this? WHO : Who will make/do this? WHEN : When will you start/stop this (time scheduling)? WHICH : Which will you make/do this (process, tooling, material sources etc…)? ______________________ ilhami YENiAYDIN, EE After Sale Services Manager GURIS Export, Import and Marketing Co. ISTANBUL – TURKIYE |
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Eight Disciplines (8Ds) Problem Solving
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Eight Disciplines (8Ds) Problem Solving is a method developed at Ford Motor Company used to approach and to resolve problems, typically employed by engineers or other professionals. Its purpose is to identify, correct, and eliminate recurring problems, and it is focused on product and process improvement. It establishes a permanent corrective action based on statistical analysis of the problem and on the origin of the problem by determining the root causes. Although it originally comprised eight stages, or 'disciplines', it was later augmented by an initial planning stage. 8D follows the logic of the PDCA cycle. The disciplines are:
D0: Plan: Plan for solving the problem and determine the prerequisites. D1: Use a Team: Establish a team of people with product/process knowledge. D2: Describe the Problem: Specify the problem by identifying in quantifiable terms the who, what, where, when, why, how, and how many (5W2H) for the problem. D3: Develop Interim Containment Plan: Define and implement containment actions to isolate the problem from any customer. D4: Determine, and Verify Root Causes and Escape Points: Identify all applicable causes that could explain why the problem has occurred. Also identify why the problem was not noticed at the time it occurred. All causes shall be verified or proved. One can use five whys or Ishikawa diagrams to map causes against the effect or problem identified. D5: Verify Permanent Corrections (PCs) for Problem will resolve problem for the customer: Using pre-production programs, quantitatively confirm that the selected correction will resolve the problem. (Verify that the correction will actually solve the problem.) D6: Define and Implement and Corrective Actions: Define and Implement the best corrective actions. D7: Prevent Recurrence: Modify the management systems, operation systems, practices, and procedures to prevent recurrence of this and all similar problems. D8: Congratulate Your Team: Recognize the collective efforts of the team. The team needs to be formally thanked by the organization. 8Ds has become a standard in the auto, assembly, and other industries that require a thorough structured problem solving process using a team approach. |
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PDCA (plan–do–check–act or plan–do–check–adjust) |
PDCA (plan–do–check–act or plan–do–check–adjust) is an iterative four-step management method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products. It is also known as the Deming circle/cycle/wheel,Shewhart cycle, control circle/cycle, or plan–do–study–act (PDSA). Another version of this PDCA cycle is OPDCA. The added "O" stands for observation or as some versions say "Grasp the current condition." This emphasis on observation and current condition has currency with Lean manufacturing/Toyota Production System literature.[1]
Contents MeaningAboutSee alsoReferencesFurther readingExternal links MeaningEdit The PDCA cycle[2] Continuous quality improvement with PDCA PLANEstablish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output (the target or goals). By establishing output expectations, the completeness and accuracy of the spec is also a part of the targeted improvement. When possible start on a small scale to test possible effects.DOImplement the plan, execute the process, make the product. Collect data for charting and analysis in the following "CHECK" and "ACT" steps.CHECKStudy the actual results (measured and collected in "DO" above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the "PLAN") to ascertain any differences. Look for deviation in implementation from the plan and also look for the appropriateness and completeness of the plan to enable the execution, i.e., "Do". Charting data can make this much easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the collected data into information. Information is what you need for the next step "ACT".ACTRequest corrective actions on significant differences between actual and planned results. Analyze the differences to determine their root causes. Determine where to apply changes that will include improvement of the process or product. When a pass through these four steps does not result in the need to improve, the scope to which PDCA is applied may be refined to plan and improve with more detail in the next iteration of the cycle, or attention needs to be placed in a different stage of the process. Note: Some modern trainers now also refer to the "A" as "Adjust". This helps trainees to understand that the 4th step is more about adjusting/correcting the difference between the current state and the planned state instead of thinking that the "A" is all about action and implementation (which actually happens in the second ("D") stage). |
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115 Correct Answers to Pass ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt
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Per Rajan:
It's about one month to exam...Normally it takes 115 question to clear the exam out of total 150. ( The figure of 115 is from October exam.. And it varies everytime depending on complexity of exam and aspirants performance). So if you are scoring around 100 questions correct at this point from 150 in sample exam.. You are doing great on path of becoming CSSBB. Keep up the hardwork.... Every question counts.. |
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Rajan Advice to Pass the ASQ CSSBB Exam
SS Study Book - Larson and Farber [2/6, 10:13 AM] Darrah: Rajan, Elementary Statistics Picturing the World (5th Edition) Unabridged by Ron Larson and Betsy Farber. This book I currently have but it's a lot of material. What should I focus my studies with this book? What do you think about this book for BB Exam Prep.? |
Per Rajan:
[2/6, 10:27 AM] +91 98119 54800: Darrah : Study statistics book for first ten days and next twenty days focus exclusively on QCI primer... I have not studied Farber and Larson... But as this is a standard book.. So you can refer this.. Besides this do At least 20 multiple choice questions daily... So you practised 600 questions till exam.. Spend at least 2 to 3 hours daily in preparation and you will do just fine.. [2/6, 10:40 AM] +91 98119 54800: Heard this is a good statistics book..if it is helping you in clearing fundamentals.. Go for it... |
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SS Study Book - Breyfogle
Implementing Six Sigma, Second Edition: Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods - Book by Forrest W. Breyfogle. What do you think about this book for BB Exam Prep. |
