Six Sigma Management Institute

What Six Sigma Management Institute does

Six Sigma Management Institute Inc. (SSMI), founded in 2003 and headquartered at 3370 North Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona, is a private training and consulting firm specializing in Lean Six Sigma methodology and business transformation. The company was established by Dr. Mikel J. Harry, the Co-Creator of Six Sigma, as the successor to the Six Sigma Academy (now SSA & Co.) following its sale, and positions itself as the original authoritative source for Six Sigma training and certification. SSMI serves Fortune 500 companies, C-Suite executives, manufacturing and service-sector organizations, government/defense agencies, and individual professionals seeking belt certifications, with historical references to engagements at DuPont, GE, Ford, Boeing, Motorola, Ferrari, Medtronic, and the U.S. Army.

The company's product portfolio is anchored by MindPro, a proprietary Learning Management System delivering belt certifications from White Belt through Master Black Belt via 2,700+ videos, field books, case studies, simulators, calculators, and an online expert-system. Adjacent offerings include the Executive Leadership Master (an 8-week/40-day executive program), Business Terraforming (an assessment and deployment methodology for radical financial and operational improvement introduced in 2020), the War Room Deployment methodology, The Great Discovery (the "4th generation" of Six Sigma), Learning to Think Leadership Training, and Change Management certification (Change Practitioner and Change Guide) delivered in partnership with ChangeGuides. Master Black Belt training is delivered in partnership with SigmaPro. The firm holds no patents or formal regulatory certifications and explicitly disclaims alignment with third-party accreditation bodies for Six Sigma content.

SSMI monetizes through multiple revenue streams: subscription-based individual certification programs (Yellow/Green/Black Belt, with 6–12 month access), one-time fees for Change Management certifications ($795–$2,395), premium executive education (Executive Leadership Master limited to 10 participants per cohort), and enterprise transformation services. Distribution combines a self-serve MindPro online platform, blended learning cohorts, live classroom programs, four wholly-owned regional offices (Scottsdale, Colombo, London, Lima), and a 13-partner U.S. channel network. Pricing varies by geography per Consumer Price Index, with corporate discounts of 5–65% for 10+ enrollments. The firm is privately held by the Harry family following Dr. Mikel J. Harry's death, with no disclosed external capital, M&A activity, or institutional investors.

Name

Six Sigma Management Institute

Legal name

Dr. Mikel J Harry Six Sigma Management Institute Inc.

Website

https://ssmi-us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Six Sigma Management Institute (SSMI), founded in 2003 by Six Sigma's co-creator Dr. Mikel J. Harry, provides Lean Six Sigma belt certification, executive leadership training, and business transformation consulting to Fortune 500 enterprises, governments, and individual professionals worldwide through its MindPro platform and four regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Certification

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Six Sigma (Yellow/Green/Black Belt) (EDABAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quality, Process Improvement & Lean/Six Sigma Certifications (EDAAANAC), Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)

Keywords

• Lean six sigma training
• Business process certification
• Executive leadership development
• Change management certification
• Operational excellence consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Professional Certification Programs: Lean Six Sigma certification programs (Black Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt, White Belt, Action Belt) delivered through MindPro platform with online, blended, or live classroom formats. Pricing varies by region.
2. Change Management Certification: Certified Lean Six Sigma Change Practitioner ($995 tuition, $795 early registration) and Change Guide ($2,395 tuition, $1,895 early registration) training and certification.
3. Executive Leadership Master Program: 8-week intensive executive program (40 days total) with live sessions in Orlando, Florida. Limited class size of 10 participants.
4. Master Black Belt Training: 10-day intensive Master Black Belt certification taught by SigmaPro, delivered in two 5-day training blocks separated by one month.
5. Business Terraforming Deployment: Assessment and deployment services focused on dramatically improving financial results and operational performance for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SSMI delivers Lean Six Sigma training, certification, and business transformation services via its proprietary MindPro learning platform, offering belt certifications (White through Master Black Belt) and the Executive Leadership Master program to enterprises and professionals. The company also provides Business Terraforming deployment and War Room consulting engagements aimed at driving breakthrough financial and operational results for mid-size and large-scale organizations.

Product overview

Six Sigma Management Institute (SSMI) offers a unified platform of business transformation and Lean Six Sigma training services. The core offerings center on MindPro, a comprehensive virtual learning platform delivering belt certifications (White Belt through Master Black Belt), and the Executive Leadership Master program. These are complemented by specialized methodologies including Business Terraforming (assessment/deployment), War Room deployment services, The Great Discovery (4th generation Six Sigma), and Learning to Think Leadership Training. Change management certifications (Change Practitioner, Change Guide) round out the professional development portfolio. The products are delivered through online, blended, and live classroom formats with global accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MindPro: World's most comprehensive Lean Six Sigma Training platform providing virtual training through Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt, White Belt & Action Belt programs.
• Business Terraforming
• The Great Discovery
• Learning to Think Leadership
• War Room Deployment
• Executive Leadership Master

