Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport recently held its first Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training since 2018, with 19 employees from various departments across the command successfully completing the course.

The week-long training equips participants with practical tools designed to boost their efficiency and problem-solving skills in order to help drive continuous process improvement, according to Eliana Sanchez, a CPI manager for NUWC Division, Keyport’s Fleet Readiness Department.

“Green Belt training helps students become effective facilitators and team leaders, and provides all the tools necessary to lead any process improvement effort,” she said.

Sanchez added that the new class is part of an effort by the command’s CPI community to realign its CPI efforts with the Navy’s “Get Real, Get Better” campaign.

Much of the training centers on Lean Six Sigma, a CPI strategy that combines Lean principles (focused on efficiency) and the Six Sigma methodology (focused on quality) to streamline processes, minimize waste and systematically reduce defects or errors.

The training covers many additional process improvement tools, including the theory of constraints—a management philosophy focused on boosting productivity by finding and fixing bottlenecks—and a problem-solving methodology known as DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control.

Due to its proven track record in delivering rapid and substantial improvements, Lean Six Sigma is Naval Sea Systems Command’s primary framework for boosting performance. At NUWC Division, Keyport, its use has led to reduced expenses, heightened capacity, improved safety and flexibility, and greater process understanding across the workforce, among other tangible benefits, said Sanchez.

Green Belt training is also an industry standard embraced by leading companies spanning diverse sectors, according to Sarah Steffen, NUWC Division, Keyport’s Deputy Department Head for Customer Advocacy and a former command Master Black Belt. (A Master Black Belt is someone with advanced expertise in Lean Six Sigma.)

Brian Babo, who is acting command Black Belt for NUWC Division, Keyport, described DMAIC as “a proven scientific problem-solving method used by the Navy for over two decades.”

The new training includes multiple hands-on exercises and culminates in a simulation where students are presented with an inefficient process and are tasked with using their course knowledge to make it more efficient, said Sanchez.

Green Belt graduates support and lead ongoing process improvement projects and events under the guidance of a Black Belt. They can immediately apply what they’ve learned to enhancing their own work processes. They can then progress to spearheading improvements across their immediate work units and then across multiple departments, said Sanchez.

The command has a thorough Green Belt certification process that provides ample opportunities for additional guided learning. There are also regular continuous training sessions that allow members of the command’s CPI community to collaborate, learn from each other and identify opportunities for improvement, said Babo.

The new course has received positive feedback in training evaluations completed by students afterward. “Extremely valuable course,” wrote one student. “I have already recommended it to many of my colleagues!”

Another student wrote, “Content was easy to understand and they added real world connections to help facilitate real world applications. Answered all questions, kept on pace, really incredible facilitation!”

Sanchez said the training is currently undergoing improvements based on feedback from its initial run. “We want to practice what we preach and improve the training every single time,” she said.

NUWC Division, Keyport’s next Green Belt course is now open for registration and will be held Feb. 26 through Mar. 1. Interested employees should contact Brian Babo.

-KPT-

About Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport
NUWC Division, Keyport provides advanced technical capabilities for test and evaluation, in-service engineering, maintenance and industrial base support, fleet material readiness, and obsolescence management for undersea warfare to expand America’s undersea dominance.