Coaching Green Belts for Sustainable Success

By Steve Pollock and Daro Mott

Six Sigma Green Belts need support in applying new skills after training, yet there is little research about how this works and even less advice about what support looks like in the field. This book is that missing link in providing coaching tips to support Green Belt projects.

There is an abundant amount of information on the technical, “hard skills” aspects of Six Sigma, while considerably less about the interpersonal side of DMAIC. Research has shown that desirable Green Belt project outcomes are greatly influenced by collaboration issues between the coach and the Green Belt team member, and therefore this text focuses on tips for effective collaboration practices.

Besides being a comprehensive discussion about how to coach Green Belts on their first project, it may also be used to coach subsequent Green Belt projects. A case study of Louisville Metro demonstrates this book’s ideas in the field and includes an example of one of its actual Six Sigma Green Belt projects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ASQ Quality Press
• Release date: Apr 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9780873899932

Steve Pollock

Dr. Steve Pollock, ASQ Fellow, is director of quality engineering in the Enterprise Solutions group at Humana, Inc., in Louisville, Kentucky, and an adjunct faculty member in the business program at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is an ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), and Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), a review board member of The Journal for Quality and Participation, and author of many quality improvement articles. Steve’s personal website, including his contact information, is https://sites.google.com/site/practicalbestpractices/.

Book preview

Coaching Green Belts for Sustainable Success

Also available from ASQ Quality Press:

The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook, Second Edition

Roderick A. Munro, Govindarajan Ramu, and Daniel J. Zrymiak

Process Improvement Using Six Sigma: A DMAIC Guide

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Six Sigma Green Belt, Round 2: Making Your Next Project Better than the Last One

Tracy L. Owens

Statistics for Six Sigma Black Belts

Matthew Barsalou

The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, Third Edition

T. M. Kubiak and Donald W. Benbow

The ASQ Pocket Guide to Statistics for Six Sigma Black Belts

Matthew Barsalou

The Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt Handbook

T. M. Kubiak

Practical Engineering, Process, and Reliability Statistics

Mark Allen Durivage

The ASQ Pocket Guide for the Certified Six Sigma Black Belt

T. M. Kubiak

The Certified Quality Engineer Handbook, Third Edition

Connie M. Borror, editor

The Quality Toolbox, Second Edition

Nancy R. Tague

Root Cause Analysis: Simplified Tools and Techniques, Second Edition

Bjørn Andersen and Tom Fagerhaug

The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Fourth Edition

Russell T. Westcott, editor

The ASQ Quality Improvement Pocket Guide: Basic History, Concepts, Tools, and Relationships

Grace L. Duffy, editor

To request a complimentary catalog of ASQ Quality Press publications, call 800-248-1946, or visit our website at www.asq.org/quality-press.

Coaching Green Belts for Sustainable Success

Steve Pollock and Daro Mott

ASQ Quality Press

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

American Society for Quality, Quality Press, Milwaukee 53203

© 2015 by Steve Pollock

All rights reserved. Published 2015

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pollock, Steve, 1957–

Coaching green belts for sustainable success / Steve Pollock and Daro Mott.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-87389-904-8 (hard cover : alk. paper)

1. Six sigma (Quality control standard) 2. Supervision of employees. I. Mott, Daro.

II. Title.

TS156.17.S59P65 2015

658.4’013—dc23 2015007108

ISBN 978-0-87389-904-8

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Publisher: Lynelle Korte

Acquisitions Editor: Matt T. Meinholz

Managing Editor: Paul Daniel O’Mara

Production Administrator: Randall Benson

ASQ Mission: The American Society for Quality advances individual, organizational, and community excellence worldwide through learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange.

Attention Bookstores, Wholesalers, Schools, and Corporations: ASQ Quality Press books, video, audio, and software are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchases for business, educational, or instructional use. For information, please contact ASQ Quality Press at 800-248-1946, or write to ASQ Quality Press, P.O. Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005.

To place orders or to request ASQ membership information, call 800-248-1946. Visit our website at http://www.asq.org/quality-press.

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To my wife Betsy, for encouraging me to tell the story of my work, and to my parents, Dick and Sue Pollock, for raising me to be captivated by ideas that become ways to help others.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Part I: Coaching Green Belts

Chapter 1: Overview

Chapter 2: Green Belt Talent Development

Chapter 3: Define Phase

Chapter 4: Measure Phase

Chapter 5: Analyze Phase

Chapter 6: Improve Phase

Chapter 7: Control Phase

Chapter 8: Summary—DMAIC

Chapter 9: Technical Resource Guide

Part II: Collaboration Approach

Chapter 10: Meeting the Team for the First Time

Chapter 11: Now What?

Chapter 12: Collaborative Culture

Summary

Chapter 13: Each Meeting

Chapter 14: DMAIC Collaborative Culture

Kotter Model Planning Template

Chapter 15: Lessons Learned

Part III: Field Case Study

Chapter 16: Louisville Metro Government

Part IV: Appendixes

Appendix A: Example Continuous Improvement Story

Appendix B: Perceived Drivers of Green Belt Projects Data

References

About the Authors

List of Figures and Tables

Figure I.1 The Green Belt learning curve.

