Mastering Six Sigma Black Belt: Unleashing the Power of Process Excellence

Introduction

In the realm of operational excellence, few methodologies rival the precision and effectiveness of Six Sigma. This systematic approach to process improvement has revolutionized industries worldwide, empowering organizations to minimize defects, optimize performance, and drive sustainable growth. At the pinnacle of Six Sigma proficiency lies the coveted designation of Six Sigma Black Belt. In this comprehensive guide, we delve deep into the intricacies of this prestigious certification, exploring its significance, benefits, and the journey to mastery.

Understanding Six Sigma Black Belt

Defining Excellence

Six Sigma Black Belt represents the epitome of expertise in process improvement and statistical analysis. Individuals holding this esteemed credential possess advanced knowledge and skills to lead complex projects, identify root causes of defects, and implement strategic solutions for enhanced efficiency and profitability.

Core Principles

At the heart of Six Sigma philosophy lies a relentless pursuit of perfection through data-driven decision-making. Black Belts adhere to the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology, leveraging statistical tools and techniques to streamline processes, minimize variation, and deliver measurable results.

The Path to Mastery

Rigorous Training

Achieving Six Sigma Black Belt status requires rigorous training and demonstrated proficiency in key areas such as statistical analysis, project management, and leadership. Aspiring candidates undergo extensive coursework, hands-on projects, and rigorous examinations to validate their expertise.

Real-World Application

Beyond theoretical knowledge, Black Belt certification demands practical application in real-world scenarios. Candidates are tasked with leading high-impact projects within their organizations, applying Six Sigma principles to drive tangible improvements in quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

Advantages of Six Sigma Black Belt

Strategic Leadership

Black Belts play a pivotal role in organizational transformation, serving as catalysts for change and champions of continuous improvement. With their advanced skills in data analysis and project management, they guide teams towards achieving operational excellence and sustainable competitive advantage.

Cost Reduction

By systematically identifying and eliminating defects, Black Belts help organizations minimize waste, reduce rework, and optimize resource utilization. This translates into significant cost savings and improved profitability, enhancing the bottom line and driving long-term financial success.

Customer Satisfaction

At the heart of every Six Sigma initiative lies a commitment to customer-centricity. Black Belts focus on understanding customer requirements, aligning processes with organizational goals, and delivering products and services that exceed expectations. This relentless pursuit of quality fosters customer loyalty and strengthens brand reputation.

Conclusion

In today's fiercely competitive business landscape, the pursuit of operational excellence is paramount. Six Sigma Black Belt serves as a beacon of proficiency, guiding organizations towards unparalleled levels of performance and success. By embracing the principles of Six Sigma and investing in the development of Black Belt talent, businesses can unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation, and prosperity.

Continue reading

Reaching Excellence in Black Belt Performance

What separates high-performing Black Belts from low performers? Most people would probably automatically refer to project success: High-performing Black Belts better execute the Six Sigma methodology and deliver significant process improvements and accompanying financial benefits. While this answer is definitely true, it reflects a limited view. This article outlines a more comprehensive picture of Black Belt performance and its drivers.

A Definition of Performance

A fitting place to start is with a definition of what performance is. While there are many potential definitions out there, the following one looks at performance from an organizational context:

Performance is the value added to the organization that the person and/or the group can give with reference to the achievement of organizationally relevant objectives.

Following this definition, a specific Black Belt activity is not perceived as well performed by the quality of the execution of the tasks itself. The evaluation criterion is the degree to which this behavior contributes to the success of the company. This means, for example, that conducting a great data analysis during a Six Sigma project is only perceived as high performance behavior if the results of this analysis help achieve a project goal that at the same time contributes to the overall Six Sigma deployment objectives and the organization’s strategy.

This definition therefore includes the “what” and “how” of performance. What needs to be achieved refers to the company’s objectives. With regard to Six Sigma, these objectives are typically breakthrough process improvements and significant business benefits. A company should expect a Black Belt to close major competitive gaps by either enhancing the customer experience or generating positive economic profit. But also – in the longer term – cultural organizational change toward a data-driven decision-making process and customer-oriented organization can be achieved.

On the “how” side, performance-driving behaviors can be seen in four major areas:

◉ Task performance

◉ Leadership performance

◉ Interpersonal performance

◉ Ethical performance

Task Performance

Task performance refers to the technical project execution. This starts with selecting and scoping the right projects, ensuring Sponsor commitment and having sufficient resources available. During the project, high performance of tasks can be observed if the Black Belt selects the right tools from the Six Sigma toolbox to drive the right behavior during the project. In particular, tools that help to understand the root causes of the problem, statistical and process analysis tools to verify these causes, and techniques to generate and select the right solutions are key to project success.

During the Control part and the project follow-up phase, a successful Black Belt prepares and conducts a proper handover to the process owner and follows up on the implementation of solutions to ensure that KPIs and the business case are achieved and the process owner’s organization can easily implement and sustain the solution.

