Marine Corps COOL Snapshot - Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)

Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The American Society for Quality (ASQ), Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) is a professional who can explain Six Sigma philosophies and principles, including supporting systems and tools. Certified Six Sigma Black Belts demonstrate team leadership, understand team dynamics and assign team member roles and responsibilities. CSSBB candidates have a thorough understanding of all aspects of the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) model in accordance with Six Sigma principles. Candidates have a basic knowledge of lean enterprise concepts, are able to identify non-value-added elements and activities and are able to use specific tools. CSSBB candidates must have two completed projects with signed affidavits or one completed project with signed affidavit and three years of work experience in one or more areas of the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge. Candidates do not need to be a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt to qualify for the CSSBB. Candidates must pass a written examination.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)

The following Marine Corps Enlisted MOSs provide training and/or experience that contributes to attaining this credential:

Enlisted Occupation	Occupation Type	Related As	COOL$
0161 Postal Clerk	MOS	Other
0291 Intelligence Chief	MOS	Other
0399 Infantry Operations Chief	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
0411 Maintenance Management Specialist	MOS	Other
0511 Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Planning Specialist	MOS	Other
0627 Satellite Transmissions System Operator	MOS	Other
0639 Network Chief	MOS	Other
0679 Data Systems Chief	MOS	Other
0699 Communications Chief	MOS	Other
0848 Field Artillery Operations Chief	MOS	Other
1349 Engineer Equipment Chief	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
1391 Bulk Fuel Specialist	MOS	Other
2149 Ordnance Vehicle Maintenance Chief	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
2181 Ground Ordnance Weapons Chief	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
2659 Intelligence Technology & Data Chief	MOS	Other
2691 Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare/Cyberspace Operations Chief	MOS	Other
2891 Ground Electronics Systems Maintenance Chief	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
3043 Supply Chain and Materiel Management Specialist	MOS	Other
3044 Operational Contract Support Specialist	MOS	Other
5953 Air Traffic Control RADAR Technician	MOS	Other
6074 Cryogenics Equipment Operator	MOS	Other
6672 Aviation Supply Specialist	MOS	Other
8999 Sergeant Major-First Sergeant	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks
Leader	MOS	Some	COOL Bucks

The following civilian occupations are related to this credential:

	Civilian Job	Job Family	Bright Outlook	Registered Apprenticeship	Local Salary Info
	Quality Control Systems Managers	Management			find local salary

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Attainability:

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

Credential Prerequisite
Experience: 3 years
Education
Training
Membership
Other
Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for a Service member to meet eligibility requirements. Requirements listed here are based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

Exam
Written Exam
Oral Exam
Practical Exam
Performance Assessment

Exam Administration (View Details)

In-person exam
Remote proctored on-line exam
Third-party test vendor

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

Continuing Education
Exam
Continuing Education OR Exam
Fee
Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

American Society for Quality (ASQ)

600 N Plankinton Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203

Phone: (800) 248-1946

Fax: (414) 272-1734
Email: help@asq.org

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Experience REQUIREMENTS

Pathway 1:

Candidate must have two completed projects with signed affidavits.

Pathway 2:

Candidate must have one completed project with a signed affidavit and three years of work experience in one or more areas of the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge.

Note: Work experience must be in a full time, paid role. Paid intern, co-op or any other course work cannot be applied towards the work experience requirement.

Other REQUIREMENTS

The Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) credential has the following other requirements:

Candidate must meet the minimum expectations for a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt as set by American Society for Quality (ASQ). Details can be obtained from ASQ website, see the CSSBB Brochure and the CSSBB page.

