ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt Study Guide

Preparing for the ASQ Six Sigma Yellow belt exam can be overwhelming. This ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt Study Guide lists all key concepts (and links to learn more) for the ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification. This list comes from the 2022 update to the official ASQ Yellow Belt BOK. And it’s totally free to use.

What is ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt BOK

The ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt BOK is created by the American Society of Quality (ASQ). It’s periodically reviewed and updated by leading members and Six Sigma professionals to ensure it’s relevant to today’s world.

The ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt BOK has 5 sections geared around Six Sigma Fundamentals and the different phases of DMAIC.

You’ll need to master various topics in order to pass the exam.

How to use the ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt Study Guide

Some ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt candidates will have taken six sigma training. Others will be self-taught. No matter your path, you’re going to have to know what’s on the standard BOK – Body of Knowledge.

Step 1: Scan over the material below.

Scan through the rest of this page before proceeding further. Take a look at what will be asked. Do you feel comfortable with this material? Is anything new to you? Are there any surprises?

Make a mental note of that and proceed.

Step 2: Review (or learn!) the material.

Not every training program covers every topic. Depending on the quality of the training you took, your instructor may have skipped a section entirely! Click one of the links to dive into any topic that you don’t feel as strongly as you’d like and read up.

Step 3: Leave a comment on any page where you have questions.

Each of the topics below is linked to a detailed article where I thoroughly step through the concept. If you have any questions, or if any topic is less clear than you’d like it to be just leave a comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Step 4: Practice as many questions as possible.

Find an excellent question bank that covers each of these sections and take as many practice tests as possible.

The ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt BOK

What follows below is the ASQ Six Sigma Yellow Belt BOK. The top-level sections I through V also list the number of questions you can expect in that section. This will help you see the relative weight of those topics compared to others.

I. Six Sigma Fundamentals (20 Questions)

I.A. Six Sigma Foundations and Principles

Describe the purpose of Six Sigma (reducing variation), its methodology (DMAIC), and its evolution from quality. Describe the value of Six Sigma to the organization as a whole. (Understand)

I.B. Lean Foundations and Principles

Describe the purpose of lean (waste elimination) and its methodologies (just-in-time, poka-yoke, kanban, value stream mapping). Describe the value of lean to the organization as a whole. (Understand)

I.C. Six Sigma Roles and Responsibilities

Define and describe the roles and responsibilities of Six Sigma team members (i.e., individual team members, Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt, process owner, champion, sponsor). (Understand)

I.D. Team Basics

I.D.1. Types of teams

Identify the various types of teams that operate within an organization (i.e., continuous improvement, self-managed, and cross-functional) and their value. (Understand)

I.D.2. Stages of development

Describe the various stages of team evolution: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. (Understand)

I.D.3. Decision-making tools

Define and apply decision-making tools such as brainstorming, multivoting, and nominal group technique (NGT). (Apply)

I.D.4. Communication methods

Explain how teams use agendas, meeting minutes, and project status reports, and how they support project success. (Apply) Also, see Team Dynamics.

I.E. Quality Tools and Six Sigma Metrics

I.E.1. Quality tools

Select and use these tools throughout the DMAIC process: Pareto charts, cause and effect diagrams, flowcharts, run charts, check sheets, scatter diagrams, and histograms. (Apply) Also see 7M tools & What is Quality?

I.E.2. Six Sigma metrics

Select and use these metrics throughout the DMAIC process: defects per unit (DPU), defects per million opportunities (DPMO), rolled throughput yield (RTY), cycle time, and cost of poor quality (COPQ). (Apply)

II. Define Phase (14 Questions)

II.A. Project Identification

II.A.1. Voice of the customer

Define the voice of the customer and describe how customer needs are translated into quantifiable, critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics. (Understand)

II.A.2. Project selection

Describe how projects are identified and selected as suitable for a Six Sigma project using the DMAIC methodology. (Understand)

II.A.3. Stakeholder analysis

Identify end users, subject matter experts, process owners, and other people or factors that will be affected by a project, and describe how each of them can influence the project. (Understand)

II.A.4. Process inputs and outputs

Use SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers) to identify and define important elements of a process. (Apply)

II.A.5. Supply chain management

Understand supply chain management and how it relates to project management. (Apply)

II.B. Project Management (PM) Basics

II.B.1. Project charter

Describe the purpose of a project charter and its components: problem statement, project scope, baseline data, and project goal. (Understand)

