Lean Six Sigma training and certification is very confusing 

Many people new to LSS don't realize how much inconsistency there is in the type of LSS training and certification requirements offered by many organizations. There is no standard Body of Knowledge (BOK) for the LSS training content and no central organization that governs the requirements and process for granting LSS certifications. As such, it's led to the creation of many different training organizations offering as many different confusing options for learning and getting certified in LSS. For more details on this, check out the article Straight Answers About Lean Six Sigma Certifications.

What are the critical factors to consider in finding the right training organization?

Cost, method and time - these are generally the biggest factors to consider when comparing training organizations.

• COST - This can easily vary from free up to $5,000 or more. It's important to know that cost does not always equate to quality. There are many organizations offering high-quality resources for free or minimal cost and also many organizations offering low-quality resources at a very high cost. So although cost should not be used to interpret quality, it will naturally influence which which ones you can afford to consider.
• METHOD - Most training organizations provide their training either in a classroom or online. Some offer both, but there are a few things to consider here. If you find that you learn better in a classroom, then be sure to explore those options; however, classroom training will limit you to certain geographic locations and may limit you on the schedule and availability. Online options extend your reach to many worldwide training organizations, but the impersonal nature of online learning may not be for everyone.
• TIME - This can refer to both the the duration of the training itself as well as the flexibility of how soon the training organization will allow you to attend. Some training at the Black Belt level last for as little as 28 hours from StatStuff to 200+ hours (across 5+ weeks) from other organizations. 

You may notice that these critical factors are not including size or popularity. Some organizations grew to be very big and popular because they make it too easy for some folks to attain a certification. But that doesn't mean those folks are necessarily qualified and truly have the LSS skills and expertise the certification is meant to validate. For more info about this and factors to consider for a LSS certification, check out the article Straight Answers About Lean Six Sigma Certifications.

How can I compare between the many different training organizations?

StatStuff published the first comprehensive list of its kind for comparing dozens of LSS training organizations. Only StatStuff has such a large list of training organizations that allows you to quickly compare, filter and search for key features about each organization's training format, cost, location, certification types, requirements, etc. 

StatStuff's Training Organizations page compiles all of the information from the most renowned LSS training organizations into a simple layout for quick and easy comparison. The features include the following (* indicates a feature accessible only be logging into StatStuff with a free registered account):

• A simple list of many training organizations with their location, certs types they offer, training methods they employ, cost for their training & certs, and their basic requirements for attaining a cert.
• A search function in the list so you can search for keywords and quickly filter the list to only those training organizations that contain that keyword. For example, you can limit your search for only training organizations in a particular state or country.
• A sort function for any column in the list so you can quickly find or rank the training organizations the way you want. For example, you can sort the list by the minimum cost range to find those who are least expensive.
• An interactive map displaying the primary locations for each of the training organizations throughout the world.*
• A rating system for each training organization where those who have experience with a particular training org can give a 1 to 5 star rating based on that experience.*
• The ability to compare all the finer details about the training and certs for each training organization. This comparison is available for up to 5 different training organizations.*
• A detailed summary of each training organization using their own description. For example, many of these descriptions are pulled from each training organization's website.*
• The ability to leave comments about any training organization.*

The content about each training org was initially collected from each organization's website and is only provided here as a guideline. Any changes to their training or cert info may not be reflected in StatStuff's comparison list. The training organizations are welcome to contact StatStuff for any changes or corrections about their training org or they can use this form to submit their own training details (for registered users).

About StatStuff

StatStuff is the only FREE source for complete Lean Six Sigma training. It is highly endorsed as quality Lean Six Sigma training from leaders at top companies like Apple, eBay, Pepsico, Bank of America, Dell, Sprint, BP, etc. Many other training organizations offer similar LSS training content for $2,000 - $7,000 and their training lasts 40 to 200 hours long. StatStuff’s free online training content is less than 28 hours – plus StatStuff offers Beginner and Intermediate training paths that can be completed in far less time. Many companies, training organizations, and universities are using StatStuff for their training curriculum. And why shouldn't they? There’s no risk, it’s less time, less money, and what better way is there to teach Lean Six Sigma than to apply Lean Six Sigma to their own training plan?