Written Exam

Organization-wide Planning and Deployment
- Organization-wide considerations
  - Fundamentals of six sigma and lean methodologies
  - Six sigma, lean, and continuous improvement methodologies
  - Relationships among business systems and processes
  - Strategic planning and deployment for initiatives
- Leadership
  - Roles and responsibilities
  - Organizational roadblocks and change management
Organizational Process Management and Measures
- Impact on stakeholders
- Benchmarking
- Business measures
  - Performance measures
  - Financial measures
Team Management
- Team formation
  - Team types and constraints
  - Team roles and responsibilities
  - Team member selection criteria
  - Team success factors
- Team facilitation
  - Motivational techniques
  - Team stages of development
  - Team communication
  - Team leadership models
- Team dynamics
  - Group behaviors
  - Meeting management
  - Team decision-making methods
- Team training
  - Needs assessment
  - Delivery
  - Evaluation
Define
- Voice of the customer
  - Customer identification
  - Customer data collection
  - Customer requirements
- Business case and project charter
  - Business case
  - Problem statement
  - Project scope
  - Goals and objectives
  - Project performance measurements
  - Project charter review
- Project management (PM) tools
- Analytical tools
Measure
- Process characteristics
  - Process flow metrics
  - Process analysis tools
- Data collection
  - Types of data
  - Measurement scales
  - Sampling
  - Data collection plans and methods
- Measurement systems
  - Measurement system analysis (MSA)
  - Measurement systems across the organization
  - Metrology
- Basic statistics
  - Basic statistical terms
  - Central limit theorem
  - Descriptive statistics
  - Graphical methods
  - Valid statistical conclusions
- Probability
  - Basic concepts
  - Distributions
- Process capability
  - Process capability indices
  - Process performance indices
  - General process capability studies
  - Process capability for attributes data
  - Process capability for non-normal data
  - Process performance vs. specification
  - Short-term and long-term capability
Analyze
- Measuring and modeling relationships between variables
  - Correlation coefficient
  - Linear regression
  - Multivariate tools
- Hypothesis testing
  - Terminology
  - Statistical vs. practical significance
  - Sample size
  - Point and interval estimates
  - Tests for means, variances, and proportions
  - Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
  - Goodness-of-fit (chi square) tests
  - Contingency tables
  - Non-parametric tests
- Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)
- Additional analysis methods
  - Gap analysis
  - Root cause analysis
  - Waste analysis
Improve
- Design of experiments (DOE)
  - Terminology
  - Design principles
  - Planning experiments
  - One-factor experiments
  - Two-level fractional factorial experiments
  - Full factorial experiments
- Lean methods
  - Waste elimination
  - Cycle-time reduction
  - Kaizen
  - Other improvement tools and techniques
- Implementation
Control
- Statistical process control (SPC)
  - Objectives
  - Selection of variables
  - Rational subgrouping
  - Control chart selection
  - Control chart analysis
- Other controls
  - Total productive maintenance (TPM)
  - Visual controls
- Maintain controls
  - Measurement system reanalysis
  - Control plan
- Sustain improvements
  - Lessons learned
  - Documentation
  - Training for process owners and staff
  - Ongoing evaluation
Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Frameworks and Methodologies
- Common DFSS methodologies
- Design for X (DFX)
- Robust designs

Exam Preparation Resources

There are a number of resources available to help you prepare for the Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) examination:

Best Sources

General References

An additional resource is O'Reilly Learning Safari Books Online, a searchable digital library that provides online access to thousands of books, training videos and conference sessions. See the Educational Resources section on the Related Sites page here on COOL to learn how to get free access.

Testing Information

Exam Administration
Credential exams may be administered in-person at a testing site, proctored on-line remotely, or have options for both. If an exam is administered through a test vendor, the third-party test vendor box will be checked. The following test administration options apply to the Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) credential where checked:
- In-person exam
- Remote proctored on-line exam
- Third-party test vendor

For more information on the American Society for Quality (ASQ) testing process, visit the agency website.

Third-Party Test Vendor Information
Testing for this credential is handled by the following vendor:

Prometric

The test centers are located in the U.S.

To find out more, use the following links on the Prometric website:

RECERTIFICATION

Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) credential has the following recertification information:

The CSSBB certification is renewed every three years by obtaining and documenting 18 recertification units (RUs) in a recertification journal and paying a journal fee or retaking the certification exam at the end of the three-year recertification period and paying an exam fee.

Additional information can be found on the ASQ website.

Note: Marine Corps COOL will only pay recertification fees for the current year, no arrears will be paid. Voucher requests for recertification fees must be submitted with proof of the current status of the certification (for example, a screen shot of your credentialing agency dashboard or a copy of a current fee receipt).

Additional considerations for the Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) include:

Candidates do not need to be a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt.