Six Sigma Managers Black Belt

The client, a global manufacturing giant, had invested heavily to create an internal pool of engineering Six Sigma Black Belts.

Now their managers needed to have a Black Belt program of their own, so they could understand Six Sigma data and make decisions based on it.

Some of the managers were already familiar with Black Belt concepts and tools. Others were not.

The client’s Training Department had already asked participating managers to set aside time for three one-week sessions, and had booked a retreat site where the Managers Black Belt training would take place.

We based our approach on the Training Department’s analysis, and the timing/location decisions that had already been made. Our approach included:

Get everyone on the same page:

• We created a set of pre-course readings and exercises that were designed to get all managers up to a basic entry level before the first session. The readings and exercises were optional, but managers were required to pass a multiple-choice test on this material before they were given Registration Information for the first session.

Re-Purpose Existing Training for a Different Audience:

• We worked with subject-matter experts to identify the subset of content from the Engineering Black Belt course that would be required to meet the Manager Black Belt objectives. We re-purposed these materials, adding exercises and problem sets that were relevant to a manager’s role.

Create an Assessment Strategy that Managers Would Accept:

• We knew that managers would resist any sort of paper-and-pencil test administered by trainers or engineers. However, we also knew that they enjoyed friendly competition amongst themselves. So we created a series of drill-and-practice games based on the content material, and had managers compete in teams to win prizes.
• There were a number of different types of games, matching the various objectives of the course. Some games were structured to provide fact-and-rule review. Other games required the managers to ask the right questions after being presented with data, or to explain a project in a 60-second elevator speech. All of the games included an opportunity to interact with others, as well as a chance to move and stretch.
• The games were conducted each evening of the retreat as a way to review the day’s learning. The managers enjoyed the games as a way to relax and socialize at the end of a long day – and the competition for those prizes was intense!

Transfer the Learning to the Real World:

• Our goal was to get the managers to put their new Black Belt knowledge to use in evaluating, selecting, and monitoring real-world projects.
• At the end of each of their one-week sessions, the managers were asked to work with one of their engineers to select and/or monitor the progress in a real-world project. They reported back to the Managers Black Belt class about their project’s progress at the start of the next one-week session.

Special Skills/Software

• Partnering with Training Department and Engineering Black Belt subject-matter experts.
• Instructional Design and Development
• Game Design and Production: For this audience, it was important that the games look professional and polished. It was also important for the games to be able to travel, since each of the retreat sessions was in a different location around the world. We used graphic design to create a high-end look to the games, and worked with a production company to design suitable packaging.

Managers learned to use Six Sigma tools to evaluate, select and monitor projects. They also learned to interact more successfully with engineers and others who were undertaking Six Sigma projects.

Secondary Audience: Managers so enjoyed the games that they commissioned additional sets to be used in training their first-line plant managers and supervisors.

For more information about this project, please contact us.