What Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belts Can Do For Your Organisation

There are some core skills that you can expect your Yellow Belt to possess:

• Method: An understanding of Lean Six Sigma, the value it brings to your processes and the approach by which improvements need to be made – including PDSA, DMAIC or PMI’s Improvement Cycle.
• Problem Statement: Able to define the problem, what it is you want to improve, and identify in which process the problem presents itself.
• SIPOC: Use the SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customers) to establish the scope of the improvement project, define what is adding value, gain agreement on the priority focus for improvement, and keep the team focused on the link between the process and the outcome.
• Voice of the Customer: This applies equally to an internal and an external customer – understanding what the customer requires and what they value, using the words of the customer.
• Flowcharts: Mapping and flowcharting the process, to agree the steps in a process and who performs them.
• 8 Wastes: Being able to use the 8 Wastes to identify what can be eliminated from a process to streamline it so that the process becomes efficient whilst still being effective i.e. delivering what the customer requires and values in the most efficient way.
• Measures: Both Results Measures, which tell you how closely you are meeting the customer requirements, and Process Measures, which are the upstream steps in the process that will affect the outcome of the process. Understanding that measures are for learning about the process.
• Run charts, Pareto, Scatter diagrams: A Yellow Belt will have a selection of tools they can use to analyse data that will help you understand more about the process.
• Cause and effect diagram: A way of gathering everyone’s input on possible root causes of the variation you experience in the process.
• Standardisation: Creating the standard or ‘best-known way’ to perform the process, which is agreed by everyone who is involved in the process. It includes suitable documentation, work instructions, step guides, or standard operating procedures. This can deliver unexpected improvements through creating a consistent approach which is adopted by everyone who performs the process.
• Review: To define the learning and share with others. To contribute lessons learned to future improvements.