II.B.2. Communication plan

Explain the purpose and benefits of a communication plan and how it can impact the success of the project. (Understand)

II.B.3. Project planning

Define work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt charts, and describe how they are used to plan and monitor projects. (Understand)

II.B.4. Project management tools

Select and use various Project Management tools: activity network diagrams, affinity diagrams, matrix charts, relations charts, and tree diagrams. (Understand)

II.B.5. Phase reviews

Explain how tollgate or phase reviews are used throughout the DMAIC lifecycle. (Understand)

III. Measure Phase (15 Questions)

III.A. Basic Statistics

Define, calculate, and interpret measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and understand measures of dispersion (standard deviation, range, variance). (Apply) Also, see Kinds of Statistics.

III.B. Data Collection

III.B.1. Data collection plans

Describe the critical elements of a data collection plan, including an operational definition, data sources, the method to be used for gathering data, and how frequently it will be gathered. Describe why data collection plans are important. (Understand)

III.B.2. Qualitative and quantitative data

Define and distinguish between these types of data. (Understand)

III.B.3. Data collection techniques

Use various data collection techniques, including surveys, interviews, check sheets, and checklists to gather data that contributes to the process being improved. (Apply)

III.C. Measurement System Analysis (MSA)

III.C.1. MSA terms

Define precision, accuracy, bias, linearity, and stability, and describe how these terms are applied in the measurement phase. (Understand) See Measurement System Analysis (MSA).

III.C.2. Gauge repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R)

Describe and distinguish between repeatability and reproducibility and describe how and why GR&R is used in the measurement phase. (Understand)

IV. Analyze Phase (17 Questions)

IV.A. Process analysis tools

IV.A.1. Lean tools

Define how 5S and value analysis can be used to identify and eliminate waste. (Understand)

IV.A.2. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)

Relate the elements of severity, occurrence, and detection, and determine how they are used to
calculate the risk priority number. Demonstrate how FMEA can be used to identify potential failures in a process. (Apply)

IV.B. Root cause analysis

Describe how the 5 Whys, process mapping, 8D, force-field analysis, and matrix charts can be used to identify the root causes of a problem. (Understand)

IV.C. Corrective action

Explain and apply elements of the corrective action process: identify the problem, contain the problem (interim action), determine the causes of the problem and propose solutions to eliminate it or prevent its recurrence (permanent action), verify that the solutions are implemented, and confirm their effectiveness (validation). (Apply)

IV.D. Preventive action

Explain and apply elements of a preventive action process: understand various process analysis techniques to identify potential failures, defects, or process deficiencies; improve the process (e.g., understand error- or mistake-proofing devices or methods, initiate procedural changes), and verify the effectiveness of the preventive action. (Apply)

IV.E. Data analysis

IV.E.1. Basic distribution types

Define and distinguish between normal and binomial distributions and describe how their shapes (skewed and bimodal) can affect data interpretation. (Understand)

IV.E.2. Common and special cause variation

Describe and distinguish between these types of variation. (Understand)

IV.F. Correlation and regression

IV.F.1. Correlation

Describe how correlation is used to identify relationships between variables. (Understand)

IV.F.2. Regression

Describe how regression analysis is used to predict outcomes. (Understand)

IV.G. Hypothesis testing

Define and distinguish between hypothesis terms (i.e., null and alternative, type I and type II error, p-value, and power). (Understand) Also, see Hypothesis testing overview.

V. Improve and Control Phases (14 Questions)

V.A. Improvement techniques

V.A.1. Kaizen and kaizen blitz

Define and distinguish between these two methods and describe how they can be used to make
improvements to any process in an organization. (Understand)

V.A.2. Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle

Define and distinguish between the steps in this process improvement tool. (Understand)

V.A.3. Cost-benefit analysis

Explain the importance of this analysis and how it is used in the improve phase. (Understand)

V.B. Control Tools and Documentation

V.B.1. Control plan

Describe the importance of a control plan for maintaining improvements. (Understand)

V.B.2. Control charts

Describe how X-R charts are used for monitoring and sustaining improved processes. (Understand)

V.B.3. Document control

Describe the importance of documenting changes to a process and communicating those changes to stakeholders. (Understand)

V.B.4. Work instructions and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Understand the purpose and use of work instructions and SOPs. (Understand)