A company seeking successful Black Belts should look for a person with good analytical and project management skills. In terms of analytical skills, Black Belts should foster sound decision-making based on data. They ask the right questions and keep asking questions. Having an affinity for statistics is important here but not statistical expertise because running statistical analysis is rather easy today given good statistical data analysis software.

In terms of project management skills, Black Belts should already bring project management experience to successfully deploy tools required to plan and assign tasks and timelines, define roles and responsibilities, hold team members accountable, effectively run meetings, resolve issues, move projects forward and complete the projects in an appropriate timeframe with the expected benefits.

Leadership Performance

Successful Black Belts are results-oriented and strong in influencing people for results, developing team members, managing conflicts in the team and between other stakeholders, and leading change through strong listening, influencing and communication skills. High performers in the leadership category involve the key stakeholders early in the project and keep them up to date. They effectively communicate with the organization’s leaders, and they consistently motivate the team to high-performance levels.

But leadership performance relates not only to project leadership. A high-performing Black Belt also inspires people to apply Six Sigma tools in their day-to-day operations and drives enthusiasm for Six Sigma within the organization.

Interpersonal Performance

Interpersonal performance focuses on the behavior that a Black Belt shows in interaction with other people. One of the goals of a Six Sigma deployment is usually to build a strong Six Sigma community within the organization as a base for cultural change. Given that, a high-performing Black Belt will build networks with other people involved in the Six Sigma deployment and also with key decisions makers, process experts and other associates in the organization. Within this network the Black Belt will share best practices and drive best practice exchange between others. A high-performing Black Belt offers help to others where needed but is also open to receive help and coaching from colleagues.

Skills that are required here typically fall in the category of teamwork. These are skills such as listening and appreciating other people’s ideas, asking questions, encouraging people to participate and use effective communication channels between one another. The successful team player senses what contributions need to be made and how he or she can best support the group in achieving its goals.

Ethical Performance

During the last decade, stakeholders expect companies to commit more and more to their social and ethical responsibilities on top of their financial ones. This refers to company-internal behaviors like showing awareness of and commitment to company values and taking care of employee-related values as well as externally focused behaviors like starting a dialogue with important stakeholders (customers, business partners, community and environment) and engaging in social activities with specific stakeholder groups.

For a Black Belt, ethical performance can be observed on an individual, interpersonal and project level. On an individual level, a Black Belt accords to playing by the rules and values of the company and working with integrity. With regard to Six Sigma, this means not compromising on the philosophy and methods of Six Sigma by running every project under the umbrella of Six Sigma. Another ethical behavior is not trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations in Six Sigma projects like closure within two months or unrealistic goals. It can also mean that the Black Belt intervenes if he or she feels that Six Sigma is abused for political purposes (e.g., to give a rationalization program a nicer name).

On an interpersonal level, an ethically high-performing Black Belt ensures appropriately open and honest two-way communication with all internal and external stakeholders of the project, is transparent with regard to the project objectives, provides training as needed and gives recognition to associates.

Finally, on a project level, a Black Belt ensures that project objectives are also the supporting social responsibility and customer-satisfaction targets of a company. Projects are therefore selected that improve the safety and reliability of products or services, increase courteous attention to customer queries and complaints, ensure adequate supply of products or services, provide full and unambiguous information to potential customers as well as reduce the potential dangers of pollution or disposal of waste.

Going Beyond the Limits: Exceptional Performance

Sometimes being a good performer is simply not enough: What is required is outstanding performance or unprecedented results. This means outperforming ourselves and going beyond our own limits. For a Black Belt, this would imply leading extremely difficult projects and at the same time managing really well the political and organizational implications of the role.

The keys to exceptional performance for Black Belts are:

◉ Clear project objectives

◉ Ongoing feedback by sponsor and relevant stakeholders, including project team members

◉ Sense of ownership about the goals

◉ Sense of control over the performance drivers and the results

◉ Commitment and involvement

A clear leading indicator of outstanding performance in Black Belt projects is an impressive combination of focus, concentration and self efficacy that is called “flow.” To get to the flow area of performance, it is necessary for a Black Belt to lead a really challenging project but at the same time to be convinced to have the right competencies, as per the figure below (situation A4).

The Reasons for Excellent Performance

All other situations undermine exceptional performance and call for action by the Black Belt’s supervisor or coach (such as a Master Black Belt). Situation A3 is a threatening combination of high challenge and poor competencies, while A2 is the avenue of frustration, with high competencies wasted on a really simple challenge.

There is lot that can be done to raise the bar of Black Belt performance. First of all, clarify that performance is not just task related but also involves leadership, interpersonal and ethical performance. Second, lead them in the steady development of their limits, in order to create the flow experience.

