The Lean Black Belt Certificate program is a statement of the holder’s mastery of process improvement, continuous improvement systems and habits, and human change management skills, and the ability to evaluate and deploy AI tools strategically within improvement projects.

Lean Black Belt candidates complete a Lean Black Belt self-assessment tool which determines if they have sufficient skills and experience to be awarded a Lean Black Belt certificate or, if not, identifies a customized learning plan to allow the candidate to fill in knowledge gaps with a combination of coaching, instruction and/or work assignments under the guidance of a Lean Black Belt with 15+ years of experience in the field. 

• To achieve a Lean Black Belt, certificate candidates must demonstrate:

• advanced ability to sustain improvement results in five or more high-complexity processes, 
• advanced ability to transform organizational mindsets and behaviours to support long-term continuous improvement habits 
• advanced technical skills in value stream mapping, data analysis, root cause analysis, FMEA, error-proofing, Scrum, project management, variation analysis, stakeholder analysis
• advanced “human” skills including: change management coaching, creating buy-in
• advanced management systems skills including: visual management, dashboards, performance measurement
• proven track record of sustained buy-in and improvement plan execution
• mentorship of others to Green Belt status
• ability to evaluate where AI adds genuine value in process improvement and where process redesign, coaching, or culture change is the better investment
• practical experience using AI tools to accelerate DMAIC project work (interview synthesis, analysis, drafting, reporting) while maintaining quality and facilitator judgment
• understanding of AI agents and chatbots - when to build them, how to design for failure, and how to apply the Priority Framework to technology investment decisions

• The Lean Black Belt certificate program is targeted to:

• Lean Green Belt graduates or experienced Lean practitioners who wish to advance their level of expertise to the highest Belt status

• The Lean Black Belt self assessment examines the candidate's experience and expertise in areas such as:

• Advanced use of the DMAIC improvement approach, with particular emphasis on the human side of each stage, with positive measurable outcomes

• Developing and sustaining effective visual management and improvement/problem-solving routines
• Creating a Lean culture

• Post-assessment customized learning plans may include a combination of:

• Targeted Coaching/mentoring on assignments to develop areas where learners may have gaps
• Completion of various training programs including:
  • Lean Strategic Planning
  • Lean Management Systems
  • Lean Mindsets & Behaviours
  • Applying Professional Scrum
  • Practical AI for Process Improvement Specialists (Part 1: What, Where, How - included in Black Belt program)
  • Practical AI for Process Improvement Specialists (Part 2: DMAIC Application - optional advanced module)