Certified Six Sigma Green Belt CSSGB

Professional Certification from American Society for Quality (ASQ) is considered a mark of quality excellence in many industries. It helps you advance your career, and boosts your organization’s bottom line through your mastery of quality skills. Becoming certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt confirms your commitment to quality and the positive impact it will have on your organization. 

Six Sigma is a fact-based, data-driven philosophy of quality improvement that values defect prevention over defect detection. It drives customer satisfaction and bottom-line results by reducing variation and waste, thereby promoting a competitive advantage. It applies anywhere variation and waste exist, and every employee should be involved.

In simple terms, Six Sigma quality performance means no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Several different definitions have been proposed for Six Sigma, but they all share some common themes: 

Use of teams that are assigned well-defined projects that have direct impact on the organization's bottom line. 

Training in "statistical thinking" at all levels and providing key people with extensive training in advanced statistics and project management. These key people are designated black and green belts. Emphasis on the DMAIC approach (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) to problem solving.  A management environment that supports these initiatives as a business strategy. 

Differing opinions on the definition of Six Sigma: 

Six Sigma is a philosophy— This perspective views all work as processes that can be defined, measured, analyzed, improved and controlled. Processes require inputs (x) and produce outputs (y). If you control the inputs, you will control the outputs: This is generally expressed as y = f(x).   

Six Sigma is a set of tools— The Six Sigma expert uses qualitative and quantitative techniques to drive process improvement. A few such tools include statistical process control (SPC), control charts, failure mode and effects analysis and flowcharting.   

Six Sigma is a methodology— This view of Six Sigma recognizes the underlying and rigorous approach known as DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control). DMAIC defines the steps a Six Sigma practitioner is expected to follow, starting with identifying the problem and ending with the implementation of long-lasting solutions. While DMAIC is not the only Six Sigma methodology in use, it is certainly the most widely adopted and recognized. 

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The ASQ Six Sigma Green Belt operates in support or under the supervision of a Six Sigma Black Belt, analyzes and solves quality problems, and is involved in quality improvement projects. A Green Belt has at least three years of work experience and wants to demonstrate his or her knowledge of Six Sigma tools and processes.

In general, Six Sigma professionals exist at every level – each with a different role to play. While implementations and roles may vary, here is a basic guide to who does what.  At the project level, there are black belts, master black belts, green belts, yellow belts and white belts. These people conduct projects and implement improvements.

Master Black Belt: Trains and coaches Black Belts and Green Belts. Functions more at the Six Sigma program level by developing key metrics and the strategic direction. Acts as an organization’s Six Sigma technologist and internal consultant. 

Black Belt: Leads problem-solving projects. Trains and coaches project teams. 

Green Belt: Assists with data collection and analysis for Black Belt projects. Leads Green Belt projects or teams. 

Yellow Belt: Participates as a project team member. Reviews process improvements that support the project. 

White Belt: Can work on local problem-solving teams that support overall projects, but may not be part of a Six Sigma project team. Understands basic Six Sigma concepts from an awareness perspective. 

Every project needs organizational support. Six Sigma executives and champions set the direction for selecting and deploying projects. They ensure, at a high level, that projects succeed, add value and fit within the organizational plan.

Champions: Translate the company’s vision, mission, goals and metrics to create an organizational deployment plan and identify individual projects. Identify resources and remove roadblocks. 

Executives: Provide overall alignment by establishing the strategic focus of the Six Sigma program within the context of the organization’s culture and vision. 

ASQ Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB)

Examination 

Each certification candidate is required to pass a written examination that con­sists of multiple-choice questions that measure comprehension of the Body of Knowledge. The Six Sigma Green Belt examination is a four-hour, 100-ques­tion exam. It is offered in the English language only.

Required Experience

Six Sigma Green Belts are employees who spend some of their time on pro­cess improvement teams. They analyze and solve quality problems, and are involved with Six Sigma, lean, or other quality improvement projects. The Six Sigma Green Belt certification requires three years of work experience in one or more areas of the Six Sigma Green Belt Body of Knowledge. Work experience must be in a full-time, paid role. Paid intern, co-op, or any other course work cannot be applied toward the work experience requirement. Educational waivers are not granted.

 

Minimum Expectations for a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt

•               Operates in support of or under the supervision of a Six Sigma Black Belt  

•               Analyzes and solves quality problems  

•               Involved in quality improvement projects  

•               Participated in a project, but has not led a project  

•               Has at least three years of work experience  

•               Has ability to demonstrate knowledge of Six Sigma tools and processes  

For comprehensive exam information on Six Sigma Green Belt certification, visit  asq.org/certification.

Levels of Cognition  

Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy—Revised (2001)
In addition to content specifics, the subtext detail also indicates the intended complexity level of the test questions for that topic. These levels are based on “Levels of Cognition” (from Bloom’s Taxonomy—Revised, 2001) and are presented below in rank order, from least complex to most complex.

Remember

Recall or recognize terms, definitions, facts, ideas, materials, patterns, sequences, methods, principles, etc. 

Understand

Read and understand descriptions, communications, reports, tables, diagrams, directions, regulations, etc.
 

Apply   

Know when and how to use ideas, procedures, methods, formulas, principles, theories, etc. 

Analyze

Break down information into its constituent parts and recognize their relationship to one another and how they are organized; identify sublevel factors or salient data from a complex scenario.
 

Evaluate   

Make judgments about the value of proposed ideas, solutions, etc., by comparing the proposal to specific criteria or standards.
 

Create

Put parts or elements together in such a way as to reveal a pattern or structure not clearly there before; identify which data or information from a complex set is appropriate to examine further or from which supported conclusions can be drawn.