Project Selection and Screening Criteria in Six Sigma Black Belt Organization-Wide Planning and Deployment

Project Selection and Screening Criteria Guide

Why Project Selection and Screening Criteria Are Important

In Six Sigma Black Belt programs, project selection and screening criteria are critical because they determine which improvement projects will have the greatest impact on organizational goals. Effective project selection ensures that:

• Resources are allocated efficiently to projects with the highest potential return on investment (ROI)
• Strategic alignment is maintained between improvement initiatives and business objectives
• Risk is minimized by selecting projects with realistic scopes and timelines
• Team capacity is optimized to avoid resource constraints and burnout
• Success rates increase by choosing projects with adequate data availability and stakeholder support
• Competitive advantage is gained through focused improvements in critical business areas

What Are Project Selection and Screening Criteria?

Project selection and screening criteria are systematic standards and guidelines used to evaluate, prioritize, and approve Six Sigma improvement projects. They serve as a filtering mechanism to ensure only the most valuable projects move forward. These criteria typically include:

Key Components of Screening Criteria

• Financial Impact: Potential cost savings, revenue generation, or ROI (usually measured in dollars or percentages)
• Strategic Alignment: How well the project supports organizational mission, vision, and strategic objectives
• Customer Impact: Effects on customer satisfaction, quality, delivery, or other critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics
• Operational Feasibility: Availability of data, technical complexity, required expertise, and likelihood of successful completion
• Resource Requirements: Time, budget, personnel, and equipment needed to complete the project
• Timeline and Urgency: How quickly results are needed and expected project duration
• Organizational Readiness: Stakeholder support, management commitment, and organizational capacity for change
• Data Availability: Access to historical data and ability to collect new data for analysis
• Risk Assessment: Technical, organizational, and implementation risks associated with the project
• Scope Definition: Clear boundaries and definition of the problem to be solved

How Project Selection and Screening Criteria Work

Step 1: Identify Potential Projects

Organizations gather project ideas from multiple sources including customer feedback, employee suggestions, process reviews, financial analysis, and strategic planning sessions. These ideas represent opportunities for improvement across the business.

Step 2: Establish Screening Criteria

The organization develops a weighted set of screening criteria that reflect strategic priorities. Common criteria weights might look like:

• Financial Impact: 30%
• Strategic Alignment: 25%
• Customer Impact: 20%
• Feasibility: 15%
• Organizational Readiness: 10%

Step 3: Evaluate Projects Against Criteria

A screening team or committee reviews each project idea against established criteria. Projects are typically scored using a scale (1-5 or 1-10) for each criterion. The scores are then weighted and combined to produce a total project score.

Step 4: Prioritize and Rank Projects

Projects are ranked from highest to lowest total scores. High-scoring projects move to the next phase, while lower-scoring projects may be rejected, deferred, or sent back for redesign.

Step 5: Portfolio Balancing

Even after ranking, organizations must balance the project portfolio by considering:

• Mix of projects: Quick wins, strategic projects, and long-term initiatives
• Resource distribution: Ensuring capacity across teams and departments
• Risk distribution: Balancing high-risk, high-reward projects with safer projects
• Cross-functional involvement: Engaging multiple departments and business units

Step 6: Approval and Charter Development

Selected projects receive formal approval, and Black Belts develop project charters that document scope, objectives, timeline, resources, and success metrics.

Common Screening Criteria Frameworks

Financial Criteria

• Annual savings potential (actual dollar amount)
• Return on investment (ROI percentage)
• Payback period (months to recover investment)
• Internal rate of return (IRR)
• Net present value (NPV)

Strategic Criteria

• Alignment with business strategy
• Support for competitive positioning
• Alignment with balanced scorecard objectives
• Link to organizational growth initiatives

Operational Criteria

• Process stability and baseline data availability
• Problem definition clarity
• Scope manageability (typically 3-6 months)
• Availability of required expertise
• Data accessibility and measurement feasibility

Organizational Criteria

• Executive and management sponsorship
• Process owner support and engagement
• Stakeholder readiness for change
• Organizational capacity and resource availability
• Political viability and change resistance assessment

How to Answer Exam Questions on Project Selection and Screening Criteria

Question Type 1: Definition and Purpose Questions

Example Question: What is the primary purpose of project selection screening criteria in Six Sigma?

How to Answer:

• Define screening criteria as systematic standards for evaluating and prioritizing projects
• Explain that they ensure resources go to high-impact projects
• Connect to strategic alignment and ROI optimization
• Mention that they create a disciplined approach to project approval

Question Type 2: Identification and Application Questions

Example Question: You have three potential projects. Project A saves $500K but requires 6 months. Project B saves $200K in 2 months. Project C saves $300K but has low customer impact. Your strategy prioritizes customer satisfaction. Which project should be selected first and why?

How to Answer:

• Identify the weighting of criteria (customer satisfaction is prioritized)
• Evaluate all three projects against multiple criteria, not just financial
• Explain why customer-impacting projects are strategically important
• Consider both financial and strategic dimensions
• Recommend Project A or C, with Project A preferred if adequate resources exist
• Justify your answer with reference to organizational strategy

Question Type 3: Scenario-Based Questions

Example Question: Your organization has ten project ideas, adequate resources for only three. How would you use screening criteria to make the selection?

