Program Overview
Learn how to drive quality and productivity programs by mastering the powerful analytical and management tools of the Six Sigma methodology and the revolutionary concepts of Lean Management.
Six Sigma and Lean enable organizations to measure and analyze production processes, to eliminate waste and to evolve their management structures in order to motivate employees and improve quality and productivity.
The series of courses is provided in collaboration with the TUM School of Management Executive Education Center and the Chair of Production and Supply Chain Management.
In this Professional Certificate program, you will learn the fundamentals of the Six Sigma methodology and Lean Manufacturing. You will learn the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) process improvement cycle and examine how the principles of Lean production improve quality and productivity and enable organizational transformation.
You will be challenged to learn both the quantitative and qualitative methods associated with Six Sigma and Lean, including:
- problem definition;
- baseline performance measurement and process capability;
- measurement system analysis;
- root cause analysis;
- regression and correlation;
- design of experiments;
- control charts implementation.
Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be applied and all concepts are exercised using online problems and interactive exercises and case studies.
A TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate will help you advance your career, increase your salary earnings and improve your organization through your mastery of quality skills.
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate, confirming mastery of Lean Six Sigma theory to a Green Belt level. The Six Sigma material is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Six Sigma Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt level. The Lean Production course material is based on the TUM School of Management’s course in Lean Operations
The Professional Certificate program is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification project. If you are interested in obtaining both the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Green Belt certificates.
NOTE: In order to achieve the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate it is MANDATORY to complete all 3 courses mentioned below, pursuing all 3 Verified Certificates. Then, automatically, you will earn the Professional Certificate. Courses can be taken in any order, but since Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control builds on the material learned in Six Sigma: Define and Measure, we recommend you to take Define and Measure first.
Program Class List
1Six Sigma: Define and Measure
Course Details
2Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control
Course Details
3Lean Production
Course Details
Meet your instructors

Martin Grunow

Holly Ott
Program Endorsements
About This Course:
Learn about Lean Management, a customer-centric methodology that improves processes by eliminating waste and focusing on value-added tasks.
This course will introduce the main tenets of the Toyota Production System, which includes Just-in-Time manufacturing, quality management tools, and the critical concept of Kaizen, the Japanese practice of continuous improvement. You will also learn about the key organization and managerial approaches that are used in Lean.
You will learn how to analyze process flows in order to establish process capacity and identify the process bottleneck. You will then calculate resource utilization and cycle time to evaluate the impact of set up times, batching, defects and reworks on key process performance measures, including inventory, flow rate and flow time.
We will also discuss the impact of key concepts of Lean, including Heijunka, Kanban, Jidoka, Andon, Poka Yoke, and 5S, which help achieve increased productivity and quality.
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn the TUM Lean and Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification, confirming mastery of Lean Six Sigma fundamentals to a Green Belt level. The material is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What You’ll Learn:
- The history and background of Lean production and the complementing elements of quantity and quality control.
- To measure production performance and how defects and waste degrade performance.
- To understand the importance and role in Lean Production of the customer “Takt.”
- To improve process performance through the application of Lean principles, including setup time reduction, batch optimization, and defect elimination.
- To explain the importance of Total Productive Maintenance and the widely-used metric Overall Equipment Effectiveness.
- To understand the difference between push- and pull-systems and how the implementation of pull-systems reduces waste.
- To apply elements of Lean production including Heijunka, Kanban, Jidoka, and Poka Yoke.
- To apply the 5S methodology for establishing and sustaining a productive work environment.

