iSixSigma often focuses on the continuous process improvement methods used by companies to achieve bottom-line results. However, for much of our March/April 2010 issue, published last week, we look not just at the processes but also at the at the professionals behind the methodology.

In keeping with this issue’s theme, “Building a Process Improvement Culture,” we are pleased to publish our second annual “Best Places to Work for Six Sigma Professionals” survey, with mini-profiles of the top 10 companies. Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc. (North America division) came out on top this year, with a comprehensive Lean Six Sigma deployment that provides many cross-departmental opportunities for its Belts and allows them to choose from a wide array of tools to solve problems. As one Starwood employee wrote in the survey, “At Starwood, we don’t just ‘do’ Six Sigma, we ‘use’ Six Sigma.”

In our 7th annual “iSixSigma Global Salary Survey,” we also analyze how Six Sigma professionals around the world are compensated. More than 2,400 business improvement professionals participated in the survey, including Black Belts, Master Black Belts, Champions, Deployment Leaders, Quality Professionals and Quality Executives. Some of this year’s findings include:

• Despite the poor economy, most Six Sigma professionals either maintained average salary levels from the previous year or saw slight increases.
• The United States again led all other regions in the survey (Europe, Latin America, Canada, Asia and Pacific Nations) in terms of salary in every Six Sigma professional category.
• Deployment Leaders in the United States saw the only significant average salary increase this year, by $7,000, or 6 percent.

Our Personal Leadership feature, “A Day in the Life of a Master Black Belt,” introduces you to some of the hardest-working people in the process improvement community, as four MBBs from companies on out Best Places to Work list share their typical daily schedules.

Also in this issue, find out how Textron Inc. improved Black Belt repatriation problems with its career development process. The Final Tollgate shows how online betting company Betfair streamlined its age verification process via a DMAIC roadmap, while Skill Builder describes a new root-cause analysis tool called the “5 So Whats.”

Subscribers can see these stories and more on iSixSigma’s digital edition. For information on signing up for your own subscription, click here.