Should
you take Yellow Belt or Green Belt?
This
is a common question we hear from people. To understand which
course to take, you need to look at the roles you will have
when working on a Six Sigma project.
There
are four main roles in a Six Sigma project:
•
Champion
•
Black Belt
•
Green Belt
•
Yellow Belt
Each
of these Roles needs a different understanding of Six Sigma.
The Champion needs an overview, similar to Yellow Belt. The
Champion is concerned with the big picture.
The
Black Belt oversees the project and has the knowledge and experience
to guide other team members.
The
Green Belt needs in depth knowledge of the Six Sigma tools as
well as the processes that are used in the company.
The
Yellow Belt needs a basic knowledge of what is happening and
what their part of the team is. Often the Yellow Belt is a specialist
in the company with knowledge of a particular process or facet
of production.
The
Champion has an important role. This is the person who drives
the project. In a smaller company, this is often the owner,
in a larger company, this will usually be a member of the management
team either VP or a high level manager. The Champion is responsible
for getting the project done and removing any road blocks that
may stop the project before it is completed. The Champion may
find that the yellow belt course goes into a bit more detail
than they want to know, but often gain a better understanding
of what is entailed in a Six Sigma project.
The
second role is the Black Belt, the expert who guides the project.
Larger companies may have their own Black Belt, but most companies
will hire a consultant for this role. The Black Belt acts as
project manager and resource for other team members. The Black
Belt focuses on project execution.
The
Green Belt is the company expert. Often this is a quality manager
or plant manager. This role requires a thorough understanding
of the methodology of Six Sigma, and of the company and its
processes and products. A Green Belt will not have the extensive
skills and experience that a Black Belt has, but the Green Belt
is key to the success of the project. The Green Belt is the
team member who does the heavy lifting in a Six Sigma project
and plays an important role in executing the Six Sigma process
in their company.
Yellow
Belts are the junior member of the Six Sigma team. Yellow Belts
are trained in Six Sigma techniques, but don't have the level
of training or experience that a Green Belt has. The Yellow
belt is responsible for completing the tasks that are required
for the Six Sigma project to proceed. Yellow Belts should have
a basic fundamental understanding of what the tools are for
the Six Sigma process. The Yellow Belt can also be a Subject
Matter Expert (SME) who has specialized knowledge in the company.
In all cases the Yellow Belt should have the basic knowledge
of the tools and what they do so that they can see the big picture
and understand where the project is headed.
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