Six Sigma terms are explained to executives so that they are more easily understood by people who are unfamiliar with them. The term Six Sigma itself can be confusing. This term simply applies to the methods that are used by an organization to improve the quality of its products or services. Whatever business they conduct daily must be of the highest quality if they are to have a successful business.

The typical Six Sigma professional will learn the methods and certify at a certain belt level of expertise. The more experience and knowledge the person has in the methods of quality improvement, the higher level they qualify for. They will be given a belt color to signify their level of knowledge and expertise.

The first level is a Yellow Belt, which is someone who is knowledgeable about the methods that are used and can analyze areas of the business for possible improvements.  These individuals will answer to the Green Belt. At this level, the professional will have a more extensive knowledge of the quality improvement methods that need to be used. They will sometimes lead a project but will usually answer to the top level professional, which is the Black Belt. The Green Belt can act as a middle man but if they have proven themselves on projects before, they can act as a leader if the projects are for companies that are within their areas of expertise.

The Black Belt is generally the leader of the project. He or she will choose the other members of the team, consult initially and on a long-term basis with the executives of the company and delegate specific tasks to the members they have chosen to assist them.  A Champion is someone who will find projects for the Six Sigma professionals. This person will initially consult with the executives, find out what their chief complaints are and suggest Black Belts to lead the projects. They will discuss fees associated with the work and obtain all the intimate details pertaining to what the executives need done.

Another belt system term is the White Belt, which is someone who works for the project on a local level but is not certified to make any decisions or participate in the analyzing of the company. Their only job is to create a contact area for professionals who are new to the locale.

Big Y and little y are two of the terms used by professionals when they are assigning priority to concerns. When a company is in a crisis situation with certain issues, these are considered the Big Y. The project that is created to take care of these crisis situations generate little y objectives, areas that need to be fixed in order to improve the bigger picture. The key is to concentrate on improving the quality of all areas of the company.

The projects created by professionals usually concentrate on improving the quality of existing processes within the company. The term DFSS or "define for Six Sigma" is one of the Six Sigma terms used when professionals are dealing with creating new procedures and policies for the company.