General FAQs
Membership FAQs
Founded in 1997, ISSSP is the oldest professional organization dedicated to Lean Six Sigma. Our members are united by one mission: to advance the practice of Lean Six Sigma and promote its education and advocacy. ISSSP, as a non-profit organization, is committed to the growth and development of professionals in the process excellence community, and setting the global standard for Lean Six Sigma, teaching practices, and certification requirements. We are driven to be the leading resource for awareness and the most credible source of information regarding the practice of Lean Six Sigma and its integration with other change management and process improvement practices.
Benefits include access to white papers, presentations, webinars, and leadership conferences, as well as the ability to include your information in our membership rolls. The exact benefits are based on your membership level. You may learn more by visiting the Benefits page.
Full memberships last for one year. Complimentary memberships last 3 months.
Potential members can join through the website, staging-isssp.kinsta.cloud. Click here to begin the membership process. There are several levels of membership, so be sure to read through and decide which one is best suited for your needs.
Your membership will be active immediately upon submission. If there are any issues with the application, ISSSP will get in touch via email.
Notices will be emailed out one month prior to your renewal. Renewals will happen automatically, unless you have opted out of this option. You may need to update your payment method prior to your renewal if your method on file has expired. You will be contacted if payment is denied for any reason.
Membership can be canceled at anytime, but refunds are limited based on whether you have accessed our proprietary material. Please see the Terms and Conditions for specific details.
Accredited Training Organization (ATO) FAQs
Your organization must have been in business and operating under the conditions described in our application for at least one year.
No, ISSSP accredits organizations only, not courses or materials.
It takes approximately two weeks for the review process. The time could be shorter or longer based on your application and any information that may be needed to show you meet all of the ISSSP Standards.
The cost is $550/year plus an ATO one-time application fee/renewal fee of $750.
No. The applications contain confidential information. Sample applications are not provided to prevent possible copying of the material. However, the Accredited Training Organization Application Guide is a helpful tool.
Someone from the ISSSP Accreditation Division will assign your application to an ISSSP accreditation specialist, who will perform an initial review of your application to ensure everything is included. If anything is missing, then he/she will contact you requesting the necessary information to move forward with the approval process. Your application will then be evaluated by the ISSSP Accreditation Specialist, who will perform a thorough review of the information submitted based on the schematic approved by the Accreditation Advisory Committee (AAC). This review will often go beyond the application and documents attached to include a more in-depth look at your organization, training offered, etc. This process can take up to two weeks to complete.
If your organization falls within the AAC's approval guidelines, then the ISSSP Accreditation Specialist will approve your ATO status. You will receive a formal email with your certificate attached. At this point, your Organizational Membership page will be updated to include an ATO tab with information, such as a copy of your certificate.
If your organization falls below the AAC's approval guidelines, the ISSSP Accreditation Specialist will either deny your ATO status or request additional information. You will receive an email asking for the additional information with a deadline for sending the documents, or you will receive an email informing your organization that you have been denied and the reason. At this point, your organization will have 30 days to request an appeal.
If there are any questions, concerns, or uncertainty about your application, or you are requesting an appeal, the formal report with the schematic attached will be forwarded to the AAC for review. The AAC will have access to the full application and all documents that the ISSSP Accreditation Specialist has to offer. The AAC will either make the decision to deny your ATO status or request more information up to and including an onsite visit. If the review was initiated by an appeal, the decision will be final. If this is your first denial, you will have 30 days to request an appeal for a second review by the AAC.
The Accredited Training Organization status must be renewed annually, which will include the completion of the ATO Annual Checklist, which should be uploaded with your annual dues of $550. ATOs must reapply every four years by completing the online application and paying the $750* application fee, which will also cover the years ATO dues. *Additional fees may be required as part of the review process.
No. If your organization is an ATO, you should have internal review processes in place that ensure your programs, current and new, meet the ISSSP Standards. ISSSP ATO status is only available for Six Sigma based programs. An outline of new Six Sigma based programs may be requested at the discretion of ISSSP during renewal.
Only ISSSP Accredited Training Organizations in good standing with an active ISSSP Organizational membership may use the ISSSP logo and/or ATO Badge based on the Intellectual Property Guide.
ISSSP notifies members by email and posts notifications on our website at www.staging-isssp.kinsta.cloud. We will also include changes within our monthly newsletter to members.
Yes, as long as your organization selects, monitors and evaluates them using the processes described in your ATO application.
No, because subsidiaries often operate independently of the parent organization. Therefore, ISSSP requires that subsidiaries undergo the ATO application process and become accredited ATOs on an individual basis.
Only the ATO can use the ISSSP logo. If your organization is using your materials, under your name at an event, and if you are responsible for ensuring that activities, courses and programs meet all of the ISSSP Standards categories and elements, you may work with another organization and state that you are an ATO. However, you cannot authorize another organization to be an ATO.