Products and services

• MindPro LSS Belt Training The world's most comprehensive Lean Six Sigma virtual training platform delivering belt certifications (Master Black Belt, Black Belt, Green Belt, Yellow Belt, White Belt, and Action Belt) through video instruction, field books, technical articles, exercises, case studies, simulators, calculators, and online expert-systems; available globally to enterprises and individual professionals via the MindPro LMS.
• Executive Leadership Master Program An 8-week program (40 days total) comprising Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training (20 days), live classroom component with evening sessions (5 days), and field experience (15 days) designed to teach C-Suite candidates to build a Business Excellence Program that touches the vital control functions of the business; delivered in limited-cohort live classroom format.
• Business Terraforming Deployment An assessment and deployment methodology focused on dramatically improving financial results and operational performance through breakthrough strategy approach and tools, aimed at Fortune 500 and global enterprises pursuing radical business transformation.
• War Room Deployment A command and control center operating in an open environment equipped with technology, knowledge, experience, and leadership to conceive, develop, adopt, and execute innovative strategies, tactics, and tools aimed at rapid and radical company transformation using velocity of value creation from the customer and provider point of view.
• The Great Discovery The 4th generation of Six Sigma created by Dr. Mikel J. Harry, focused on how to create breakthrough in any dimension of life based on the Six Sigma Way of Thinking extracted from the roadmap that made Six Sigma successful.
• Learning to Think Leadership Training A leadership training program based on Dr. Mikel J. Harry's work on the 4th generation of Six Sigma, using The Great Discovery methodology to enable companies to show their employees they are valued and to develop leadership capability.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Change Practitioner One-day live virtual certification program (7 hours) covering foundational principles of organizational change, tools for managing change issues, and ChangeGuides Change Management 101 methodology; tuition $995 / $795 early registration; requires 90% score on electronic examination.
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Change Guide Four-day live virtual certification program (24 hours) covering planning and execution of change management strategy using the ChangeGuides methodology including 'The Eight Constants of Change' and the Change Management Pocket Guide; tuition $2,395 / $1,895 early registration; participants submit three change management tools for review within 90 days.
• Master Black Belt Training & Certification (CLSSMBB) 10-day intensive Master Black Belt certification taught by SigmaPro, delivered in two 5-day training blocks separated by one month, covering DFSS and Lean Six Sigma program development, deployment, and sustaining.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dr. Fabrizio Majorana helped Ferrari win 8 world championships through Six Sigma quality leadership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered regional, core and foundational.

• Sigma Affiliates, LTD (Richard/Dick Borden)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner based in Bloomington, MN representing SSMI for training and certification programs in the upper Midwest region of the United States.
• Value Creation Institute (Jeff Heslop)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional partner based in Cincinnati, OH representing SSMI for training and certification programs in the Ohio region. Jeff Heslop also serves as a Change Management Instructor for SSMI.
• MICOMA Enterprises, Ltd. (Michael Connell)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMichael Connell serves as US Operations Manager representing SSMI, based in the US operations office in New Castle, IN.
• SigmaPro (Doug Mader)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSigmaPro, led by Doug Mader, serves as the instructor for SSMI's Master Black Belt Training & Certification program. The 10-day intensive program is taught by SigmaPro with their extensive experience in DFSS and Lean Six Sigma deployment.
• Six Sigma PERU S.A.C.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal entity operating SSMI Latin America office in Lima, Peru, facilitating regional training and certification programs in South America.
• ChangeGuidescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSMI's Change Management Certification programs utilize ChangeGuides methodology, including 'The Eight Constants of Change' and the ChangeGuides Pocket Guide. ChangeGuides certification has been approved as an ACMP Qualified Education Provider (QEP).
• Motorola CorporationfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal company where Dr. Mikel J. Harry developed Six Sigma methodology. Bob Galvin was CEO during the development and implementation of Six Sigma at Motorola.
• General ElectricfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerJack Welch, former CEO and Chairman of General Electric, was a prominent advocate of Six Sigma. Dr. Harry consulted with GE's top executives on Six Sigma implementation, helping drive massive organizational transformation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GoLeanSixSigma.com: GoLeanSixSigma.com is a direct-to-consumer and corporate LSS training provider offering online certification across belt levels. It competes head-to-head with SSMI MindPro for individual belt purchasers and corporate cohorts.
• MoreSteam: MoreSteam offers online Lean Six Sigma training across all belt levels and process improvement e-learning, positioning similarly to SSMI's MindPro platform. It is one of the most established online LSS training competitors.
• BMGI (acquired by Accordion / formerly part of Accenture): BMGI delivers Lean Six Sigma consulting, deployment, and training to Fortune 500 companies, overlapping directly with SSMI's Business Terraforming and corporate deployment services for enterprise transformation buyers.
• MindEdge: MindEdge offers online professional development courses including Six Sigma training, primarily serving corporate L&D buyers and academic partnerships. Comparable to SSMI in the online corporate LSS training segment.
• American Society for Quality (ASQ): ASQ is the largest U.S. quality management body offering Six Sigma Black, Green, and Yellow Belt certifications alongside broader quality credentials. Directly comparable to SSMI for individual LSS certification and corporate training buyers.
• Pyzdek Institute / Pyzdek Consulting: The Pyzdek Institute, founded by Thomas Pyzdek (author and Six Sigma pioneer), offers Six Sigma Black Belt and Green Belt training. It competes with SSMI for buyers seeking Six Sigma training from recognized methodology pioneers.
• International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC): IASSC is a globally recognized independent certifying body for Yellow, Green, and Black Belt Six Sigma certifications. It competes with SSMI in the same individual-certification buyer segment with similar exam-based certification economics.
• The Council for Six Sigma Certification: The Council for Six Sigma Certification provides neutral Yellow, Green, and Black Belt certifications used by individuals and corporate training programs. It directly overlaps with SSMI in the standardized certification market.
• Villanova University (College of Professional Studies): Villanova offers online Lean Six Sigma certificate programs across Yellow, Green, and Black Belt levels, serving both individual professionals and corporate cohorts. Comparable to SSMI for asynchronous learning customers in North America.

Broad incumbents

• Simplilearn: Simplilearn is a large online professional certification platform offering Six Sigma, PMP, Agile, and broader technology and management certifications. It overlaps with SSMI in LSS belt certification but operates a much broader course catalog across multiple verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dr--mikel-j-harry-six-sigman-management-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Six Sigma Management Institute