Professional Certificate in Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity
Earn a TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who offers this program?
The Professional Certificate ProgramSix Sigma and Lean: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity is offered by edX and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
How many courses are in the program?
There are three courses in this program:
Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure
Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control
Course3 QPLS3x – Lean Production
Do I need to take the courses in order?
The courses should be completed sequentially, but it is not required that they are completed in any particular order. However, as Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control builds on the material in Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure, we strongly recommend that you take QPLS1x before you take QPLS2x.
Which certification do I earn for this course?
You will earn the Verified Certificate forCourse3 QPLS3x – Lean Production.
What certificates do I earn with this program?
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn both theedX Professional Certificate for the program and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. In order to achieve the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification it is mandatory to complete all 3 courses in the program and achieve a Verified Certificate in each. Then, automatically, you will earn the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification.
The TUM LSSYB is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What is the passing grade for the course?
An overall average for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70% is required to pass the course.
Do I need to achieve 70% on each homework?
No, you need an average grade for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70%. This means you can do poorly or miss a homework set as long as you do well enough on other homework sets to achieve 70% overall.
How do I receive the edX Professional Certificate for this program?
The Professional Certificate will be available from your dashboard after the end of the course.
How do I receive the TUM Lean SixSigma Yellow Belt Certification for this program?
If you have earned the Verified Certificate for all three courses in the program, then you will receive the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. These will be sent to you by email.
— For those finishing all courses by October 31, you will receive your certificate before November 31.
— For those finishing all courses by February 28, you will receive your certificate before March 31.
— For those finishing all courses by June 30, you will receive your certificate before July 31.
When you have passed all three courses with a verified certificate and received the edX Professional Certificate, you can also include in your CV that you have achieved the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, TUMLSSYB.
Meet Your Instructors:

Martin Grunow

Holly Ott
Learner Testimonials
About This Course:
Learn how to statistically analyze data with the Six Sigma methodology using inferential statistical techniques to determine confidence intervals and to test hypotheses based on sample data. You will also review cause and effect techniques for root cause analysis.
You will learn how to perform correlation and regression analyses in order to confirm the root cause and understand how to improve your process and plan designed experiments.
You will learn how to implement statistical process control using control charts and quality management tools, including the 8 Disciplines and the 5 Whys to reduce risk and manage process deviations.
To complement the lectures, learners are provided with interactive exercises, which allow learners to see the statistics “in action.” Learners then master statistical concepts by completing practice problems. These are then reinforced using interactive case studies, which illustrate the application of the statistics in quality improvement situations.
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn the TUM Lean and Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification, confirming mastery of Lean Six Sigma fundamentals to a Green Belt level. The material is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What You’ll Learn:
- To identify process problems and perform a root cause analysis using cause and effect diagrams and regression analysis.
- To analyze data using inferential statistical techniques, including confidence intervals and hypothesis testing.
- To test and quantitatively assess the impact of different improvement options using the design of an experiment.
- To test for the significance of effects using an Analysis of Variance.
- To implement control mechanisms for long-term monitoring using control charts for both quantitative and qualitative measurements.
- To apply the Six Sigma methodology for the Analyze, Improve and Control phases in your work or research.

Professional Certificate in Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity
Earn a TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who offers this program?
The Professional Certificate Program Six Sigma and Lean: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity is offered by edX and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
How many courses are in the program?
There are three courses in this program:
Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure
Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control
Course3 QPLS3x – Lean Production
Do I need to take the courses in order?
The courses should be completed sequen tially, but it is not required that they are completed in any particular order. However, as Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control builds on the material in Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure, we strongly recommend that you take QPLS1x before you take QPLS2x.
Which certification do I earn for this course?
You will earn the Verified Certificate forCourse2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control.
What certificates do I earn with this program?
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn both the edX Professional Certificate for the program and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. In order to achieve the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification it is mandatory to complete all 3 courses in the program and achieve a Verified Certificate in each. Then, automatically, you will earn the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification.
The TUM LSSYB is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What is the passing grade for the course?
An overall average for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70% is required to pass the course.
Do I need to achieve 70% on each homework?
No, you need an average grade for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70%. This means you can do poorly or miss a homework set as long as you do well enough on other homework sets to achieve 70% overall.
How do I receive the edX Professional Certificate for this program?
The Professional Certificate will be available from your dashboard after the end of the course.
How do I receive the TUM Lean SixSigma Yellow Belt Certification for this program?
If you have earned the Verified Certificate for all three courses in the program, then you will receive the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. These will be sent to you by email.
— For those finishing all courses by October 31, you will receive your certificate before November 31.
— For those finishing all courses by February 28, you will receive your certificate before March 31.
— For those finishing all courses by June 30, you will receive your certificate before July 31.
When you have passed all three courses with a verified certificate and received the edX Professional Certificate, you can also include in your CV that you have achieved the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, TUMLSSYB .
Meet Your Instructors:

