Top 5 FREE tools for the Six Sigma Practitioner

Six Sigma Black Belts need a lot of tools at their disposal.  Large organizations which are spearheading multi-million dollar projects will typically invest heavily in Six Sigma tools so that their Black Belts and Champions have all the needed tools.

Smaller organizations however can’t always afford these tools.  In fact, often smaller organizations won’t launch a Six Sigma project until they are already having financial difficulties.  This means the company may not have the funds to invest into an improvement project.  Instead, they are hoping the project will return them to profitability.

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Regardless of which category your company may fall into, having access to free business tools can always be helpful.  When we say “free tools” we aren’t talking about Six Sigma statistical tools, but rather tools that can help you move the project forward.  Let’s take a look at MSI’s Top 5 picks for FREE tools that can help during a Six Sigma project.

  • Khan Academy, Statistics Section
    • Everyone needs training, and having an understanding of statistical processes can be a challenge for even the most experienced Six Sigma Black Belt.  Continually refreshing your knowledge of statistics and probability will allow you to make accurate calculations during your project.  The Khan Academy is a great place to learn (or re-learn) about things like Histograms, Line Graphs, Normal Distributions, Regression, Standard Deviation and much more.  All of these processes are critical to a successful Six Sigma deployment.
    • https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability

  • Free Bar Code Generator
    • While this applies more to 5S improvement projects, it can also apply to manufacturing and logistics.  Barcoding and labeling inventory, equipment, and supplies can be an important way to track product and eliminate waste and shrinkage.  This website gives you a way to create Bar Codes and QR codes for free, which you can then print or apply to your products.
    • https://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php

  • Google Docs
    • There are few ‘free’ tools available that are more robust that Google Docs.  If your organization doesn’t have access to the newest versions of Microsoft suite, then Google Docs may be your answer.  The “Google Sheets” spreadsheet program is more than sufficient to meet the needs of many Green Belts and Black Belts who need to analyze their numbers.
    • https://www.google.com/docs/about/

  • Slack
    • Our last two free tools are dedicated to communication.  During any Six Sigma project, communication is the most important element.  In fact, more projects fail due to poor communication than any other reason.  Slack is a communication tools which helps teams communicate better.  Whether people are spread throughout a building, or remote teams spread throughout the world, Slack can help.
    • https://slack.com/

  • Join.me
    • One of our favorite free tools, Join.me is a great free tool for having meetings or doing screen-sharing.  The need to share your computer screen is a common one, especially during brainstorming sessions.  This website makes it very fast and easy to share your screen, or view the screen of another member of your team.
    • https://www.join.me/


Is there a great FREE tool that we missed?  Let us know by commenting below!  We love sharing information on free products that can help Six Sigma practitioners be successful.