When deploying Six Sigma for the first time, many corporations go into training the in-house Black Belts and Green Belts. During this stage, they get consultants to do the overseeing and mentoring of the program. This is typically a role of the Master Black Belt whose expertise is one of the long-range goals of an organization.
However, once an organization has already trained a critical number of Green Belts (GBs) and Black Belts (BBs), and management is convinced of the value of their projects, the internal development of Master Black Belts (MBBs) becomes a higher priority.
An iSixSigma article by Candace Medina lists five primary elements to consider before launching in-house MBB development:
- Leadership perception of the MBB role
- Deployment structure
- Candidate selection
- Curriculum content
- Demonstration criteria (abilities and responsibilities)