Continue reading

101 Things A Six Sigma Black Belt Should Know

1. In general, a Six Sigma Black Belt should be quantitatively oriented.

2. With minimal guidance, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to use data to convert broad generalizations into actionable goals.

3. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to make the business case for attempting to accomplish these goals.

4. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to develop detailed plans for achieving these goals.

5. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to measure progress towards the goals in terms meaningful to customers and leaders.

6. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know how to establish control systems for maintaining the gains achieved through Six Sigma.

7. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand and be able to communicate the rationale for continuous improvement, even after initial goals have been accomplished.

8. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be familiar with research that quantifies the benefits firms have obtained from Six Sigma.

9. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know or be able to find the PPM rates associated with different sigma levels (e.g., Six Sigma = 3.4 PPM)

10. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know the approximate relative cost of poor quality associated with various sigma levels (e.g., three sigma firms report 25% COPQ).

11. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand the roles of the various people involved in change (senior leader, champion, mentor, change agent, technical leader, team leader, facilitator).

12. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to design, test, and analyze customer surveys.

13. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know how to quantitatively analyze data from employee and customer surveys. This includes evaluating survey reliability and validity as well as the differences between surveys.

14. Given two or more sets of survey data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to determine if there are statistically significant differences between them.

15. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to quantify the value of customer retention.

16. Given a partly completed QFD matrix, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to complete it.

17. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the value of money held or invested over time, including present value and future value of a fixed sum.

18. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute PV and FV values for various compounding periods.

19. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the break even point for a project.

20. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the net present value of cash flow streams, and to use the results to choose among competing projects.

21. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the internal rate of return for cash flow streams and to use the results to choose among competing projects.

22. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know the COPQ rationale for Six Sigma, i.e., he should be able to explain what to do if COPQ analysis indicates that the optimum for a given process is less than Six Sigma.

23. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know the basic COPQ categories and be able to allocate a list of costs to the correct category.

24. Given a table of COPQ data over time, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to perform a statistical analysis of the trend.

25. Given a table of COPQ data over time, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to perform a statistical analysis of the distribution of costs among the various categories.

26. Given a list of tasks for a project, their times to complete, and their precedence relationships, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the time to completion for the project, the earliest completion times, the latest completion times and the slack times. He should also be able to identify which tasks are on the critical path.

27. Give cost and time data for project tasks, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the cost of normal and crash schedules and the minimum total cost schedule.

28. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be familiar with the basic principles of benchmarking.

29. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be familiar with the limitations of benchmarking.

30. Given an organization chart and a listing of team members, process owners, and sponsors, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to identify projects with a low probability of success.

31. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to identify measurement scales of various metrics (nominal, ordinal, etc).

32. Given a metric on a particular scale, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to determine if a particular statistical method should be used for analysis.

33. Given a properly collected set of data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to perform a complete measurement system analysis, including the calculation of bias, repeatability, reproducibility, stability, discrimination (resolution) and linearity.

34. Given the measurement system metrics, the Six Sigma Black Belt should know whether or not a given measurement system should be used on a given part or process.

35. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know the difference between computing sigma from a data set whose production sequence is known and from a data set whose production sequence is not known.

36. Given the results of an AIAG Gage R&R study, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to answer a variety of questions about the measurement system.

37. Given a narrative description of "as-is" and "should-be" processes, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to prepare process maps.

38. Given a table of raw data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to prepare a frequency tally sheet of the data, and to use the tally sheet data to construct a histogram.

39. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the mean and standard deviation from a grouped frequency distribution.

40. Given a list of problems, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to construct a Pareto Diagram of the problem frequencies.

41. Given a list which describes problems by department, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to construct a Cross tabulation and use the information to perform a Chi-square analysis.

42. Given a table of x and y data pairs, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to determine if the relationship is linear or non-linear.

43. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know how to use non-linearity’s to make products or processes more robust.

44. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to construct and interpret a run chart when given a table of data in time-ordered sequence. This includes calculating run length, number of runs and quantitative trend evaluation.

45. When told the data are from an exponential or Erlang distribution the Six Sigma Black Belt should know that the run chart is preferred over the standard X control chart.

46. Given a set of raw data the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to identify and compute two statistical measures each for central tendency, dispersion, and shape.

47. Given a set of raw data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to construct a histogram. 

48. Given a stem & leaf plot, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to reproduce a sample of numbers to the accuracy allowed by the plot.

49. Given a box plot with numbers on the key box points, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to identify the 25th and 75th percentile and the median.

50. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know when to apply enumerative statistical methods, and when not to.

51. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know when to apply analytic statistical methods, and when not to.

52. The Six Sigma Black Belt should demonstrate a grasp of basic probability concepts, such as the probability of mutually exclusive events, of dependent and independent events, of events that can occur simultaneously, etc.

53. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know factorials, permutations and combinations, and how to use these in commonly used probability distributions.

54. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute expected values for continuous and discrete random variables.

55. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute univariate statistics for samples.

56. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute confidence intervals for various statistics.

57. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to read values from a cumulative frequency ogive.

58. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be familiar with the commonly used probability distributions, including: hyper geometric, binomial, Poisson, normal, exponential, chi-square, Student's t, and F.

59. Given a set of data the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to correctly identify which distribution should be used to perform a given analysis, and to use the distribution to perform the analysis.

60. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know that different techniques are required for analysis depending on whether a given measure (e.g., the mean) is assumed known or estimated from a sample. The Six Sigma Black Belt should choose and properly use the correct technique when provided with data and sufficient information about the data.

61. Given a set of sub grouped data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to select and prepare the correct control charts and to determine if a given process is in a state of statistical control.

62. The above should be demonstrated for data representing all of the most common control charts.

63. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand the assumptions that underlie ANOVA, and be able to select and apply a transformation to the data.

64. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to identify which cause on a list of possible causes will most likely explain a non-random pattern in the regression residuals.

65. If shown control chart patterns, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to match the control chart with the correct situation (e.g., an outlier pattern vs. a gradual trend matched to a tool breaking vs. a machine gradually warming up).

66. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand the mechanics of PREControl.

67. The Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to correctly apply EWMA charts to a process with serial correlation in the data.

68. Given a stable set of sub grouped data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to perform a complete Process Capability Analysis. This includes computing and interpreting capability indices, estimating the % failures, control limit calculations, etc.

69. The Six Sigma Black Belt should demonstrate an awareness of the assumptions that underlie the use of capability indices.

70. Given the results of a replicated 22 full-factorial experiment, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to complete the entire ANOVA table.

71. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand the basic principles of planning a statistically designed experiment. This can be demonstrated by critiquing various experimental plans with or without shortcomings.

72. Given a "clean" experimental plan, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to find the correct number of replicates to obtain a desired power.

73. The Six Sigma Black Belt should know the difference between the various types of experimental models (fixed-effects, random-effects, mixed).

74. The Six Sigma Black Belt should understand the concepts of randomization and blocking.

75. Given a set of data, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to perform a Latin Square analysis and interpret the results.

76. Ditto for one way ANOVA, two way ANOVA (with and without replicates), full and fractional factorials, and response surface designs.

77. Given an appropriate experimental result, the Six Sigma Black Belt should be able to compute the direction of steepest ascent.

78. Given a set of variables each at two levels, the Six Sigma Black Belt can determine the correct experimental layout for a screening experiment using a saturated design.

79. Given data for such an experiment, the Six Sigma Black Belt can identify which main effects are significant and state the effect of these factors.

80. Given two or more sets of responses to categorical items (e.g.,customer survey responses categorized as poor, fair, good, excellent),the Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to perform a Chi-Square test to determine if the samples are significantly different.

81. The Six Sigma Black Belt will understand the idea of confounding and be able to identify which two factor interactions are confounded with the significant main effects.

82. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to state the direction of steepest ascent from experimental data.

83. The Six Sigma Black Belt will understand fold over designs and be able to identify the fold over design that will clear a given alias.

84. The Six Sigma Black Belt will know how to augment a factorial design to create a composite or central composite design.

85. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to evaluate the diagnostics for an experiment.

86. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to identify the need for a transformation in y and to apply the correct transformation.

87. Given a response surface equation in quadratic form, the Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to compute the stationary point.

88. Given data (not graphics), the Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to determine if the stationary point is a maximum, minimum or saddle point.

89. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to use a quadratic loss function to compute the cost of a given process.

90. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to conduct simple and multiple linear regression.

91. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to identify patterns in residuals from an improper regression model and to apply the correct remedy.

92. The Six Sigma Black Belt will understand the difference between regression and correlation studies.

93. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to perform chi-square analysis of contingency tables.

94. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to compute basic reliability statistics (mtbf, availability, etc.).

95. Given the failure rates for given subsystems, the Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to use reliability apportionment to set mtbf goals.

96. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to compute the reliability of series, parallel, and series-parallel system configurations.

97. The Six Sigma Black Belt will demonstrate the ability to create and read an FMEA analysis.

98. The Six Sigma Black Belt will demonstrate the ability to create and read a fault tree.

99. Given distributions of strength and stress, the Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to compute the probability of failure.

100. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be able to apply statistical tolerance to set tolerances for simple assemblies. He will know how to compare statistical tolerances to so-called "worst case" tolerance.

101. The Six Sigma Black Belt will be aware of the limits of the Six Sigma approach.

Continue reading

Five Elements to Consider When Developing Master Black Belts

In a Six Sigma implementation, the initial focus is typically on training in-house Black Belts and Green Belts to work on projects that support the business strategy and, in the process, demonstrate the efficacy of the methodology. At this stage, program oversight and mentoring – the typical Master Black Belt role – is often provided by consultants. The longer-range vision usually includes development of such expertise within the organization.

