Lean certification requirements

Question

I am looking to get certified in lean project management. I have several questions:

- Where can I get certified in lean?
- What are the lean certification requirements? Are they steep?
- Do I have to pass a test to get certified in lean, or do they just consider my experience in order to give me the certification? (I prefer if there is a test, as I'm not that much experienced in lean, in fact, I'm not a lean project manager...)
- How much does the application for a lean certification cost?

Answer 1

The only lean certification that looks credible to me is the one offered by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers ( sme.org ).

The SME offers three certifications in lean:

- Lean Bronze Certification (LBC) which is focused on tactical lean: Requirements are basic understanding of lean and proof of successfully applying lean principles that lead to improvement.
- Lean Silver Certification (LSC) which is focused on integrative lean: Requires you to have the LBC
- Lean Gold Certification (LGC) which is focused on strategic lean: Requires you to have the LSC

Yes you need to pass a test to get certified in lean, and you need lean experience.

The cost of the LBC (Lean Bronze Certification) application is $690
The cost of the LSC (Lean Silver Certification) application is $1330
The cost of the LGC (Lean Gold Certification) application is $1,970

You can find more information about the lean requirements on SME's website.