Master Black Belt in Operational Excellence

A core competency of a Master Black Belt is the ability to manage a continuous improvement program. This course will examine various deployment strategies and provide a roadmap for developing an appropriate deployment strategy to drive change through an organization. We discuss ways to work with company leadership to establish and sustain a culture of continuous improvement.

As subject matter experts, MBBs also must possess a deeper understanding of Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt tools as well as be competent using more advanced techniques. This course builds upon the rigorous University of Michigan Black Belt curriculum, going deeper into the following topic areas:

• Advanced Lean Productivity Modeling and Analysis
• Advanced Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Advanced Process Capability
• Desirability Index for Multiple Requirements
• Advanced Measurement Systems Analysis
• Advanced Hypothesis Testing (Bartlett/Levene Test, Post Hoc Mean Comparisons)
• Categorical Data Analysis Methods (Measures of Association)
• Advance Regression / General Linear Model
• Advanced Design of Experiments (Fold Over Fractional Designs, RSM, Taguchi DOE)
• Introduction to Time Series Analysis and Forecasting
• Overview of Design for Six Sigma
• Reliability Analysis
• Survey Methods and Analysis
• Advanced Power and Sample Size Planning

Another important, though often underappreciated skill, is teaching effectiveness, coaching, and mentoring. The University of Michigan has significant experience teaching and fostering adult learning. Throughout this course, we will work with you to improve your capabilities to design instructional material, prepare for teaching and potential student questions, and explore different ways to effectively teach Black Belt level content. In doing so, we recognize that there is no single best instruction method. Thus, we will discuss different learning styles and present a range of methods to help you develop the right approach for your organization.

During the course, you will be required to deliver three course lectures. You will also be expected to lead a student exercise review session and classroom simulation. During these activities, you will be reviewed by Lean Six Sigma Professional Trainers and instructional design professionals.

Another key role for MBBs is coaching and mentoring Lean Six Sigma projects and continuous improvement events such as Kaizen Events. Many Green/Black projects must overcome challenges such as team member conflicts, scope creep, non-supportive managers, and lack of data availability, so MBBs must be able to effectively guide resources through these non-technical issues. Throughout this course, we will discuss various scenarios and explore different strategies to address these challenges. Among these is to help you recognize the difference between providing guidance for Green/Black Belts versus solving the problem for them. Here, Toyota Kata provides a useful framework for establishing a desired target condition and vision as well as guidelines to effectively coach and engage resources toward a solution.

Of course, mentoring involves more than just dealing with Green/Black Belt resources. MBBs must provide mentoring for managers and non-belt employees to help them see the need for continuous improvement projects and understand the benefits of taking a comprehensive data-drive approach.

Effective MBBs also must have a solid foundation in project management skills including an understanding of how to lead and teach others to lead knowledge-based projects. In Lean Six Sigma problem solving, the solution and sometimes even the project goal often are unknown at project start. As such, DMAIC project management requirements a deeper understanding of adaptive project managements techniques versus a more traditional Project Management approach.