Once a critical mass of Green Belts (GBs) and Black Belts (BBs) have been reached, and leadership is convinced of the value of their projects, the internal development of Master Black Belts (MBBs) becomes a higher priority. However, this phase of the transition from consultants to in-house expertise must be carefully managed to ensure the long-term health of Six Sigma within the organization.

There are five primary elements that must be addressed prior to launching in-house MBB development:

1. Leadership perception of the MBB role
2. Deployment structure
3. Candidate selection
4. Curriculum content
5. Demonstration criteria (abilities and responsibilities)

Leadership Perception of the MBB Role

By definition, MBBs are expert problem solvers who manage resources to help deliver the business strategy. This experience and knowledge should be highly sought after as executives scour the organization for top talent. However, if the leadership team does not recognize the skill set that the MBBs possess, individuals may not receive the promotional opportunities that they deserve. If there is no formal role definition or approved career path for MBBs, the situation will be even worse. The risk of not addressing this element is the loss of skilled talent to outside firms, as well as the loss of the financial investment made for the training and development of those individuals.

Recommendations:

a. Communicate directly with the executive leadership team to explain the value of MBB resources to the organization. Gain their buy-in to support formal human resources (HR) definitions for all Six Sigma roles.

b. Collaborate with HR on the development of documented requirements and responsibilities for each Six Sigma role. Include definitions of specific rewards and recognition, such as salary grades, bonus potential and stock options.

c. Work with HR to create formal career paths for Six Sigma practitioners at all levels.

Deployment Structure

For lower-level Six Sigma practitioners, the diffused deployment model – BBs and GBs working projects within their functional areas – is the most common. However, MBBs may be deployed at a local, divisional or even corporate level. The appropriate decision is organization-specific, with pros and cons for both the centralized and de-centralized approaches to MBB deployment. The risk associated with not defining the deployment structure up front is mismatched resources, e.g., inadequate numbers of MBBs to support the BB and GB community.

Recommendations:

a. Develop guidelines for ratios of GBs to BBs to MBBs, and determine staffing needs accordingly. For any mentoring relationship – whether it is BBs mentoring GBs, or MBBs mentoring BBs – it is very difficult for mentors to manage more than 20 active mentees at any given time and still fulfill their other duties. This number is a guideline only; more complex projects or programs of projects will reduce the recommended ratio significantly.

b. Assess the value and risks associated with MBBs reporting through a centralized quality organization vs. MBBs in operational roles. Recognize that the most desirable structure may change over time, as the organization evolves.

c. Work with operational and executive leadership to determine the appropriate solid-line and dotted-line relationships, and incorporate them into the HR definition for the MBB role.

Candidate Selection

Ideally, the training and development of internal MBBs is an investment that realizes significant added value as these people are promoted into leadership and executive roles. The risk associated with not defining candidate selection criteria up front is a waste of this investment if the MBB candidate is not ultimately suited for the role.

Recommendations:

a. Allow only leadership-nominated individuals into MBB training. Given the potential for promotion possessed by a trained and experienced MBB, it is not recommended that an organization allow self-nomination for MBB training. MBB candidates should be nominated by staff at an appropriate level of the organization to determine whether a candidate has high potential. It is crucial to consider more than simply technical proficiency for an MBB candidate, because the role will involve change management skills, leadership, influencing capability and communication with executive leadership.

b. Clearly delineate MBB candidate expectations at the onset, including a contract specifying the required time in the role. This is important for three reasons: 1) the time required to develop an effective MBB, 2) the size of the investment required and 3) the limited numbers of MBBs in the organization, which makes it difficult to backfill roles quickly.

c. Define MBB candidate prerequisites early in the process. Decisions must be made as to requirements in the following areas:

◈ How many seats will be available in the MBB class? (Given the nature of the course, small interactive classes are preferred – typically 10 or fewer participants.)

◈ Is documentation of BB certification required? If so, what does certification documentation entail – completing a course, passing a test, completing projects, a specified duration in the role?

◈ How many projects must the MBB candidate have successfully completed as a GB? As a BB?

◈ How many projects must the MBB candidate have mentored successfully to completion as a BB? Is there a requirement of GB vs. BB projects?

◈ How will MBB candidates external to the organization be handled? Will they be required to take a test prior to admission? Take the in-house BB course? Present to a selection panel? What level of documentation for project proficiency is required for them?

◈ Will the MBB candidate be required to bring a project to the training class?

d. Formalize the application process for MBB candidates, including web-published guidelines and an application form with appropriate submittal timing defined. No application should be accepted without prior leadership nomination.

e. Create a review panel consisting of both quality professionals and executive leadership to screen and select candidates. The MBB candidates should be required to present their credentials to the review panel, if possible.