Per Rajan:
[2/6, 8:28 AM] +91 98119 54800: Darrah : Forrest Breyfogle is good book but then it depends on when are you planning to take exam.. If in March than don't use this book... Go for QCI primer and Ott & longnecker And if you are going for October exam then you can afford to read this book.. |
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SS Study Book - Ott and Longnecker
[2/6, 8:03 AM] Darrah: Rajan, What about An Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis by Ott & Longnecker - Book |
Per Rajan:
[2/6, 8:10 AM] +91 98119 54800: Darrah : It's very good book for statistics 👍 |
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How to Pass Your ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Exam
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How to Pass Your ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Exam
BY NICOLE RADZIWILL ON OCTOBER 27, 2011 • (49 COMMENTS ) [Note: On October 4, 2012 I posted the notes I brought into the exam. You might want to check them out.] * * * * * * * * (Or more appropriately maybe… how I did it, and what I wish someone had blogged about before I sat for the exam! This is the chronicle of my CSSBB experience.) I just took my ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) exam… and PASSED! On the FIRST TRY!! (My reaction upon hearing the news was… “I am a statistics NINJA!!!” A very academic friend corrected me, and said no – not quite – the CSSBB is more like a learner’s permit for a PhD in statistics. OK, that’s cool too.) My intent in this post is to share with you what I believe helped me get through this very daunting 150-question, 4-hour, heavy-on-the-math multiple choice exam. (Relevant superstitions and helpful snacks are described elsewhere.) This was a particular achievement for me, because although I had been doing small scale Six Sigma projects for several years, I originally intended to take the exam in the fall of 2008… and just didn’t get around to it. I had, at that time, recently completed a couple of doctoral level statistics courses and so I felt super powerfully capable at the time. But what inevitably happens is that as the days go by, and you don’t use the knowledge for practical problem solving, you get rusty and you forget. Fast forward three years, to the fall of 2011. When I took the plunge and signed up for one of the most recent offerings of the exam, I knew I had a lot of ground to re-cover before sitting to take the test. I knew I’d have to order some books or flashcards and spend a lot of quality time with them. I knew I’d have to refresh my memory on the nooks and crannies of all those statistical tests, especially the ones that are most frequently used in manufacturing situations. So my first step was to search Google to see if anyone had posted their personal experiences studying for – and hopefully succeeding with – the ASQ CSSBB exam. I wanted to know: What resources helped? What resources didn’t help? What books were the most useful references to you as you were studying? Are the flashcards useful? I searched and searched all over the web, but couldn’t find any useful advice. I used search terms like “cssbb advice,” “how I passed my Six Sigma Black Belt exam,” “best resources for the Six Sigma Black Belt exam” and “best study guides for the Six Sigma Black Belt exam.” No luck. Everything led me back to companies trying to sell their training sessions. I didn’t want a training session… I wanted practical, free advice from someone who had been in my shoes not too much earlier than me. So here it is! Feel free to post some comments if any of this advice is helpful, or if you want to add information about what you found useful when you were studying. (Remember, personal experiences with CSSBB prep are hard to find on the web, so anything you contribute is bound to be helpful to people who are actively preparing to be certified.) #1 CSSBB Primer from the Quality Council of Indiana –http://www.qualitycouncil.com/cssbb_p.asp BEST. Book. Ever. I ordered the CSSBB Primer as well as the CD with the practice exam questions, and although I was daunted by the sheer heft of the book, the large fonts make this reference a pleasure to get to know. It feels like someone is giving you all the essential knowledge you need for the exam, along with a cookie, a glass of milk, a hug, and a heartfelt “you can do it!!” I read through the entire book, underlined definitions or phrases that I thought were important, and used post-it notes to tab topics that I thought I’d want easy access to during the exam. Do ALL the questions in the blue part of the CSSBB Primer. It will take time… for me, it took about 3 weeks, working on about 10 to 20 questions a day. Understand not only what the right answer is for each question, but also WHY THE OTHER OPTIONS ARE WRONG. You won’t be able to take any of the blue pages into the exam with you, so make sure you take notes about the key facts, formulas, or techniques when you have “a-ha” moments doing the practice problems. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. The real ASQ CSSBB exam is actually EASIER than the questions in the CSSBB Primer, but the question styles and formats are very similar. The reason that the real exam is easier is that there are a lot of questions in the Primer where at least two of the multiple choice options will tempt you into believing that they are both correct. The multiple choice options on the real exam seem to be much more distinct – that is, you’ll have an easier time distinguishing why the wrong ones are wrong. I think the number one reason that I passed the exam was because of the time I spent on the practice exam questions in the CSSBB Primer. The practice questions on the CD were useful too, but I think the ones in the book were the most useful. #2 The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, Second Edition by Kubiak & Benbow This is the second book I took with me into the CSSBB exam. This book has mixed reviews on Amazon because apparently the book made it into print with a bunch of calculation errors in it. I didn’t lean on the calculations in this book, though, because I had the CSSBB Primer for that – and as a result, I thought this book was a great reference. Some of the concepts aren’t covered in enough depth, e.g. TPM, but there were several problems on the real exam that I wanted to double check in the references before I shaded that scantron circle with my #2… and this was the book that helped out the most in that regard. #3 An Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis by Ott & Longnecker This was the third book I took with me into the CSSBB exam, and I think I needed it for 3 questions, 2 of which had to do with arcane aspects of DOE. However, it’s also the book that helped me get all my hypothesis testing straight, AND understand the assumptions for all of those tests. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE this book, and think it should be a required book on the bookshelf of every Six Sigma aficionado out there. I was first introduced to this awesome, awesome book as a student in STAT 451 at Penn State… an upper level applied stats class (which I believe is now STAT 460). In addition to providing great explanations of the concepts, Ott presents every statistical test as a recipe… what assumptions to check, how to set up the null and alternative hypotheses, how to calculate the test statistic, and how to interpret the calculated and critical values of the test statistic depending upon what alternative hypothesis you selected. I have a hard time trying to remember whether your calculated test statistic has to be greater than or less than the critical value that you look up in a table… and this is the reference that helped me keep all those important details straight. This book is expensive, but it’s worth it. If you can find an earlier version, these are usually much more affordable and JUST AS GOOD. Thank you, R. Lyman Ott, for making me love statistics, want to use statistical tests all the time, and want to teach college students how to do it too. You have been one of the most influential people in my life. #4 Six Sigma for the Next Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook by Kim Pries I really tried to like this book, but it’s big, heavy, and there is a lot of whitespace on many of the pages (very unlike the CSSBB Primer). The amount of information per pound is relatively low. HOWEVER, I like the way it consolidates notes by topic with one topic per page. For example, there is one page with Deming’s 14 points. There’s one great page on Project Scope and another great page on Scope Containment Ideas. I’m definitely going to use some of the one-sheeters for teaching my statistics and quality classes. Unfortunately, the book just didn’t help me as I was studying for the certification exam. #5 The Six Sigma Handbook, Third Edition by Pyzdek & Keller Great book but HARD TO FIND STUFF QUICKLY. I’d say read this before your exam instead of bedtime stories, take it with you when you lay on the beach, bring it to the coffee shop while you’re gently relaxing over synthesizing your Six Sigma knowledge into your blood and muscles. This is an excellent book for getting a deeper, more thoughtful understanding of Six Sigma related topics, but was not one I chose to bring into the exam with me. #6 Statistics for Six Sigma Made Easy by Warren Brussee This was the LEAST useful book to me for my exam prep (but it might just be as result of how my brain is wired). I find that whenever an author writes very conversationally, trying to simplify the concepts by writing long explanations of the topics (as if he or she were sitting there with you trying to explain them to you), it just confuses me. I need recipes, like what Ott provides in his book. I can definitely see how this book might help you if you’re totally new to statistics, or if you’re starting off on the path to becoming a Six Sigma Green Belt, or if you just need someone to explain to you what in the world the meaning is behind these statistical tests. However, IF YOU’RE CLOSE TO BECOMING A BLACK BELT, you should have a lot of this material underyours already. As a studying resource, Brussee’s book won’t be as useful to you. Hope this helps! If you have any questions, please post them as comments below, and I will try to respond to all. RATE THIS: 25 Votes SHARE THIS: StumbleUponFacebook3EmailTwitter11GooglePinterest RELATED How I Passed My ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) ExamIn "American Society for Quality" Cramming for Your Six Sigma Black Belt Exam?In "Applied Statistics" Should You Get Your Six Sigma Black Belt (SSBB) from ASQ?In "quality" Categories: Book Reviews, Lean Six Sigma,quality, Quality Systems Tagged as: ASQ, ASQ certification, business,certification, CSSBB, CSSBB Primer, LinkedIn,quality, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Black Belt, Six Sigma Black Belt exam Post navigation What is Quality Consciousness? How I Passed My ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Exam 49 replies » How I Passed My ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) Exam « Quality and Innovation October 27, 2011 at 12:42 am […] 1. I studied for about 4 weeks (2 weeks very gently, 1 week much-more-work-because-the-exam-is-getting-closer, and 1 week of panicked, freaked out all nighters) using these great references that I wrote up tons of comments about. […] Reply David January 31, 2012 at 9:54 pm Hi Nicole, Thanks you very much for this feed back ! Regarding your preferred book, how detailed were the answers of the questions from the blue part of CSSBB Primer ? Do you thing it worth buying the CSSBB Solution Text ? Reply Nicole Radziwill January 31, 2012 at 10:07 pm Hi David – I waited until after I tried to solve all the problems in the blue part to make my decision whether or not to buy the solutions. Once I was sure I knew how to answer most of the questions, and that I was able to show all my work OR find the page of the Primer that had the answer on it, I made the decision not to buy the extra solutions manual. (I was completely stumped on about 5% of the problems, which didn’t impact my performance on the exam at all… so the decision was a good one!) Reply Priya February 3, 2012 at 9:40 pm Hello Nicole.. Thank you for helping us with CSSBB related questions. Do we need to complete a project to take a black belt certification? I’m ready to take the exam. Can you make it clear on this please? Do we need to do a project? I’m interested to take the ASQ’s black belt certification exam. Reply Nicole Radziwill February 4, 2012 at 2:37 am Hi Priya – ASQ requires that you complete one project, describe it in a way that meets their expectations as a credentialing body, and have your Project Champion sign the affidavit (more info athttp://prdweb.asq.org/certification/control/faq/six-sigma-project-affidavit). There is a sample affidavit athttp://www.slideshare.net/govindramu/asq-cssbb-affidavit-example that looks similar to what I submitted. Good Luck! Nicole Reply Priya February 16, 2012 at 11:05 pm I have another question Nicole. Should the project be done on behalf of any company/organization? Can you please suggest me on how to get my project done? On what basis should I start a project in my company? How can I get this started? Can you guide me please? David, Cathy and Nicole as you have completed your exams/about to write.. you should have completed a project.. Did you do it individually or a group project? Please answer my questions. Thanks, Nicole Radziwill February 16, 2012 at 11:22 pm Hi again Priya – I did mine with the company I worked for at the time, just by myself (there were no other quality or Six Sigma people in my company). My project champion, though, was a PhD and so really had a critical eye that he