Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-20 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).
Overview
- Swedish nameSix sigma black belt
- CodeTEK171
- Credits15 Credits
- OwnerMPQOM
- Education cycleSecond-cycle
- Main field of studyIndustrial Engineering and Management
- DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
- GradingUG - Pass, Fail
Course round 1
- Teaching language English
- Application code 36111
- Maximum participants50
- Minimum participants10
- Open for exchange studentsNo
- Only students with the course round in the programme overview.
Credit distribution
Module | Sp1 | Sp2 | Sp3 | Sp4 | Summer | Not Sp | Examination dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0321 Examination 4 c Grading: UG | 4 c | ||||||
| 0421 Project 3.5 c Grading: UG | 3.5 c | ||||||
| 0521 Examination 3.5 c Grading: UG | 3.5 c | ||||||
| 0621 Project 4 c Grading: UG | 4 c |
In programmes
Examiner
Peter Hammersberg- Senior Lecturer, Engineering Materials, Industrial and Materials Science
Eligibility
General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Specific entry requirements
English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.
Course specific prerequisites
Prospective students need to be registered on the Master s Programme in Quality and Operations Management thus having basic courses in Quality and Operations Management and basic knowledge of statistics.Aim
Six Sigma is a methodology for continuous improvements with the purpose to manage sources of variation in relation to the strategic performance requirements of organizations. Within the Six Sigma framework, the improvement activity is driven by a specialist called "Black Belt". The purpose of this course is to provide participants with knowledge and competence to apply Six Sigma methodology for continuous improvements. The course is project-based with supporting lectures, in which the student should acquire theoretical and practical knowledge of Six Sigma and drive a Six Sigma project over one semester in and with a private or public organization.Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)
After completion of the course, the student should: have theoretical and practical knowledge of Six Sigma methodology
be able to actively participate and facilitate a Six Sigma project
be able to train others on how to drive continuous improvements using Six Sigma methodology
be able to critically reflect upon the Six Sigma methodology
Content
The 7+1 sessions in the course will be planned according to the DMAIC (Define - Measure - Analyse - Improve - Control) cycle. Most of the illustrations will be taken from manufacturing, service, and healthcare contexts. Examples of topics for the sessions are the Six Sigma framework, process mapping, effective scoping, basic statistics, measurement system analysis, design of experiments, statistical process surveillance, and stakeholder management. In the final session, there will be a poster conference with representatives from the organizations. The project will be performed in groups containing 2-3 students and one organizational participant. The organizational participant will also take an active part in both course sessions and project work.Organisation
The course is structured around a set of in-situ projects supported by two-day classroom sessions covering theories, practical exercises, case discussion, and workshops. The course webpage is used as the main communication tool please check frequently.Literature
Lecture hand-outs are also seen as part of the literature. These articles can, if nothing else stated, be found at Chalmers librarys webpage, search in e-journals.Book: Carleton, S.A. (2016), The Black Belt Memory Jogger, Second Edition: A Pocket Guide for Six Sigma DMAIC Success, Goal/QPC, Methuen, MA 01844 USA.
Session 2
- Breyfogle III, F. W. (2014), 30.000-Foot-Level Performance Metric Reporting, Six Sigma Forum Magazine, p18-32.
- Haller, H., & Krauss, S. (2002). Misinterpretations of significance: A problem students share with their teachers. Methods of Psychological Research, 7(1), 1-20.
- Hoekstra, R., Morey, R. D., Rouder, J. N., & Wagenmakers, E. J. (2014). Robust misinterpretation of confidence intervals. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 1-8.
Session 3
- Schroeder, R. G., K. Linderman, et. Al. (2008), Six Sigma: Definition and underlying theory, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 26, 536-554.
- Öberg, A. E., Braunias, S., Hammersberg, P., & Andersson, C. (2016). Changing from watermelon measures to real decision support: including information about variation in performance measurements. In Proceedings of the 5th Production & Operations Management World Conference. Havana, Cuba: Chalmers Publications Library.
Session 4
- Goh, T. N. (2017). Conventional analysis with categorical data from a statistically designed experiment. Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 33(5), 11431147.
- Bisgaard, S. R., & Kulahci, M. (2000). Finding Assignable Causes, Quality Engineering, 12(4), 633-640.
Session 6
- Jones, B., & Nachtsheim, C. J. (2011). A class of three-level designs for definitive screening in the presence of second-order effects. Journal of Quality Technology, 43(1), 1-15.
Session 7
- Grima, P., et al. (2014), Six Sigma hints from practice to overcome difficulties. Total Quality Management, Vol. 25, No. 3, 198208.
Examination including compulsory elements
The course participant (master student and organizational participant) is expected to attend all course sessions. To pass the course, a participant needs to have the following elements:1. Active participation in class sessions (min 4.5 out of 7 points). Each full-day attendance carries 0.5 point. A minimum of 4.5 points means at least 9 out of 14 days attendance. All attendances can be carried over to the year after.
2. An approved Six Sigma Black Belt project and a project presentation.
3. Written individual exam (min 24 out of 40 points).
a. The individual exam consists of Exam A and B. Each exam carries a maximum of 20 points.
b. In the case of re-exam (Exam C, max 20 points), it replaces the lowest score of Exam A and Exam B. Note that Exam C covers the entire course materials.
4. Approved assignments (group and individual).
The grades given for this course are fail and pass. The maximum number of points that a participant can have in the course is 47 points. The written individual exam has a maximum of 40 points, and the other 7 points can be obtained from active participation in course sessions. A minimum of total of 4.5+24 points is required to pass the course.
The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.