Curriculum Content

MBBs are expected to be masters of the technical aspects of Six Sigma, such as statistics, statistical tools and project management execution. However, if the MBB role is considered strategic to the organization, then the expertise must extend beyond the technical tools of the trade. The curriculum for an MBB course must be designed to fit the requirements of the organization and the vision for the role MBBs will play as they progress down the future career path. By not giving careful consideration to the MBB curriculum content, organizations run the risk of the developing MBBs who are not educationally prepared to fulfill the requirements of their position.

Recommendations:

a. Review current proficiency requirements for Six Sigma practitioners from industry groups, such as the Six Sigma Body of Knowledge available from ASQ. Tools and methodologies for Six Sigma application are not static, so research on current trends is advised.

b. Decide up front if the MBB course content will be designed around industry standards, or focus on the customized needs of the organization. For example: In a transactional business, should an MBB be proficient in response surface designs, or not?

c. Create a panel of quality professionals to determine specific content for each element of the MBB course, including the depth of knowledge required. (For example, Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains provides knowledge-level criteria). Recognize that MBB courses often have as much or more emphasis on leadership, coaching/mentoring and financial analysis as they do on technical tools.

d. Ensure that the MBB course includes high-profile speakers from both within and outside the organization. If possible, schedule the CEO to speak to the class.

e. Allow the curriculum to drive the duration of the course. Do not establish an arbitrary criterion of course timing, such as a four-week training course over three months, and then fill open time blocks with extraneous material. By definition, such an approach violates the Six Sigma best practice of effectiveness before efficiency.

Demonstration Criteria (Abilities and Responsibilities)

Attending an MBB course does not guarantee the development of a successful MBB. Content understanding must be combined with demonstrated proficiency to prove that the person is truly a “Master” Black Belt. A clear list of demonstration criteria is an important element of successful MBB development. The risk associated with not defining demonstration criteria is inconsistency in the definition of who is and is not an MBB in the organization. This inconsistency inevitably will lead to lax standards and a lessening of the perceived value of the MBB role.

Recommendations:

a. Ensure that a candidate who has been selected for the MBB course is identified as an “MBB-in-training” (or something similar), until proficiency is demonstrated.

b. Create a certification review board to assess the proficiency of the MBBs-in-training and determine the point at which they officially become MBBs.

c. Ensure that the elements of the MBB roles and responsibilities document are reflected in the certification criteria.

d. Identify whether or not the organization culture values a formal, post-course certification exam to demonstrate knowledge of the curriculum content.

e. Define specific project and program management success criteria. Decisions must be made in the following areas:

◈ Should MBBs be required to lead their own projects to successful completion, above and beyond project completion requirements of the BB role? Should MBBs be required to lead multiple individual projects? If so, how many?

◈ Is the successful management of a deployment initiative required for MBB certification? For example, must the MBB lead a suite of BB/GB projects that impact a scorecard metric in order to be certified?

f. Define specific requirements for coaching and mentoring. Decisions must be made in the following areas:

◈ How many projects must an MBB-in-training coach or mentor to be considered a full-fledged MBB? Is there a mix requirement between BB and GB projects, or between projects with discrete output data and those with continuous output data? Note: Be aware that the mentoring requirement will likely have a significant impact on the time required for an MBB to become certified.

◈ At what point can the MBB-in-training claim a mentored project? Must it be completed and closed, completed but not yet closed, or just in the Control phase?

g. Define specific requirements for training that the MBB candidate is expected to deliver. Because MBBs are often described as coaches and mentors, there is typically a requirement to serve as a lead trainer in one or more modules of a GB or BB course. However, it is recommended that the training requirement be defined as either developing or delivering a course module. Also, be sure to let the MBB candidate decide which aspect to accomplish; there are often MBBs-in-training who are technical experts and great team leaders, but who also may be highly ineffective as course instructors. The point of having a training specification for MBBs is to allow them to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic, which could be just as well accomplished by creating material as by delivering it.

The decision to begin training in-house MBBs is a significant milestone in the Six Sigma journey. Doing the up-front development work outlined in the five elements described above will provide a strong foundation for an organization as it moves from external support to internal expertise.

Continue reading

Six Sigma Organizational Architecture

Six Sigma is a quality methodology that can produce significant benefit to businesses and organizations. Not much text, however, has been written about the structure needed to successfully implement Six Sigma quality within your business or organization. This article will focus on roles and responsibilities, as well as required rewards and recognition for a successful Six Sigma quality program.

Roles and Responsibilities

Quality Leader/Manager (QL/QM) – The quality leader’s responsibility is to represent the needs of the customer and to improve the operational effectiveness of the organization. The Quality function is typically separated from the manufacturing or transactional processing functions in order to maintain impartiality. The quality manager sits on the CEO/President’s staff, and has equal authority to all other direct reports.

Master Black Belt (MBB) – Master Black Belts are typically assigned to a specific area or function of a business or organization. It may be a functional area such as human resources or legal, or process specific area such as billing or tube rolling. MBBs work with the owners of the process to ensure that quality objectives and targets are set, plans are determined, progress is tracked, and education is provided. In the best Six Sigma organizations, process owners and MBBs work very closely and share information daily.