applied to the justification of the problem statement, methodology, analysis, and results. I don’t think there are many rules regarding whether the project should be for a company, or for a community organization, or individually performed, or as a team – it just needs to be a solid, data-driven improvement project. Where are you located? I agree, it would be great to have a service where people can find organizations that need Six Sigma projects completed on their behalf. Priya February 16, 2012 at 11:30 pm Thanks so much Nicole. I’m willing to offer free labor.. I can work for any community/organization. I stay in Fremont, CA. I have knowledge about TQM, SPC, DMAIC.. I have my Masters Degree in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. I have done small projects at the university level. I have idea about all the statistical concepts like EWMA, PERT etc., and have experience with 7 new and old quality control tools. I’m pretty confident that I can crack the exam right away as I have been preparing since long. I didnt get an opportunity to work on a real time project that I can submit to ASQ. It would really be helpful for my career if you can help me with guiding me on how to complete my project. Guide me please Cathy Ballentine February 16, 2012 at 4:56 pm This is great Nicole, so helpful in the midst of jitters for upcoming exam. I have all the books you have mentioned except the An Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis book. I am considering the purchase to review in the next couple of weeks… Reply Nicole Radziwill February 16, 2012 at 5:00 pm Hi Cathy – glad to hear it! The Ott book may be overwhelming at first, though… if you’re trying to get last minute studying in, I probably wouldn’t buy it just for that purpose (it might have the opposite effect… give you panic attacks because you think you missed something). If I can find them, I’ll post my notes on Monday :) Good luck with your exam!! Reply Cathy Ballentine February 18, 2012 at 4:16 pm That would be so helpful to see notes, anything to help:) I will check back to see…Thanks again for sharing Nicole! Jeannie McCabe January 25, 2014 at 6:11 pm Hey there! Thanks so much for the information. I found the Ott book in an “international version” for sale online. Perfectly legal, and the only differences are: 1. Paperback vs Hardback 2. Cover says “international version” 3. Cost is only $69.99 (with free standard shipping!)http://www.prioritytextbook.com/products/An-Introduction-to-Statistical-Methods-and-Data-Analysis-%286th-Edition%29.html. Wish me luck!! Sadique February 20, 2012 at 8:31 pm Hey Nicole. Great work. Sitting for the exam in couple of weeks, so a bit tensed. Anyways, did you prepare any personal material for the exam hall? Any kind of indexing, references that helped you? Thanks Sadique Reply manishi February 23, 2012 at 7:37 pm HI Nicole: I stay in is ASQ the authoritative source to get certification from? what other sources are available ? Reply Maria March 15, 2012 at 5:37 pm Hi. thank you for advice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reply vitthal June 7, 2012 at 1:55 am thanks for ur guidance……its so helpful and motivation for study. Reply SK June 15, 2012 at 6:32 pm Hi, Great post! You can also try ‘cracking the six sigma black belt exam’ a collection of Q&A available at Mcgraw hill publications. best of luck SK Reply Raghuraman June 19, 2012 at 10:40 am Try this book – “Cracking the Six Sigma Black Belt Exam” – Tata McGraw Hill Publications http://www.tmhshop.com/operations-decision-sciences/quality/cracking-the-six-sigma-black-belt-exam Raghuraman ASQ CSSBB, PMP Reply Anuj August 15, 2012 at 8:45 pm Dear Black Belts, I am relatively new on my six sigma journey. I plan on taking my ASQ Green Belt Certification on 01 Dec 2012. What essential books do I need to buy to pass this exam? Nicole, Great post! Do you have a seperate thread for Green Belt Certification? I could not find it. Maybe you should write one for newbies like me in case you have’nt written it already ! Reply Raghuraman November 15, 2012 at 7:11 am @Anuj: Try this book contains over 450 questions with refresher booklet. http://www.tmhshop.com/operations-decision-sciences/quality/cracking-the-six-sigma-black-belt-exam Reply Cramming for Your Six Sigma Black Belt Exam? | Quality and Innovation October 4, 2012 at 3:40 pm […] attached PDFs contain PRECISELY what I carried with me into the exam, along with a few books and a handful of good habits and good luck […] Reply Goral Gosar October 22, 2012 at 3:23 pm Hi Nicole, I was not aware of the QCI Primer until I read your blog. I took the exam on 6th Oct 2012 and passed (in the first shot) and I think the Primer and the CD helped me a lot. Thanks for your advice.. Please let me know if I can contribute in any way! ciao! Reply Nitish January 16, 2013 at 10:57 am Hi Goral, could you please let me know what study materials you had used. How was the questions? How long you were preparing? I mean can you share your reviews about the exam. Reply Goral January 17, 2013 at 7:11 pm Hello Nitish, apart from the Primer, I had the Six Sigma Black Belt handbook by TM Kubaik and another book on Business Statistics.. I also purchased the Exam CD along with the Primer.. it gives a good practice.. In the “Tips” section of the Primer, they do mention that a few questions in the beginning of the exam are purposely set “difficult”.. You should not panic.. I personally felt that the first ~60 questions (almost the first half) were pretty challenging.. the remaining ones were very very easy.. most of them were similar to what I had already solved from the CD and the Primer.. I only messed up a little on my time management because I ended up spending more time in the first half (also lost a significant amount of confidence by assuming that the entire question set was gonna be so difficult).. but as the Primer says: DO NOT PANIC.. Sonia September 22, 2014 at 3:09 pm Hi; Can anyone tell me if the ASQ Questions bank are a better representation of what you will get in the exam vs the questions in the CSSBB Primer? Reply Memed November 13, 2012 at 3:40 pm Hello Nicole, I live in Germany, and I’m about to do the test for the CSSBB certification by the IASSC; do you know how acknowledged is it worldwide ? Is it really “international” ? Congrats for your Blog, this information was very usefull for me ! Reply P R April 18, 2013 at 6:06 pm Hello Nicole, You mentioned that the handbook helped you the most in the actual exam in checking the references.Does that mean that during the actual exam, the handbook was more helpful than the primer for looking up ? Please clarify Reply Shailesh June 7, 2013 at 7:55 pm Hello Nicole, Where can you buy these books as cheaply as possible? Shailesh Reply Nicole Radziwill June 7, 2013 at 9:26 pm Can’t say for sure, Shailesh, but I’ve had some luck getting used copies on Amazon. Quality Council of Indiana Primers, however – I think you’ll