Six Sigma Principles (Coursera)

Six Sigma Principles (Coursera)

This course is for you if you are looking to learn more about Six Sigma or refresh your knowledge of the basic components of Six Sigma and Lean. Six Sigma skills are widely sought by employers both nationally and internationally. These skills have been proven to help improve business processes and performance. This course will introduce you to the purpose of Six Sigma and its value to an organization. You will learn about the basic principles of Six Sigma and Lean. Your instructors will introduce you to, and have you apply, some of the tools and metrics that are critical components of Six Sigma. This course will provide you with the basic knowledge of the principles, roles, and responsibilities of Six Sigma and Lean.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Every module will include readings, videos, and a quiz to help make sure you understand the material and concepts that are studied. You will also have the opportunity to participate in discussions and peer review exercises to give you the opportunity to apply the material to your daily life.
Our applied curriculum is built around the latest handbook The Certified Six Sigma Handbook (2nd edition) and students will develop /learn the fundamentals of Six Sigma. Registration includes online access to course content, projects, and resources but does not include the companion text The Certified Six Sigma Handbook (2nd edition). The companion text is not required to complete the assignments. However, the text is a recognized handbook used by professionals in the field. Also, it is a highly recommended text for those wishing to move forward in Six Sigma and eventually gain certification from professional agencies such as American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Course 1 of 4 in the Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Six Sigma Foundations, Principles, Roles and Responsibilities
Welcome to the Six Sigma Yellow Belt Specialization! Six Sigma skills are widely sought by employers both nationally and internationally. These skills help to improve business processes and performance. Your team of instructors, Dr. Bill Bailey, Dr. David Cook, Dr. Christine Scherrer, and Dr. Gregory Wiles, currently work in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Kennesaw State University. They have collaborated to create a specialization that is all encompassing of the Six Sigma methodologies for both Yellow and Green belt. Completion of this specialization will provide you with the knowledge to either continue to full Six Sigma certification or simply advance your knowledge professionally. In this module you will be introduced to the foundations of Six Sigma, the purpose of lean, and the value to the organization as a whole.

WEEK 2
Quality Tools and Six Sigma Metrics
In this module Dr. Bill Bailey will introduce you to the different types of quality tools as well as important Six Sigma metrics that can be used throughout the DMAIC process. Quality tools and metrics are a critical tool for process improvement. This module will introduce you to some of the most common quality tools as well as the most important Six Sigma metrics.

WEEK 3
Team Basics
Teamwork is an essential component of successful quality improvement work. Many successful organizations have leaders who work in teams. In this module you will learn about why teams are so important to the Six Sigma process, the different types of teams and their different objectives, the different stages of team development, decision making methods for use in teams, and team communication methods.

WEEK 4
Lean Foundations and Principles
In this module you will be introduced to the purpose of lean and its methodologies. You will learn about the value of lean to an organization. This module will build off of what you have learned in the previous modules and help you to better understand how to better serve customers.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies (Coursera) Coursera
Case Western Reserve University

Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies (Coursera)

The path for entrepreneurs to grow their companies outside of well-developed entrepreneurial ecosystems like Silicon Valley is challenging. Most markets around the world do not look like Silicon Valley, and they never will. But there are other models to support new businesses. In transitioning markets (where entrepreneurs do not have much access to private sector financing), government officials, donors, and business leaders are experimenting with creative approaches to support the growth of entrepreneurs. Northeast Ohio, whose largest city is Cleveland, is one such community. During our time together in this course, we will be exploring some of these innovative approaches.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Planning: Principled, Proposing, Proofing, and Practicing to a Success Plan (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Planning: Principled, Proposing, Proofing, and Practicing to a Success Plan (Coursera)

According to Steven Blank a business startup, or any new venture startup is essentially a proto-type. Thus the startup process essentially becomes a learning process to refine that business proto-type into a scalable, replicable finished 'product'. At the end of this course learners will be able to: complete a business model summarizing assumptions about what value they will offer to whom, and how they will make money; systematically test and validate these assumptions within the constraints of their available resources, and; use these validated assumptions to generate financial projections that are based on actual resources and efforts expended.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Shaping Your Professional Brand (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Shaping Your Professional Brand (Coursera)

You've thought about who you are and how you want your career to be. You have some skills to deal with situations that could cause problems. What about the team around you? How do you build functional and constructive professional relationships? How can you add value? What do employers look for when they are promoting?

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Impact from digital transformation: A Nano course (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Impact from digital transformation: A Nano course (Coursera)

You believe that a lot of industries will fundamentally change due to digital power the upcoming 5 to 10 years? You believe that what often today have been called "disruption" might happen to an industry of your specific interest? You believe in the value of becoming able to predict how that kind of change will evolve in order to do digital transformation and thereby avoid ending up with big problems in the future? Then this course is for you.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
New Technologies for Business Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rutgers University

New Technologies for Business Leaders (Coursera)

This introductory course is developed for high-level business people (and those on their way) who want a broad understanding of new Information Technologies and understand their potential for business functions (e.g. marketing, supply change management, finance). This is not a course for people looking for guidance on how to become a deep technical expert or implement these technologies.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Financial Markets (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

Financial Markets (Coursera)

An overview of the ideas, methods, and institutions that permit human society to manage risks and foster enterprise. Emphasis on financially-savvy leadership skills. Description of practices today and analysis of prospects for the future. Introduction to risk management and behavioral finance principles to understand the real-world functioning of securities, insurance, and banking industries. The ultimate goal of this course is using such industries effectively and towards a better society.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Removing Barriers to Change (Coursera)

What does it mean to truly change something? How does one persuade others to change? How do we reduce roadblocks to change? In this course, you’ll learn about the barriers to change and how to become more effective in inspiring change within others and your organization.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Design Thinking para Inovação (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Design Thinking para Inovação (Coursera)

Hoje em dia, a inovação é um negócio de todos. Se você for um gerente em uma corporação global, um empreendedor iniciando em uma função governamental ou um professor em uma escola primária, espera-se que todos sejam enxutos – para fazer melhor com menos. É por isso que todos nós precisamos de design thinking (pensamento criativo).

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Global Public Procurement (Coursera) Coursera
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST

Global Public Procurement (Coursera)

Students will learn the key principles of public procurement with public entities, including national international organizations. This course also illustrates practical examples and models on understanding the processes and procedurals of public procurement. Through the course, students will learn practical information such as registering as vendors and finding and bidding for opportunities.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks