About this Course

To help sigma improvement team leaders lead improvement projects using the Design-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) method. The students will receive a 30-day demo disc of the statistical software - Minitab, which will be used heavily in this workshop. This course will also include 4 hours of project support time from the Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Charlie Slaven.

The student will have the opportunity to be Certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt by Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Charlie Slaven, if the student

1. Successfully completes the 10-day course and the associated Exam
2. Successfully achieves an overall average of 70% or higher on the weekly quizzes
3. Successfully attains a score of 70% or higher on the final examination
4. Successfully completes a Project selected by the student and approved by their organization
5. Successfully presents the Project showing they executed the Project and Process correctly producing verified results
6. If all of these requirements are fulfilled, you will receive an industry recognized Green Belt Certification from MAX, the student will also be prepared to sit for the Industry Standard - ASQ Green Belt Exam

Certification Objectives

Six Sigma Green Belt

Audience Profile

The audience for this certification would be anyone that is leading or is expected to lead process improvement initiatives; anyone expected to be able to apply statistical thinking to process design and/or improvement. This courseware is targeted to service delivery organizations and/or units.

Course Outline

At the end of week one of this workshop, participants will:

1. Be able to explain in general terms what six sigma refers to and why it is relevant to process improvement
2. Define the three methodologies included in six sigma (process management, process improvement and process design) and how they relate to each other
3. Define when to use each of the three methodologies
4. Be able to identify the steps and their sequence in DMAIC along with the outputs of and tools in each step
5. Define project team roles and responsibilities
6. Be able to DEFINE your projects purpose and scope and get background on the process and the customer
   1. Write a problem statement and a team charter for your sigma project
   2. Identify the areas in which your sigma project will have an impact on the business and provide a rough estimate of the level of impact
   3. Identify the process that your work is part of, and describe how it fits into the larger system
   4. Define CTQ’s (Critical to Quality characteristics from your customers perspective) for the process you are studying and set specifications for them
7. In MEASURE, be able to focus your improvement efforts by gathering information on the current situation
   1. Identify the data you need to collect for your project, where to collect the data, and the type of data you are collecting
   2. Create operational definitions and procedures that are specific, concrete, and measurable and can be used consistently by all members of your team
   3. Validate the measurement system
   4. Collect data on a project
   5. Continue improving measurement consistency
   6. Given a situation involving a specific product or service, explain the customers view of quality in terms of the Taguchi Loss Function
   7. Differentiate between common and special cause variation using time plots and Pareto Charts
   8. Calculate process sigma using the actual yield (method 1)
   9. Create either an activity flowchart to identify complexity and waste in your own process
   10. Measure cycle time for your process
8. Lead a team through the first two steps of the DMAIC method and train team members on the steps, outputs, tools and approaches
   1. Describe and use the meeting skills process
   2. Exhibit good meeting behaviors
   3. Use effective listening skills
   4. Check for understanding
   5. Describe and use meeting tools
   6. Brainstorming
   7. Warm-ups
   8. Agendas
   9. Ground Rules
   10. Affinity Diagram
   11. Meeting Notes Form
   12. Multi-voting
   13. Give and receive feedback
   14. Prepare an initial project storyboard presentation

At the end of week two of this workshop, participants will:

1. In ANALYZE, be able to identify root causes and confirm them with data
   1. Write a focused problem statement
   2. Given a focused problem, identify root causes using a cause-and-effect diagram or a tree diagram that demonstrates causal thinking
   3. Given a set of paired data, be able to use the appropriate tool (either a scatter plot, stratified frequency plot, table, or experimentation) for verifying a cause and effect relationship
2. In IMPROVE, develop, try out, and implement solutions that address root causes and use data to evaluate your solutions and the plans used to carry them out
   1. Given a problem with a verified cause, use creative techniques to generate a potential solution
   2. Given several potential solutions, create and use a prioritization matrix, including weighted criteria
   3. Identify and use the five (5) basic elements of a plan: tasks and timelines, budget and resources, stakeholders, check, and potential problem analysis
   4. Quantify results and evaluate the solution
   5. Given the outcome of an evaluation, use the check reaction table to determine next steps in the project
3. Be able to CONTROL the process and maintain the gains by standardizing work methods or processes, anticipating future improvements and preserving the lessons from your project
   1. Identify the benefits of standardization
   2. Conduct an active follow-up check meeting
   3. Develop standard practices and procedures
   4. Develop plans for ongoing process management
   5. Create a Process Management Chart
   6. Identify ways to bring a project to closure in your own organization
   7. Optional: present project documentation in the class environment using a storyboard format
4. Lead a team through the last three steps of the DMAIC method and train team members on the steps, outputs, tools and approaches
   1. Exhibit good meeting behaviors
      1. Observe and assess group behavior and personal style
      2. Facilitate/manage discussions
   2. Describe various methods for decision making
   3. Describe and use the consensus method for decision making
   4. Describe the intervention continuum and facilitate across the continuum
   5. Identify and address conflict
   6. Define common team problems
   7. Describe the importance of project closure