RML Lean Inc. LEAN Engineering - Six Sigma Training

Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1981. By the late 1990s, about two-thirds of the Fortune 500 organizations had begun Six Sigma initiatives with the aim of reducing costs and improving quality.

Six Sigma is a systematic fact-based, data-driven philosophy of quality improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line financial results by reducing variation and waste, thereby promoting a competitive advantage.

Six Sigma follows a defined sequence of steps called DMAIC - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. DMAIC defines the steps of a Six Sigma project, starting with identifying the problem and ending with the implementation of a sustainable solution.

The Greek letter sigma is used to denote variation from a standard. A sigma rating indicating its yield, or the percentage of defect-free products it produces. A six-sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of the products manufactured are statistically expected to be free of defects (3.4 defects per million).

Six Sigma Belts describe the level of expertise attained by a Six Sigma-trained professional. Six Sigma programs borrow martial arts ranking terminology to define a hierarchy.

Yellow Belt (YB) - A lower level of Six Sigma expertise; applies to a professional who has a basic working knowledge and who may manage smaller process improvement projects, but who does not function as a project or team leader.
Green Belt (GB) - An intermediate level of Six Sigma expertise. A Six Sigma-trained professional who does not work on Six Sigma projects exclusively, but whose duties may include leading projects and teams and implementing Six Sigma methodology at the project level.
Black Belt (BB) - A Six Sigma-trained professional. Job duties include implementation of Six Sigma projects throughout all levels of the business, leading teams, projects and providing Six Sigma training and mentoring to Green and Yellow Belts.
Master Black Belt (MBB) - The highest level of Six Sigma expertise. Duties involve in-house coaching, assist champions and guide Black Belts and Green Belts, statistical analysis, strategic and policy planning, training and ensuring consistent application of Six Sigma across various functions and departments.

Other key leadership roles needed:

There many organizations and companies that offer certification, however there currently is no central certification body, either in the United States or anywhere else in the world.

Six Sigma Black Belt Workshop:
The Six Sigma Black Belt workshop consists of 17 days of quality, statistics, and change management training. In order to be accepted into the training a candidate must have a project that has been assigned by appropriate management levels and addresses an issue that is strategic to the success of his/her organization. The project should be structured such that it returns a minimum of $50,000 in verifiable payback to the company, which more than offsets the investment in the training cost.

Six Sigma Green Belt Workshop:
The Six Sigma Green Belt workshop consists of 8 days of quality, statistics, and change management training. It is the first two weeks of Black Belt training. A Green Belt project is similar to that of a Black Belt project, but typically smaller in scope, and usually returning approximately $25,000 in savings to the organization. A Green Belt can pursue a Black Belt certification upon successful completion of his/her Green Belt project, attending the remaining two weeks of training, and successfully completing a Black Belt project.

The following topics are presented in the first 8 days of training, and comprise the Green Belt Workshop, and the first two weeks of Black Belt Workshop:

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Workshop:
The Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt workshop consists of 6 days of basic lean and six sigma history, terminology, methodology and tools. It is recommended that the 6 days are spread over a 3 to 6 month period to allow time to work on projects. Each student will be required to work on a project and turn in a written report showing the use of the Lean Six Sigma tools and improvements in the primary metric. This workshop has been designed to train people with minimal to no prior experience in statistics, lean or six sigma. The students do not need any prerequisites, but should have a desire to learn and apply what they learned. This is an excellent workshop for office personnel, healthcare staff, non-for-profit staff and manufacturing technicians. Let's tap the knowledge of our process owners.