Green Belt: lead improvement with data

Coming soon. Green Belt is still in development and enrollment is not open yet. Start now with the free White Belt, 5S or Intro to Lean course, and use the student contact form to hear first when Green Belt opens.

Lead the data work on real improvement projects. Fifteen modules (about 66 hours after Yellow) follow DMAIC from charter to control: measurement systems, capability, hypothesis testing, regression, Lean flow and control charts, using Excel (Minitab optional). Taught by a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Requires a Yellow Belt or a short placement check. Certification exam: 100 questions, 3 hours, closed book (a basic calculator and a provided sigma conversion table are allowed), 70 percent to pass.

Who can enroll

White Belt (free) to Yellow Belt to Green Belt. Green Belt needs a Yellow Belt or a short placement check.

How it is built

The modules follow DMAIC in order. Statistical tools show up inside the phase where you use them, instead of in a separate statistics block. Use Lean for flow, waste and work design. Use statistics for variation and cause. Use both when the problem has both.

The modules

Define

• G1. Project Charter and Process Definition (about 5 hours). Business case, scope, stakeholders, roles, milestones, measures of success, Is/Is Not, SIPOC, swimlane map and the Define tollgate.

Measure

• G2. Data Types, Sampling and FMEA (about 5 hours). Continuous and discrete data, levels of data, sampling approaches, FMEA and data-collection planning.
• G3. Descriptive and Graphical Statistics (about 7 hours). Descriptive statistics, graphical analysis, probability basics, and normal and non-normal distributions.
• G4. Measurement Systems (about 4 hours). Accuracy, resolution, linearity, stability and Gage R&R.
• G5. Baseline and Capability (about 5 hours). Run charts, Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk, DPMO, sigma level and the Measure tollgate.

Analyze

• G6. Root Cause (about 4 hours). Fishbone, 5 Whys, Pareto, box plots and evidence-based cause confirmation.
• G7. Hypothesis Testing (about 7 hours). Null and alternative hypotheses, Type I and II error, test selection, t-tests, ANOVA, proportions, chi-square, Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon.
• G8. Sample Size and Power (about 3 hours). Alpha, beta, practical difference, power and selecting sample sizes.
• G9. Correlation and Simple Regression (about 3 hours). Correlation, simple linear regression, interpretation, limits and business conclusions.

Improve

• G10. Lean for the Green Belt (about 6 hours). Gemba, spaghetti diagrams, value stream mapping, flow, pull, takt, standard work, SMED, poka-yoke and kaizen event design, with a required Lean case.
• G11. Solution Selection and Pilot (about 4 hours). Solution matrix, cost-benefit analysis, pilot design and analysis, implementation planning and the Improve tollgate.
• G12. DOE Awareness (about 2 hours). What designed experiments are for, why one-factor-at-a-time is weak, and when a problem needs Black Belt support.

Control

• G13. Control Charts in Depth (about 5 hours). X-bar and R, X-bar and S, I-MR, P, NP, U and C charts, common versus special cause, and chart selection.
• G14. Control Plan and Sustainment (about 4 hours). Control plan, revised FMEA, visual management, standardization, ownership, response plans and the Control tollgate.

Close

• G15. Presenting Results (about 2 hours). Explain statistical conclusions to people who are not statisticians, and tell the business story honestly.

The exam

• 100 questions in 3 hours.
• Written and closed book. A basic calculator and a provided sigma conversion table are allowed.
• 70% to pass.
• Pass and you get a certification number you can verify.

Software

Excel is required. Minitab is optional.

Instructor support

Green Belt questions go to Marc Bradburry II, a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Questions while you study? Use the contact form or email marc@bigbeardedginger.com. Marc replies within 2 business days.

Green Belt, Project Certified

Want to prove it on the job? Green Belt, Project Certified pairs the Green Belt exam with a completed, documented improvement project.

Enrollment is not open yet. Use the student contact form to hear first when Green Belt opens.