Discounted Lean Six Sigma classes now available for faculty, staff

This summer, ASU faculty, and staff are invited to enroll in a discounted express Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification session or choose one of five, one-day Yellow Belt sessions. The Green Belt certification includes a more in-depth program or service evaluation, while the Yellow Belt teaches the language and structure of Lean Six Sigma. 

Lean Six Sigma is an international program that may reduce costs, increase capacity, improve service quality and work environments. The belt certifications are different colors for different expertise levels. These methods underscore the New American University’s commitment to continuous improvement.

The ASU Organizational Performance and Global Outreach and Extended Education partnered to offer these classes to faculty and staff.

Green Belt express session

The Green Belt class teaches how to define, measure, analyze, improve and control an organization’s problems, processes, services, and products. The customer-focused approach uses data to guide improvement. Participants will take a final exam and leave with an applied project they can take back to their department and immediately put into action.

“We found new ways to deliver services that saved thousands of hours of effort, resulting in cost savings in excess of $100,000,” says Deborah Whitten, assistant vice president for UTO customer service and support. “We will continue to use these practices in our work, and I look forward to training additional members of my team in these Lean techniques.” 

Green Belt sessions meet from June 5 to July 26 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in College Avenue Commons on the Tempe campus from 8 a.m. to noon. Faculty and staff may take the class for $320, which is a 90-percent discount.

Yellow Belt certification available

For those interested in a less-intensive certification, the $99 Yellow Belt class also is available to faculty and staff. The course follows the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology. This approach provides quality improvement tools and a roadmap for continuous improvement solutions.

“The Six Sigma Yellow Belt training was an invaluable starting place in learning about the concepts behind systems-level thinking and process improvement,” says Michael Burnett, College of Public Service and Community Solutions instructional designer. “The training gave me the vocabulary and structure to start thinking about my job and my work in new contexts.”

Yellow Belt classes are held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the University Services Building on the Tempe campus during summer and fall. 

Read more about the Green Belt class and the Yellow Belt classes. To ask questions, email the ASU Organizational Performance Office.