have to get those from the source. Everyone I know who has one has their copy all marked up and tabbed up, with blood and sweat on each page, making it a text that you don’t want to part with :) Nicole Reply Vasil Jaiani July 19, 2013 at 2:38 pm Hey guys, I recently passed an International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC) Black Belt exam for which I prepared myself. I know from my experience that it may be a daunting task to find all the necessary information and self prepare for a six sigma black belt exam. So I decided to share a six sigma black belt certification exam guide that I put together while studying for the exam. Although It is based on the IASSC body of knowledge (BOK), it still can be used for ASQ six sigma black or green belt exam preparation as there is 93% correlation between IASSC and ASQ BOKs. Check out my website and let me know if it helps:http://leansixsigmaguide.weebly.com/index.html Vasil Reply ZZ July 25, 2013 at 5:44 pm What was the difficulty level of the IASSC BB exam? Can you give some pointers… Reply Vasil Jaiani August 1, 2013 at 7:57 pm It was not easy I would say. A lot of questions were a bit vague I thought. Also some questions have multiple answers and it adds to complexity. I would focus on interpreting Minitab outputs as you sill encounter them on the exam. Vasil Jaiani August 1, 2013 at 7:59 pm I recently passed an International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC) Black Belt exam for which I prepared myself. I know from my experience that it may be a daunting task to find all the necessary information and self-prepare for a six sigma black belt exam. So I decided to share a six sigma black belt certification exam guide that I put together while studying for the exam. Although It is based on the IASSC body of knowledge (BOK), it still can be used for ASQ six sigma black or green belt exam preparation as there is 93% correlation between IASSC and ASQ BOKs. Check out my website and let me know if it helps:http://www.sixsigmatrainingfree.com Vasil I am reposting this as I moved the web-site to a new domain and want to make sure that everyone can still access the six sigma exam preparation material. Reply Vinay October 26, 2013 at 4:12 pm Hi NIcole, I am a Quality Engineer and I recently cleared my CSSGB. Thanks for this concise yet comprehensive details about the materials that are useful to crack the CSSBB examination. I really liked the way you shared this valuable information for everyone else to read and use as a guideline for the exam prep. I am taking the BB exam on March 1 and I think I will have sufficient time to prepare for it. I had one question about the An Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis book. I am planning to order this. But it costs about $195 for the 6th edition http://www.cengagebrain.com/shop/en/US/storefront/US;CMGTJSESSIONID=LfGSSrpThQhTx0nGR63b2nypW1VGKvJRwrQsjcvSkL2hsJ910cQB!-439799809?cmd=catProductDetail&gclid=CNubz6nxtLoCFStgMgodphMAuw&entryPoint=storefront&cid=GSEM1&ISBN=9780495017585&forceRegion=US&messageType=catProductDetail and it costs $17 for the 5th edition http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2690616969105?r=1&cm_mmca2=pla&cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-TextBook_NotInStock_75Up-_-Q000000633-_-2690616969105 Any advice on this would be helpful. Basically I want to know the differences and advantages of the 6th edition over the 5th edition. Especially the price difference is so huge. Reply Nicole Radziwill October 26, 2013 at 4:14 pm Hi Vinay, I don’t think there’s much difference between the editions… I got mine (an old one) for about $5 online several years ago! Good luck on your CSSBB exam… so glad you’re finding my resources useful. :), Nicole Reply Vinay October 26, 2013 at 4:24 pm Nicole, Thanks! I will get the 5th edition then. Vinay Reply Durai N October 31, 2013 at 3:58 am Wonderful articulation and very useful information. Got a question. On the exam preparation, how many weeks it took for you. I understand it varies person to person. But, I am a GB certified. Approximately, how many weeks, at minimum, I should spend to get prepared for this CSSBB exam. Please share. Reply Mo November 19, 2013 at 4:10 pm Hello Nicole, Your blog is an excellent source of advice for people who are seeking practical advice on the path to Six Sigma certification. I am planning to do Six Sigma Black Belt certification and I would like to go for the BB certification offered by ASQ. Unfortunately, I do not have any Six Sigma project experience to qualify for the ASQ certification. Are there any options available where I can gain six sigma project experiences and qualify for ASQ? If ASQ is not an option for me then I would have to go with the BB certification offered by IASSC. Is there any reliable and source of study material for IASSC BB certification just like the Indiana Primer Council that you can recommend? Thanks a lot in advance for your time and advice. Mo Reply Mo November 19, 2013 at 4:32 pm Hi, If any one who has passed the Six Sigma Black Belt certification from ASQ or IASSC could advise me on the following quetions: 1. What % of the questions in the certification exam are calculations based and what % of the questions are theory based? 2. On a scale of 1 -10: generally speaking, what is the level of difficulty of the calculation based question on the certification exam? I’m asking because mathematics and statics are not my strongest subject and your advise would help me in my preparation towards the certification. Thank you, Mo Reply Ali November 25, 2013 at 8:03 pm If anyone has Indiana BlackBelt practice question CD and wants to sell, please contact me ataligr8h@yahoo.com. Thanks, Ali Reply Alia December 25, 2013 at 6:13 pm Hi Nicole, Thanks you very much for the feed back about preparing for the exam. Regarding the project, I have to submit the affidavit only, or I have to submit the affidavit with apresentation that explain my project? what is the deadline of submiting the projecy? ( with paying the fees or after that) Reply Jessica Wu January 24, 2014 at 9:38 am Hi Nicole Did you do the Six Sigma or the Lean six sigma? I’m looking to do the lean version so do your study materials also apply? many thanks Jess Reply S Phani Kiran February 7, 2014 at 11:06 am If anyone have Indiana Quality Council Six Sigma Black Belt Primer for sale kindly contact onphaniksunkari@drreddys.com Reply Garuv February 17, 2014 at 2:41 am Hi Nicole, Thank you so much for the feedback. Which calculator are you allowed to take in exam..Can you recommend one? Thanks a lot! Reply Callum June 18, 2014 at 3:04 am Whats the minimum percentage of correct answers required to pass please? Reply Sonia September 22, 2014 at 3:11 pm Hi Callum; Did you ever find out what the min % of correct answers is required to pass the exam? Reply Venkatesh June 26, 2014 at 2:40 am Thanks a lot Nicole, This is the article that i have been