Green Belt and Black Belt: Lean Six Sigma experts!

Green Belt and Black Belt refer to an advanced level of know-how in operational excellence as part of Lean Six Sigma.

Being Green Belt and Black Belt certified within an organization means first of all mastering tools and methods, allowing the hunting of waste (Lean) as well as the control of processes (Six Sigma).

It also means knowing how to manage continuous improvement projects involving multidisciplinary teams.

And finally, it means being able to act as a Lean manager, by setting up an environment conducive to operational excellence within its scope: control of its territory, measurement and management of performance or resolution of operational problems.

While Lean Six Sigma has historically been implemented by major manufacturers such as General Electric and Motorola, its scope has now been extended to all types of service companies: IT services companies, transport companies, etc.

The Green and Black Belt certification is therefore widely recognized worldwide and a real plus on a CV, regardless of its hierarchical level.

Gaëtan, Senior Consultant at IAC Partners, talks to us about the Green Belt training.

What is the Green Belt training?

In June, I followed a 7-day certification training course to develop skills on topics specific to Operational Excellence. The objective of this training is to understand what the levers are to improve an organization’s performance.

I learned about the conditions for the success of a Continuous Improvement project and the means to be implemented to achieve the result. This training focuses on two themes: management for continuous improvement and Lean Six Sigma tools / methodologies.

How to implement it at the customer’s site?

The operational performance of an organization is linked to its competitiveness: To improve makes it possible to reduce structural costs or improve lead time, for example. The training is therefore directly related to what I do on a daily basis.

More specific, management is the “basis” of my profession as a consultant. The training brings theory and completes what I have understood over the past three years at IAC.

The tools and methodologies of Lean Six Sigma are used in the context of the missions we carry out. Value Stream Mapping, for example, is used in projects to optimize new product development processes: the first phase is to map the entire process to identify its critical path and constraints. Then comes the optimization research phase with the teams. The ECRS method (Eliminate, Combine, Restructure, Simplify) covers the spectrum of possible improvements. After selection and validation of optimizations by management, we launch the PMO phase to secure the implementation of ideas and verify that the result is in line with expectations.

An example of a project that allowed you to implement this training?

Over the past few months, I have been working on the objective cost design of infrared binoculars for a major defense player. The main challenge of the project was to optimize the product assembly workforce: maximizing the efficiency of the process required Lean Six Sigma knowledge learned during the training. By working on the redundancy of tests and the order of assembly operations, we identified 30% gains on the integration of the binocular, which allowed us to catch up with the competition and position ourselves on export markets.

Why is it important to take this training? Is it a “must have” in our profession?

In our business, we need to know how to optimize the performance of an organization, both at the managerial level and at the product level. Green Belt certification allows us to position ourselves at the customer’s site as the holder of proven and internationally recognized methodologies that guarantee the successful management of a project.

This training is complementary to the ones we have at IAC. Very oriented towards “business lines” and “sectors of activity”, IAC’s training courses are complemented by Lean Six Sigma training to ensure that new consultants have sufficient knowledge to succeed in projects!