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Advanced Six Sigma Yellow Belt Interview Questions and Answers 2022

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate is an entry-level six sigma certificate. It covers Lean and Six Sigma principles, statistics, and problem-solving methodologies that can be utilized in sigma projects. Professionals holding this certificate understand the concepts of Lean Six Sigma and can lead small-scale Six Sigma projects in an organization. They are entry-level representatives who work on major Six Sigma projects as team members.

There is no doubt that holding a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate helps individuals stand out in today's job market. They cannot, however, get a job unless they pass an interview. Interview preparation is just as vital as exam preparation. It is critical to give the best first impression possible to ace it. As a result, we have prepared advanced Six Sigma Yellow Belt interview questions and answers to assist you in passing your interview and obtaining your ideal job as a Six Sigma professional.

Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certified professionals use six sigma tools to address and solve waste and quality control issues in a business process. Six Sigma tools are a critical component of the business process and are designed to reduce manufacturing defects down to as few as possible. The tools include 5S System, Value Stream Mapping, Regression Analysis, Pareto Chart, FMEA, Kaizen , and Poka-yoke.

A Six Sigma team lies at the heart of any Six Sigma project. This team consists of members from the executive leadership committee of a company, a champion, Six Sigma Master Black Belts, Six Sigma Black Belts, Six Sigma Green Belts, and Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Professionals can further explain the roles of each member of the team.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic, proactive strategy for assessing a process to determine where and how it could fail. It helps to gauge the relative impact of various failures in to pinpoint the areas of the process that require the greatest improvement. Additionally, it provides a tool to help Six Sigma project teams forecast the most likely process failures that will have an impact on a customer. FMEA is used in the Six Sigma DMAIC cycle's Analyze phase.

Six sigma professionals use a fishbone diagram, a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem. This tool is employed in root cause analysis to determine the primary sources of an issue. A fishbone diagram combines brainstorming techniques with a specific kind of mind map template. It should be effective as a test case technique to establish cause and effect.

Stakeholder analysis is a chart that gauges the positioning of stakeholders relative to change and commitment to the goals of the team. It improves collaboration between the project team and stakeholders by clearly identifying the main stakeholders for a project or other activity and comprehending their perspectives. An effective stakeholder analysis help to deal with stakeholder needs and concerns.

Stakeholders are the individuals or organizations both inside and outside of the organization or business unit that have the ability to influence or be impacted by the project. Primary stakeholders are directly impacted by an organization's actions, either favorably or unfavorably, while secondary stakeholders are those who are indirectly impacted by those actions. Investors, staff members, customers, and suppliers are examples of stakeholders.

Six sigma yellow belt Certification holders use four variations in six sigma process:
  • Mean: Mathematical averaging techniques are used to quantify and compare the variances. Measurements are made for a particular application, and the mean is computed.
  • Median: The midpoint in a given range of data is used to assess and compare changes. Finding the greatest and lowest value and dividing by two gives the measurement. The same is increased by the lowest value.
  • Range: In a specific data range, it is the difference between the highest and lowest values.
  • Mode: Mode is the most occurred value in a given data range.

Stakeholder analysis helps identify the most influential stakeholders and enlist their assistance in early six sigma project planning. It gives a thorough grasp of the interests of stakeholders and suggests ways to influence other stakeholders. A comprehensive stakeholder analysis can help Yellow Belt professionals understand how stakeholders will respond to changes brought on by the project and will direct them in persuading challenging stakeholders.

The two main Six Sigma methodologies are DMAIC and DMADV. Each has its own set of recommended procedures to be implemented for business transformation. DMAIC is a data-driven method used to improve existing products or services for better customer satisfaction. DMADV is a part of the Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) process used to design or re-design different processes of product manufacturing or service delivery.

The response to this interview question should demonstrate professionals’ knowledge of statistical tools. The statistical tools include Pareto analysis, control charts, accelerated life tests, variance component analysis, capability analysis, gauge repeatability and reproducibility studies, and control charts. Professionals can demonstrate their mastery of statistical tools by elaborating on two or three statistical tools.

