The Belts of Lean Six Sigma Explained Here
Lean Six Sigma is a process improvement methodology intended to reduce problems, eliminate waste and incompetence, and improve working conditions to present a better response to customers’ requirements.
It merges the tools, methods, and principles of Lean and Six Sigma into one accessible and robust methodology for developing your organization’s operations.
Lean Six Sigma’s team-oriented method has proven results in maximizing performance and dramatically improving profitability for businesses around the world.
Background
Let’s take a look at the history of Lean Six Sigma, and how the various elements of this methodology were designed to become the process improvement approach, we understand today.
What is Lean?
Lean was revealed in Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System, which was built throughout the work of Shewhart and Deming. Toyota had been a client of Deming and set its operational management practices on the principles he taught. The primary driver of Lean is the elimination of waste. A good summary of the Lean approach is a set of tools that assist in the identification and the regular removal of debris.
If a company is doing large scale, high-quantity production like Toyota, then a process with waste in it indicates that the company is creating large-scale, high quantity waste. No company wants to do this. The Lean approach utilizes tools to analyze the business process.
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma was first developed at Motorola through the late 1980s. The methodology was founded by Bill Smith, a quality engineer, whose goal was to enhance the way the quality and measurement systems worked to eliminate errors. The Motorola systems allowed error rates that created too much scrap rework, unnecessary testing, and often customer dissatisfaction.
The Six Sigma approach concentrated on identifying and eliminating anything that caused variation in the process. When the difference is gone, the process results can be correctly predicted — every time. By designing the system so that these exactly predictable results fall within the zone of acceptable performance from a customer prospect, process mistakes are eliminated.
But the engineers at Motorola went one step distant. They knew from experience that many process innovations were not valid because they did not get to the source cause of the problem. Also, the differences they made would not stick, as the operators reverted to independently doing things over time. Six Sigma was organized with five stages to address these issues.
Lean Six Sigma Belts
Some organizations have their levels and definitions of knowledge. However, I will be representing the most commonly found levels in use today. You may have learned of Lean Six Sigma belts. These are the Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, and Master Black Belt. Every one of these roles is expected to have the training, and in many cases, certification appropriate to their position.
In the first years of Lean and Six Sigma, every organization established its standards with regards to methodology and tools and techniques. However, most organizations now rely on a free certifying body for training and certification.
The two most generally known organizations that provide certification are the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the International Association of Six Sigma Certification (IASSC). The ProcessExam.com Lean Six Sigma practice exams are aligned with the IASSC Body of Knowledge.
1. Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt
An organization can have many Yellow Belts. These people are team members on a Lean Six Sigma project started by a Green Belt or Black Belt. They should be comfortable with the structured methodology and the use of cross-functional tools and techniques.
They will compete in all the project team meetings acting in the role of subject matter expert for their function or discipline. This role is performed in connection with their regular full-time job or position.
A project will have as many or as few Yellow Belt members as are required based upon the scope of the process being studied and the nature of the problem.
The training for a Yellow Belt usually focuses on the structure of the methodology and the use of cross-functional problem-solving tools and techniques.
The detailed Lean and Six Sigma analysis is generally accompanied by the Green Belt or Black Belt, who is managing the project. However, the Yellow Belt team members are often the ones who get the data used in analysis and aid in interpreting the results of the study.
The Yellow Belt team members will also manage the implementation of the solution within their particular functions or discipline.
It is common for a person with the Yellow Belt certification to be a member of multiple Lean Six Sigma project teams.
2. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
An organization will have multiple Green Belts. The Green Belt role is usually that of a project leader. The Green Belt is typically going on Lean Six Sigma projects that would come within their area of expertise and responsibilities. These individuals understand the Lean Six Sigma methodology and structure. They are also able to use the Lean analysis tools and the statistical techniques usually used with Six Sigma.
These individuals lead small projects or projects that are focused on just one function. This role is regularly performed in combination with another full-time position.
