Managing Master Black Belt Projects
Up to Black Belt certification level, the structure of the certification followed the sequence of core Lean Business Transformation (LBT) projects comprising a work portfolio of implementing LBT projects. Certification for the Master Black Belt portfolio is quite different in that its purpose is to demonstrate learning, and the applications of LBT in action. In many ways, certification for Master Black Belt (MBB) is a detailed log of your journey to MBB highlighting your learning in implementing LBT.
The structure you adopt will depend on the journey you have taken. If you have not had opportunities to develop real solid implementation you should focus more on your theoretical learnings. However, MBB is really about applying the principles to novel situations and may well cover ‘the journey to MBB’ as a chronological time –line of key interventions, implementation and learning.
Master Black Belt Portfolio is Your Lean Business Transformation (LBT) Identity
When completing your MBB documentation, you may want to consider how you will use this in the future. Many of you will go on to teaching YB, GB, BB and start implementing Business Transformation in a variety of organisations. If this is the case, you may want to showcase your accomplishments very much as you would your CV to a prospective employer. You will also find it is an easier way of documenting your personal development and learning.
No Prescriptive Structure
A suggested structure might include:
Background
Your personal Journey and how you developed your interest in LBT. Many people have a separate specialism that they have pursued in their work life and have only later developed an interest in LBT.
It might be a good idea to explore your professional journey and list the benefits that you have accrued to you personally on that journey to understand the application of LBT.
Lean Business Transformation
How you have interpreted LBT and how you have made use of it? Have you focused more on the statistical or the Lean OD side? You may want to explore why you have gravitated towards the qualitative or quantitative approach, and how you think LBT will evolve in the future.
Specific Projects
These can be educational projects that revolve around and instructing others in LBT, or specific LBT projects where you have taken the lead role in seeing them through the DMAIC process.
It is normally expected that you would refer to at least 3 major projects that highlight how your experience has been honed, or 5 medium sized projects. These can be written up as case studies and should follow the simplified format of the Black Belt Projects namely:
1. Black Belt - Project Definition incorporating - original scoping for the project
I. Defined outcomes and purpose of project
II. Impact on the organisation and core constituents in the process, and internal and external stakeholders
III. Critical Success factors for the project
IV. Expected deliverables, and to whom
2. Situational Analysis:
Describe the 'current state' of affairs and any assessment or measurement of criteria of the situation, and likely areas for short and long term improvement
3. Undertake a systematic review of the benefits that will accrue to the organization because of this intervention. Include financial, human and capital resources, market situation, efficiency and effectiveness criteria
4. Examination of internal and external customer impact, using i.e. CTC, CTQ, CTP, SIPOC, customer retention, acquisition, internal supply chain metrics
5. Analysis - application of quantitative and qualitative methods, data collection, analysis, i.e. statistical methods and techniques and tests, behaviourial and organizational analysis. Reaching conclusions that form your recommendations and implementation plan
6. Influencing and selling the need to change, winning the support of sponsors, supporters, managing resistance, communicating the intent of the implementation plan
7. Implementation Plan, RACI, managing the process of change, contingency planning
8. Control, KPI's, Measures for ongoing and continuous improvement, to include i.e. COQ and rework, QI, Customer Satisfaction, Process Improvement, Behaviourial and Cultural factors, measuring the communication of Progress
9. Future desired state - how the organisation will meet the challenges of change and the criteria for assessing the end state due to this intervention
10 Organizational learning and how this has impacted how the organization manages change, team learning, learning in process improvement, and personal learning for those key to this analysis
You decide how to present your portfolio but we suggest you develop a modular approach so that any potential reader can find their way easily through your portfolio.
Remember, your MBB Portfolio is the best advert for selling your services either internally to your organisation, or externally to a client.
For more information email Philip Atkinson
The structure you adopt will depend on the journey you have taken. If you have not had opportunities to develop real solid implementation you should focus more on your theoretical learnings. However, MBB is really about applying the principles to novel situations and may well cover ‘the journey to MBB’ as a chronological time –line of key interventions, implementation and learning.