looking for, I also read your Book ” P o l i t i c a l l y I n c o r r e c t C o l l e g e S u c c e s s ” Just could not take my eyes off it till last minute. Thanks a lot again. I will be taking up this course very soon. Would you suggest any online tutorial’s that would be good to refer to Reply Jeff September 20, 2014 at 6:43 pm Anyone willing to know the process to apply for the ASQ CSSBB can refer this : http://goo.gl/6yXYVG or referhttp://www.lasigma.com Reply Sonia September 22, 2014 at 3:10 pm Hi Can anyone tell me if the ASQ Questions bank are a better representation of what you will get in the exam vs the questions in the CSSBB Primer? planning on taking the exam soon I focused mostly on the content of the Primer and I am little worried that I may be missing out on the type of questions offered by ASQ. Thank you Reply Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * NAME * EMAIL * WEBSITE COMMENT You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title="" rel=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <pre> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> NOTIFY ME OF NEW COMMENTS VIA EMAIL. SEARCH FOR... SUBSCRIBE VIA RSS Hi! I'm Nicole, and I like improving things (including myself) -- and thinking about quality as a concept and a discipline. I got my PhD in Quality from Indiana State and have dragons in my glass. I teach in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) at James Madison University (JMU). and contribute to the ASQ Influential Voices program. While I receive an honorarium from ASQ for my commitment, the thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own! I'm available for consulting and enjoy work that addresses strategic positioning that integrates quality and innovation -- just email me and let me know what's on your mind! If I can't do it, I'll refer you to someone trustworthy who can. 100% of the proceeds from my consulting support the Burning Mind Project. I also enjoy references to quality in fiction & drama so let me know if you read any good quality-related novels, or watch any movies where quality and innovation play major roles. Categories Select Category Applied Statistics (9) Book Reviews (14) competitiveness (55) Education (10) innovation (93) JIT/Manufacturing (7) Journal Reviews (3) Lean Six Sigma (17) Measurement (10) Philosophy of Science & Technology (14) Public Policy & News (12) quality (124) Quality Systems (98) R (6) Random Thoughts (62) Socio-Technical Systems (71) Software Quality (23) Sustainability (28) Technology Management (123) Uncategorized (19) Recent Updates OCTOBER 2011MTWTFSS« Sep Nov » 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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How I Cracked the Six Sigma Black Belt Exam (CSSBB)
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Per Hamid Anjum:
A guideline on how to prepare for the ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt Exam, books to read, practice questions, online resources, and how take the exam it self. This blog is based on the authors personal experience on the CSSBB exam. Thursday, 3 April 2014 Ho to prepare for the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt exam (CSSBB) Signing up for the six sigma black belt exam is a major step in your professional career. The decision to take the exam needs to be thought over, planned, discussed, and reviewed thoroughly since most of the applicants are on full time jobs and have been out of their student lives for quite some time. Getting back to the books while on the job requires planning and a strong motivation. Moreover, if the exam is a requirement of your company, the stakes are higher since your career progress will be impacted by your performance. Intimidating? Indeed !! and these vital factors are in one form or the other your strongest motivators. In this blog I intend to share my experience on the CSSBB exam which I hope will help the reader in taking their CSSBB exams and clearing them. Step#1: Should you apply? Do you have the pre-requisites? You must be Green belt trained and have basic Lean and Six Sigma knowledge. Although ASQ does not ask for you to demonstrate or provide proof of your Green Belt certification, it is important that you have the basic knowledge before heading to the black belt level. For those of you who need to get black belt certification, make sure you complete your Green Belt training first and also tell your company that it is important for any applicant to clear the Green Belt first and then take the Black Belt. That is the logical way to go about it and will help a lot in building solid concepts for the black belt exam. Secondly, you need to have sound experience with Lean & Six Sigma projects. ASQ requires your to prove this through filling of 02 affidavit forms in which you will explain the projects you worked on and these forms will have to be signed of by your companies Master Black Belt or Project Champion. It is strongly recommended that you ask your company to let you attend a black belt training course. Classroom training are the best, however, online courses are also available from ASQ or Villanova etc which are pretty good. Just google around for them and you will find good online options. In my case, I did not take any courses and relied on self study but it was not the ideal way to go. If you or your company cannot afford the training, don't worry, you can clear it through self study as well, and I can help you with that !! Most importantly, you need to have a very strong motivation to clear the exam. You will have to put in a lot of effort and hours after you register, it will be an up hill task and there will be no easy way out, failing will not be an option, and rescheduling the exam for a later date will mess things up even more. If you register for an exam, you must be sure you have the time and space to study for it and ace it. Period! that should be the goal. Step#2: Books you need to prepare for the Exam If you attend a formal training course, I am sure you will get a lot of books and reference material. There is no limit to the reference available since all the topics in the body of knowledge are generic and you can get all the information in the world about them to help you build your concepts. However, I will share the resources I used to help me prepare for my exam. You can treat these as a bare minimum requirement and I encourage you to explore more guides and references and post them here for everyone's info. The books I used I used only 2 books. Yes! only 2. But then again, I was a certified Green Belt, I had been working in a six sigma company for 5 years, and even though I did not take any courses, I did have a very good mentor. I am also an engineer by profession so the numerical questions were easy to get through. So the books you need will depend on your own strengths and weaknesses. However, the two books I am referring to below are for covering the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge. For any specific topics which may be your weak areas, you can look for relevant books to help you with that specific topic separately. 