Impruver University is a system for certifying an entire organization in Lean Six Sigma, creating a strong and lasting foundation for Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement. The university offers all recognized certification levels including White, Yellow, Green, Black, and Master Black Belt levels.
Candidates can study at their own pace or at the cadence of their coach, which can be either an internal Continuous Improvement leader or an assigned coach, who is a certified Master Black Belt and often a degreed Industrial Engineer.
Here’s a video that provides an overview of Impruver University and how it works with the Impruver Continuous Improvement Enablement System:
This article will cover the following topics:
- Program Summary
- Lean Six Sigma Certification Overview
- Impruver University Credentials
- Closer Look into Certification Programs
- Project Execution and Coaching
- Registration of Certification and Verification
- Software Systems
- Engagement Options
1) Program Summary
The Impruver University and adjacent Continuous Improvement Enablement System helps to put your organization’s Lean Six Sigma Certification program on auto-pilot. It is made up of three parts that take the management of upskilling your organization painless:
- The ability to certify your entire organization in Lean Six Sigma from White Belt up to Master Black Belt level
- The program is managed by a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black belt
- The technology package, including both Learning and Kaizen Management Systems, helps to administer course delivery and project execution
2) Lean Six Sigma Certification Program Overview
Impruver University offers all five levels of Lean Six Sigma Certification, including White, Yellow, Green, Black, and Master Black Belt levels.
White Belt – Candidates are learning the overall philosophy of Lean Six Sigma
Yellow Belt – Candidates are learning some basic tools that can be applied outside of the context of a structured project
Green Belt – Candidates are learning a more advanced toolset and applying them as part of a small project
Black Belt – Candidates are learning tools for more effect project management, leading a larger scale project, and coaching a cohort of Green Belts
Master Black Belt – Candidates are learning tools that enable the executive leadership of a Lean Six Sigma culture, executing a larger-scale project, coaching Black Belt candidates, and facilitating the deployment of company strategy
3) Impruver University Credentials
The University is founded on decades of academic and industry experience leading Lean Six Sigma initiatives at world leading organizations. Here are several points of reference to demonstrate our credibility in the field:
- Founders are Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belts
- Founders have over 50 combined years leading Lean Six Sigma initiatives at world-leading brands
- The Impruver University certification is highly recognized across industries and easily verifiable by 3rd parties
- We have authorship of an Amazon Best Selling Book, FIT – The Simple Science of Achieving Strategic Goals
- The Principle, Calvin L Williams, is a degreed Industrial Engineer with over 20 years in the field
The system maintains a portfolio of your achievement including certificates earned, courses completed, goals achieved, tools used, projects completed, and results generated. This portfolio can be printed and follows you throughout your career.
4) Closer Look at Certification Programs
The University offers all five Lean Six Sigma Certification Programs that are awarded in series from White to Master Black Belt Levels. All of these programs require basic coursework but increase in demand as you ascend to each subsequent program.
Lean Six Sigma White Belt Program
This program is designed to provide a theoretical understanding of Lean and Six Sigma. Candidates learn concepts such as Introduction to Lean Six Sigma, The 8 Wastes, Standard Work, and others.
Only coursework is required for certification.
Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Program
This program provides some basic Lean Six Sigma tools that can be applied outside of the context of a project. Candidates learn concepts such as Introduction to 5 Whys Analysis, 5S, Visual Management, and others.
Only coursework is required for certification.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Program
This program provides some more advanced Lean Six Sigma tools that need to be applied within the context of a project that delivers measurable business impact. Green Belt projects deliver, on average, $50k in cost savings and other business impacts. Candidates learn concepts such as Changeover Reduction, FMEA, DMAIC, and others. At this level, the program incorporates leadership development courses to help develop the soft skills needed to apply the more technical concepts.
Candidates are required to complete coursework and a project that demonstrates proficiency to achieve certification.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Program
This program provides Lean Six Sigma tools that enable candidates to lead larger projects, generating more significant business impact. Black Belt projects deliver, on average, about $250k in cost savings and other business impacts. Candidates learn concepts such as Value Stream Mapping, Toyota KATA, Managing for Daily Improvement, and others. Additional leadership development courses are included to further the development of soft skills needed to apply the more technical concepts.
Candidates are required to complete coursework, a project that demonstrates proficiency to achieve certification, and coach a cohort of Green Belts through certification.