Regression Analysis Regression analysis is a set of statistical methods used for the estimation of relationships between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables. It can be utilized to assess the strength of the relationship between variables and for modeling the future relationship between them. There are several types of regression such as Simple Linear Regression, Multiple Linear Regression, Curvilinear Regression, Logit Regression, Probit Regression, etc., which cater to various requirements on the type of underlying data.

The top-down approach is one of the processes within the Six Sigma implementation. This approach is in line with both client requirements and business objectives. This procedure has a very broad reach, making it challenging to complete in the allotted time.

A problem statement is a brief explanation of a problem that needs to be solved or a situation that needs to be improved. It identifies the difference between the desired state and the present condition of a process or product. It clarifies the current situation by specifically identifying the problem and its severity, location, and financial impact. It also serves as a great communication tool, helping to get buy-in and support from others.

Professionals certified in six sigma yellow belt utilize scatter diagrams as a tool for problem analysis in the six sigma project. It is an example of a mathematical diagram that displays the values of two variables for a data set and makes predictions using the data. It is made up of a set of dots, an X-axis (the horizontal axis), and a Y-axis (the vertical axis). The position of each dot corresponds to its unique X and Y axis values.

Lean Six Sigma includes the entire team in implementing change for better performance by identifying waste and minimizing variation. The methodology eliminates eight different kinds of waste: defects, overproduction, transportation, inventory, motion, and extra processing.

The Define phase is the first phase of the Six Sigma improvement process and it is critical to the success of Six Sigma. It is all about defining the problem and establishing the project goal. In this phase, the project team develops a Project Charter, which serves as a high-level process map, and starts to comprehend the requirements of the customers of the process.

Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) is the cost incurred when providing customers substandard goods or services. In other words, it refers to all of the financial losses that the firm has suffered as a result of making errors. Filling the gap between the desired and actual product/service quality, cost of missed opportunities, labor expenses, rework costs, disposal costs, excess material costs, revenue loss, and cost of additional utilities are a few parameters of COPQ.

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is an improvement process that aids businesses in producing high-quality products and services. The approach tries to satisfy client expectations while making the most of the firm's resources during the initial development of a process. This lessens the need to repeatedly modify and relaunch a product, which generates excessive waste.

Holders of the Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification employ a data collection strategy, which is prepared during the Measure phase, to get the required data. The information is gathered to comprehend the current process and to show potential areas for improvement. A data-collection plan can assist in ensuring that the data gathered during an analysis or improvement effort is relevant and useful. Professionals can concentrate their efforts on providing answers to certain queries with commercial value by developing a data collection plan.

Pareto Chart, also, known as the 80:20 principle. It states that 80% of the outcome is a result of 20% of causes. It is a kind of bar chart showing the frequencies of different causes or factors in descending order. The main purpose of this chart is to highlight the most significant factors among a number of factors.

The following are some common myths or misconceptions concerning the six sigma process:
  • The only purpose of the Six Sigma method is to reduce defects.
  • Six Sigma is only required by manufacturers.
  • Six Sigma is the same as Total Quality Management.
  • It requires too many resources to implement Six Sigma.

Project scope is a way to set boundaries on the project and define exactly what goals, deadlines, and project deliverables. It is vital for successful project execution and involves understanding all of a project’s key elements. Additionally, it increases the likelihood of success by ensuring that all of the project's components are in line with the goals.

Good communication skills help to define the goals of team members clearly. It also helps understand team members' goals and desires and solve their grievances. Effective communication prevents disagreements and uncertainty from slowing down projects. Moreover, it allows for the better exchange of ideas, execution of projects, and cooperation amongst team members.

A quality plan is a document, or several documents, that collectively specify quality standards, practices, resources, specifications, and the sequence of activities relevant to a particular product, service, project, or contract. It evaluates and/or modifies an organization’s procedures to help ensure they provide the desired results.

Load testing determines the performance of a system under serious real-life load conditions. This makes it easier to determine whether the program can handle a certain limitation. The goal of load testing is to determine how well a program or application behaves and how many concurrent users may log in to the application without experiencing any issues.

  • Focus on the customer
  • Map out the value stream
  • Remove waste
  • Communicate with the team
  • Create a culture of change and flexibility

Every product that a company produces is focused on the demands of the customer. Therefore, according to Lean Six Sigma principles, they should constantly satisfy the level of quality and requirements promised to the clients, even if they are making small changes to the product/service.