1. The CSSBB Primer - by Quality Council of Indiana This is the best book of all time and you will not find a better book for developing your concepts for the exam. The authors have done a great job by giving in depth explanations of each and every topic in the body of knowledge. The page and text layouts are great, the large fonts and bold text makes the book easier to read and mark-up. Also, the book comes with tabs for all sections of the primers, this helps a lot during the exam when you need quick references. you can easily add your own tags and mark-ups and make good use of the white spaces in the book for your notes. Remember, it is an open book exam! The first couple of chapters are fun to read, you will be able to relate to a lot of the text from your own professional experiences. I would suggest you to go through these chapters anyway even if you don't intend to take the exam, since they are very helpful for your self development. The most important aspect of this primer is that it gives you exercise questions at the end of each sections on blue pages. These questions are the best questions to practice for the exam and are very similar to the questions that appear on the exam it self. You will have to remove the blue pages from the book when you take it to the exam. So, you MUST have this book, read it all in detail, attempt all the exercises, check your scores and work on your areas of improvement. This book will drastically increase your chances of clearing the exam. 2. The Certified Six Sigma black belt handbook - by Kubiak & Benbow This book is the ASQ handbook and it basically contains the bare minimum explanation on every section of the body of knowledge. You will find that the text is a lot less than in the primer and this book is very "to the point". I used this book after reading the primer and I found out that although all topics of the body of knowledge are covered, the topics are not explained in great detail. However, there are many example questions in this book as well within the chapters which help you to attempt the questions that will appear in the exam. I recommend to study this book as well, since it is the official ASQ handbook and it relates to many questions in the exam. Even if you cannot read all of it, just skim through it make sure you go through all of the example questions in the chapters. They definitely help during the exam. So, this book is a very important reference, but it only contains example questions and no exercises. Make sure you take both this book and the primer with you to the exam for reference. Step#3: Other Important References The books alone are not enough. Specially for understanding the Statistics topics. So here is what will help you further: 1. Khan Academy: www.khanacademy.org This is a website created by a person named Salman Khan. This is the best way to learn for from a phD absolutely free of cost. I used it for improving my statistics concepts. The online lectures are fun to listen to and extremely easy to access. Salman as an amazing way of explaining real hard concepts using simple examples. Khan Academy apps are also available on ipad and android so you can have easy access on the go as well on your personal gadgets. This was my primary source of building statistics concepts and helped me understand the text in the Primer where I needed more basic knowledge. Just use the search tool on the website to find topics you need to learn. Thanks Salman Khan for the free lectures! you deserve all the praise in the world for what you have put up on the web for all students to use. You guys will also notice that khan academy has a wide range of subjects, but you can utilize the topics relevant to the body of knowledge. This website may help you and your friends for many other exams or subjects as well. 2. Formula Sheets & Quick References When you are reading through the primer and skimming through the handbook, keep noting down the mathematical equations/formulas on a separate sheet of paper to prepare your own formula sheet. This sheet will serve as a quick reference for you when you attempt the numerical question in the exam. You are allowed to take in such notes with your for the exam after showing them to the invigilator. You might find ready made formula sheets but I suggest you make your own since they will stick to your mind and will be customized just for you it will be quicker reference. Remember, every second in the exam is important! Some people also make book indexes themselves for quick reference during the exam. Although it is not a bad idea, I found that the indexes at the end of the books are sufficient to help you find anything you need. You do not need to spend time making your own index sheets, unless you have ample time. Another good ideas is to use stickers to mark important pages in the books, you can add tabs in the books where ever you want and name them yourself. This is very helpful and will save you a lot of time during the exam. For all the tables used in statistics portions, it is best to make a separate file for reference tables and summaries at the end of chapters. In fact, make this file before you take practice exams so that you get used to referring to it before the final exam. Having the tables ready is very important, it saves a lot of time people usually spend turning pages. If I remember correctly, around 20 questions required referring to tables. 3. Get any Introduction to Statistics Book You can also get any reputed stats introduction book to help you with specific statistics topics in the body of knowledge. Only use it for topics you do need understand and need extra help on. 4. Google away !! For expanding your concepts search for topics on the web, you can find everything. Just make sure you do not get carried away and do not drift await from the body of knowledge in your quest to seek perfection. 