Six Sigma Yellow Belts are individuals who have completed basic training in the fundamentals of this leading quality improvement methodology. Yellow Belt represents the initial stage of immersion in quality principles - starting with lean ideas and kaizen, or continuous improvement thinking. A Yellow Belt may typically be used to a basic P-D-C-A ("Plan, Do, Check, Act") approach to maintenance problems. To attain Yellow Belt status a worker must also be introduced to the bell curve, the normal distribution and the concept of six sigma quality.
The next step is to explain the DMAIC framework (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) as an essential structure to drive process change. Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification is not about memorising theory but actually applying simple quality techniques in the line of one's daily work. Four very portable and useful tools are:
1) FMEA - Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
2) Fishbone or Cause & Effect Diagram
3) Pareto 80/20 Analysis
4) Basic Control Charts to sustain the gain
These fundamental Six Sigma tools can be applied in most office, industrial or call centre environments. Process mapping is another vital yet sometimes overlooked Six Sigma Yellow Belt skill. Even in today's consultant-laden business world it is amazing how many basic business roles have never been properly process mapped or analysed for efficiency. Simply mapping any repetitive sequence of events is essential for understanding delays and roadblocks or finding opportunities to eliminate waste.
Perhaps the most effective method of identifying effective and ineffective use of time is the Yamazumi Chart. This is explained fully and definitively at this site. The Yamazumi Board is a simple, powerful and highly visual device that will allow a Six Sigma Yellow Belt to think reflectively about their processes and immediately identify intuitive and obvious areas for improvement.
A key lesson of Six Sigma is that it's never about complexity, but always about simplicity. The best processes and systems are flawless in their inner consistency and purity. Poka-yoke solutions win over overly embellished and sophisticated systems every times. Occam's Razor taught that the simplest and most elegant logical solution is usually the best. This insight is at the heart of what Six Sigma Yellow Belt training is trying to achieve.
