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07/30/2012 12:31 PM
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Hi,
I have exp. of 4-5 years as Software Developer.
I am interested in changing the Profile...and I want to move into areas related to Process.
I want to know whether Lean Certification is applicable and beneficial for me,
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07/31/2012 11:04 AM
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Bhawna,
There are 2 parts to your question. The first (and most clear) part is that lean education is valuable - even if you stay in software. The second part is does a certification open any career doors? That depends on your organization and what they value. You will notice that LEI doesn't offer certification and Toyota doesn't have thousands of "belts" running around. Certifications and belts only came to market when training firms and 6 Sigma people got involved in Lean.
In my experience, lean has to be very company-specific in its implementation to work. From that standpoint, a certification from any outside party says very limited things about your useful experience and capabilities. As far as I know, there aren't any widely recognized standards either, so what you get is what you get.
I applaud your desire to learn lean. Go get some education and spend your effort applying it wherever you can. There is no substitute for experience.
Brent
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08/02/2012 11:12 AM
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I have gone through the SME/Shingo Lean certification program (Bronze Level). I did this for several reasons. One reason is that I was basically a self taught Lean guy, so I wanted to validate for myself that I had a good tactical grasp of the Lean concepts. I did also ponder the question "will this help my career". I can tell you that all the companies I have interviewed with since I added that certification to my resume have asked about it, so it obviously is something employers think has value.
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08/02/2012 02:02 PM
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I have very mixed opinions on Lean certifications. On the one hand, they "prove" that somebody knows something about Lean. On the other hand, that "proof" is offered through passing some sort of written exam in most cases. Have you ever met somebody who was "book brilliant", but didn't know enough to come in out of the rain? You probably know where I'm going here.
Some of the very best Lean practitioners I've ever met had no official certification whatsoever. For instance, none of the Shingijutsu Senseis we used had any type of certification. We interviewed a number of people for one of our Lean positions a while back. Sure, we looked at all of the qualifications and certifications, but then we took them out on the shop floor and watched them. Several of the candidates with Lean certifications were absolutely like fish out of water. They just didn't know what to do or how to talk to operators. So I look at a certification as just something to get you in the door.
BTW: I also know some awesome Lean practitioners that might not be able to pass the test to get certified - because they're just not good at taking tests!
Tom
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08/03/2012 11:46 AM
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That is one of the reasons I like the Shingo certification. There is a written exam portion, but there is also a portfolio submission. You have to clearly detail out 5 different CI improvements that you have personally led. I totally agree that someone who is book smart could be in big trouble at gemba, and some people who are great at gemba could be terrible test takers!
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08/03/2012 01:54 PM
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I just got done reviewing a porfolio submission for the SME/Shingo/AME/ASQ Lean Certification. Just saying that I give up 2-3 hours a month doing a portfolio review for a random recipients gives you a good idea of how much I value the certification. I think it is a very useful pursuit and I think it does serve a purpose.
As for "whether Lean Certification is applicable and beneficial" to Bhawna, it's a little complicated. A certification is just what it says, something that certifiies. It gives you the ability to declare that you have demonstrated characteristics that a certification body deems good in some way. It's only as good as the certification body and the process that it uses to get it. A certification should not be your goal, much like getting a degree should not be the reason you go to college. Unlike a degree, the work necessary to get certified has little to do with the certification body. When you go to college, they teach everything that you need to know in order to get the degree and test you as you go. The certification is really only a test (a portfolio is just an essay test talking about your experiences afterall...) and it does little to teach you (lean can not be learned anywhere but at a real, functioning gemba after all).
I do believe that any experienced lean practitioner will benefit highly from getting a good certification. It is a reflective activity that I truly believe any sensei would support. It forces you to deeply think about your own process of change management in a structured way. Nothing but good can come from that. I don't really think a lean certification is the right way for someone inexperienced in lean to jump in the water.
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08/06/2012 11:18 AM
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The same experience with you. Of course, I didn't get any certification last time. Maybe it's regretful.
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08/10/2012 09:00 AM
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"I do believe that any experienced lean practitioner will benefit highly from getting a good certification"
Agreed.
Let's change the question - what value is the certification to the organization? (assuming already having hired the associate - so not used as indicator of skill of an otherwise unknown quantity. Does certification of the employees help the company? or just the associate?
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Note: These forums are moderated by the Lean Enterprise Institute. All posts are reviewed prior to appearing on the site. Views expressed in these forums do not necessarily represent the views of the Lean Enterprise Institute.
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