Six Sigma Green Belt Training Basics

While Six Sigma black belt training focuses on DFSS, green belt training emphasizes DMAIC, or the define, measure, analyze, improve and control aspect of the methodology. Individuals completing a green belt training program will be skilled adopting the role of a trained team member operating within a defined area and level of the organization.

The fundamental goal of a qualified green belt is to effectively utilize and implement Six Sigma principles in addition to directing small-scaled but important ventures within their department. Usually working under a black belt, they will accrue vital information required to support the project and further provide the black belt with statistical feedback necessary to determine the causal situation of a project.  They are the people on the floor actually doing most of the Six Sigma work within an organization, which is why they are essential to the success of the program as a whole.

Course Objectives

Although the Six Sigma Green Belt training program differs slightly depending on the size, type, and interior construction of a company, those certified all hold the same objectives and ideals when it comes to working for their organization. Spending around 25% - 40% of their time developing and managing assignments, they are aware of and utilize numerous tools meant to create an effective working environment that is conducive to the success of specific products and to the organization itself. They can clarify the concept behind the y = f (x) formula and its significance in business and process; they are able to sketch and understand the customer-oriented basis behind Kano diagram; and they can quickly calculate long-term and short-term Sigma Six values of any given project. Individuals completing a training program will be skilled adopting the role of a trained team member operating within a defined area and level of the organization.

Training Specifics

Someone wanting to go through the training to become certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt will generally receive two full weeks of training in a classroom, online, or by combining the two together. The total cost of this training generally ranges from $400 up to $700, depending on the training provider offering the course. Earning a green belt for one company does not necessarily mean you will be able to carry that qualification over to another company, since certification conditions will vary depending on an organization's policies and procedures. In order to pass the training course, a trainee will have to pass several exams. In addition, instruction regarding DMAIC methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control), which includes basic statistical analyses such as creating Pareto diagrams and histograms, will be provided in the course.

Successful Six Sigma green belt candidates usually go on to experience promotions and other benefits due to focusing intently and successfully on their objectives within an organization.  They are highly sought after due to their intelligence and dedication to process improvement.

Read More

Six Sigma Training - Practical Applications in Investment Firms

Investment firms and other financial services need to have efficient and productive services at all times. When money is the product being handled, making sure that it is handled correctly is essential. Six Sigma Training teaches process improvement techniques and offers a variety of tools that can all be used to your advantage within investment firms to make each different process more effective. In turn, these little process improvements will make the business function better as a whole, and create an environment that is successful and efficient.

Six Sigma Projects in investment firms can include things like eliminating waste, streamlining processes for customer management, and even improving customer relationship management practices so that everyone can make the best of the workplace with the customer in mind. Imagine for example that an investment firm has a problem with meeting customer volumes because they cannot employ enough people to handle the customers that they have due to financial constraints. Instead of hiring more employees, there needs to be another solution devised.

A Six Sigma Process can help to analyze and measure the data that is relevant to the company’s issue, allowing them to see where waste is happening, which resources are distributed in various areas of the business, and how they can best redistribute those resources to better handle the customer demand that they are seeing. All this can be done with a simple Six Sigma Process, and can alleviate the stress of thinking that more people have to be hired in order to meet the company’s needs. The investment in Six Sigma Training, in this instance, can prove to be a worthy one because the one-time expense has saved the company from hiring more people that it cannot afford to keep on staff, and still allows it to operate in a way that best serves the customers.

This is but one example of how Six Sigma Training can benefit investment firms. There are many more uses for the tools and process of Six Sigma, as it can be applied anywhere that there is a need for process improvement within these types of organizations. There is a lot of question about the application of Six Sigma Training and whether it is actually useful or if it is just a buzzword and hot trend. The reality of the situation is that it may be a popular topic currently, as it has been since it was first created in the 1980s, but it definitely also proves very useful to a variety of industries, including investment firms and other financial services.

Read More