Lean Six Sigma Black Belt - Body of Knowledge

SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt - BOK

The minimum recommended Body of Knowledge that any ATI needs to be compliant with for Accreditation with the SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Level of Certification. Our unique approach to the BOK was designed as a necessary requirement to our equally unique approach of validating SSF ATI’s certification exams to democratize Accredited Lean Six Sigma Certifications by reducing costs incurred in training highly competent people resources by organizations. Refer BOK sections in brief or download composite pdf with all details below.

SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification: Exam Focus Areas

Exam focus areas are those from where questions are deemed mandatory, so as to ascertain a student's comprehension for key (and minimal) expected knowledge areas along with demonstrable practical ability in order to attain a SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification from a SSF Accredited Training Institute. This is a less exhaustive list than the Curriculum Focus Area list and is designed primarily to serve as a basic-guideline to validate the exam questionnaires as per SSF norms. On the whole though, the examination system and methodology for SSF ATIs is another area which gets validated separately for accreditation purposes by SSF, which Includes the online examination mechanism, proctoring controls, as well as the Bloom's Taxonomy (cognitive domain) Level expected to be evaluated in an objective manner in addition to the Exam Focus areas (and weightage of questions).

Focus Areas: Lean and Project Management

Mandatory Question Areas: Lean Methods 5S, A3, Concepts of continuous improvements (PDCA cycle and Kaizen), Kanban, Lean at Enterprise Level, TPM and related Metrics

Overall Area weightage: 10%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Apply (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Mandatory Question Areas: Group Dynamics, Basic Metrics like ROI, Effort & Schedule Variance, Scope Creep etc., Project Selection Considerations, Basic Concepts from Contemporary Project Management Methodologies (PMI’s approach etc.), Gantt Charts and CPM (Critical Path Method)

Overall Area weightage: 15%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Analyze (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Focus Areas: Six Sigma via DMAIC Lifecycle

Mandatory Question Areas: VOC, VOB, COQ, COPQ etc.; Prioritizing Customer Requirements (Decision Metrics and Kano Model), Developing CTQs, Project Charter Development

Overall Area weightage: 5%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Analyze (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Mandatory Question Areas: Baselining Process Performance with questions on Capability and Sigma Levels, Yield (Y, Yft, Yrt etc.), Measurement System Analysis: Mandatory Questions from both Gage R&R (with basic formulas) and Attribute Agreement Analysis, SIPOC and Process Flowcharts Development

Overall Area weightage: 15%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Analyze (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Mandatory Question Areas: Sampling Techniques, Hypothesis Test Selection, Test Power, Significance and Error Types, Practical questions using some common tests, Inference using Multivariate Tools

Overall Area weightage: 20%
 

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Evaluate (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Mandatory Question Areas: Regression analysis with Interpretation of Results (including Residuals plots), Factorial Designs and Resolutions, Crossed vs Nested Factors, Cube and Contour Plots

Overall Area weightage: 20%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Evaluate (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

Mandatory Question Areas: Non-SPC: Poka-Yoke, SPC: Control charts selection, Response Planning

Overall Area weightage: 15%

Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001 revision) Level: Analyze (Maximum Targeted Level for this Area)

SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification: Curriculum Focus Areas

The List of recommended (essential) topics to be covered as part of an SSF ATI's Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification training curriculum.

Focus Areas: Lean and Project Management

Lean

  1. Lean History and the TPS (Toyota’s role)
  2. Understanding Lean Fundamentals and Importance of Lean
  3. How Lean and Six Sigma Work together
  4. Lean Enterprise and Challenges
  5. 7 Wastes of Lean
  6. 3M in Lean
  7. 5S with Audits (explore Non-SPC control mechanisms)
  8. Causal Analysis: Basic techniques like 5-Why, Gemba etc.
  9. Causal Analysis: 6M with Ishikawa Diagrams
  10. Kaizen, PDCA cycle and concepts of continuous improvements
  11. Non-SPC Control Technique: Poka-Yoke
  12. Production Workflow Management
  13. SMED
  14. JIT Approach (Push vs Pull)
  15. TPM with Metrics

Project Management

  1. Project Management Fundamentals
  2. Project Selection Considerations and ROI
  3. Basics of Modern day Project Management Methodologies with overview of PMI’s approach
  4. Typical Project Management Metrics related to Planning, Monitoring, Quality, Change-Management etc. and how DMAIC fits in
  5. WBS, Gantt-charts, CPM
  6. Effective Communication: Planning and Mechanisms etc.
  7. Group Dynamics, Team Management, Motivational Techniques and Best Practices from these Areas

Focus Areas: Six Sigma via DMAIC Lifecycle

Define

  1. Understanding Customer Requirements
  2. Basics like VOC, VOB, COQ, COPQ etc
  3. Kano Model
  4. Prioritization Tools like Decision Matrices, Cost-vs-Benefit Analysis etc.
  5. Understanding the six-sigma breakthrough equation
  6. Developing CTQs
  7. Process Mapping Fundamentals
  8. Process Flowcharts Development
  9. SIPOC Analysis
  10. Project Charter Development

Measure

  1. Data types and Data Distributions
  2. Continuous vs Discrete Distributions with examples/use-cases
  3. Detailed focus on Normal Distribution (3-sigma rule, CLT etc.)
  4. Situations with Non-Normal Data and how to handle these
  5. Measurement System Analysis: Difference between Accuracy, Precision;
  6. Measurement System Analysis: Types of Errors viz: Bias, Linearity, Stability etc. with their impact
  7. Measurement System Analysis: Gage R&R, Attribute Agreement Analysis
  8. Data Collection Plan
  9. Six Sigma History
  10. Six Sigma Levels (Understanding DPMO, DPO, DPU etc.)
  11. Baselining Process Performance: Capability and Levels, Sigma Levels and Yield with related Metrics

Analyze

  1. Descriptive Statistics*
  2. Basic Graphical Analysis via simple graphs like Pareto Plots, Scatter Diagrams etc.*
  3. FMEA
  4. Hypothesis tests basics and general concepts (significance level, power, alpha, beta, p-value etc)
  5. Hypothesis tests error types
  6. Hypothesis tests selection process
  7. Hypothesis tests sampling
  8. Hypothesis testing on Normal data with common tests
  9. Hypothesis testing on Non-Normal data with common tests
  10. Contingency tables and using Chi-Square test
  11. Multi-Variate Analysis

*These topics are being provided for reference and need of coverage, but may be covered in an earlier phase as well

Improve

  1. General Intro
  2. Common Ideation and Consensus building Techniques (Brainstorming, NGT etc.)
  3. Examining Correlation; Regression Analysis and Interpreting Results (including Residuals plot)
  4. OFAT vs DOE
  5. DOE Terminology (Factors, Levels, Effects, Interaction, Treatment etc.)
  6. DOE Fundamentals (Screening, Blocking, Confounding, Replication etc.)
  7. DOE Planning and Execution Considerations
  8. DOE Factorial Designs and Resolutions
  9. DOE Cube and Contour Plots
  10. Piloting the Improvements

Control

  1. SPC vs Non-SPC Techniques
  2. Control Data Monitoring etc.
  3. Control Charts and their Fundamentals (Center Line, Control Limits)
  4. Common Variable Control Charts
  5. Common Attribute Control Charts
  6. Control Charts Selection based on Data types and Sub-group size etc.
  7. Examining Control Charts for Process Stability
  8. Control and Response Planning
  9. Project Handover and Project Closure Best Practices

Download the composite BOK for SSF Lean Six Sigma Black Belt as a pdf for reference.

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