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Six Sigma Project Portfolio Tracker

A Six Sigma program lives or dies on visibility. This tracker keeps each project's belt level, phase, lead, projected savings and cost in one table, with portfolio totals that update as you edit.

Download:

Project	Belt level	DMAIC phase	Project lead	Projected annual savings	Project cost	Net first-year benefit	Target close date
						$72,000
						$125,000
						$170,000
						$48,000
						$16,000

Total projected savings

$528,000

Total project cost

$97,000

Total net benefit

$431,000

Projects in portfolio

Return on project cost

5.4433

Savings per dollar spent, as a ratio.

Average savings per project

$105,600

Count only savings your finance team has validated. Many organizations separate hard savings (budget reductions, cost avoidance with evidence) from soft savings and track them in separate columns.

Tie savings to ERP cost data

Optional: a review of how realized savings can be validated from ERP scrap, labor and inventory data.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the tracker

Add one row per project when the charter is approved. Update the DMAIC phase at each tollgate review. Enter the projected annual savings agreed with finance and the cost, including project time, training and any capital. Net first-year benefit is calculated for you, and the totals show the whole pipeline. Export to Excel before the monthly review so executives can filter by belt or phase. Move completed rows to Closed, and replace projections with realized savings after the control period.

One row per chartered project
Update phase at every tollgate
Agree savings categories with finance first
Re-baseline realized savings after 3 to 6 months

Reading the portfolio

Look at the spread across phases. A portfolio with everything in Define and nothing in Control is not delivering savings yet. Many stuck projects in Analyze often point to data access problems. Compare return on project cost across belt levels: Black Belt projects tend to be larger and slower, Green Belt projects smaller and quicker. A healthy mix keeps savings flowing while bigger projects mature. Review target dates and escalate those that are slipping.

Common mistakes

Overstating savings is the biggest credibility risk. Savings that do not appear in the budget or the P&L get discounted by finance. Another is never closing projects, which leaves dead rows in the Control phase. Teams also forget to count project cost, so the return looks inflated. Finally, a tracker with no link to the charter and baseline data becomes a list of names. Record where the baseline lives, such as the ERP report or inspection database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What belt level should a project be?

Yellow Belt projects are small local fixes, Green Belt projects usually run 3 to 6 months within one function, and Black Belt projects are larger, cross-functional and often worth more. Organizations set their own thresholds, so adjust the options on export.

How should I count savings?

Use your finance team's definitions. Hard savings reduce cost or increase profit in a measurable way, such as scrap reduction. Soft savings, like time freed, need separate tracking. Do not count savings that finance has not agreed to.

How often should I update the tracker?

At each tollgate and at least monthly. A monthly portfolio review with the plant leadership keeps projects moving and surfaces blockers early.

Can I track more than one site?

Yes. Add a site into the project name or export and add a column in Excel. For multi-site programs, use one tracker per site and consolidate them in your portfolio review.

If you would like project baselines and realized savings tied to ERP cost and quality data, Netray can help build that reporting.

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