Martin Grunow

Holly Ott
Learner Testimonials
About This Course:
Understand the background and meaning of Six Sigma and the five steps of the DMAIC process improvement flow: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. Discuss what “Quality” means and how to identify the Voice of the Customer.
You will learn how to set an improvement project goal, calculate process yield, and identify Critical-to-Quality parameters.
You will learn how to map a process and to use the necessary statistical techniques to establish the baseline performance of a process and to calculate the process capability.
To complement the lectures, we provide interactive exercises, which allow learners to see the statistics “in action.” Learners then master the statistical concepts by completing practice problems. These are then reinforced using interactive case studies, which illustrate the application of the statistics in quality improvement situations.
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn the TUM Lean and Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification, confirming mastery of Lean Six Sigma fundamentals to a Green Belt level. The material is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What You’ll Learn:
- To understand the background and meaning of the Six Sigma methodology and the role of the DMAIC process improvement cycle.
- To identify the Voice of the Customer and translate into Critical-to-Quality parameters.
- To understand the concept of random variables, probability mass functions, and probability density functions.
- To calculate probabilities using the Normal distribution.
- To understand how the Central Limit Theorem applies to sampling and how to set up sampling plans.
- To understand the importance of a Measurement System Analysis in a Six Sigma project.
- To calculate Process Yield and Process Capability.
- To perform a risk assessment using a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis.
- How to apply the Define and Measure phases of the DMAIC cycle in your work or research, in order to identify problems and quantitatively assess the impact of process changes using statistical analysis.

Professional Certificate in Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity
Earn a TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate
Frequently Asked Questions:
Who offers this program?
The Professional Certificate Program Six Sigma and Lean: Quantitative Tools for Quality and Productivity is offered by edX and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
How many courses are in the program?
There are three courses in this program:
Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure
Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control
Course3 QPLS3x – Lean Production
Do I need to take the courses in order?
The courses should be completed sequentially, but it is not required that they are completed in any particular order. However, as Course2 QPLS2x – Six Sigma: Analyze, Improve, Control builds on the material in Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure , we strongly recommend that you take QPLS1x before you take QPLS2x.
Which certification do I earn for this course?
You will earn the Verified Certificate for Course1 QPLS1x – Six Sigma: Define and Measure.
What certificates do I earn with this program?
Upon successful completion of this program, learners will earn both the edX Professional Certificate for the program and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. In order to achieve the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification it is mandatory to complete all 3 courses in the program and achieve a Verified Certificate in each. Then, automatically, you will earn the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification.
The TUM LSSYB is based on the American Society for Quality (www.asq.org) Body of Knowledge up to a Green Belt Level. The Professional Certificate is designed as preparation for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt exam.
What is the passing grade for the course?
An overall average for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70% is required to pass the course.
Do I need to achieve 70% on each homework?
No, you need an average grade for all homework sets and peer-review assignments of 70%. This means you can do poorly or miss a homework set as long as you do well enough on other homework sets to achieve 70% overall.
How do I receive the edX Professional Certificate for this program?
The Professional Certificate will be available from your dashboard after the end of the course.
How do I receive the TUM Lean SixSigma Yellow Belt Certification for this program?
If you have earned the Verified Certificate for all three courses in the program, then you will receive the edX Professional Certificate and the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. These will be sent to you by email.
— For those finishing all courses by October 31, you will receive your certificate before November 31.
— For those finishing all courses by February 28, you will receive your certificate before March 31.
— For those finishing all courses by June 30, you will receive your certificate before July 31.
When you have passed all three courses with a verified certificate and received the edX Professional Certificate, you can also include in your CV that you have achieved the TUM Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, TUMLSSYB.
Meet Your Instructors:

Martin Grunow
