Design for Six Sigma
Earn your Design for Six Sigma certification from the University of Michigan.
DFSS Green Belt must be completed before registering for DFSS Black Belt.
What is Design for Six Sigma?
Design for Six Sigma teaches professionals how to design products, services, and processes that meet customer needs from the start. Instead of fixing defects after launch, learners use structured design methods to build quality, reliability, and performance into new solutions.
Course Summary
| Instruction Time | Completion Time | CEUs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFSS Green Belt | ~ 60 self-paced hours | 180 days | 4 |
| DFSS Black Belt | ~ 40 self-paced hours | 365 days | 3.5 |
Many quality and warranty issues originate in product definition and design. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology aims to mitigate these issues by taking a more systematic and evidence-based approach to create. With DFSS, you can create more robust product, service, and process designs during new product development.
This program examines methods and tools to design products aimed to boost customer satisfaction and reduce future quality and warranty problems. The IDDOV methodology includes identifying customer needs and converting them into measurable design features, creating innovative design concepts.
A DFSS certification equips you with the knowledge to optimize and validate processes, helping you create quality products, meet customer needs, and achieve business goals.
Learning Objectives
It is required to complete DFSS Green Belt before DFSS Black Belt.
In this program, you will:
- Learn tools and techniques to translate the voice of the customer requirements into functional requirements and quality metrics for designs during new product development.
- Learn tools to generate design concepts and methods to evaluate and then select among design options.
- Learn tools to identify potential design issues, failure modes, and techniques to address.
- Learn tools and techniques to assess the performance of functional requirements and quality metrics, including techniques for optimization and validation.
- Apply statistical and graphical analysis tools to support the analysis of design options.
- Apply Design for Six Sigma Methods (IDDOV methodology) toward the development of new products/services.
Course Overviews
DFSS Green Belt:
The Design for Six Sigma Green Belt course is offered online. Registration is always open, and you are able to learn at your own pace within 180 days of your start date.
DFSS Black Belt:
The Design for Six Sigma Black Belt course is offered online. Registration is always open, and you are able to learn at your own pace within 365 days of your start date.
Course Outline
Green Belt Topics
- Introduction to New Product Development Challenges and IDDOV Methodology
- Defining Customer Requirements, Survey Analysis, and new product development opportunities
- Developing Functional Requirements and House of Quality
- Design Concept Generation using Benchmarking and Creativity Activation Tools, including TRIZ
- Design Concept Selection using Design Scorecards and Pugh Matrix
- System Boundary Diagrams and Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)
- Design countermeasures including Design for Manufacturability and Assembly, Axiomatic Design Principles, and Error Proofing
- Identifying factors for optimization and robustness using P-Diagrams
- Evaluating alternatives using Statistical Hypothesis Tests and transfer functions and optimization using Linear Regression
- Analyze process design, validation, and modeling techniques, including introduction to tolerance simulation
Black Belt Topics
- Evaluating robustness using hypothesis testing
- General linear models with interactions and quadratic terms
- Binary Logistic Regression and Customer Satisfaction Loss Functions
- Conventional Design of Experiments
- Response Surface Methodology and Center Composite Design of Experiments
- Taguchi Design of Experiment (Static and Dynamic)
- Multi-Response Analysis using Total Desirability Index
- Validation Tests
- Reliability Analysis/System Allocation
- Tolerance Allocation Methods
Time Commitment & Work Pace
Green Belt:
The online course includes approximately 40 hours of lecture recordings and exercises and 10-30 hours of project work. In total, the course requires an estimated 60 self-paced hours. All requirements must be completed within 180 days of your start date. If you do not complete the course within one year of your start date, you will be required to re-enroll at a reduced cost of $500.
This is a self-paced online course consisting of 24 lecture modules with 8 exercises (multiple choice tests to complete after each learning module) and 2 case study assignments. Most lecture tapes are approximately one hour in length. While the course is self-paced, we recommend completing two sessions/week.
