This blog is in response to a number of questions I have received on becoming an IE in the IT (Information Technology) or IS (Information Systems) field. B5 a* M5 ]( b8 F( o5 L
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There are several options for getting recognized Six Sigma or project management certifications for IT/IS. j) J7 f4 z# g7 j& ?
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One option for process improvement certification is to get a Six Sigma green belt or black belt, either through your employer's Six Sigma education program or from an organization like the IIE's Six Sigma program. Do NOT use a diploma mill, or any program that only asks for money and then asks you to read a stack of books. Reliable programs require that you do a qualifying project in conjunction with the program. Expect 3-6 months of time, about one week per month, for a real Six Sigma certification program. The advantage of a Six Sigma green belt or black belt is that it is a broad improvement methodology, applicable to any field, whether you create software or hardware or any other product or process. Personally, I have a Six Sigma green belt, earned through a program with my employer. I worked engineering development before moving over to IT, moving from engineering design to engineering software as the product.
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, u* _0 N' ~+ Q# h2 w% ?Another option is to get Lean Sigma certification. Lean Sigma is also offered from some employers and through the IIE. In my experience, software/IT IT infrastructure tends to evolve so quickly that there is a lot of wasted time, effort, energy and redundancy. Thus there is a lot of room for Lean Sigma methodology to be applied there. You have to understand how the system is now and what it needs to be, then coordinate teams or recommend to the project managers how to get it done. This requires understanding interrelationships, system limitations and resources, and human-machine interfaces. However, you are not the one who would be rewriting software or system architectures if that needed to be done. Process improvement and redesign for IT doesn't require coding or scripting. You can move the same skill set from any industry to IT and become successful, if you recognize the software as another people-oriented service and product at once. Although there may be Six Sigma certifications popping up for every industry, from health care to software, in my opinion, any general Six Sigma methodology training is just as valid in any field. |