Green Belt

Learn to apply Lean Six Sigma tools and lead projects that generate significant business results!

A contract program for groups and organizations that can be customized and delivered on-site or in a blended online format.  Contact us at cqas@rit.edu for more information and a quote.

CQAS's Green Belt training program is designed for working professionals with little or no prior experience in Lean Six Sigma. Participants learn tools and methods for improving processes and how to apply them to projects that generate significant cost savings, greater efficiencies, and higher customer satisfaction.  Important tools will be introduced to clearly define a business problem, gather and analyze data, and implement improvements that can be sustained.

Our Green Belt program is unique

  • Projects are integrated into the training so that tools and concepts can be applied directly to real projects that generate significant benefits to sponsoring organizations, exponentially higher than the cost of the program. Each project is mentored by a Lean Six Sigma expert from RIT, and support continues through project completion.
  • Designed to meet the needs of all business sectors: healthcare, services, manufacturing, education, and government. Emphasis is placed on tailoring learning to each attendee's needs, while participant diversity provides opportunities to learn from one another.
  • Topical coverage goes beyond Lean Six Sigma tools to leadership and change management essential to driving a culture of performance excellence.  Immersion and practice ensures that RIT Certified Green Belts live Lean Six Sigma methods and tools on a daily basis.
  • Spread out over 12 weeks to facilitate project integration and applied learning. Project reviews offer direct feedback on each project.
  • Active management participation, including manager/sponsor training before the program.
  • Instructors have deep expertise in their fields and work with you not only during the program but through completion of your project.  RIT is a major university with expert faculty, Black Belts, and other professionals who are teachers, consultants, real-world problem solvers, respected speakers, and authors.

CQAS’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification program helps organizations generate superior data-driven solutions, improved customer satisfaction, enhanced productivity, and significantly improved bottom-line results.

On-site Program

The on-site program is usually delivered one day each week for twelve consecutive weeks, led by expert Lean Six Sigma instructors.  You will be exposed to each topic in-depth through classroom assignments, structured exercises within a team environment, and application of tools to your own project.  Project review sessions are held within the on-campus program, but instructors are available outside of the program for advice and counsel.

Blended Online Program

Unlike self-paced online training, our instructor-led approach keeps participants actively engaged while still providing flexibility to meet their other commitments.  Learning materials include pre-recorded lectures, articles and videos, exercises, and quizzes each week; online “discussion boards”; three “live” project review sessions scheduled in advance to offer direct feedback on all projects; and conference calls or web-conferences as needed.

Topics

The program follows the DMAIC process – Design, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control – and includes the following key topics:

  • Lean Six Sigma Overview
  • Change
  • Voice of the Customer
  • SIPOC
  • Flowcharts
  • VSM (Value Stream Mapping)
  • Project Charter
  • Problem Statements
  • Stakeholder Analysis
  • Team Building & Leadership
  • Standard Work
  • Cost of Quality
  • Statistical Thinking
  • Sampling Issues
  • Basic Statistics
  • T-tests
  • Measurement Systems Analysis
  • Correlation & Regression Analysis
  • Problem Solving Process & Tools
  • Cause-Effect Matrix
  • FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)
  • 5-S and Visual Controls
  • Kaizen Event Training
  • Line and Cell Design
  • Setup Reduction
  • Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
  • Kanban
  • Control Plans
  • Capability Analysis
  • SPC & Control Charts
  • Design of Experiments – Introduction
     

Certification

Certification by CQAS as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt requires the following:

  • Successful completion of training including all course materials and deliverables, and participation in discussions and project reviews;
  • Passing score (70) on final exam;
  • Completion of a Green Belt project including submission of a final report signed-off by the project sponsor or other senior leader, within 2 years of completing training.  Final review and approval is done by the RIT instructor.  (Credit is not given for projects that were initiated before the start of training).
     

Black Belt Program 

After completing Green Belt training, participants may want to continue on for Black Belt certification. CQAS's online Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification program helps participants move from a practitioner role to becoming an expert in Lean Six Sigma prepared to drive process excellence throughout their organization. Black Belts are leaders, change agents, strategic thinkers, trusted coaches, expert resources, and vigilant project managers who lead complex high-value projects that improve customer satisfaction and productivity.

Contact us at cqas@rit.edu for more information and a quote.

FAQ's

Green Belt and Black Belt are two distinct programs which must be completed separately. However, we can deliver a Black Belt program shortly after the Green Belt program even if participants have not yet completed their Green Belt projects. However, they must still complete a Green Belt project as well as a separate Black Belt project in order to be certified as a Black Belt.  It may also be convenient, though, to define Black Belt projects that build upon Green Belt projects.

Yes! Green Belts are process improvement specialists with skills that apply across disciplines and industries even though application domains differ. For example, professionals in medical and transactional fields may find lean tools more helpful initially while manufacturing professionals often take a more balanced approach to utilizing lean and six sigma tools. CQAS integrates lean and six sigma because waste and process variability are challenges across all organizations. Examples from different industries and application domains are used in the program to demonstrate the broad applicability of Lean Six Sigma. Green Belts are responsible for deciding which tools and methods will be most effective in specific situations within their own organizations.

Our online format is designed to provide participants with flexibility to meet their other commitments from wherever they are, while insuring active engagement with our expert instructors and other program participants. Elements include: (1) pre-recorded lectures, articles, videos, and quizzes that are completed each week; (2) online “discussion boards” each week with other participants; (3) several “live” project review sessions scheduled in advance to offer direct feedback on all projects; and (4) conference calls or web-conferences as needed.

Participants should plan to spend 6-8 hours each week on course materials, homework, discussions, quizzes, and occasional project reviews. In addition, 6-8 hours each week for project work, holding team meetings, and preparing for tollgates.

Every Green Belt project requires a sponsor whose role is: (1) to help identify in advance an opportunity suitable for a Green Belt project; (2) to help remove roadblocks and support project execution; and (3) to participate in tollgate reviews and sign-off on all tollgates. Direct managers should also provide assurance that they understand time demands and are committed to participant success in the program.

Before starting our Green Belt program, an appropriate project “opportunity” must be identified with the support of a sponsor. CQAS will provide information to assist in selecting appropriate projects.  We suggest that a suitable Green Belt project returns at least $50,000 in estimated benefits, recognizing that other metrics may be more appropriate to specific situations. Projects should be completed (with sign-off from sponsor and finance) within two years of training.  CQAS instructors are the final reviewers and approvers of projects.

No, credit is not given for projects that are either in-process or were completed prior to the start of training.

After the formal training ends, participants have 1 year to complete their projects in order to earn Green Belt certification. Extensions may be granted for extenuating circumstances but must be approved by CQAS and the project sponsor.

All readings and slides will be available in our online repository, from which participants can print a copy for their own use. Links to the videos are also provided.

No. RIT's online repository is cloud-based and Excel is utilized for statistical tools and examples. Examples are also illustrated in Minitab if this is the preferred statistical package and your organization has a license, but Minitab is NOT required for the Green Belt program.

Yes. Upon request, participants will be issued 8 CEU’s at the end of the training portion of the program.

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