Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Exam Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Project Identification and Selection 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using Pareto analysis during the project identification phase, what is the PRIMARY purpose?
- To rank candidate projects by their estimated return on investment
- To identify the vital few problem categories responsible for the majority of defects or losses (Correct answer)
- To map customer requirements to internal process metrics
- To assign risk ratings to each project under consideration
Correct answer: To identify the vital few problem categories responsible for the majority of defects or losses
Pareto analysis applies the 80/20 principle to reveal which problem categories drive the bulk of defects, costs, or customer complaints, allowing teams to focus project selection on the highest-impact areas rather than spreading resources across many minor issues.
Question 2: A project charter is being drafted for a new Six Sigma initiative. Which element would be INAPPROPRIATE to include in the charter at this stage?
- A clearly defined problem statement describing current performance
- The proposed solution to eliminate the root cause (Correct answer)
- Project scope boundaries and exclusions
- High-level milestones and expected completion date
Correct answer: The proposed solution to eliminate the root cause
The project charter defines the problem, scope, team, and timeline — it deliberately excludes a predetermined solution. Embedding a solution in the charter biases the DMAIC process and prevents objective root cause analysis.
Question 3: Which criterion BEST distinguishes a problem appropriate for a full Six Sigma DMAIC project from one better addressed by a simple continuous improvement action?
- The problem affects a process owned by a single department
- The root cause is unknown and statistical analysis is required to identify it (Correct answer)
- The process has never been documented in a flowchart
- Management has already allocated budget to fix the issue
Correct answer: The root cause is unknown and statistical analysis is required to identify it
Six Sigma DMAIC is warranted when the root cause is genuinely unknown and data-driven statistical investigation is needed. Problems with obvious, already-known solutions are better handled through rapid improvement events or standard corrective actions.
Question 4: During project selection, which organizational role is PRIMARILY accountable for removing barriers, securing resources, and maintaining executive commitment throughout a Six Sigma project?
- Black Belt
- Master Black Belt
- Champion or Sponsor (Correct answer)
- Process Owner
Correct answer: Champion or Sponsor
The Champion or Sponsor is an executive-level leader who owns the business problem, allocates resources, removes cross-functional obstacles, and ensures the project remains aligned with strategic priorities — responsibilities that exceed the authority of a Black Belt or Master Black Belt.
Question 5: A team uses a benefit-effort matrix to prioritize six candidate projects. Two projects fall into the 'high benefit, low effort' quadrant. What is the RECOMMENDED course of action for these projects?
- Defer them until longer-term strategic projects are completed
- Treat them as quick wins and implement them with minimal delay (Correct answer)
- Subject them to the same full DMAIC cycle as all other projects
- Eliminate them because low effort suggests insufficient complexity for Six Sigma
Correct answer: Treat them as quick wins and implement them with minimal delay
Projects with high benefit and low effort are classified as 'quick wins.' Best practice is to implement them promptly, capturing value without extensive resource commitment, while reserving full DMAIC cycles for complex, high-effort problems.
Question 6: A Black Belt identifies that a manufacturing process has one of the highest Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) figures in the plant. How should this information influence project selection?
- The process should be deprioritized because high COPQ indicates chronic, unsolvable problems
- High COPQ confirms this process as a strong Six Sigma project candidate due to its financial improvement potential (Correct answer)
- COPQ data should be ignored during selection and reserved for the Measure phase
- The project should only proceed if COPQ is caused entirely by internal failure costs
Correct answer: High COPQ confirms this process as a strong Six Sigma project candidate due to its financial improvement potential
COPQ quantifies the financial losses from defects, rework, scrap, and customer returns. A high COPQ signals large untapped savings, making the process a prime Six Sigma target. Reducing COPQ is one of the clearest ways to demonstrate project ROI to leadership.
Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Exam Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Project Identification and Selection 1
When using Pareto analysis during the project identification phase, what is the PRIMARY purpose?