Who Are Black Belts?

Black Belts are typically full-time project managers. Projects that meet the project selection criteria are matched to the available or potential Black Belts for completion. The Black Belt will lead the work on the project through the major project steps of define, measure, analyze, improve, and control (DMAIC). The Black Belt leads presentations and develops reports following a successful project. These can be made to Sponsors, process owners, other Black Belts, management, and the various departments or functions within the organization.

Drawing on the concept that any endeavor starts with the end in mind, we consider that world-class performance, as defined by the customer, is the objective that all businesses seek to achieve. The organization's overall business strategy must be developed to focus efforts towards successful achievement of world-class performance. All stakeholders need to be able to make a direct link between the daily activities they are performing and at least one of six to nine essential performance areas of the business strategy.

Improvements come in two different ways:

1. Improve the business systems and processes using all of the process improvement tools.

2. Develop the capability of people as individuals, in teams, and as an organization.

Efforts to improve one to the exclusion of the other will not be as effective as will an approach that considers and includes both. The result of a successful Six Sigma deployment application is the melding of the organization's focus, through strategy and through binding the synergy of people and processes...