Work on complex projects after getting your Six Sigma green belt
Posted by Taggart on October 8th, 2018
KB Gola is the founder of the Six Sigma methodology. While working in Motorola in 1986, Gola came up with a set of tools and techniques for process improvement and the concept of Six Sigma was born. Six Sigma became all the more famous when Jack Welch adopted it in 1995 in GE as part of his business strategy. Get your Six Sigma yellow belt or Six Sigma green belt and you could make it big in your professional life.
Why use Six Sigma?
The objective of Six Sigma is to improve the output quality of a process. This is achieved by identifying the causes of the defects and removing them. In the manufacturing processes, Six Sigma is also used to minimize variations. Statistical and empirical methods are used for Six Sigma quality management and these methods are used by trained experts. Six Sigma is carried out in an organization in the form of projects that follow defined steps in sequence and there are specific targets that are identified for each project. Some of the examples of targets include reduction of process cycle times or costs and increment in customer satisfaction or profits and so on. The number of defects in a Six Sigma process is 3.4 per million opportunities and this is why this methodology is highly coveted.
Green belt
When someone becomes a Six Sigma green belt holder, they work part-time (25%) on projects. For complex projects, such individuals work as team members and for simpler projects, they may work as project leaders. Those that hold green belts are known as the work horses of Six Sigma projects and in mature Six Sigma organizations, most managers fall into this category.
When a green belt works on a complicated Six Sigma project, their job is to assist the team leader (a black belt) in ensuring that the team functions optimally and progresses through the stages of project.
For simpler projects, where the green belt is the team leader, given below are some of the roles and responsibilities they have.
• Refining project charters;
• Reviewing project charters with the project champions;
• Selecting project team members, training them and facilitating them through the project phases;
• Communicating with the process owners throughout the lifetime of projects;
• Scheduling meetings and coordinating logistics and
• Analyzing data through the project phases.
Yellow belt
A Six Sigma yellow belt holder is someone who has cleared the green belt certification exam, but is yet to complete a Six Sigma project. The job of an individual here is to provide team support through data gathering, participating in problem solving and providing feedback on the various stages of a project. They can identify, monitor and control various project-related practices and thus, they are invaluable to the project leaders managing complex projects.
Both Six Sigma green and yellow belts need to go through intense training to be certified. They need project experience to add value through their learning. There are specialists that help organizations and individuals go through these training programs and become far more effective.
A Six Sigma green belt participates or leads organizational Six Sigma projects. A Six Sigma yellow belt works on and adds immense value to complex projects.
