Are you looking for ideas, and tools to be used in your early green belt projects? I have prepared 5 different examples from different type of areas and departments.

This article covers:

• Criteria for DMAIC Green belt project
• Green belt project selection – calculator
• Green belt project example – 5S organization
• Green belt project example – Layout organization
• Green belt project example – in the Warehouse
• Green belt project example – Planning / Scheduling
• Green belt project example – in Engineering
• What should be your improvement goal?

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• Lean culture implementation in your organization
• Six Sigma projects consultations
• Lean Six Sigma trainings and certifications support
• Project management theory turn into practical usage
• Your career planning

First 30 minutes of consultation for free, every additional 1 hour 10 USD.

Criteria for DMAIC Green belt project

Let me share with you criteria for first DMAIC green belt projects, prior we jump into project examples. You are new in Six Sigma. I recommend to start with something easy, simple, like always with starting something new. It is like starting learning new language. You start with simple words at the beginning, and not complicated sentences, right?

• First criteria is: choose simple project, possible to accomplish within 2 to 3 months maximum.
• Identify project with sponsor that will support you.
• Make sure that sponsor understand benefits project can deliver.
• Next criteria for project choosing is, that you are familiar with problematic, you attempt to address.
• Do your project with a team 3 to 4 team members.
• Do your project within your working group, without other departments involvement. Select problem, or process portion you can influence within your group.
• Use simple lean six sigma tools like project charter, process map, pareto analysis and so on. try to avoid using heavy statistics.
• And last criteria, or better said advice from me is, make your time available for this activity.

How to use Project charter? (+template) read here

Green belt project selection – calculator

I recommend you testing project idea on project calculator, I have developed based on my training experiences. It will help you to determine, how demanding leading project will be for you.

Selection tool downolad

You can download selection tool on the link below:

I do videos, blog posts, and all templates for free, in my free time. I will appreciate if you can donate me a cup of cofee, for more energy in my creation. (1 dollar counts, too 😉 Click on this link: I would like to support Erik in his effort

22 Green Belt certification prices review – read here

1) Green belt project example – 5S organization

Project 1 is recommendation for production oriented projects. And it is 5S organization in common cabinet, or worktable. By having tools and equipment on the right place can save up to 30% of the time. Specially, when several people are sharing it. Try measure, or estimate this time for your case.

Key tool to be used is 5 S method. Where you sort material in the first step. This is the most difficult. People are used to store material, tools, that are never, or very seldom used.

Following steps are easier. In set in order phase, you identify place, where material that left after sorting will be placed. Shine phase helps is about cleaning from dust, chips, dirt and so on. In standardization, Each equipment and material have special place identified. In sustaining phase you set rules to be followed during or by the end of the shift.

Pareto Rule – 5 examples (+template) – read here

I provide 30 minutes of consultations for free:

Here is a link to download project charter template for your usage, with the brief description of each section.

2) Green belt project example – Layout organization

Project 2 is production oriented too – layout organization. Choose small area, like one worktable, machine, or work cell and try to improve access to required material. People can walk several miles per day to fulfill they work. That is not efficient and it is time consuming. If you move key material close to they´re area, you can eliminate waste of waiting, or transporting.

Great tool to be used here is spaghetti diagram. Start with understanding current status with measuring actual meters, or time spent during walking. Than develop ideal layout with your team. Compare new status with previous after implementing changes.

A3 report template

Great tool to report out your project progress:

• A3 form Excel template
• Restaurant example – filled A3 report (above used pictures)

To download entire A3 report template –click on the link below

3) Green belt project example – in the Warehouse

Project 3 – warehouse / storage organization. It can be shelf, or cabinet fill optimization. You can try to reduce material volumes here. It is material, that is indirect. Like optimizing number of machining tools. Or lowering any other material volumes. This optimization will have direct impact on financial result. You can have less material on hand with process still working ideally.

Key here is to define minimum and maximum required volumes per each material. And you can determine it based on historical consumptions, or predictions based on future demand. Than visualize those limits inside cabinet. It will be obvious to any Supplier, or user if there is optimum material on hand.

DMAIC example in the Warehouse – read here

4) Green belt project example – Planning / Scheduling

Project 4 – Planning or scheduling improvement. This project example is more for office oriented projects. Releasing parts to production is important for the rest of the process. Try to understand how releasing could be done better. How this process is influencing others and how you could do it better, easier. Try to identify wastes slowing down your process. It can be long walk to the printer. It can be too many papers you are printing out. Is there a way to optimize it?

Good tool, that can help you with this is process mapping. Map current process as it works first. Then put on paper your ideal future map. And create a plan how to reach it.

DMAIC example in the office – read here

5) Green belt project example – in Engineering

Project 5 –improvement in Engineering. Engineers are responsible for many processes. Your project can be to develop flow charts for those processes. If flow charts already exists, you can review them and do an update to be actual. Another idea can be process instructions actualization. Or simplification. Choose limited number of instructions, and try to simplify it as much as possible.

Tool you can use to understand what to improve is Voice of customer and SIPOC. By using them you can understand gaps in the process you are trying to improve.

SIPOC template downolad

If you are interested, you can dowload SIPOC on the link below. This is how it looks like:

And here is promised link:

I do videos, blog posts, and all templates for free, in my free time. I will appreciate if you can donate me a cup of cofee, for more energy in my creation. (1 dollar counts, too 😉 Click on this link: I would like to support Erik in his effort

Voice of customer template

I have prepared a template you can download for free and use. Do not hesitate to use it as a Voice of the business template.

There are two lists in this excel spread sheet. First one is for your preparation. Second is for customers. You can print it or send it electronically. As you need.

I suggest to keep questionaire easy to understand and fill. Use maximum 5 rating questiions. Two open question max. One for positive, one for negative feedback.

How to perform Voice of the customer? (+template) -read here

What should be your improvement goal?

My last advice prior ending this article.

Whatever improvement you do, even it will be 20% improvement is great sucess.

Remeber, you just started with leading projects. Do not have extra high expectations. Even a small improvement is great, and helpful. Try to learn tools by using them, and improve your processes step by step. Result will come, and will surprise you and your teammates.

Do not forget to visit and subscribe my YouTube channel. I am uploading Six Sigma, Lean and Project oriented videos regurarly. So, stay tuned.

Yours sincerely Erik.