Ask the Expert is a regular column featuring quality industry experts answering reader questions focused on a specific topic. If you have a series of four to five questions focused on a specific Six Sigma topic and would you like to have them answered by an industry expert, make sure they are general enough to help a broad audience and submit your topic along with the four to five questions to iSixSigma Experts.

Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma Certification
Steve Wittig, vice president-Six Sigma at Masco Builder Cabinet Group, offers his views on Six Sigma certification. He discusses his company's policies on certification criteria, third-party certification and recertification for all levels of Belts. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma Metrics
David Henkin, a principal at The Vanguard Group, offers his views on Six Sigma metrics. He discusses ideas on metrics used by successful companies, Six Sigma metrics versus business metrics and the best ways to present metrics to upper management. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma and Employees
Barbara Wheat, executive director of Six Sigma for Tenneco-Automotive, offers her views on Six Sigma and employees. She discusses a variety of ideas on communications, but her best advice about what to tell employees is: The truth. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma and Business Strategy
Joe Valasquez, senior vice president/quality and productivity executive for Bank of America, offers his views on Six Sigma and business strategy. He discusses aspects of successful programs plus the value of partial deployments and pilot programs. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Hiring and Training Black Belt Leaders
Jackie Cazar, vice president of Pershing LLC, a member of BNY Securities Group, offers her perspective on the hiring and training of Black Belt leaders - including what a Black Belt needs in the way of skills, background and experience. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma – The Way We Work
Mike Carnell, Six Sigma Program Manager for BHP Billiton Base Metals, offers his views on Six Sigma as the way we work. He discusses the possibilities and problems of completely institutionalizing Six Sigma in an organization's processes. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma Adoption and Cultural Issues
Jack Finney, president and CEO of Six Sigma Academy, offers his perspective on Six Sigma adoption and cultural issues - from strategies to convince resistant employees to maintaining a positive culture as the initiative matures and employees turn over. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma and Return on Investment
John Lopez-Ona, president and CEO of Six Sigma Qualtec, offers his perspective on Six Sigma and return on investment - from how to measure ROI in a Six Sigma initiative to the critical success factors in achieving a satisfactory ROI. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Starting a Six Sigma Initiative
Forrest Breyfogle, president and CEO of Smarter Solutions, Inc., offers his perspective on starting a Six Sigma initiative -- from what can be learned from successful deployments to required resources and leadership to the role of top management. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert - The Topic: Six Sigma Vision
Praveen Gupta, CEO of Quality Technology Company, explores the topic of Six Sigma vision -- from visions for SixSigma initiatives and building support with "quick wins" to alternatives to the ubiquitous vision and mission statements. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert: Deploying & Implementing Six Sigma
David Silverstein, Managing Partner and CEO of Breakthrough Management Group, explains how Six Sigma can be implemented in any organization. The key to is build a customized deployment plan. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert: Integrating Lean And Six Sigma
Michael George, Chairman and CEO of George Group, explains Lean and how it can integrate with Six Sigma to improve speed and efficiency while decreasing waste. Why should Lean be important to Six Sigma professionals? Read on. Read the full interview.
Ask the Expert: Large & Small Deployments
Ask the Expert about Six Sigma deployment at large and small companies: Should it be based on strategy or finances? Can all companies reap benefits? Who is best to help with the deployment? Read the full interview.