A “Yellow Belt” designates that a person has been trained to participate in a Six Sigma project. In some rare instances, you may also see the yellow belt used in the Lean community.

About the Lean/Six Sigma Belt System

Note that there is not a formal governing body that manages belt certifications. They may be given by private training companies, professional organizations, or even, in some circumstances, by a company to its own employees.

This means that there is also some variation in the awarding of the belts. Some come with the formal certification program; others are less rigorous.

It is more common to see the complete belt system used in Six Sigma than in Lean. The concept of a master black belt, however, is fairly common in the Lean community.

Some organizations will give a blanket certification. Others may award belts for specific topics.

The Yellow Belt

The yellow belt is simply an indicator that a person has been trained up to participate in a project. This is most relevant in a Six Sigma project where projects are longer, and individuals are given tasks that they will have to accomplish on their own.

It is uncommon to see yellow belts in the Lean community. Generally, there is no special certification requirement to participate in a kaizen style of event. More typically, a brief training session will be included at the start of the project to get everyone up to speed.