Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Tools You Must Know

If military officials are known by their ranks, qualified personnel in Six Sigma are recognized by their belts. There are four belt levels in martial arts: Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, and Master Black Belt. Anyone interested in learning about Six Sigma can enroll in training. The fundamental Six Sigma training normally lasts one to two weeks. Individuals who complete the programme and meet the standards will be certified as Six Sigma Yellow Belts. Online courses are available, and some firms pay Master Black Belts to educate their elected staff about the basics and methods of Six Sigma.

Individuals who are interested may also attend courses led by business groups and recognized Master Black Belts, albeit these training courses are quite expensive. A Yellow Belt is a professional who understands the fundamental ideas of the Six Sigma technique. They can lead small-scale Six Sigma initiatives or work as part of a team on large-scale and complicated projects. They will be guided by either a Green Belt or a Black Belt for the latter. 

A Yellow Belt understands the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) technique at a basic level. Yellow Belts will learn about the benefits of using Six Sigma tools and procedures for the benefit of their organization during their training. 

Six Sigma Yellow Belt – Overview  

Yellow Belt training mainly covers the fundamental Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt tools used in the Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Because most Six Sigma tools are Excel-based, it will be advantageous for the worker to be well-versed in Excel. The Cause-and-Effect Matrix (C&E Matrix), the SIPOC Diagram (Supplier, Inputs, Process, Outputs, Customer), the Pareto Chart, FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), various types of Process Mapping, Basic Quality Tools in creating graphs and charts, the 3-3 Scorecard, Histogram, and other Basic Statistics are some of the basic tools discussed during Yellow Belt training. 

The Yellow Belt activity introduces workers to course management, allowing them to have a better awareness of the procedures and contribute meaningfully to the overall purpose of the firm. Yellow Belt certification training also increases employees' productivity and effectiveness in their Six Sigma support jobs. You can also join Six Sigma Yellow Belt training online to get the best knowledge in this area. 

Six Sigma Yellow Belts are frequently team members rather than project or team leaders. Their tasks are limited to data gathering, involvement in brainstorming exercises, and problem-solving activities due to their lack of Six Sigma skills and experience. The skills of Yellow Belts are used to monitor, determine, and manage the team's action plan.

And, because Black Belts work on larger projects, their presence is critical in terms of supplying information for project directors to examine and process. The majority of Yellow Belts are drawn from the programme or firm they represent. He or she serves as the SME (subject matter expert) on one or more jobs. It will also benefit organizations to obtain qualified personnel from different groups. The disadvantage is that this will cost more, but the main thing is that these people are objective and will bring objectivity when it comes to technique improvements and potential solutions to difficulties. Yellow Belts are occasionally assigned to manage minor process improvement projects that employ the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) approach, often known as the Deeming Wheel. 

Six Sigma Yellow Belt Tools  

1. Cause and Effect Matrix (C&E Matrix)  

A Cause and Effect Matrix is a lean six sigma yellow belt tool that helps the Six Sigma Project Team prioritize the X's or Process Inputs. The Cause and Effect Matrix connects process input, value-add, and output. Processes inputs (X's) and links the inputs to process outputs. Customer Requirements (or Y's) are rated in order of priority to the customer in a C&E Matrix. The Interaction Impact of the Inputs (X's) and Outputs (Y's) is graded. The Cause and Effect Matrix should be used to decide which Key Process Input Variables (KPIVs) should be prioritized. 

The Cause and Effect Matrix is a Lean Six Sigma tool used to prioritize key process input variables (KPIVs) based on customer output priorities (KPOVs). In other words, it establishes the relationship between process input variables and consumer outcomes during root cause analysis. 

2. SIPOC Diagram  

SIPOC (or COPIS) diagrams depict the operation's suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, customers, and other information. At higher levels, these elements are utilized to define the limits of a process. This graphic provides critical information to decision-makers without being overly complex. 

SIPOC (or COPIS) simplifies workflows and assists in the identification and resolution of issues. It also eliminates needless actions. SIPOC does this by concentrating on process visualization and restricting information to what is required for management to identify opportunities for improvement. SIPOC (or COPIS) was created by the Total Quality Management movement in the 1980s. It was then embraced by LEAN management practitioners and Lean Six Sigma specialists. It generally refers to the "measure" portion of a DMAIC exercise. 

3. Pareto Chart & Excel  

The Pareto chart is used in six sigma to indicate the frequency at which occurrences occur. It is a bar graph in which each frequency or frequency range is shown in descending order of data relevance from left to right using the Pareto Principle, often known as the 80-20 rule or the crucial few rules. The Pareto graph displays vertical bars in decreasing order, as well as a line graph with cumulative total categories. These charts are quite simple to make with MS Excel. Many process failures follow a consistent pattern, with a small number of issues driving most defects. 

