Different Color Belts: What are they and Why is the Master Black Belt Needed to Train?

By: Don Wood

Have you heard people throwing around Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt and Master Black Belt in the office and been wondering “Why is everyone so interested in Tae Kwon Do here”? So to discover what they really mean let’s take a deeper look at what the belts mean in the professional world.

Each level has a varying degree of familiarity with the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) process. The two primary differences between having a yellow, green, black, and master black belt are in the amount of experience someone has and the tools they have in their repertoire.

Both of these increase significantly as an individual moves through the belt range. Other differences include the number of projects completed, coached, and mentored, which may include training of other individuals.

A basic outline of each level:

• Yellow belt –  A team member who is familiar with DMAIC. Typically, they are Subject Matter Experts and review the improvements that support the project.
• Green Belt – They normally assist with data collection and analysis for BB and MBB projects. Green Belts may lead smaller scoped projects or their process/department project or teams.
• Black Belt – Black Belts have had significant Six Sigma training, change management, and project management.  They lead DMAIC projects and may train and coach others.
• Master Black Belt – Typically, this role can be divided into Strategic and Tactical. As a strategy leader, they will develop key metrics, practice project identification, and work as an internal business consultant. In the Tactical role, they will manage projects similar to a Program Management Office (PMO), deliver training, and assist in data analysis for projects in process.

Now that we understand that all these green and black belts our coworkers keep talking about don’t exactly have anything to do with kicking and sparing, let’s talk about how they work.

One big question we hear a lot is: “Why is a Black Belt/Master Black Belt needed to train?”

Our answer:

Having experience in process management is a critical success factor and utilizing the DMAIC roadmap. There are intangible lessons learned from walking the process and managing change at the same time. The statistics and process can be taught in a classroom environment; however, to hear the wisdom of someone who has completed many projects is priceless.

Most importantly, a good trainer takes the time to coach, to mentor, and to understand challenges to the students’ projects. Experience is the key to having a good trainer because they have been there and understand the fears and concerns their students will face as they are guided to project completion.

Hope this helps!