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What books are recommended for Six Sigma Certification

One question we hear a lot at the Management and Strategy Institute is which books do we recommend for Six Sigma Training and Certification preparation.  In the world of Six Sigma, there are a lot of great options.  Below we break down our top 5 recommended books for Six Sigma.

  • The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed.  (Authors: Michael L. George and John Maxey) ISBN-13: 978-0071441193
    • A best-seller on Amazon.com, this affordable book covers the Lean Six Sigma concepts in an easy to understand approach.  One of the nice things about this book is that it also helps you determine the tools that are most appropriate for your project requirements.

  • Lean Six Sigma For Beginners: A Quickstart Beginner’s Guide To Lean Six Sigma.  (Author: G. Harver) ISBN-13: 978-1514678367
    • The title of this book says it all, it a guide for beginners.  The book describes in details what you need to know to make sure you eliminate waste from within your organization.  Keep in mind that this book is designed for beginners, so it doesn’t go as in-depth into statistics as other books might.  That’s fine for beginners though, so we still highly recommend it.

  • Lean Six Sigma and Minitab: The Complete Toolbox Guide for Business Improvement (Author: Holly Brook-Piper) ISBN-13: 978-0954681388
    • This book covers Lean Six Sigma and Minitab®, a popular statistical software program designed for Six Sigma implementation.  This book is aimed at people who are actively applying Six Sigma principles within their organization.  It covers the steps of Six Sigma while simultaneously showing you how to use Minitab® to be successful.

  • The Six Sigma Project Planner: A Step-by-Step Guide to Leading a Six Sigma Project Through DMAIC (Author: Thomas Pyzdek) ISBN-13: 978-0071411837
    • One of our favorites here at the Institute, this book is perfect for Green Belts and Black Belts who are looking for a guide to help them implement a Six Sigma project.  The books includes samples and tools which you can apply to your own situation.  It walks you through the DMAIC method and what is required in each stage.

  • Six Sigma for Everyone (Author: George Eckes) ISBN-13: 978-0471281566
    • Sometimes a short and simple introduction is all you need to get you going.  This book may be short, but it’s packed with useful information that new Six Sigma practitioners can use during a Six Sigma project.

These five books are great for both beginners and experienced practitioners, but they are far from the only books available.  Visiting your local library or bookstore should help you find additional resources.  If you’re looking to take your certification through the Management and Strategy Institute, remember that our certifications include free study material to help you prepare.  This study material is all you’ll need to help you get ready for the exam.  These books above, along with our Core Concept guides, will help make sure you’re successful with Six Sigma implementation long-term.

What Six Sigma certifications will these books help with?

These books will help with any of the Six Sigma certifications that MSI offers, but they are especially useful for the three following programs.