Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification
Getting a Yellow Belt Certification in Six Sigma methodologies is where it all starts as far as Six Sigma is concerned. Of course, there is Yellow Belt Training which precedes the Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. A person who is certified with Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate would need to have basic understanding of Six Sigma methodologies which would not include Statistical Process Control or DMAIC methods.
What is the role of a Yellow Belt professional?
- A Yellow Belt professional would not be expected to lead teams for the execution of Six Sigma projects. In all cases, a Yellow Belt professional would be a team member in the core team for the implementation of a Six Sigma project.
- A Yellow Belt professional could also be given the responsibility of doing small PDCA projects for process improvement of a process. PDCA stands for Plan, Do, Check and Act. Conceptually, it has similarities to the DMAIC model but in essence the statistical tools in course of the projects vary. The Yellow Belt professionals have the task of identifying small improvements which could impact the business in a way.
- A Yellow Belt professional needs to demonstrate his understanding of the basic concepts of Six Sigma Methodologies. After the Yellow Belt training, in all cases, the professional would need to identify a process which he intends to improve, communicate the same with his project champion, lay out the project plan for the process improvement, implement the project as per the plan and communicate the results with the project champion. In course of the project implementation, the professional would understand the meaning of toll gate meetings and get a deeper understanding of the Six Sigma concepts.
In essence, a Yellow Belt is the opening door for a professional to Six Sigma methodologies. Once a professional acquires a Yellow Belt certificate, he can start implementing small PDCA projects or he could get himself involved as a Subject Matter Expert in bigger DMAIC projects. In some cases, depending on the outcome of the PDCA projects, the Yellow Belt project is a stepping stone for a Green Belt and Black Belt certifications. Potentially, the professional who did the Yellow Belt project would get a chance to do the project on a Green Belt platform.
Some suggestions for a Six Sigma Yellow Belt Professional
- The objective of a Yellow belt certification is to ensure that one gets accustomed to the basic knowledge of Six Sigma. One does not need to break head on complex Statistical controls.
- When a Yellow belt professional decides to do a small PDCA project, the scope of the project should be focused, sharp and small. Many professionals make this mistake of scoping their projects too big and failing in their efforts.