Six Sigma Yellow Belt

Six Sigma yellow belt is a certification which gives a general idea of how the entire mechanism work and the basic methodologies involved. The people involved are also known as SMEs or Subject Matter Experts. A yellow belt is not in the role of a leader unlike black belts. Generally yellow belts run projects which are small but vital in the completion of the project.

Yellow belt works with techniques for improving production. They are also supposed to meet the expectations of customers. A yellow belt holder has only a basic working knowledge of Six Sigma and hence they cannot run projects on their own. Unlike the black belts yellow belts are not an elite task force. Hence they are more accessible to the employees. They work from the basic levels. The process maps that are normally used to support Six Sigma projects are built by the yellow belts.

One common task that the yellow belts handle is the management of small process improvement projects. For this they often employ the PDCA method. PDCA stands for plan, do, check and act. This method is also known as the Deming Wheel. This enables the yellow belts to identify all those processes which are in need of improvement. The smaller yellow belt projects are sometimes elevated to the green or black belt level where another methodology is used. In the yellow belt certification the aspirants are not taught methods like Statistical Process Control and DMAIC method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control). The PDCA plan that the yellow belts use is similar to the DMAIC method in essence. But the statistical tools that both the methods use vary.

Yellow belt is required to find out all the small improvements which can influence the project. He / she will have to work with the core team involved in the project. After the completion of the yellow belt training, the aspirants are required to identify a process which needs change. Then they will have to communicate about this improvement to the project leader. A yellow belt is also required to develop a plan for improving the process. He/she is required to implement the project according to the plan. The results will have to be communicated to the project leader.

Yellow belt is like an initiation in to the Six Sigma methodology. When a person has acquired a yellow belt certification, he/she can start off with the implementation of small PDCA projects. If you are yellow belt professional and you have decided to begin a project you should identify the focus of your project. It will be better if the focus is kept small and sharp.

With many yellow belt holders what happens is that the scope of the project is too high and the project fails. It is also possible for the yellow belts to get involved in the DMAIC methodology as a subject matter expert. It is possible for a professional with a yellow belt to move up to the green belt. But this depends on the outcome of the PDCA projects.