Most Green Belts are leading a project that is associated with changing some appearance of their business processes. In some cases, a Green Belt may be related to a large cross-functional project being led by a Black Belt.
Large cross-functional projects often have multiple analyses coinciding, and a Green Belt will lead each of those efforts.
As a project leader, the Green Belt is responsible for assuring that proper Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques are used at every step of the project.
This individual will generally lead the presentation and discussion of the project at the stage-gate reviews. Because this individual is usually the only person on the project who has been trained in the Lean analysis techniques and the mathematical Six Sigma techniques, they will handle these analyses.
The Green Belt is not the subject material expert on all aspects of the process or product, but they often are the authority on some part of the process or product. As such, they must make their subject matter expertise to bear in the very way in which Yellow Belt functions.
However, the Green Belt is not required to be an expert on all phases of the advanced Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques. When they run into problems, they turn to their Black Belt for guidance and coaching.
3. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
An organization will often have multiple Black Belts. The Black Belt role is that of a subject material expert on Lean Six Sigma for a function or location within the organization. These individuals lead large cross-functional projects and help as coaches for the Green Belts in that department or area.
This is usually a full-time position. Black Belts understand not only understand how to apply the methodology and tools; they are the trainers and coaches for the Green Belts and Yellow Belts within the company.
A typical day will include:
- Managing a team meeting for one of the projects they are leading;
- Meeting with some Green Belts to review their progress and give coaching for their next steps;
- Performing value water or statistical analysis with data from one of the projects they are leading;
- Give training on the use of Lean Six Sigma within their organization for Yellow Belt and Green Belt candidates;
- Meet with organizational stakeholders to consider the situation of projects and identify problems or issues for future projects.
As you can view, the individual is usually expected to lead various projects simultaneously while acting as a coach for a handful of Green Belts who are leading their projects. The projects being conducted by Black Belts are usually large cross-functional projects. As project leaders, they must plan and do the work.
What is often the most challenging phase of those projects is to work with the stakeholders from the different functions. In many organizations, the Black Belt role is reassigned each year or two so that multiple individuals can become skilled in all phases of the Lean Six Sigma methodology.
4. Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
The last level is that of Master Black Belt. Most companies will have only one Master Black Belt, someone who is usually a senior individual accountable for managing the Lean Six Sigma action within the organization. This is a full-time position. Many moments this Master Black Belt reports to the C-level hero for the Lean Six Sigma action.
From a training and certification station, this individual has the same credential as a Black Belt. However, the roles and responsibilities are diverse.
The Master Black Belt is not leading projects, and instead, they are leading the initiative.
The Master Black Belt usually is working intimately with senior leadership to determine how many Black Belts and Green Belts are required and which functional departments or locations should get them first.
The Master Black Belt usually maintains a status report on the portfolio of Lean Six Sigma projects, the current ones, the completed ones, and the proposed ones. As such, they can assess the impact of the overall program on the organization, and they can prioritize the improvement works based upon the organization’s strategy.
These individuals also work with HR to keep the training experiences of all the Yellow Belts, Green Belts, and Black Belts in the organization.
If an organization is small, or if the Lean Six Sigma leadership is little within the company, the role of the Master Black Belt will be assumed by one of the organization’s Black Belts.
Wrap-up
Lean Six Sigma is a structured problem-solving process using data that changes the lucky view problem-solving approach that is often used in organizations today. The formal process guides the team through the steps they should follow, and the reviews ensure that they are not cutting corners.
Lean Six Sigma includes many tools, but the devices do not rule the team. The Black Belt and Green Belt project leaders choose a suitable tool for the situation. The tools are there to support the team in their analysis, not constrain them.
Finally, the goal is an enhanced process, product, or service that better engages client expectations. Lean Six Sigma is not about the process or the tools, and it is about the customer. Project success is assured when waste and variation are eliminated or reduced, and customer value is enhanced.