Process Owner (PO) – Process owners are exactly as the name sounds – they are the responsible individuals for a specific process. For instance, in the legal department there is usually one person in charge – maybe the VP of Legal – that’s the process owner. There may be a chief marketing officer for your business – that’s the process owner for marketing. Depending on the size of your business and core activities, you may have process owners at lower levels of your organizational structure. If you are a credit card company with processes around billing, accounts receivable, audit, billing fraud, etc., you wouldn’t just have the process owner be the chief financial officer, you would want to go much deeper into the organization where the work is being accomplished and you can make a big difference.

Black Belt (BB) – Black Belts are the heart and soul of the Six Sigma quality initiative. Their main purpose is to lead quality projects and work full time until they are complete. Black Belts can typically complete four to six projects per year with savings of approximately $230,000 per project. Black Belts also coach Green Belts on their projects, and while coaching may seem innocuous, it can require a significant amount of time and energy.

Green Belt (GB) – Green Belts are employees trained in Six Sigma who spend a portion of their time completing projects, but maintain their regular work role and responsibilities. Depending on their workload, they can spend anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent of their time on their project(s). As your Six Sigma quality program evolves, employees will begin to include the Six Sigma methodology in their daily activities and it will no longer become a percentage of their time – it will be the way their work is accomplished 100% of the time.

Continue reading

How to Become a Lean Six Sigma Organization

In a difficult economy, an increasing number of senior business leaders are seeking to boost the performance of their operations by adopting Lean Six Sigma. Before these organizations can begin to reap the benefits of continuous process improvement, they must first understand the fundamental elements of the process known as DMAIC (for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control).

One of the best ways to roll out a Lean Six Sigma program is to treat the process as a Six Sigma process in and of itself. The following are some basic guidelines, arranged in the classic five-stage DMAIC process, for organizations that are interested in adopting Lean Six Sigma.

1. Define

As soon as corporate leadership indicates that the organization will adopt Six Sigma, it is imperative that all senior leaders become familiar with Six Sigma concepts and what being a Six Sigma organization actually means. Strong and visible support from the top is critical to the success of the program and continued organizational change.

Senior management must go through a leadership training course that outlines the basics of the DMAIC process, Lean Six Sigma management and other types of training available, such as Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). This training should include specific examples of success, typical timetables for deployment and a set of measurable goals. Lean Six Sigma Champions need to be identified, trained and given clear expectations about how they will contribute to the deployment. Financial representatives also need to undergo this training as they will be required to validate actual and projected financial benefits from the very early stages of the roll-out.

2. Measure

In order to gauge the impacts of processes on an organization’s productivity, progress must be measured as the program is rolled out. The key performance indicators (KPIs) for the program should, at minimum, include the following elements:

1. The number of Black Belts (BB) and Green Belts (GB) who need to be trained, as well as experts in Lean and DFSS
2. Dollar-target benefits

These elements also need to be tied in with individual (performance) goals to ensure success.

Training to the next level – All leaders (middle management and above) need to take awareness training for Lean Six Sigma, which takes approximately fours hours and includes basic Six Sigma and Lean principles. This training is essential to ensure that team members understand the key concepts and view Lean Six Sigma as a resource that can help them achieve their objectives, rather than being an outside interference.

As the organization’s leaders go through their leadership or awareness training, a targeted number of Belt trainees should be determined for the first year. A typical approach would be to have a “first wave” of Green Belt training in the organization. As the trained Green Belts return to work in their own roles, it is often beneficial for them to take on a Green Belt project that is closely aligned with their job objectives.

In the beginning, at least, the best-performing employees should be selected for the Green Belt program to ensure a higher probability of success. Line managers also need to be involved in the selection process to ensure their continued support. Success in these early stages can go a long way toward demonstrating the benefits of Lean Six Sigma to the entire organization and encouraging buy-in. Champions and senior management must give the program high visibility to ensure that the employees understand Six Sigma as the normal “way of business.”

Project Selection – When DMAIC is first rolled out in an organization, there are normally discussions about what is and what isn’t a Lean Six Sigma project. During this time, leaders should remember the whole point of the process: To improve organizational performance through use of the Lean Six Sigma tools, not the other way around.

A key point in the identification of worthy projects is the use of data to demonstrate that there is an opportunity and that the perceived benefits are not based on hearsay or “gut feelings.” It cannot be emphasised enough that a substantial investment in the early stages of project definition must be made to ensure success. Most project failures are due to poorly defined projects that could have been avoided if adequate preparatory work had been conducted.

In the beginning of project selection, the Champion must also be proactive in team-member identification, as well as the removal of any barriers that may prevent team formation. Typically the core team should consist of three to six members, who should include, at minimum, a process owner, a subject matter expert and a process operator. Someone working close to the process must also be included in the team, as that person will likely have a deeper understanding of the day to day operation and ensure operator buy-in.

