Featured here are 5 inter-related topics for Lean σ Training:

1.Lean Sigma Champions

2.Lean Sigma Black Belt

3.Lean Sigma Green Belt

4.Lean Sigma White Belt

5.Lean Sigma Project Team

Any business enterprise ultimately needs all of these capabilities in order to “survive and prosper” today and in the future. The Lean Sigma Team is ready, willing, and able to help you and your company on this important journey!

Where does one start?

We recommend beginning with the Lean Sigma Champions. These are the people with the direct responsibility for performance of a business process (more on this below). They need to be the leaders who have a vision of the future and provide the resources to achieve it.

Next, we believe you ought to start training and certifying your Lean σ White Belts. This is a basic level of Lean σ capability needed to start improving business processes.

Then a number of these certified Lean σ White Belts become interested enough to pursue the next level of training and certification, the Lean σ Green Belt. The difference here is the level of commitment. The Green Belt is expected to devote up to ½ of his/her work time to Lean σ projects.

After that comes the Lean σ Black Belt, a person who is now spending full time on Lean σ and helping his/her business with transformational change, while working on Lean σ projects.

Of course, the final level of achievement for these “belts” would be the Lean σ Master Black Belt. This is a level of certification we believe should be achieved only by those people who’ve worked full time to teach Lean σ and transform their business for a period of at least 5 full years. This is the Sensei level reached by only a handful of people in even the largest companies.

“Last and not the least”, as they say, comes the Lean σ Project Team. These are the people who are actually working on Lean σ projects. The majority of these projects should be done as 5-day Kaizen Events. Here we depart from the “standard” 6σ approach of defining DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) as a staff project that might take up to 4 months to complete. We DO NOT believe this is the proper way to go. The DMAIC process could be and should be completed within a 5-day Kaizen Event timeframe, with a project team.

JCM Work Designs/The Lean Sigma Team can help meet your training and implementation needs with Lean Six Sigma.  Please contact us for a formal proposal.

A Lean σ Black Belt is someone who’s skilled at Lean and Six Sigma Methodologies and has experience applying these skills in business processes to achieve dramatic results. He/she is a full-time lean σ sigma practitioner in the organization, working on 4-6 major lean σ projects every year and delivering results at 10X his/her salary.

The Lean Sigma Team at JCM Work Designs offers 2 weeks of training for potential Lean σ Black Belts who’ve progressed beyond the Lean σ Green Belt and wish to be certified at the next level.

Certification for a Lean σ Black Belt must also include a major 6σ Project, reviewed and verified by The Lean Sigma Team.

Lean σ Black Belt Topics include:

The DMAIC Process

The 7 Basic Quality Tools +

Design of Experiments (advanced)

ANOVA

Use of MiniTab or other statistical software

Project Management

Kano Analysis

CTQ Tree

VOC (Voice of Customer)

QFD (Quality Function Deployment)

Lean Sigma Black Belt Workshop Series:

Training for the LSBB requires completion of two weeks of workshop training.  The first week concentrated on the DEFINE and MEASURE phases of DMAIC.  The second week, followed 4-6 weeks later, concentrated on the ANALYZE, IMPROVE, and CONTROL phases.

Having a LSBB project is a prerequisite for participation in this workshop series.  Each week will feature direct application of these LSBB tools (see above) to the project itself.

The LSBB Workshop is conducted by a Lean Sensei plus a Six Sigma Master Black Belt.   Mentoring and coaching for the candidate on his/her LSS project is also included.

The goal is to develop a fully capable Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for your company.    The successful candidate receives a formal martial arts Lean Sigma Black Belt plus a Certificate.

JCM Work Designs/The Lean Sigma Team can design and conduct this workshop to meet your specific needs.  Please contact us for a formal proposal.

Lean Sigma Champions are process owners. These are people who own the responsibility for a business process and it’s results in an organization.

Examples of these process include (but are not limited to):

1. Customer Service
2. Customer Order Entry
3. Capital Project Engineering Design
4. Technology Research
5. Product Design
6. Process Design Engineering
7. Supplier Management
8. Manufacturing
9. Product Distribution
10. Warehousing
11. Transportation
12. Product Sales
13. Product Marketing
14. Advertising
15. Purchasing
16. Finance
17. Planning
18. Scheduling
19. Maintenance
20. Information

The responsibility of a Lean σ Champion is to continuously improve the business process he/she “owns”.