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Program
This program provides Lean Six Sigma tools that enable candidates to lead larger scale projects, generating more significant business impact; and support the development and deployment of company strategy. Master Black Belt projects typically deliver $1M in cost savings and other business impacts. Candidates learn concepts such as Leader Standard Work, Balanced Scorecard, Hoshin Kanri, and others. Additional leadership development courses are included to further develop of soft skills needed to apply the more technical concepts.
Candidates are required to complete coursework, a project that demonstrates proficiency to achieve certification, coach a cohort of Black Belts through certification, and facilitate the deployment of company strategy.
5) Project Execution and Coaching
Impruver University requires the completion of a project for Green, Black, and Master Black Belt level certification. We use a PDCA-style approach to project execution as it teaches and demonstrates the Lean Six Sigma principle of scientific thinking.
The program applies a Learn | Do | Teach | Transform model of talent development.
- Learn – Candidates develop a basic understanding of philosophy and tools [White and Yellow Belt]
- Do – Candidates execute a PDCA-style project themselves to apply the concepts they have learned [Green Belt]
- Teach – Candidates coach the next generation of improvers through their Green Belt projects [Black Belt]
- Transform – Candidates help develop and deploy company strategy [Master Black Belt]
The program applies a 10-week Green Belt certification process that is staffed with 3 – 5 Green Belts, 1 Black Belt, and 1 Master Black Belt. This is a self sustaining model for building and developing Lean Six Sigma talent throughout an organization.
Green Belts are required to complete one PDCA cycle each week and review three courses with the help of their Black Belt coach. Meanwhile the Master Black Belt is helping the Black Belt to develop proficient coaching skills.
6) Registration of Certification and Verification
Impruver University registers and maintains the certification statuses of successful candidates into perpetuity. This certification is easily verified by 3rd party interests by simply scanning a QR code that is imprinted on every certification. University staff is also available for live verification.
7) Software Systems
The Impruver Continuous Improvement Enablement System consists of two software solutions to help manage the certification process and build the portfolio of achievement per candidate.
The Impruver University software serves as a learning management system used to serve courses, manage training, issue certifications. It also serves as a home for the broader Continuous Improvement community.
The software allows users to easily access courses and certification programs, administer candidates through the various programs, and download reports and raw data showing real-time candidate progress.
The Impruver Platform provides a foundation of technology needed to facilitate a Lean Six Sigma transformation. in the Platform, candidates build the body of evidence demonstrating their ability to apply the concepts and tools they’ve learned in the University.
The Platform maintains a portfolio of projects, stories, goals achieved, and tools applied. It also includes many other powerful features such as a Dashboard that displays CI business impact across the enterprise, CI Intelligence that allows you to customize a set of metrics to visualize the health of your company’s CI program, and an Action Management system that helps to coordinate the work needed for improvement.
All other Lean Six Sigma tools can be added to your company’s platform such as Value Stream Mapping, DMAIC, SIPOC, 5 Whys, and so much more.
8) Engagement Options
We provide two engagement options to enable your company’s development of Lean Six Sigma capability.
Option 1: Self-managed: This option is reserved for companies that have a strong Continuous Improvement leader who is ideally already Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certified. With this option, the program is managed internally and candidates simply submit their body of evidence for certification once the criteria has been met.
Option 2: Impruver-managed: This option is for companies that do not yet have a certified Master Black Belt available to lead the program. In this case, Impruver will designate a certified Master Black Belt to your organization to perform the following:
– Weekly Flywheel sessions to coach candidates through PDCA cycles
– Weekly course reviews to ensure that key points are understood
– Support in setting goals, prioritizing projects, and applying tools
– General account management and tech support
Impruver University offers the most advanced and thorough Lean Six Sigma certification program available. Candidates not only finish the program with highly reputable certifications, but a level of capability, tools, processes, and confidence needed to lead transformation within your organization.
The University and Platform software systems provide the tools to automate many of the administration functions needed for talent development and results achievement. The Platform includes several powerful tools such as Gamification, Countermeasure, Strategy Deployment, and coaching tools to help accelerate the company’s Continuous Improvement journey.
Check out this post to learn how to create a culture of Leaders as Coaches using the Impruver system.
Click this button to access the Impruver University portal:
