Have you just been certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt? Ready to get out there and show the world what you can do? Well, hold on a minute. Before jumping straight into the first project you find, stop and think. What projects should you be working on? Not only are Black Belts managers and mentors, but they’re also experts in Six Sigma techniques and data analysis. These special qualities open many doors, so take notice. Join us today, as we explore the types of Black Belt project practitioners like you can expect to work on.
What Makes a Black Belt Project?
You make the project, not the other way around. A Six Sigma project with a Black Belt as project leader is automatically a Black Belt project. There are no special criteria for it to qualify. All you need worry about is the scope and project duration. Black Belts liaise with Master Black Belts, supervisors, and project champions and have a lot of influence over how the project goes forward. By ensuring unanimity among all those involved, you can rest assured you have a great Six Sigma Black Belt project.
Finding the Best Black Belt Project
Finding a top Six Sigma project for a Black Belt doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, you should be using a different approach altogether. Don’t ask: What’s the best Six Sigma project for Black Belts? Instead, ask: What makes the best Six Sigma project?
You can do just about anything as a Black Belt. Your skillset is fluid and extensive, which is why you should make the most of it. But such a wide range of options can sometimes become overwhelming, not to mention paralyzing. The solution is to search for projects that aren’t too trivial or complicated, that provide sufficient room to flex your muscles. Apply your skills to the project. Searching for the ideal project with the perfect problem will undoubtedly prove fruitless. Black Belts are highly flexible, and you shouldn’t confine yourself to anyone type of project. Not when there are so many options available to you.
Always look at the contents. What problems does your potential project deal with? If a problem can’t be quantified or measured, it doesn’t exist. Great Six Sigma projects allow you to measure the friction and losses that result from problems, whether they arise on the manufacturing floor or in administration. While some short-term projects have immediate financial benefits, we recommend projects likely to benefit you in the long-term.
What to Look Out For
Ensure your Black Belt project has a well-defined goal and an achievable timeframe. We’ve seen Six Sigma students take on more than they can handle, which puts a major damper on productivity. Reducing scope leads to wasted time, work, and funding. You can avoid losses like these by selecting the best project in the first place. Here are some key features of great Black Belt projects:
- Deals with advanced process issues, like variation and waste.
- Deals with issues for which you have received an audit or citation.
- Potential for advanced Six Sigma techniques: benchmarking, DMAIC, Design of Experiments, Minitab software, poka-yoke.
- Implements Lean and Kaizen.
- Potential to improve leadership protocols.
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