Master, Black, Green, Yellow, and White; The Six Sigma Hierarchy Decoded
The belt system used to classify Six Sigma professionals is easy to understand if you think of it as a tier system. Black is at the top of the list, followed by the Green Belt, followed by yellow, and then finally, the white. The top level will act as leader and mentor for the other levels of Six Sigma Certification, leading on a daily basis, developing, designing, and running the team projects assigned by the executives and champions.
The Six Sigma Certification Belt levels are much like the martial arts system but with less levels and colors. The top level is the most intense and the responsibilities for each color are vastly different as the levels go down. There is also the Master Black level, which is the group of professionals who instruct and train the employees of a business in the Six Sigma Methodology.
Top level black belts are professionals responsible for leading teams, instructing others, explaining procedures, and developing and implementing designs for projects. They will designate responsibilities to others (Green, Yellow, and White Belts) and make sure everyone understands procedures, processes, and what exactly is needed from them for the project to be successfully carried out. They have all of the knowledge needed to detect which members of the team are best suited for which task and will have the skills to designate and lead the team.
Second level Green belts are the assistants to the black belts. They will help to analyze and collect the data, reviewing the results and looking for ways to improve the projects they are currently working on. They will lead smaller team projects of their own, especially if they are at a local level and are also currently enrolled in further training for future black belt certification.
Yellow belts also work as team members but have no authority and answer to their superior belt level professionals. They analyze and review data and might suggest an improvement if they see a need. They are vital to the success of the team because they will carry out the tasks given to them by the team leaders. Without their work, the team leaders would not have anyone to do the necessary work.
White belts are at the bottom level, and are not as experienced with Six Sigma methods as the higher belts. They work on a local basis, helping to solve problems and arrange tasks for local research. They are not always viewed as actual Six Sigma professionals by the community as a whole. Although their place in the Six Sigma Hierarchy is somewhat controversial, they are aware of all of the methods and policies used within the process and methodology, making them excellent auxiliary staff members.
On another level, the Master Black belts are basically in charge of training. Although they have this level in the belt system, they work more along the programming line, instructing and making sure the top leaders of Black and Green belt teams are knowledgeable and can effectively run the team. They will also work as consultants for the team leaders so that any confusion is cleared up quickly and all questions are answered as necessary.
As you can see, teamwork and mentoring is essential to the success of the Six Sigma quality management theory. Teams are set up in such a way that if anyone gets stuck, they will always have someone to go to with questions or concerns. Everyone knows their exact responsibilities, and also those of their co-team members so there is no question of delegation or responsibility when it comes time to get the job done.