Figure 1.1 The big three DMAIC adoption challenges.

Figure 1.2 Most research is about Black Belts.

Figure 1.3 Basic coaching process.

Figure 1.4 Key coaching tips.

Figure 2.1 Key listening tips.

Figure 2.2 DMAIC Report—Project Summary.

Figure 2.3 Filling out the Project Summary.

Figure 2.4 Typical DMAIC Report Project Summary questions.

Figure 2.5 Project Summary—top two questions.

Figure 2.6 Key coaching tips—Project Summary.

Figure 2.7 Project Summary themes.

Figure 3.1 The define phase.

Figure 3.2 Documenting the define phase.

Figure 3.3 Typical define phase questions.

Figure 3.4 Define phase—top two questions.

Figure 3.5 Key coaching tips—define phase.

Figure 3.6 Define phase themes.

Figure 4.1 The measure phase.

Figure 4.2 Documenting the measure phase to communicate the baseline.

Figure 4.3 Typical measure phase questions.

Figure 4.4 Measure phase—top two questions.

Figure 4.5 Key coaching tips—measure phase.

Figure 4.6 Measure phase themes.

Figure 5.1 The analyze phase.

Figure 5.2 Documenting the analyze phase to identify key root causes.

Figure 5.3 Typical analyze phase questions.

Figure 5.4 Analyze phase—top two questions.

Figure 5.5 Key coaching tips—analyze phase.

Figure 5.6 Analyze phase themes.

Figure 6.1 The improve phase.

Figure 6.2 Documenting the improve phase to identify the action plan.

Figure 6.3 Typical improve phase questions.

Figure 6.4 Improve phase—top two questions.

Figure 6.5 Key coaching tips—improve phase.

Figure 6.6 Improve phase themes.

Figure 7.1 The control phase.

Figure 7.2 Documenting the control phase to close out the project.

Figure 7.3 Typical control phase questions.

Figure 7.4 Control phase—top two questions.

Figure 7.5 Key coaching tips—control phase.

Figure 7.6 Control phase themes.

Figure 8.1 DMAIC summary.

Figure 9.1 Technical resource guide—key roles.

Figure 9.2 Technical resource guide—role definitions.

Figure 9.3 Technical resource guide—project selection.

Figure 9.4 Technical resource guide—change management.

Figure 9.5 Technical resource guide—coach reference manual.

Figure 10.1 Options for meeting with your team the first time.

Table 10.1 First meeting agenda items.

Figure 10.2 First meeting template.

Figure 10.3 Example of a completed first meeting session.

Figure 11.1 KISS.

Table 11.1 Sources of information on Green Belt coaching.

Figure 11.2 The integrated follow-up model.

Figure 12.1 Getting the meeting space right.

Table 12.1 Checklist of key principles for collaboration.

Table 13.1 Three things.

Figure 13.1 Project documentation elements for DMAIC.

Figure 14.1 The Kotter model for managing change.

Figure 14.2 Simple Kotter planning template for process changes.

Figure 14.3 Simple Kotter planning template for process changes—example.

Figure 14.4 Simple Kotter planning template for innovation—example.

Figure 14.5 Simple Kotter planning template for career growth—example.

Figure 14.6 Simple Kotter planning template for member learning—example.

Table 15.1 Shared learning examples—from small to large learning.

Figure 16.1 Six Sigma Workshop discussing the DMAIC framework.

Figure 16.2 Measure phase sponsor review with the Department of Emergency Medical Services.

Figure 16.3 Brainstorming session in a team-based environment involving staff from outside the department, frontline staff, and management.

Figure 16.4 Coaching a weekly Six Sigma workshop.

Figure 16.5 Six Sigma workshop participants create a fishbone diagram.

Figure 16.6 A lieutenant from the police department creates a failure mode and effects analysis chart.

Figure 16.7 Louisville Statistics Forum with the Department of Human Resources, led by a Certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

Figure 16.8 Louisville Statistics (LouieStat) Forum with the Department of Emergency Medical Services.

Figure 16.9 The authors working out details for applying the collaboration model at Louisville Metro.

Figure 16.10 The mayor recognizes an outstanding consultant who taught Louisville Metro the enterprise model.

Figure 16.11 The chief of performance improvement addresses the crowd during the city’s day of celebration of quality.

Figure 16.12 Six Sigma workshop about the relationship of histograms to control charts using data from workshop participants.

Figure 16.13 The authors interpret control charts in Minitab software.

Figure 16.14 Coauthor Pollock’s research guided the collaboration efforts.

Table 16.1 LouieStat objectives.

Figure 16.15 Authors’ article describing the collaborative effort.

Figure 16.16 Authors presented at the 2014 World Conference about the collaboration.

Figure 16.17 Mayor Fischer recognizes Humana’s quality professionals and Humana’s president Bruce Broussard (immediately left of the mayor), for support and guidance.

Figure 16.18 Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer conducts a PDCA workshop during the city’s Day of Celebration.

Figure 16.19 The chief of performance and technology and the Louisville Metro Police Department solve problems in a LouieStat Forum.

Figure 16.20 Daro Mott facilitates a workshop during the city’s Day of Celebration.