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To improve the processes behind an organization's products and services, a Six Sigma Black Belt must measure them. Among the many Six Sigma tools, several are designed specifically to identify and prioritize process input and output variables and their importance relative to customer or business requirements. Using cause-and-effect matrices, Black Belts can determine which process inputs to target first. Using process efficiency formulas, they can determine the ratio of value-added time to total lead time, then enhance this ratio by reducing that troublesome drag on lead time – work in process. With metrics established, Black Belts can recommend approaches to balance the flow of processes and determine the impact that 'hidden factories' could have on process flow metrics. Looking closer at the steps of a given process, Black Belts are then able to wield a number of analysis tools such as flowcharts, spaghetti diagrams, process maps, value stream maps, and gemba walk to reveal lurking time traps, constraints, and wasted steps – all with a view of improving process characteristics for optimum efficiency.
This course provides strategies to measure the current state of an organization's processes by analyzing the variables of its processes, using metrics to calculate process flow performance, and employing tools to analyze processes. This course is aligned with the ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt certification exam and is designed to assist learners as part of their exam preparation. It builds on foundational knowledge that is taught in 's ASQ-aligned Green Belt curriculum.

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Objectives

Process Flow Metrics and Hidden Factories calculate rankings and match input variables to their relative significance use the formula for calculating process cycle efficiency (PCE) calculate the desired amount of work in process (WIP) and predict the consequent improvement in PCE identify the benefits of reducing WIP match value flow concepts to definitions calculate takt time and determine the best option for streamlining a process to meet customer demand, in a given scenario recognize examples of how "hidden factories" negatively impact organizational processes Process Analysis Tools identify steps for creating a spaghetti diagram recognize best practices for using a gemba walk match process analysis tools to descriptions of their use sequence activities involved in conducting a value stream analysis interpret elements of a value stream map