Six Sigma Instructor Spotlight with Dr. Patrick Hammett

WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN SIX SIGMA?

Dr. Hammett: When I first received my PhD from the University of Michigan, I was working as a post-doc in the College of Engineering. I was co-teaching a course on total quality management and my instructor was preparing to retire. He asked me to take over the course and I accepted the offer. 

After about a year of teaching the course, my students came to me and said, “We enjoy this course, but everyone is interested in Six Sigma to help our careers. Total quality management is not as popular as it used to be.” I researched Six Sigma and the concepts were 90% of what I was already teaching. I decided to restructure the total quality management course and reorganize the curriculum to align with the Six Sigma methodology. 

This was a great career move for me because there were a lot of people who were passionate about the process improvement and data analytic tools I was covering. The opportunity allowed me to take my industry experiences and what I’ve learned as a PhD candidate and lecturer and transform them into an in-demand skill in the industry.

HOW HAS SIX SIGMA INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER? 

Dr. Hammett: Teaching the Six Sigma courses opened doors for some great opportunities. I began teaching industry courses to the public. I worked with a company that was looking for a training program for their employees. I built an online course for the company and 6000 of their employees enrolled in it. 

Working with companies in the industry helped me expand my knowledge of real-world applications and sharpened my understanding of Six Sigma tools. It allowed me to see plenty of projects and work more directly with companies to help them succeed. As a result, I expanded this experience to various companies and industries over the last 30 years.

WHAT ARE THE KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GREEN BELT AND BLACK BELT CERTIFICATION COURSES? 

Dr. Hammett: The Green Belt certification course sets the foundation for process improvement. It introduces the methodology and walks you through the most widely used tools. A subset of processes do not require sophisticated data analysis. You can solve some problems with a bit of vigor and focus. The Green Belt program is perfect for situations like this. This program can help improve smaller processes and issues with basic analysis tools. 

The Black Belt certification course takes Six Sigma tools to the next level. When basic data analysis isn’t cutting it, Black Belt offers more advanced skills to solve complex issues. Black Belt provides intricate experiment designs and multivariate approaches and variables. We expand upon certain topics, therefore learners have a complete understanding of the process improvement methodology.

Essentially, a Black Belt is a Green Belt with more advanced statistical skills. A Green Belt is a great option for individuals who want to become problem solvers in their organization. A Black Belt is for people who are actively in charge of improvement projects in their organization.

WHAT TYPE OF LEARNERS CAN BENEFIT FROM SIX SIGMA TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN? 

Dr. Hammett: This program is beneficial for two distinct groups of learners. Data-driven professionals who are involved in process improvement make up the first group.These are the individuals who are trying to make their existing processes more efficient and more cost-effective. The course is very applicable to the engineering, operations, healthcare, and business analytics fields. These industries heavily rely on data collection and quality control. We give learners the necessary tools to transform collected information into actionable plans to eliminate waste and enhance efficiency.

The second group of learners that benefit from this program are graduate engineering students. These are the professionals who are just starting their careers in the industry. They are exposed to important theories in school but haven’t had many opportunities to apply them. In the Green Belt course, we will cover a lot of formulas and prerequisite information they learned in undergrad. However, our instructors teach the materials from a purely applied standpoint. It’s very software-driven and application-based. 

WHAT ARE SOME IMPORTANT SKILLS LEARNERS CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THE PROGRAM?

Dr. Hammett: Six Sigma is fundamentally about process improvement. Students will learn all the tools related to process improvement. Students will learn how to identify problems, think critically, make recommendations, and encourage others to change processes and systems.

An important skill area that professionals will explore is becoming better at using data to drive decisions. ‘How do I collect the data? How do I analyze it in a way that I can drive change in my organization?’ After completing the certification course, you will be confident in your ability to improve operational processes and offer your team a well-organized, data-driven recommendation for improvement.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF TEACHING SIX SIGMA TO LEARNERS?

Dr. Hammett: The most rewarding part of being a Six Sigma instructor at the University of Michigan is seeing participants come from all around the world and from numerous industries. I can learn from professionals working in industries like healthcare, automotive, and manufacturing. Learners can also learn from each other. I am constantly working with people and everyone has something to teach me. 

I’ve had the opportunity to work with companies all over the world. I’ve worked in Japan, China, and many countries in Europe. I enjoy finding new ways to analyze data and trying to find new ways to provide learners with the essential tools and methods. I enjoy witnessing the light-bulb moments when the learners open their minds and expand their toolboxes. I love helping them become better employees and change-makers.

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR PROFESSIONALS INTERESTED IN SIX SIGMA TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN? 

Dr. Hammett: The Six Sigma program at the University of Michigan is exceptionally rigorous. We blend lessons from our experienced instructors with practical applications from our students to provide meaningful examples. This ensures an interactive experience, even in our online courses.

You will learn a vast amount of material, conduct experiments and tests, and analyze real-world data. You will also have the opportunity to discuss your current processes and the challenges you want to solve with the class. Be prepared to bring your expertise and knowledge to the program. Overall, you will have a comprehensive learning experience with any of our Six Sigma certification courses.