As you work towards Lean Six Sigma certification, you are likely to find yourself grappling with selecting the right project to pursue. Projects are critical for your Lean Six Sigma education because they provide you with interactions and challenges that can't be learned from books or online lessons alone. Many hiring managers only consider resumes that include certification but still hold a dim view of certification without proven skills.

If you work for a company that has an active Six Sigma deployment, you will have a deployment structure to assist you.  However, if you aren't currently working for a Six Sigma company, your challenge is much greater, but certainly not insurmountable.  The following list of ideas can help you prepare a plan to seek outside sponsorship of a Lean/Six Sigma project.

Developing a List of Candidates

1. Tap into your network of contacts and consider public sector and charitable organizations.  Frequently, government, education, and charities have a lot of data but little information.  Staffing is usually too thin to allocate to anything but the highest priority projects.
    
2. Identify organizations that have a quality culture and promote a philosophy of continuous improvement.  They may not be familiar with the specific Six Sigma methodology and tools; however, your progress will be expedited if the organization aligns conceptually.

Creating a List of Potential Projects

1. Develop some project parameters around your interests and strengths.  There are a number of articles about project selection on the iSixSigma Web site that will help you frame your ideas. 
   
   
2. An aspiring Black Belt, could, for example, work with:
   
   - teachers to identify the most effective teaching methods for a specific subject,
   - library staff to reduce turnaround time for library materials,
   - city manager to expedite contract approval time for road and sidewalk repair,
   - municipal health department to decrease caller hold time on an InfoLine,
   - zoning officers to reduce the elapsed time of the permitting process, or
   - local food pantry director to increase the efficiency in the collection and distribution of perishable food.
   - Additional examples of completed projects are available from the City of Fort Wayne, Erie County, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
   
   
3. Think about cross-functional processes & services that involve multiple agencies or organizations.  Examples include Workers Comp treatment/rehabilitation, municipal development along a state highway, and school district budgeting processes.  These can be ripe with opportunity to trim time and errors.

Making the Pitch

1. “Pre-qualify” your candidates with a short phone conversation to avoid wasting your time or theirs.  Then, schedule an in-person meeting to expand on your proposal.
   
   
2. Provide a proposal packet that includes a basic overview of the Six Sigma methodology, a copy of your resume, some applicable examples of projects based on your research, and a blank copy of a project charter.
   
   
3. Discuss the benefits to the organization as well as the resources that you'll need.  These include people resources as well as data resources.  It is also beneficial to highlight potential project timelines and responsibilities.
   
   
4. Establish a date for follow-up and final decision-making.

Approach your search for a project sponsor like you would a job search --- you may need to knock on a number of doors before you find the right match.