The following are eight kinds of waste
  • Defects
  • Overpopulation
  • Non-utilized talent
  • Transportation
  • Waiting
  • Inventory
  • Motion
  • Extra processing

Lean Yellow Belt professionals should establish a knowledge base or update the current knowledge management system. They should make process maps to demonstrate to employees the changes made to the organization’s workflow. Additionally, they must update the knowledge base for customer service. Employees and stakeholders should have easy access to the process based on their individual roles.

There are three pillars in Kaizen
  • Housekeeping
  • Elimination of waste
  • Standardization

Lean Six Sigma requires a lot of change. Therefore, businesses must embrace change and encourage employees to do the same. They have to dispel the fears and presumptions of the workforce by providing insightful statistics that demonstrate the benefits of change.

Transport waste refers to excessive or inefficient transportation in production processes. Transportation waste leads to damage or loss of materials, increased costs, and heightened risk of accidents or injuries. Moreover, it prolongs the duration of a product's progression through its production process.

  • Idle operators waiting for equipment
  • Production bottlenecks
  • Production waiting for operators
  • Unplanned equipment downtime

Sigma Level is used to measure the effectiveness of Six Sigma processes. Sigma levels are used to gauge the quality of a process or product. They are used to calculate the number of defects in a given number of items or activities.

The different types of Six Sigma teams are
  • Functional team
  • Cross-functional team
  • Process improvement team
  • Parallel team
  • Self-directed team

Six Sigma metrics are a standard set of measurements that organizations may use to monitor the quality of their processes. It aids businesses in increasing process efficiency by reducing waste, cycle time, and failure rates.

The tools of quality project management are histograms, cause-and-effect diagrams, flowcharts, Pareto diagrams, check sheets, control charts, and scatter diagrams.

Sigma level of 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO) is considered a high level of quality. This level indicates that the process is operating at a high level of quality and efficiency and produces few defects.

  • Poor workstation layout
  • Poor production planning
  • Poor process design
  • Shared equipment and machines
  • Siloed operations
  • Lack of production standards

Unutilized talent is waste that is not manufacturing process-specific. Unutilized talent occurs when management in a manufacturing environment fails to utilize the skills/ talents of their potential employee. This waste arises when a business assigns employees to non-value-added jobs that do not improve value or make the most of their skills and abilities.

The following are some Six Sigma metrics
  • Defect rate
  • Process cycle time
  • Lead time
  • Process measurement
  • Process capability
  • X-bar
  • Utilization

The key elements of Kaizen are
  • Involvement of all employees
  • Personal discipline
  • Improve morale
  • Quality circles
  • Suggestions for improvement

The two main Six Sigma methodologies are DMAIC and DMADV
  • DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
  • DMADV: Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify

The five phases of DMAIC methodologies include Define the scope of the project, Measure process performance, Analyze data to identify the root causes of the problems or variations in the process, Improve process performance by addressing and eliminating the root causes and Control the improved process and future process performance.

The three key elements of Six Sigma process improvement are:
  • Customers
  • Process
  • Employees

Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement. The five principles of Kaizen are: know the customer, let it flow, go to Gemba, empower people, and be transparent.

SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers. It is a visual tool for thoroughly documenting business processes before they are put into action. This tool is used by Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification professionals to determine all pertinent project components before work starts.

The productivity of employees naturally rises when they are inspired and driven to work diligently and exceed their boundaries. So, Six Sigma helps motivate the organization’s employees by ensuring they can make better use of the technologies at their disposal for increased productivity and convenience of work.

Value Stream Mapping tool is used in the analyze phase of DMAIC and Lean Manufacturing. This tool is used to plan, organize, and monitor the information and material flow of the product. VSM assists Six Sigma Yellow professionals in developing a strong implementation plan that will make the most of their existing resources and time.

Control charts in Lean Six Sigma are used for monitoring and controlling processes. The following are three types of control charts:
  • Xbar and Range Chart
  • Xbar and Standard Deviation Chart
  • Individual-X Moving Range Chart