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You’re likely to have come across the phrase “Six Sigma Green Belt Training Certification” when you were looking for ways to improve your business processes. You might be wondering if it is worth sending some of your employees on training. You don’t spend money on training for the sake of training. Find out how being Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified will benefit your company and what Six Sigma Green Belts can do for you.
A Council for Six Sigma Certification (CSSC) Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt demonstrates a deep understanding of problem-solving skills with an emphasis on DMAIC (Define Measure, Analyze and Improve Control). The Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification also indicates the ability to train team members within the function-specific areas of the organization. This allows the Green Belt, which is less committed to Six Sigma than a Black Belt, to focus on smaller, more defined Six Sigma projects.
Six Sigma: An Overview
Six Sigma techniques and tools are used to find and eliminate defects. Six Sigma Green Belt certification aims to minimize variability by establishing established processes. This allows you to produce predictable quality, regardless of whether you’re manufacturing products or providing services. You need to have a group of people who are skilled in using statistical and empirical methods to improve quality management.
Why the “Sigma” rating? An organization’s Sigma rating is a measure of the percentage of products or results that are free from defects. Six Sigma is a statistical designation that indicates 99,99966% of results are free from defects.
Six Sigma is based on:
- Continuous efforts to produce predictable results in all business processes.
- Definition, measurement, analysis, improvement, and control of business processes.
- Quality improvement is a commitment across the organization.
Although there is no standard for Six Sigma Green Belt certifications, most training organizations agree on what a Green Belt should do once they have completed their training.
What does the Six Sigma Green Belt Do
Six Sigma Green Belts are trained to solve quality problems. These employees must have at least three years’ experience and a background in Green Belt knowledge. An employee must demonstrate
that they are proficient in Six Sigma processes and tools. No need to manage projects. This is done by Black Belts or Master Black Belts.
So far, so good. What are these tools? These tools and processes are part of sub-methodologies, which can be summarized with two acronyms: DMAIC or DMADV.
Who Should Certify
Six Sigma Green Belt works under or in support of a Six Sigma Black Belt. It analyzes and solves quality issues and participates in quality improvement projects. A Green Belt is someone who has at least three years of experience and wants to share his or her knowledge about Six Sigma tools.
Six Sigma Green Belt Pre-Requisites
Six Sigma Green Belt
DMAIC, Six Sigma Green Belt
The DAMAIC sub-methodology is made up of five elements, which are also represented in the DMAIC acronym.
Definition: To clearly define Six Sigma intervention, it is important to identify the problem. Next, we must identify who is affected. It could be an internal customer or an external customer. The critical outputs of the targeted business process must be defined. The Green Belt will often be given a definition. However, they can also contribute to the process of defining the problem that requires intervention.
Measure – Here the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt can make a significant contribution. This step establishes a baseline that represents the current state of affairs. This step involves data collection. The Six Sigma team will determine which elements are important and how they will be measured. A meaningful measurement system is essential to achieve results, as most business professionals will be able to tell. Simply put, “What you measure is what you get.”
Analyze – Knowing the problem is one thing, but determining its root cause is a lot more difficult. Fishbone diagrams are a great tool to help pinpoint the root cause of quality issues. Six Sigma Green Belt, once again, will be able to provide valuable analysis and data input.
- The team will list all possible causes of the problem and rank them in order of importance.
- It determines the order in which the “Improve” step will be performed.
- Root causes or key inputs can have a significant impact on your business’s process inputs. The team analyses data to determine how each key input impacts outputs. This should show how these inputs impact the baseline or project metric that was established in the “Measure” step. The team will likely use statistical methods such as p-values or histograms. The Green Belt should be able compile and present data.
- The team can use process maps to help them see where they are most likely to make mistakes during the process.
Six Sigma Green Belt certified person must understand and be able to perform these tasks in order to be effective members of a team.
