Essential Guide to Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

What is Six Sigma Green Belt? 

A Six Sigma Green Belt is a professional who has a thorough understanding of the advanced elements of the Six Sigma Methodology. Green Belts lead improvement projects and also act as team members to be part of more complex improvement projects that are led by Black Belts.

Being well versed in all aspects of Six Sigma Methodology, a Six Sigma Green Belt is competent in subject matters of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control). A Green Belt certified professional is highly proficient in implementing, performing, interpreting and applying Lean Six Sigma.

Who is eligible for the Six Sigma Green Belt?

Being a people-driven process, the performance levels of a Six Sigma project are dependent on the expertise, commitment, and persistence of individual team members. When considering the roles that provide a contribution to the project, only the higher roles like that of Black Belt are often considered. However, Green Belts also have a crucial role in improving the performance of projects.

Green Belts are efficient team members and their objective is improving process quality. They help in bridging the gap between the real-world application and theory behind Six Sigma. They play an important role in process improvement, project management and data inspection. A Green Belt certification training teaches the candidates about the basic tools that a project team uses and application of DMAIC skills relative to a Six Sigma project.

Six Sigma Green Belt certification is meant for candidates who have work experience in business management or supply chain and have an interest in terminologies like waste reduction and continuous improvement. Earning the certification improves the proficiency of the candidates, making them more desirable for employers. The certification is best suited for professionals who are responsible for improving outputs, controlling costs and helping in improving results.

How to get certified in Six Sigma Green Belt?

Six Sigma certificate can be earned through different providers. Some major certification providers include ASQ, IASSC etc.

The following section explains the process for you to get certified in Six Sigma Green Belt,

• Learn the relevant subject matter.

You will first need to learn the relevant subject matter, appear for and pass an examination that tests proficiency and competency in a hands-on environment. You will then need to purchase learning materials to train online or enrol into a classroom training course provided by an accredited training school.

• Pass a written examination.

The next step is to pass a written examination consisting of multiple-choice questions and secure For the IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Exam™, you will need to attempt a 100 question, closed book, proctored exam within a 3-hour period.

• Complete Quality projects.

On securing a score of 70% or more, you must complete quality projects related to the concepts of Green Belt. You will then be awarded the professional designation of IASSC Certified Green Belt (IASSC-CGB™) from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification.

What are the roles and responsibilities of a Six Sigma Green Belt?

A Green Belt is an employee of an organization who has training on the improvement methodology of Six Sigma. The main aspect of their full-time job is leading the process improvement to get high-quality products or services. Green Belts spend a considerable amount of time on strategy building and decision-making components of the Six Sigma project planning process.

With a thorough knowledge of the overall process, they help deliver feedback and driving performance goals by working with centralized project managers. The main responsibilities of a Six Sigma Green Belt are:

• Lead the project team of Six Sigma improvement.
• Work under a Six Sigma Black Belt’s supervision.
• Analyze quality problems and solve them.
• Work in coordination with the project’s data collection process team and provide validation to the measurement system.
• Green Belts operate within the limits of their functional area.
• Assist in the improvement of team facilitation skills.
• Develop Project charter along with Supplier, Input, Process, and Output (SIPOC) Diagram for the project.

What are the benefits of Green Belt Certification?

• Professional development

Earning Green Belt certification equips you with different skills that help the organization you are working for. These skills are useful in day-to-day interactions as well. The training for Six Sigma Green Belt makes you capable and confident enough to discuss complicated subjects, solve problems in an effective manner and provide helpful recommendations.

• Financial advantages

When you earn Green Belt certification, you have the confidence of finishing projects effectively and reducing costs of operation for your organization. Generally, organizations need to pay reserve funds for every project for timely completion of project and getting positive output from the project. However, it might not be needed to use reserve funds if Six Sigma Green Belt principles are implemented properly.

• Benefits to the customer 

A Green Belt expert can help in providing better products and services, thus ensuring the loyalty of the customers. A lot of clients look for companies making use of Six Sigma. Green Belt experts improve the reliability of an organization, attracting new customers with the assurance of best quality products or services.

• Competitive advantage 

Six Sigma can be applied in the sales pitch and advertisement of your business too. By getting a Six Sigma Green Belt certification and implementing Six Sigma, you can help maintain a performance level that is ahead of the competitors. Six Sigma provides you with the required confidence and expertise. It revolves around accumulating information and investigating, which is why the decision-making process won’t be that complex.

Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Exam Requirements 

The requirements to get Six Sigma Green Belt certified are mentioned below:

Work experience

A Green Belt is an employee who spends some time as a part of process improvement teams. They perform the job of analysing and solving quality problems. They are usually involved with quality improvement projects like Six Sigma. To get Green Belt certified under ASQ, you need to have a work experience of at least three years in an area or more in the Body of Knowledge of Six Sigma Green Belt. The IASSC certification does not have any prerequisites. The job has to be a paid, full-time one. Co-op, paid intern or other course works are not applicable for the work experience requirement. For the CSSC certification, there are no prerequisites.

Education:

There are no educational waivers granted.

Expectations

A certified Six Sigma Green Belt is expected to:

• Operate in the supervision of or in support of a Six Sigma Black Belt.
• Solve and analyze quality problems.
• Be involved in quality improvement projects.
• Has a work experience of minimum three years.
• Be capable of demonstrating their understanding of tools and processes of Six Sigma.

Exam format Six Sigma Green Belt 

Here is the exam format for Six Sigma Green Belt for all the Accrediting bodies:

ASQ

Type of questions	No of questions	Duration	Open/closed
MCQ	110 for computer  100 for paper-based	Four and a half hour  Four hours	Open book

IASSC

Type of questions	No of questions	Duration	Open/closed
MCQ and True/False	100	Three hours	Closed book

CSSC

Type of questions	No of questions	Duration	Open/closed
MCQ and True/False	100	Non-Timed	Open book

How to apply for Six Sigma Green Belt exam? 

In the section to follow, we guide you through the certification process through the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC), the Council for Six Sigma Certification (CSSC) and the American Quality for Quality (AQS). 

• Certification from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC)  

For the IASSC Certified Yellow Belt, you have to apply for the ICYB exam, take the exam, and achieve a passing score. To apply for the exam, you will be contacting your KnowledgeHut representative who will order the exam voucher. The certification fee is not included in the course fee. After this, you will be able to take the exam. 

• Certification from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) 

While applying for the ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt exam, you have two options: 

• Computer-based exam 

This is a one-part exam is offered only in English and it consists of 110 questions and has a duration of four and a half hours. 

• Paper-based exam 

This one-part exam consists of 100 questions and has a duration of four hours. This exam is offered in English, Mandarin and Spanish, based on specific locations. 

Depending on what you prefer, you can visit your exam provider’s website and apply for the exam by following relevant steps. Prometric is one such testing partner. Here is how you can schedule your exam. 

• Go to Prometric’s official website. 
• Click on Schedule Your Exam present under the Test Takers section. 
• Search for ASQ in the search bar. 
• Click on Read More. 
• Under the Actions table, select the Schedule option. 
• Select your Country. 
• On the next page, Read Information Review and hit Next. 
• Agree to the Privacy policy and click on Next. 
• Enter your Eligibility ID and other details. 
• Next, select Yellow Belt in the appointments section. 
• Select a suitable date and time for the exam. 
• Your exam will be scheduled. 

Certification from the Council for Six Sigma Certification (CSSC) 

For the CSSC Six Sigma Green Belt exam, follow the below-mentioned steps: 

• Visit the link. 
• Click on ‘Add to cart’. 
• A pop-up will appear. You will see the options ‘View Cart’ or ‘Checkout’. Select the Checkout option. 
• Fill in the details.  
• Complete the payment. Your order will be placed. 

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How long does it take to get my Green Belt certification exam results? 

It is always important to be promptly notified of the exam results. The results are usually provided in quick time. If you have taken the IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Exam™, you will be provided your results through email within 1 to 2 days after giving the exam. If you pass the exam, you will be getting a certification from the IASSC. 

What is the average salary of Six Sigma Green Belt certified professionals? 

The Green Belt certification is for a mid-managerial role that involves implementation of Six Sigma methodologies. Positions that a Green Belt may undertake include: 

• Process Engineer 
• Quality Assurance Manager 
• Quality Manager 
• Supplier Quality Engineer 
• Continuous Improvement Manager. 

According to a study revealed by Indeed.com over 12 months from more than 222,000 data points, the range of average annual salary for a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified professional is from $71,381 per annum to $101,869 per annum. A Six Sigma Green Belt earns around $72,000 per year on an average. 

According to PayScale.com the average annual salary for a Green Belt certified individual is approximately between $65,000 per annum and $79,000 per annum. 

The annual salary also tends to vary based on the Green Belt role. Average salary for a Process Engineer is $73,166, Quality Manager is $79,141, Continuous Improvement Manager is $77,141, and a Quality Assurance or Quality Control Engineer is $66,030 per annum. 

*All the figures are from Indeed.com's salary estimation based on job advertisements and 512,851 employees.

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