Master Black Belt Portfolio is Your Lean Business Transformation (LBT) Identity
When completing your MBB documentation, you may want to consider how you will use this in the future. Many of you will go on to teaching YB, GB, BB and start implementing Business Transformation in a variety of organisations. If this is the case, you may want to showcase your accomplishments very much as you would your CV to a prospective employer. You will also find it is an easier way of documenting your personal development and learning.
No Prescriptive Structure
- There is no prescriptive structure but we do provide a framework which you may find useful, and it is included here in this section. Please note, there is no maximum length for your MBB portfolio, but you will have to demonstrate rigour in your analysis, and report on several in-depth projects. You may also include the following
- Developments in LBT theory and practice that you have applied either from your interventions or your personal research
- Creation and design of learning materials to facilitate the transfer of LBT into the culture of a business
- Facilitation of LBT events and processes
- Leading RIE’s (please include the preparation that led to the RIE)
- Organising conferences and workshops in LBT
- Training and Development of staff to Yellow, Green and Black Belt level
- Developmental activity that has led to the furtherance of LBT in any context which has worked with problem solving groups or continuous improvement
A suggested structure might include:
Background
Your personal Journey and how you developed your interest in LBT. Many people have a separate specialism that they have pursued in their work life and have only later developed an interest in LBT.
It might be a good idea to explore your professional journey and list the benefits that you have accrued to you personally on that journey to understand the application of LBT.
Lean Business Transformation
How you have interpreted LBT and how you have made use of it? Have you focused more on the statistical or the Lean OD side? You may want to explore why you have gravitated towards the qualitative or quantitative approach, and how you think LBT will evolve in the future.
Specific Projects
These can be educational projects that revolve around and instructing others in LBT, or specific LBT projects where you have taken the lead role in seeing them through the DMAIC process.
It is normally expected that you would refer to at least 3 major projects that highlight how your experience has been honed, or 5 medium sized projects. These can be written up as case studies and should follow the simplified format of the Black Belt Projects namely:
1. Black Belt - Project Definition incorporating - original scoping for the project
I. Defined outcomes and purpose of project
II. Impact on the organisation and core constituents in the process, and internal and external stakeholders
III. Critical Success factors for the project
IV. Expected deliverables, and to whom
2. Situational Analysis:
Describe the 'current state' of affairs and any assessment or measurement of criteria of the situation, and likely areas for short and long term improvement
3. Undertake a systematic review of the benefits that will accrue to the organization because of this intervention. Include financial, human and capital resources, market situation, efficiency and effectiveness criteria
4. Examination of internal and external customer impact, using i.e. CTC, CTQ, CTP, SIPOC, customer retention, acquisition, internal supply chain metrics
5. Analysis - application of quantitative and qualitative methods, data collection, analysis, i.e. statistical methods and techniques and tests, behaviourial and organizational analysis. Reaching conclusions that form your recommendations and implementation plan
6. Influencing and selling the need to change, winning the support of sponsors, supporters, managing resistance, communicating the intent of the implementation plan
7. Implementation Plan, RACI, managing the process of change, contingency planning
8. Control, KPI's, Measures for ongoing and continuous improvement, to include i.e. COQ and rework, QI, Customer Satisfaction, Process Improvement, Behaviourial and Cultural factors, measuring the communication of Progress
9. Future desired state - how the organisation will meet the challenges of change and the criteria for assessing the end state due to this intervention
10 Organizational learning and how this has impacted how the organization manages change, team learning, learning in process improvement, and personal learning for those key to this analysis
You decide how to present your portfolio but we suggest you develop a modular approach so that any potential reader can find their way easily through your portfolio.
Remember, your MBB Portfolio is the best advert for selling your services either internally to your organisation, or externally to a client.
For more information email Philip Atkinson