Extended team members should include a financial representative, who does not need to attend all the meetings but who should have a full understanding of all project developments. The Champion should be present for the first team meeting, when the project scope is reviewed and agreed upon by all team members. In all matters, the VOC, whether it is internal or external, must be the driving force for any project definition.

3. Analyze

Typically, a Six Sigma DMAIC project may take between three and five months to complete, but this can vary enormously depending upon the urgency and the project scope. A Kaizen event, for example, may take only three to five days, while a more complex project could take up to a year. A basic rule, often overlooked, is that clear agendas must be sent out by Belts or project leaders well in advance of the meetings in order to aid preparation. Minutes with clear action owners and timescales also must be distributed as soon as possible after each meeting.

Once the initial wave of Green Belts has started their projects, a Champion review process should be put in place. Typically this should happen once per month, where all the GBs come together with the Champion to review the scope, financial benefits, barriers and progress with specific actions. This will ensure that progress can be measured and demonstrated according to the key deliverables in the DMAIC process. Occasionally, business conditions can change, and the Champion should not be shy to pull the plug on a particular project if it is clear that no financial benefits will be gained, or if a greater opportunity for improvement is found elsewhere.

Depending on how the organization wants to develop its Lean Six Sigma program, business leaders may want to consider which, if any, of the GB candidates could become Black Belt candidates. BBs will gain more in-depth Lean Six Sigma training and will work 100 percent on the program’s roll-out by leading more complex projects than the GBs; typically, BB projects are worth more than $100,000 in savings for the organization. BBs can also mentor other Belts and help Champions and business leaders identify future projects.

As the Belts start to become more familiar with Lean Six Sigma during their projects, it will become easier for them to understand how the tools can be better employed and to identify ways in which business performance can be improved.

At this point, a fixed, robust project identification process should be in place. This should entail a meeting that normally takes place on a monthly basis and is chaired by a BB. The attendees should consist of process owners, business leaders (where possible) and operators from all areas of the business. Depending on the complexity of the organization, this may be broken down by division or business area. The meeting attendees also should change from time to time to freshen up the flow of new ideas.

The Champions, process owners and business leaders should each have specific targets for the number of ideas to be generated, according to business function or division. This type of meeting would normally take the form a brainstorming exercise, where the team (using a fishbone diagram) would identify potential improvement areas.

The group would then prioritize these ideas and assign specific actions during the meeting. These actions would normally entail data collection, where an individual would have the task of locating the correct data in order to validate or reject a perceived opportunity. As the meetings progress and become part of the culture, there should be a pipeline of ideas being worked on at any given time. The end result should be a “bucket of opportunities” that the business leaders can select from, according to the business needs. These would then be resourced accordingly.

4. Improve

All Belts must go through a certification process after satisfying certain clearly defined criteria (i.e., achieving a certain amount of savings, demonstrating usage of certain tools or presenting project benefits to the business leaders). At this stage, the business will start to see the benefits of the initial Six Sigma projects.

The certification process and the project successes need to be highly visible in the organization so that all associates can see that Lean Six Sigma is the way the company will be approaching business in the future. Part of this visibility can be achieved by an appropriate celebration and recognition of project successes by senior management.

Once this level is reached, the Lean Six Sigma training program needs to be spread throughout the organization. Management should consider enlisting all associates for awareness training. The high-profile successes will also generate a greater interest from other associates in attending training sessions.

5. Control

As the company continues to move toward becoming a full-fledged Six Sigma operation, the following events must be fixed in the organization’s monthly calendar:

◈ Monthly project review meetings – Attendees: Belts, Champions and business leaders.

◈ Project identification meetings – Attendees: Process owners, Champions, process operators and Belts.

◈ Validation of savings – Belts need to have savings validated by the finance rep.

The KPIs for this process need to be clear to all associates in the organization. These should include the following and should be part of the senior management review process:

◈ Lean Six Sigma training plan versus target, continuously updated according to business needs
◈ Certification plan versus target
◈ Number of Belts with assigned projects (resource utilization)
◈ Savings versus target, including a required monthly financial report.
◈ Number of prioritized ready-to-assign projects versus target

6. Final Steps

When all of the above processes are in place, the organization will be well on the road to becoming a Lean Six Sigma company, where Six Sigma tools are utilized for everyday activities at every level.

The above requires a huge effort from senior management, at least in the early stages. There is a need to have a high level of discipline within the organization to ensure that the above meetings take place with the expectation that those assigned actions will deliver in a timely manner.

Initially, some resistors could perceive Lean Six Sigma as additional and unnecessary work. But as projects progress, with the required level of support, employees will see that the process simply helps them perform their roles in a far more effective manner, giving them greater potential for personal development and ensuring that their organization remains competitive.

Continue reading