Six Sigma Belts
A successful Six Sigma program relies on a vast knowledge of the various philosophies, methods, and strategies that enable Six Sigma to be executed companywide.
Six Sigma co-founder Bill Smith and Motorola recognized this fact, and it’s for that reason they spearheaded training efforts like Motorola University and Six Sigma Institute.
To help with an organization’s Six Sigma efforts, individuals can expand their expertise on QA management and methods by getting Six Sigma certifications. These certifications are measured using the martial-arts inspired belt system: white, yellow, green, black, and master black.
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Six Sigma White Belt
Note: this belt isn’t actually a certification
The white belt is a more informal designation than the other belts, since it doesn’t actually count toward actual certification. This belt is for anyone interested in completing Six Sigma certification—it’s a starting point. People with white belts are working on mastering the basic, foundational concepts of Six Sigma and should have enough information to contribute to small projects and provide information and guidance when needed.
Six Sigma Yellow Belt
A person with a yellow belt will have enough knowledge to be a team member for Six Sigma projects. They are the worker bees of Six Sigma; they are directly responsible for using Six Sigma
methods to get tasks accomplished. Yellow belts should be overseen by someone with more knowledge and experience. This supervisor should be either a green belt or a black belt, depending on the scope, size, and magnitude of the project in question.
Six Sigma Green Belt
Individuals seeking green belts are usually project managers, or people hoping to follow the project management career path. Green belts have enough Six Sigma knowledge and experience to have a supervisor role in their own projects. Their roles as team members often focuses on instructing other members, but also includes data collection and analysis as well. When individuals first earn their green belts, it’s good practice to have a black belt holder as a mentor, particularly when these green belts have little experience with managing teams/running projects.
Six Sigma Black Belt
Like in karate, earning a black belt in Six Sigma is a major milestone. This signifies that the individual has enough experience to be a Six Sigma leader, including large-scale projects like
implementation and directing Six Sigma programs. Black belts should take an active mentoring role with individuals at lower levels in the Six Sigma certification process, and black belts should actively seek out mentorship from master black belt.
Six Sigma Master Black Belt
Master black belts are the Eagle Scouts of Six Sigma. This certification is the highest one can earn, and very few make it to this level. Master black belts often work for large companies and are the only master black belt the company employs. Typically, master black belts are in charge of running big, corporate-wide projects, creating, revising, and analyzing metrics, and devising strategic plans for quality management throughout a company’s manufacturing processes.
The first step on a Six Sigma journey is to become certified. While it is ideal that everyone in the facility has a yellow belt, it’s important for the individual in charge to be certified at the very least.
Additional Resources
- Six Sigma Certification– creativesafetysupply.com
- Six Sigma Belts and Their Meaning– blog.5stoday.com
- 5 Things You should Know about Six Sigma Belts– 5snews.com
- Six Sigma Certification Belts – Is it Worth It?– lean-news.com
- How to Become Six Sigma– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- Implementing Six Sigma– hiplogic.com
- Six Sigma: Driving Quality and Efficiency in Organizational Success– babelplex.com
- Starting Lean Six Sigma, Pt. 1– creativesafetypublishing.com
- Why Six Sigma Root Cause Analysis is a Great Tool– kaizen-news.com