JCM Work Designs/The Lean Sigma Team offers specific training and coaching to these Lean σ Champions through a 1-day or 2-day workshop with these topics:

• Leadership (core competencies and assessment/feedback process)
• Sponsorship (core competencies and assessment/feedback process)
• Measurement
• Team Building
• DMAIC Process
• Project Management
• Feedback and Coaching

Lean Six Sigma Champions are an essential part of your Lean Six Sigma Program.  We can help develop your Champions.  Please contact us for a proposal.

The Lean σ Green Belt involves two weeks of additional training beyond the Lean σ White Belt, plus completing a major Lean σ Kaizen and a Lean σ Training Event. Green Belts are expected to be devoting up to ½ of their time to Lean σ Projects, plus maintaining their current organizational position. He/she is typically working on 4-6 lean σ projects every year and delivering results at 4X his/her salary.

Lean σ Green Belt topics include:

The DMAIC Process

7 Basic Quality Tools +

Design of Experiments (basic)

ANOVA

Experience with MiniTab or other statistical software

FMEA (Failure Modes Effects Analysis)

CS & FS Value Stream Mapping

ZDQ (Mistake Proof and Fail Safe)

The typical workshop format is 5 full days (same week) of initial training where the concentration is on the DEFINE and MEASURE phases of DMAIC.  During this first week, a Catapult Simulation is used to organize the classroom project and collect initial data.  Statistical software is used by each participant to collect and post this data.

Following this first week, with a spread of 4-6 weeks in between, is the second full week of LSGB training.  During this week the concentration is on the ANALYZE, IMPROVE, and CONTROL phases of DMAIC.  The Catapult Simulation data is used by the participants, working in small teams, to thoroughly work through the rest of DMAIC and arrive at an improved process.

In addition, it is a MUST that each candidate complete a LSGB Training Assignment plus a LSGB Project to achieve his/her certification.  Successful completion results in the candidate receiving a formal martial arts Lean Sigma Green Belt plus a Certificate.

This workshop is facilitated by a Lean Sensei plus a Six Sigma Master Black Belt.  We can generally accommodate up to 20  participants in this LSGB Workshop Series.  It can be conducted either on-site or off-site.

JCM Work Designs/The Lean Sigma Team can design and conduct this workshop to meet your specific needs.  Please contact us for a formal proposal.

Lean Sigma Project Teams

The Lean σ Project Team is a cross-section of people in various jobs in the organization put together as a team for the purpose of improving a business process. This is typically performed as a kaizen event led by a Lean σ Green Belt or Black Belt.

We can help you get a LS (Lean Sigma) Project Team organized, get it started on it’s project, and see it through to completion through training and coaching.  Please contact us for a formal proposal.

The Lean σ White Belt is achieved through one week of intensive Lean σ Training. Successful participants will be certified as Lean σ White Belts upon completion of this training which includes:

The DMAIC Process

Team Charter

Target Matrix

The 7 Basic Quality Tools

Use of MiniTab (or other statistical software)

Classroom simulation

Lean σ White Belts are at the “learning level” of lean and six sigma and generally receive coaching from Lean σ Green Belts and Black Belts. They work as members of project teams and retain their regular full-time jobs in the organization.

The LSWB program is 5 days of workshop training:

Day 1:  Define

Day 2: Measure

Day 3: Analyze

Day 4: Improve

Day 5: Control

This LSWB Workshop features the 7 basic quality tools in electronic format, Team Charters, SIPOC Diagramming, and a special airplane simultation to apply these tools using thre DMAIC process with actual data and analysis.  Attendees work in small teams to learn.  Presentations of the DMAIC concepts are made each day and the participants, through the simulation, apply the tools to the case and “learn by doing”.  It’s very active.

Certified participants receive a formal martial arts Lean Sigma White Belt plus a framed Certificate upon completion.

JCM Work Designs/The Lean Sigma Team can design and conduct a this workshop to meet your specific needs.  Please contact us for a formal proposal.