The Pareto Analysis provides the relative frequency of issues in order of flaws, resulting in a list of absolute priority problems. The best outcomes may be obtained by addressing and fixing problems based on those priorities. In most circumstances, Pareto charts are a vital tool in overall quality management, but the question of whether to use them arises. 

4. FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis)  

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic technique for identifying probable flaws in the design of a product, process, or product. 

Failure modes are the various ways in which a process might fail. These failures might result in waste, defects, or other bad results for consumers. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis is used to identify, prioritize, and restrict certain failure modes. FMEA does not substitute excellent engineering. FMEA complements rather than replaces engineering. It employs the skills and knowledge of a Cross-Functional Team to examine the progress of a product/process and estimate its risk of failure. 

5. Process Mapping  

Process mapping is introduced right away in lean six sigma yellow belt tools. Anyone engaging in process optimization or defect elimination must first define and thoroughly understand the process. A Six Sigma process map graphically depicts the process step by step to aid comprehension. 

High-level process diagram  

The high-level process map depicts the fundamental phases in your process so that you can quickly and easily comprehend it without getting bogged down in the details. This map is useful when dealing with executives or managers since they frequently need to see what's going on but don't necessarily require all of the details involved in a process. 

Detailed process map  

A comprehensive process map, as the name implies, allows you to examine all of the intricacies in a process or section of a process. This process map is very useful for determining the underlying cause of mistakes or waste in a process since it demands so much data. You may also want to include the staff who conduct the procedure because they will be the most knowledgeable about it. 

6. Basic Quality Tools  

Control Chart  

Quality improvement necessitates a significant amount of testing and documentation. As such, a control chart is a highly effective way for monitoring and maintaining statistical control. Control charts will assist you in staying aware of your measurements and limitations, as well as identifying the sources of change. 

Scatter diagrams  

A fundamental quality tool in lean six sigma yellow belt tools depict how two aspects are connected. Scatter diagrams, like cause and effect diagrams, may show both causality and correlation, as well as the degree to which both present. You may also put probable cause and effect correlations between numerous factors to the test. 

7. 3×3 Scorecard  

The Balanced Scorecard helps you to see your business through the eyes of important stakeholders while providing a complete assessment of our progress. The name also gives it away: the Balanced Scorecard provides for a balanced focus in which all parts of the business are addressed while making changes, so as not to hurt or hold back one sector in order to improve another. It's a tool to help you improve. 

Color-coded ratings can be used to assess the performance of your business: 

• Red denotes poor performance. 
• Yellow indicates mixed results. 
• Green = Excellent. 

8. Histogram  

The Six Sigma quality control approach relies heavily on data gathering and analysis. However, it is all too often to find yourself in a situation where you have more data than you know what to do with and figuring out how to use that data becomes a project in and of itself. It is typically advantageous to create some form of chart or graph when attempting to visualize large volumes of data. A histogram is one example of such a product. 

A histogram is simply a column chart with elements grouped into intervals rather than displayed individually. 

This form of grouping can make it simpler to recognize where problems are occurring in existing production processes, and it can also provide a basic understanding of how particular sets of data are dispersed. 

Histograms may be created in a variety of software tools, but for the sake of this post, we will focus on how to generate one in Excel. One of the greatest ways to demonstrate this is to use a real-world scenario and walk through all the processes. 

9. Basic Statistics  

The cornerstone for six sigma yellow belt initiatives is basic six sigma statistics. It enables us to quantitatively describe the data Xs and Ys that characterize the process. Statistics are now an essential aspect of every organization's day-to-day operation. Data and numbers are essential in six sigma initiatives; thus, six sigma experts and other stakeholders must be familiar with fundamental six sigma statistics. 

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How to Effectively Use Six Sigma Yellow Belt Tools  

One can use the six sigma Yellow Belt tools effectively when they select the right tool for a certain situation. 

But what tools should be used? This will depend on the nature of the situation. For example, if a process is off by a minor variation, a measurement may be performed using Six Sigma tools to discover how the variation impacts quality and how it can be addressed in the process to reduce the defect rate. This little flaw does not need a whole Six Sigma process to resolve, but the same techniques may be useful in and of itself. It will ultimately come down to how confident the process owner is in their Six Sigma Training and whether they use tools outside of the project domain. 

Conclusion  

This technique enables Yellow Belts to identify procedures that might benefit from development. Minor Yellow Belt tasks are occasionally transferred over to the Black Belt level, where the DMAIC method is used to maximize cost reductions using Statistical Process Control. Being a Six Sigma graduate has an influence not just on an individual's job but also on his or her life. Its techniques may be applied to our daily lives.

Hence, all the tools mentioned serve their best to help the six sigma yellow belts and for ease of yours you can join KnowledgeHut’s six sigma yellow belt training online.