Lean Manufacturing Blog

White Belts are at the bottom ladder of Six Sigma, which means that they go through a high level overview on Six Sigma with the primary objective of familiarizing them with terminology related to Six Sigma (mean, standard deviation etc. ). Mostly all the employees in the company are trained at the White Belt level. White Belts may help Green Belts and black belts in data collection. Next level is Green Belts who are trained in Six Sigma at a much more detailed level. Their training may range from a few days up to few weeks. They are trained in process improvement techniques including the Six Sigma DMAIC road map for improving results. Green Belts usually lead smaller projects within their business unit or support portions of larger projects led by a more experienced Black Belt. Green Belts usually undertake process improvements in their specific functional areas. Green Belts are usually not exposed to advanced Six Sigma concepts, so they are not equipped to solve really tough problems. The third level of Six Sigma is Black Belts. Their training includes application of yet advanced statistical tools and techniques for process improvements. Black belts work on projects which are cross functional in nature and are of a more strategic importance to the company. Their training varies to a week to four weeks. It is advisable to undergo the Black Belt training after the Green Belt, as the Black Belt builds on top of the Green Belt course. The final level on the Six Sigma ladder is that of Master Black Belts. These individuals are champions of Six sigma and devote their 100% time to implementation of Six Sigma in projects. They generally spearhead projects which are organization wide in their scope. They are also responsible for training and mentoring of Green Belts and Black Belts.