Course syllabus

TEK171 Six Sigma Black Belt VT25 (15 hp) 

Course Description v1.0 

Examiner: Peter Hammersberg, peter.hammersberg@chalmers.se  

Co-examiner: Hendry Raharjo, hendry.raharjo@chalmers.se  

1. 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. 

2. 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. 

3. Learning outcomes 

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 

4. Contents 

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.   

5. Organization

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.