The various levels of Six Sigma training help serve the program objectives in process improvement and defect minimization. In itself, Six Sigma is a methodological way to identify errors in current manufacturing processes as well as implement strategies to rectify the errors found in both processes as well as products.

The various levels of Six Sigma Certification allow an individual to gain the knowledge necessary to help in the implementation process. This implementation requires professional individuals that have been trained by qualified teachers of the program and who have also had the experience of using these strategies in real life applications. These instructors can have had experience in various types of industries and organizations and therefore offer unique insight pertaining to the application of the program on the job.

There are very clear guidelines that must be maintained in order to achieve the goals that have come to be expected of those who have undergone Six Sigma training.

Similar to other such professional course programs in project management, these guidelines help establish a curriculum so as to insure that those who receive certification are all using the same playbook and the results expected of graduates will be similar in practice.

One of the levels of certification is a Green Belt. This occurs when a person completes a Six Sigma training program and attains a passing grade on the qualifying final exam. This level covers all of the essential methods in the system. It includes DMAIC, which stands for five stages; Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

It teaches them to define who customers are, the products they require, their overall needs, and the processes to fulfill the customer's expectations, along with ways to improve current processes used in manufacturing. Measuring includes performance indicators gained from collecting data from various sources and comparing it to various surveys and then finding flaws via the comparison.  Analyzing includes determining the process by which current achievements are made and then how to change those processes to achieve the targeted results that have been set based upon the data collected. The improvement aspect of DMAIC includes implanting the plans made through the analysis stage and measuring the results. Finally, the Control stage allows practitioners to maintain these changes as well as document tracking system improvement via collected metrics to keep things moving towards the ultimate goal of zero defects.

The next level of Six Sigma training is the Black Belt stage. Black Belts undergo additional schooling going further in depth on Green Belt materials as well as more advanced aspects of the overall program. Typically, Black Belts are the mentors for Green Belts. This integral education philosophy guarantees that Black Belts remain up to date on the information they pass along and also requires them to have used what they know in the real world. Black Belts are typically those who lead teams in an effort to make continuous improvements in the workplace.

Master Black Belts are the one of the highest stages of Six Sigma training. These highly skilled and qualified individuals represent the best offerings of the program. They have taken more than the required schooling to achieve Black Belt status and they have implemented the strategies as a program manager in the work environment. They typically act as sounding boards and mentors for those lower in training levels and help others understand the process of continuous improvement while being an integral part of the overall process.