5. Linked-in Black belt Exam Study Group Join this study group on linked-in. Post your questions and read questions and answers others have already posted. It is a great source of help. It is the easiest way to access Six Sigma experts all around the world. Step#4: Time, Effort, and PRACTICE !! Now that you have your preparation resources ready, another important aspect is to be realistic about the time required to prepare for the exam. The primer gives a good guideline: if you have attended a black belt training course you will require a minimum of 80 hours of self study on the body of knowledge, and, if you cannot attend a training course, you need to put in 120 hours of self study. The ASQ exam has fixed days and is conducted twice a year, once in March and again in October (might be different respective to your country). I would suggest you freeze your dates according to the amount of time you will have everyday to prepare. It is advisable to start reading the books 5 or 6 months before your exam, and then begin focused study for 2 to 3 hours a day in the last two months. From my experience, if you plan to go for 2 months focused preparation, try to complete reading both the primer and the handbook in the first month. I would advise you to read the primer first in detail, page to page. That will build your concepts. After completing the primer, quickly scan through the handbook and highlight any thing that you feel was not covered in the primer. If you complete reading these two books and have 30 days till the exam, you will be in a very good position to use these 30 days for practicing exercise questions and reading up from other sources on the topics you found difficult. Practice Questions Completing the BOK is only 40 percent of your preparation. Now, try to practice as many questions as possible. Around 600 to 800 questions practiced will mean you are well on your way. Where will you find questions? Well ASQ offers a test bank for around 100$ for you to use for practice. This test bank also explains each of the answer choices so you know why wrong answers are wrong. It is a good investment. Other than that, you have around 400 or so questions in the primer. The primer questions are awesome, and I felt that they were very similar to the questions in the actual exam. For other sample questions you can check on the linked-in page I mentioned before. Also, you can contact me and give me your email address and I can my data with you. After your have read both books, built your concepts from Khan Academy and other sources, and attempted all those exercise questions, you are now 80 percent prepared. The last 20% of your preparation is to know how to attempt the actual exam and optimize the 4 hours you have for 150 MCQs. That is explained below. Step#5: How to attempt the Exam - Most Important No matter how well you are prepared you can still mess up during the 4 hours of the exam itself. The exam comprises of 150 Multiple Choice Questions which you have to attempt in 4 hours. It is important here to remember the following: All of the 150 questions carry equal weight There is no negative marking You have 1.6 minutes per question You can skip questions and return to them later So here is the strategy I used, which was advised to me by my mentors and helped a lot. You should attempt your paper in 2 passes. In the first pass, attempt all the short and easy ones. First Pass Golden rules: If a question seems lengthy, skip it If there is a table or a graph in a question skip it If you attempt a question and your answer does not match with any of the options, skip it, dont look for your mistake! If you are confused about the answers, skip it Spending more than 2 minutes on a question is criminal in your first pass Do not over think, there are no trick questions Make sure you mark all the skipped question for you second pass Following the above rules, you will end up attempting at-least 110 questions in your first pass in the first 2.5 hours. Yes, 110 questions in the 140 are relatively easy if you have prepared well for the exam. About 30 Questions in the exam take less than 30 seconds to solve, yes, they are that easy. In my first pass, I manged to complete 120 questions in 3 hours and 10 mins. I did spend too much time on some questions that I shouldn't have. So your target should be to complete your first pass in 2.5 hours and attempt at least 110 questions. Second Pass Golden Rules: Now that you are through with the first pass, and have attempted the relatively easier 110 questions, you will feel satisfied knowing that at least 95 or so questions must have been answered correctly. As a rule of thumb, people to advise that if you get more than 110 questions correct, you will probably clear the exam. However, ASQ does not state anything like this, there are no fixed passing marks as per ASQ. But anything above 110 correct answers is a pretty safe bet in my opinion. So assuming that you got 95 correct in your first pass, you are now heading into your second pass with confidence, less pressure, and target oriented. Calculate quickly how much time and questions remain, it will be probably around 35 or 40 questions in 60 minutes. Do not get worried, the questions are not as hard as the looked during the first pass. Well around 10 questions are very hard, but who cares if you get the other 140 a good shot. Do not leave anything for the 3rd pass, there is no 3rd pass, choose the best answer and go for it, there will be no time. If a question seems to difficult, just choose the best option and go for it. Get it over with since you are running out of time Use your scratch paper neatly for all numerical questions. ASQ does look at your scratch papers and gives brownie points in case you are failing the exam by a small margin. If they like your work on the scratch paper, they may reward you for it. At the end you may have 4 or 5 questions remaining that you did not know how to solve. No problem, if you make a random guess, make sure you select the same option for all the questions. That's it !! So that is my advice for all CSSBB applicants, that is how I prepared for the exam and how strategised during the exam time. Even though I cleared the exam, I want to emphasize the importance of training courses before the exam. The concepts developed through discussion with peers and experts cannot be developed just through books and self study. Even if you cannot afford the training courses, find mentors for yourselves, talk to people who have given the exam before. Use "linked in" to network with black belts all over the world and discuss your problems and questions with them using the link I shared before. Once you take the exam, you will get your results emailed to you probably on the 7th day after the exam. The formal certificate and letter arrives in around 30 days depending on your location. I wrote this blog because I looked for something like this before taking my exam but could not find much info. I hope this helps the you to prepare for and ace your exam. I wish you all the best!! I look forward to others sharing their experiences here as well for everyone's benefit. Regards, Hamid Anjum ASQ CSSBB Pakistan hanjumengro@gmail.com |
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SEVEN TOOLS OF QUALITY
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SEVEN TOOLS OF QUALITY: commonly used tools in just about every DMAIC Six Sigma project to help understand an existing process and drive most effective improvements.
1) Fishbone diagram (finding the all the root causes) 2) Check sheet (collecting data) 3) Flowchart (Process Map-what is really happening) 4) Control chart (determining the initial and final state of process) 5) Histogram (determining the data distribution) 6) Pareto chart (finding the vital few) 7) Scatter diagram (for correlation/regression) |