How to Answer:

• Describe the step-by-step process (establish criteria, score projects, rank, balance)
• Explain weighted scoring methodology
• Discuss portfolio balancing considerations
• Address how to handle borderline projects
• Mention communication and documentation of decisions

Question Type 4: Problem Recognition Questions

Example Question: A company selected a project with the highest financial score despite low customer impact and weak executive support. What went wrong in their selection process?

How to Answer:

• Identify that only one criterion (financial) was emphasized
• Explain that screening criteria should be balanced and weighted
• Point out that executive support is critical for project success
• Discuss how poor criteria weighting led to suboptimal selection
• Suggest what should have been done differently

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Project Selection and Screening Criteria

Tip 1: Remember the Balanced Scorecard Approach

Effective project selection rarely depends on a single criterion. In exam answers, always mention multiple perspectives: financial, strategic, operational, and organizational. Show that you understand these dimensions are interconnected.

Tip 2: Emphasize Stakeholder Engagement

Many screening questions test whether you understand organizational change management. Mention executive sponsorship, stakeholder support, and organizational readiness. These are often overlooked but critical factors that determine actual project success.

Tip 3: Use Weighted Scoring Language

When discussing how to select projects, use phrases like "weighted scoring matrix," "criteria weight," or "normalized scores." This demonstrates understanding of quantitative project selection methods that go beyond subjective judgment.

Tip 4: Connect to Strategic Alignment

Black Belt exam questions often emphasize that Six Sigma is a strategic business initiative. Always relate project selection back to organizational strategy, competitive advantage, and balanced scorecard objectives. This shows you understand the big picture.

Tip 5: Address Data and Feasibility Requirements

In your answers, discuss practical concerns: Is baseline data available? Can the process be measured? Are there technical barriers? Examiners value answers that address real-world implementation challenges, not just theoretical criteria.

Tip 6: Explain the Distinction Between Selection and Prioritization

Some questions distinguish between which projects to select (vs. reject) and which to prioritize (among selected projects). Be clear about these different decision points. Selection uses a cut-off score; prioritization ranks all selected projects.

Tip 7: Know Common Screening Criteria

Memorize that typical weighted criteria include:

• Financial Impact (25-35%)
• Strategic Alignment (20-25%)
• Customer Impact (15-20%)
• Feasibility (15-20%)
• Organizational Readiness (5-15%)

These percentages vary by organization, so don't memorize rigid values, but understand typical ranges.

Tip 8: Discuss Portfolio Approach

When discussing multiple project selection, mention portfolio management concepts: balanced mix of quick wins and strategic projects, risk diversification, resource constraints, and cross-functional benefits. This shows advanced understanding.

Tip 9: Address Scope and Timeline Realism

Be prepared to discuss how overly broad projects or unrealistic timelines affect selection decisions. A project that saves $2M but requires 12 months may score lower than one saving $600K in 4 months, depending on organizational urgency and capacity.

Tip 10: Use Real Examples

When possible, reference realistic examples: "A manufacturing company might prioritize projects reducing defects in their core product, even if another project offers higher cost savings, because customer satisfaction directly affects market share." Concrete examples demonstrate practical understanding.

Tip 11: Prepare for "What If" Scenarios

Exams often present scenarios: "What if your top-scoring project loses its executive sponsor?" Be ready to discuss contingency situations and how changing circumstances affect project viability. Show flexibility in your thinking.

Tip 12: Distinguish Between Organization-Wide and Team-Level Selection

Remember that this topic is about organization-wide planning and deployment. Frame your answers at the enterprise level, discussing portfolio management and strategic resource allocation, not just individual project evaluation.

Tip 13: Know Red Flags for Project Rejection

Be familiar with criteria that might cause a project to be rejected or deferred:

• Lack of executive sponsorship
• Undefined problem or unclear boundaries
• Insufficient baseline data
• Unclear financial benefits
• Technical complexity exceeding available expertise
• Poor strategic alignment
• Excessive resource requirements
• High implementation risk without mitigation plans

Tip 14: Discuss Documentation and Communication

When describing the selection process, mention that decisions should be documented with clear rationale, criteria scores, and feedback to project sponsors. This demonstrates understanding of organizational accountability and continuous improvement mindset.

Tip 15: Practice Weighted Scoring Calculations

Be comfortable calculating weighted scores. If a question provides criteria weights and project scores, you may need to calculate final scores. For example:

• Project A: Financial (8×0.30) + Strategic (6×0.25) + Customer (9×0.20) + Feasibility (7×0.15) + Organizational (8×0.10) = 2.4 + 1.5 + 1.8 + 1.05 + 0.8 = 7.55

Practice these calculations so they're second nature during the exam.

Summary

Project selection and screening criteria are essential tools for ensuring that Six Sigma improvement initiatives deliver strategic value and optimal return on investment. Black Belts must understand both the theoretical framework of selection criteria and the practical application of balanced scorecard approaches. When answering exam questions, emphasize multiple dimensions of evaluation, stakeholder engagement, strategic alignment, and realistic feasibility assessment. Remember that effective project selection is ultimately about disciplined resource allocation that serves organizational strategy while managing risk and building organizational change capability.