Enhance: The Six Sigma Team now knows where to direct its efforts. Now that the root causes have been identified and their contribution to baseline metrics are known, it is time to identify and implement solutions. The Green Belt will assist in finding solutions. It will then be up to senior members of the team to determine which solutions are worthwhile.
Complex problems often have simple solutions. This is where the team should start. To test solutions, the PDCA Cycle (or Plan–Do–Check–Act Cycle) will be used. Six Sigma Green Belts will assist in the implementation of this process and keep track of results. The team must verify that the PDCA results have been obtained. It will use a Failure mode and Effects Analysis (FEMA).
The detailed improvement plan can then be created using all the information collected so far.
Control – This is the penultimate (or in some literature, the last) step to ensure that the Six Sigma Team’s gains will be sustained. Six Sigma Green Belts are assigned to collect control information and make reports to the team. Control charts are often used to monitor the stability of any improvements made.
Thank you to all contributors. The Six Sigma team has finally completed their improvement intervention. The Six Sigma team has successfully implemented changes and the “new” method of working is now officially in use. Six Sigma Green Belt will be presented with the Six Sigma team’s appreciation, but he/she will also wish to express gratitude to staff members for their assistance in data collection and implementation.
DMADV, Six Sigma Green Belt
Six Sigma methodology can be used to solve problems in existing processes. It can also be used to develop new services, project or business processes. The DMADV sub-methodology will be used in this instance.
Definition: We start with a definition which should answer key questions.
- What’s the purpose of the service, project or process?
- What are the objectives that must be achieved?
- What is the schedule?
- What are the risks for the company?
The customer and company must agree on the definition. Although the Six Sigma hierarchy defines the definition, the Green Belt must be available to help or gather information.
Measure Quality factors are often called “CTQs”. Six Sigma Green Belts are trained to identify and define the parameters that can be used for measuring CTQs. They may also be asked to create scorecards to assess the elements that make a difference in quality. The product’s capabilities and risks are assessed. Relevant metrics are then selected to measure progress towards the goals.
Analyze – This phase involves several activities. Is the company open to considering design alternatives? What are these requirements? What are the requirements the company must meet in order to create value? What components is the company going to need in order to implement design concepts? Once you have compiled a list, it is time to choose the best and calculate the cost of the
design throughout the production process. The Green Belt analyzes and collects data in this step to help guide decision-making
Design The new product/process design can now be finalized and prototyped. Now, the Six Sigma team creates a model for the new introduction. They look for potential errors and modify the design accordingly. Lean Six Sigma Green Belts are selected by organizations based on their involvement in business operations. Their contribution is crucial to this step’s success.
Verify Now it’s time to test. To see if the new process is achieving its goals, it can be tested. The new project can be made part of regular operations if all stakeholders are happy. Control measures will be put in place to ensure that it remains stable. Green Belts will take care of this legwork, reporting to their supervisors using predetermined checks and balances.
Two different paths to certification
Two paths can be taken to earn being Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certified through the Council for Sigma Certification (CSSC). Individuals who feel they have a solid understanding of the topics covered by the Green Belt Certification “Body of Knowledge” can sit for the standard comprehensive exam.
Instead, individuals who use one of our self-study guides can take several shorter exams as they move through the sections. This is in contrast to taking a comprehensive exam.
Additional benefit: Those who are interested in the second option to Certification will be able obtain all levels of our standard certifications (White Belt Yellow Belt Green Belt Green Belt and Black Belt) as their journey progresses through the certification process, without paying additional examination fees.
Our official certifications will be awarded for either path.
Green Belts don’t direct Six Sigma, but they make it possible
Companies need to have the expertise and input of experts who are familiar with the practical aspects of Six Sigma implementation. Six Sigma Green Belts, while Master Black Belts and Black Belts spend all of their time working on Six Sigma. Their involvement in Six Sigma projects ensures their success. Being Six Sigma Green Belt Certified demonstrates that your employee is knowledgeable about the process and can use Six Sigma tools in order to assist higher-ranking Six Sigma team members with their decisions.
