What Is Six Sigma Certification?

Why Isn't ASQ The Sole Six Sigma Certification Body As It Is For CQM?
Quality certification titles such as Certified Quality Manager (CQM), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), and Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) may only be attained from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) - as they are the sole certification body for these titles. No other company or body offer these certifications as it would be difficult to convince individuals and companies that the certification has the same value as that of ASQ's certification.

There are many reasons why ASQ didn't automatically become the de facto certification source for Six Sigma green belts, black belts and master black belts as it has for CQMs, CQEs and CQAs. First, ASQ only started offering certification around 2000, although Six Sigma quality has been popular since the mid-1990s. Second, the methodology was originally proprietary to Motorola (although most, if not all, of the individual tools that make up Six Sigma are public domain), and it was not apparent how great an impact Six Sigma would have in the quality community and business world until the late 1990s. Finally, there are complaints within the quality profession that ASQ is a slow-moving organization, and at times has tried to control the evolution of Six Sigma, which created a barrier to adoption by the industry and by businesses.

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