Black Belt:
The online course includes approximately 40 self-paced hours. All requirements must be completed within 365 days of your start date. If you do not complete the course within one year of your start date, you will be required to re-enroll at a reduced cost of $500.
This is a self-paced online course consisting of 16 lecture modules with 4 exercises.
Green Belt Project Information
To earn the DFSS Green Belt certification, candidates must complete a project using the Identify-Define-Design (IDD) Six Sigma Methodology. This includes conducting an IDD analysis to translate the voice of the customer requirements into a new design concept using Design for Six Sigma tools and methods covered in the course.
Candidates should select a project from their workplace. If unable to find a work project, candidates may use a University of Michigan Green Belt Case Study Project.
Certification Requirements
Green Belt:
To earn the DFSS Green Belt certification, participants must complete graded exercises outside class and a project. The project may involve the full IDDOV methodology or only Identify-Define-Design (IDD). Students are encouraged to select a project from their workplace. However, if you are unable to find a work project, students may use a Simulated Project.
Black Belt:
To earn the DFSS Black Belt certification, participants must complete graded exercises and pass the University of Michigan Design for Six Sigma Black Belt Certification exam with a score of 80% or higher. If you score below 80%, we will offer a one-time re-take of the DFSS Black Belt make-up exam.
Prerequisites & Technical Requirements
Green Belt:
A basic understanding of statistical analysis methods is recommended, including basic Microsoft Excel skills and basic statistics.
Black Belt:
Black Belt Level II participants must have successfully completed our Design for Six Sigma Green Belt course. In addition, this course requires the usage of Minitab® statistical software (or equivalent) and includes more advanced statistical analysis tools. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (or equivalent) is recommended.
Support
Administrative/Online Technical Support
Support staff are available via phone and email to help with administrative and technical issues during our normal business hours (Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).
Content Questions/Certification Project Support
Candidates are welcome to contact the course instructors for content questions and project support. The instructors will provide support via email, phone consultation, and/or online videoconferencing.
Required Software
U-M’s Green Belt Certification courses include a copy of QE Tools statistical analysis software.
QE Tools is a user-friendly Excel add-in tool designed for Green Belts. Students will use QE Tools to apply the various problem solving and statistical analysis methods both within the course and for their DFSS project.
Who Should Attend
Design for Six Sigma is a great option for:
- Product designers and developers
- Manufacturing engineers
- Quality engineers
- Reliability engineers
Six Sigma Content Subscription
Interested in maintaining access to course materials after you earn your certification? Purchase a 1-year Six Sigma Content Subscription and retain access to your Canvas account.
Credentials
Digital Badge
Digital badge earned after successful completion of this certification.
Digital Certificate
Certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of this certification.
Instructional Team
Pat Hammett, PhD
- Lead Faculty, Six Sigma Programs
- Academic Program Director, ME-OPE
- Teaching Lecturer, College of Engineering
Don Lynch, Ph.D.
- Vice President of Quality, Strategy, and Transformation, SKF USA Inc.
Additional Information
How Design for Six Sigma Is Used in Industry?
Engineering teams use Design for Six Sigma to build quality into products during development. It is commonly applied in industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical devices where reliability and performance must meet strict requirements from the start.
Skills
Customer requirement translation; robust design; reliability planning; design analysis; quality-by-design methods.
Audience
Engineers, product developers, and technical teams designing new products, services, or processes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does Design for Six Sigma cover? Design for Six Sigma teaches professionals how to design products, services, and processes that meet customer needs from the start. Instead of fixing defects after launch, learners use structured design methods to build quality, reliability, and performance into new solutions.
Who should take Design for Six Sigma? Engineers, product developers, and technical teams designing new products, services, or processes.
How is Design for Six Sigma used in practice? These methods are used when teams are creating new offerings and want to design quality, reliability, and customer value into them from the beginning.
Questions Professionals Also Ask
What is quality by design? How is DFSS different from DMAIC? What is robust design?
Related Courses
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Healthcare, Lean Manufacturing
Get Started
For more information or answers to any questions please email [email protected] or fill out the form.