Lean Six Sigma Foundations Badge
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Problem
The Customer Experience and Business Process teams at Southern New Hampshire University wanted to expand organizational understanding of Lean Six Sigma principles.
While a small number of employees had completed formal Six Sigma training (White or Yellow Belt), many employees lacked foundational knowledge of continuous improvement frameworks. This limited the university’s ability to scale process improvement initiatives across departments.
Stakeholders identified a need for a foundational learning experience that would introduce Lean Six Sigma concepts, terminology, and methodologies to a broader internal audience. The training needed to:
Provide accessible entry-level knowledge of Lean and Six Sigma concepts
Introduce the DMAIC methodology and continuous improvement mindset
Allow employees to practice applying concepts to real workplace processes
Support a digital badge pathway that employees could earn and display
The result was the development of the Lean Six Sigma Foundations Badge, an asynchronous learning experience available to employees across the university.
Role
Learning Experience Designer / Instructional Designer
I designed and developed the interactive learning experience that delivered the Lean Six Sigma Foundations badge.
My responsibilities included:
Structuring the learning experience in Articulate Rise using stakeholder-provided content and outlines
Integrating LinkedIn Learning micro-videos aligned with Six Sigma topics
Designing interactive knowledge checks embedded within Storyline videos
Developing module-level quizzes and the final badge assessment
Ensuring the learning experience aligned with organizational goals for continuous improvement and operational excellence
While stakeholders sourced the instructional videos and my Director of Learning Design created the initial course outline, I was responsible for translating those inputs into an engaging, interactive digital learning experience.
Process
1. Stakeholder Intake & Alignment
Initial intake meetings clarified:
Target audience: employees across the university interested in process improvement
Desired outcome: increase awareness and foundational understanding of Lean Six Sigma
Delivery model: asynchronous learning accessible through the university's LMS
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of introducing concepts such as operational excellence, DMAIC, process mapping, and Lean waste reduction in an approachable way.
The training was also designed to support an internal digital badge credential, providing employees with recognition for completing the program.
2. Content Curation
Stakeholders curated short instructional videos from LinkedIn Learning that covered topics such as:
Operational excellence
Six Sigma methodology
Lean concepts
DMAIC process phases
Process mapping
Waste identification
These microlearning videos (typically 2–5 minutes long) provided expert-led instruction while allowing the course to remain concise and modular.
3. Interactive Learning Design
To increase engagement and reinforce learning, I designed interactive assessments within the video experience.
Using Articulate Storyline, I:
Imported LinkedIn Learning video segments
Embedded knowledge check questions directly into the video flow
Created branching interactions that paused the video for learner responses
Added feedback layers to reinforce correct answers and clarify misconceptions
4. Course Development
The training was organized into a multi-module Rise course covering:
Foundations of Lean Six Sigma
DMAIC methodology
Process mapping
Waste identification
Project and change management
Each module included:
Short video segments
Embedded Storyline knowledge checks
Module-level quizzes
Practice activities encouraging learners to identify improvement opportunities in real workplace processes.
5. Badge Assessment & Completion
To earn the Lean Six Sigma Foundations badge, learners completed:
Module quizzes
A summative assessment covering key concepts
Optional practice activities applying Lean Six Sigma tools
Upon successful completion, employees received a digital badge credential recognizing their foundational knowledge of Lean Six Sigma.
Design Approach
Microlearning-Based Instruction
The course leveraged short instructional videos paired with embedded assessments to maintain engagement and reduce cognitive overload.
Interactive Video Learning
Rather than presenting video as passive content, Storyline interactions transformed videos into active learning experiences, requiring learners to apply concepts immediately after watching.
Applied Learning
Practice activities encouraged learners to:
Select a real workplace process
Apply Lean Six Sigma concepts to identify inefficiencies
Practice thinking through improvement opportunities.
This helped move the course beyond theoretical instruction toward workplace application.
Credential-Based Motivation
The course was structured as a digital badge experience, providing employees with recognition and motivation to complete the program and showcase their learning.
Tools
Articulate Rise 360 — course development and module structure
Articulate Storyline 360 — interactive video knowledge checks
LinkedIn Learning — curated instructional video content
Compass LMS — course delivery and badge issuance
Microsoft Forms / LMS quizzes — knowledge checks and assessments
Impact
The Lean Six Sigma Foundations badge created a scalable entry point for employees across the university to begin developing process improvement skills and understanding continuous improvement methodologies.
Credential Adoption
Employees who completed the badge have begun displaying the Lean Six Sigma Foundations credential on LinkedIn profiles and internal email signatures, demonstrating voluntary recognition of the program as a meaningful professional development achievement.
Organizational Value
The training supported:
Increased awareness of Lean Six Sigma methodologies across departments
Expanded access to continuous improvement concepts beyond formally trained belt holders
A scalable internal learning pathway aligned with operational excellence initiatives
A visible credential employees can use to signal continuous improvement knowledge
By transforming curated expert content into an interactive learning experience with embedded assessments, the course provided a practical foundation for employees interested in contributing to process improvement efforts across the university.
*Course launched in 2025 and remains active in the university's LMS.
Note:
Course materials owned by Southern New Hampshire University and not publicly shareable.
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