We are proud to offer this opportunity for professional development.  Lean Six Sigma provides tangible outcomes that impact our campus community.  We firmly believe in this as an investment in our staff and community. We greatly appreciate your time and commitment to continuous improvement at UC Santa Barbara.

The LSS Green Belt course includes hands-on, instructor-led training via UC San Diego Extension. Green Belt candidates will also complete a process improvement project that results in a minimum of $40K hard or soft savings for campus and present their final project work for evaluation approximately 6 weeks after the last day of instruction.  Instruction will be provided online.

Application Information

The application window for FY 24/25 is now open. Applications will be accepted from October 31 - November 22, 2024. We are very pleased to see the level of engagement and interest in this professional development opportunity as well as the diverse set of proposed projects representing different parts of campus.

Apply Here

The recording from the FY 23/24 Green Belt Information Session can be viewed by clicking here.  Passcode: 010sj+UC

Please note that completing the Yellow Belt program is not a requirement for Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training, but it can provide a solid start to your LSS journey, as well as assisting you in preparing for your Green Belt project.

Guidelines for Selecting Your LSS Green Belt Project

The following attributes should be considered when identifying possible Lean Six Sigma Green Belt projects:

  1. Your project should focus on an existing problem or opportunity that has the greatest potential to improve customer satisfaction or enhance long-term performance
  2. Your project addresses quality and waste issues such as defects, cycle time, over-processing, excess motion/transportation, wait time, variability, etc.
  3. The project falls within your job scope, is both quantifiable and measurable, and can be completed within 12 weeks (3 months)
  4. Sufficient data can be obtained within a reasonable amount of time
  5. Project results in an expected impact of at least $40K hard or soft savings for UC Santa Barbara
  6. Project objectives have been reviewed and endorsed by your supervisor and other critical stakeholders prior to applying for this program
  7. The improved process can be managed by the process owner using the control systems you implement

The following scenarios should be avoided:

  1. Sufficient data to evaluate process performance is not easily attainable
  2. Implementation of already-established solutions such as software systems
  3. Designing a new process, product or service from scratch
  4. Projects that will not make a significant difference to your organization
  5. Projects that do not have measurable goals
  6. Projects that require more than 12 weeks (3 months) to complete

You may also contact Katie Mankins directly at kmankins@ucsb.edu if you would like to discuss project ideas.

Selection Criteria

The LSS Green Belt program is best suited for staff members who are highly involved in business process activities.  Applicants should have knowledge of basic statistics, project management, and team leadership skills. Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint is strongly recommended.

Applicants must have at least one year of service at UC and be career status. Supervisor support is essential to the success of LSS candidates. Highest priority will be granted to applicants with:

  • Demonstrated experience and/or education with process improvement methodologies (as indicated in your resume and/or personal statement). For example, previous formal training, being part of the process improvement project team, implementing process improvements at work, reading books, etc.
  • A viable process improvement project (see “Guidelines for Selecting Your LSS Green Belt Project” section above)
  • Demonstrated supervisor support

If you are selected for this training, be advised that you may be asked to partner with a classmate on the project. By accepting this professional development opportunity, you authorize the instructor to release your final project presentation to the Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO) for reporting purposes. Candidates will have the opportunity to request confidentiality for sensitive information. Additionally, we will require that you attend a cohort launch discussion in advance of your course. This session is intended to build your support network and to provide any additional resources you may need to be successful in your project.

Additional Resources

We are here to support you. Please email Katie Mankins at kmankins@ucsb.edu for questions regarding application submission or for questions regarding the program curriculum and schedule.

You may also review the resources below for more information:

Prior Green Belt Nominations

The 2021 nomination process resulted in a total of 17 Green Belt candidates. In total, 73 people have previously been selected to participate in Green Belt training based on nominations from senior leadership beginning in late 2018. Click on the links below to view previous graduates and their project descriptions.