What qualities make for a great Lean Six Sigma Project Champion or Sponsor? Some traits and attributes that can help! Thinking of sending someone who works for you on Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training.....

1. What Qualities Make for a Great Lean
Six Sigma Project Champion or
Sponsor? Some Traits and Attributes
that Can Help!
Andrew John Slaney
Principal Consultant, Coach and Trainer in Business Improvement Techniques and
Lean Six Sigma (at BSI Group)
DMAIC

2. Thinking of sending someone who works for you on Lean Six Sigma Green
Belt training or are you being asked to sponsor or champion projects in
your area or department?
Typical Process Waste
Transport
Inventory
Motion
Waiting
Overproduction
Overprocessing
Defects
Master Black Belt
– programme and scorecard management, strategy, technical innovation, coaching and teaching across the
organisation, leadership of macro-projects, identification of cross-functional opportunities (full or part time
role).
Black Belt
– project leadership, delivery of improvements and ROI, coaching and teaching of Green/Yellow Belts and
others, identification of significant improvement opportunities (typically full time role).
Green Belt
– project leadership, delivery of improvements and ROI, coaching and teaching of Yellow Belts and others,
identification of local improvement opportunities (part time role).
Yellow Belt
– project team member or leader of small improvement activities, support of Black/Green Belt projects,
identification of local improvement opportunities, use of tools in daily work (part time role).
Champion/Sponsor
– senior level oversight, strategy, leadership and advocacy, programme management, corporate
improvement goal setting (part time role).
White Belt
– project team member, support of Black/Green/Yellow Belt activities, employee advocate for continuous
improvement, identification of local improvement opportunities (part time role).

3. In Lean Six Sigma programmes the role of a Champion or Sponsor is a
significant one that can ultimately have a large impact in either enabling
or stifling success.
The Champion or Sponsor may not be directly responsible for running the
day to day project based activities, but he or she should ultimately be held
accountable for whether the work is successful.
Unfortunately, many Sponsors and Champions don’t see it that way!
From Lean Six Sigma Project and Green Belt selection through to sign off
of Control Plans the Champion or Sponsor needs to be engaged and
continuously involved.

4. The equation often works out to be very simple:
• Passive Champion or Sponsor = Project Failure
• Proactive Champion or Sponsor = Project Success
The following slides show what I’d suggest are 10 qualities that successful
Lean Six Sigma Champions and Sponsors should possess.
If you're involved in a Lean Six Sigma programme (especially if you are a
Green Belt).
Let’s see if you agree?

5. 10 Attributes and Traits of Great Lean Six Sigma Project
Champions and Sponsors
1. A passion for developing people and actively helping them use and
broaden their skill set to help both the organisation and the
individual succeed
2. An understanding that formal training is just the first step in developing new
competencies and that ‘learning by doing’ is key. Which of course, takes
time, needs to allow for set backs and requires management’s patience
3. A genuine interest in process and firm belief that ‘go see’ and ‘management
by walking about’ is not a ‘nice to have if I had the time’, but a keystone of
good leadership
4. An objective, systematic and factual approach to making and justifying
the integrity of decisions
5. A need to be challenged and a view that controversial concepts and ideas,
including those counter to current beliefs, are an opportunity to learn

6. 6. An ability to clearly link strategy to tactics - understanding the bigger
picture, but being equally comfortable in discussing the detail
7. A knowledge and sense of when and how to intervene and also when to
take a step back and remain on the sidelines
8. A desire to ‘roll up the sleeves’ and lead the way using supportive actions
and not just 'the right words'
9. An ability to influence within the organisation and a genuine concern about
the achievements of all of the individuals in a team that is looking to deliver
business success
10. An understanding of the common sense, systematic and objective
approach that Lean Six Sigma brings and a passion for using the tools
involved

7. And 5 Things a Successful Champion Will Never
Say!
A. ‘Once you’ve had the training find yourself a project and off
you go. No need to check back if you think it will be beneficial
I’m happy‘
B. ‘You’ve had ten days out to do the training and now you want more time to
do the project work?!! Sorry, you must concentrate 100% on your functional
role for the next 4 to 6 weeks’
C. ‘I know department X / manager Y are not cooperating, but what do you
expect me to do? You’re the Green Belt, you’ve been trained, just get on
with it and use your new change management skills to get them on your
side’
D. ‘I don’t have any specific ideas of what you need to work on, but I do know
we need to reduce costs. That’s why I sent you on the training to help us
reduce costs - I don’t really care how!’

8. And ‘Best’ of All!
E. ‘Sorry, I don’t have time!’
Real statements? In terms of sentiment expressed, even if not
recalled verbatim, I’m afraid to say yes!
Please comment and also share your stories of success and failure and
importantly how the Project Champion or Sponsor role in Lean Six Sigma
programmes can influence outcomes.

9. Personal Website:
https://andyslaney.wordpress.com
Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyslaney
https://twitter.com/aj_slaney
BSI Website Lean Six Sigma Consultancy:
http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/our-services/professional-services/Lean-
Six-Sigma-consultancy/;
BSI Website Lean Six Sigma Training:
http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/so-13053-lean-six-sigma/lean-six-
sigma-training-courses/

10. Winning Lean Six Sigma Programmes