Best practices / The W. Edwards Deming Institute

Tripling engagement with a 5-person team

Bolstering learner retention and building courses in half the time with CYPHER

The W. Edwards Deming Institute (DemingNEXT)

Honorable mentionThe aim of The W. Edwards Deming Institute is to enrich society through the Deming philosophy. The Deming Philosophy represents a holistic approach to leadership and management that brings together an understanding of variation, theory of knowledge, psychology, and appreciation for a system. At The Deming Institute, we honor the legacy of Dr. W. Edwards Deming by bringing his teachings to life today and for the future. We’re introducing his teachings to a younger generation, developing new Deming leaders, and ensuring the transition of knowledge from Dr. Deming’s trusted colleagues.

Learning is absolutely critical to the success of our organization, and we find immense fulfillment in our role of facilitating continual improvement throughout society. DemingNEXT - our eLearning platform with CYPHER - is the means by which we are able to achieve this.

“DemingNEXT brings Dr. Deming’s teachings together for a whole new generation.”

DemingNEXT user

INDUSTRY

Nonprofit

COMPANY SIZE

Small enterprise

HEADQUARTERS

Sanford, NC

SERVICES

Professional training & coaching

The challenge

  • Delivering high-quality learning at scale with a small team
  • Needed a platform that provided interactive learning at scale
  • Required support for self-paced learning journeys with easy accessibility

As a nonprofit with a team of just 5 people, the W. Edwards Deming Institute faced the challenge of expanding its educational reach while maintaining high-quality, accessible learning experiences. Their previous platform lacked the flexibility, automation, and scalability needed to support self-paced learning, making it difficult to scale impact without overwhelming the team.

To fulfill their mission, the institute needed a modern, interactive platform that could provide learners with an engaging experience beyond traditional books and static resources — one that would empower them to apply Deming leadership principles with confidence.

“Before we started working with CYPHER, we struggled to find a suitable means by which we could provide learning opportunities at the scale, quality, and accessibility that we knew we needed in order to have the greatest impact.”

Katie Krell, Learning Systems Specialist

The solution

  • Automation streamlines learner journeys and reduces manual workload
  • Personalized learning tailors content to meet a wide range of needs
  • API integration with Deming.org boosted enrollment and saved time

With CYPHER, the Deming Institute transformed its approach to online learning, making it possible to deliver high-quality, interactive education at scale. Automation features have been a game-changer, allowing the team to create custom learning paths, automate enrollments, and deliver personalized experiences without adding administrative burden.

The platform’s group automation tools have been particularly valuable, enabling the institute to customize learning journeys for different organizations while automatically enrolling learners in relevant courses. Features like Completion Actions have helped keep learners engaged by seamlessly guiding them through their next steps.

Additionally, the CYPHER organizational features have strengthened relationships with consultants, giving them their own portals to deliver Deming training in a structured, scalable way—something that wasn’t possible before. The seamless API integration with Deming.org has also simplified user onboarding, boosted enrollments, and extended the reach of their marketing efforts.

“We simply could not have built this on our own—DemingNEXT is so robust that we constantly surprise people when they learn that we were able to do it all with only a team of 5 people.”

Katie Krell, Learning Systems Specialist

The results

  • Launched DemingNEXT in half the time
  • 3x increase in learner engagement since launch
  • Improved knowledge retention with interactive modules

Transitioning to CYPHER dramatically accelerated DemingNEXT’s launch, cutting the development timeline in half compared to their previous platform provider. Since launch, learner engagement has more than tripled, demonstrating the platform’s ability to deliver an engaging, impactful learning experience.

Learners who previously relied on books to understand Deming’s leadership principles have found that interactive eLearning modules significantly enhance knowledge retention and application. Many report that CYPHER has given them a whole new way of understanding Deming’s teachings, allowing them to apply these principles more effectively in their work and daily lives.

By leveraging CYPHER automation, personalization, and integration capabilities, the Deming Institute has been able to scale its mission, expand its reach, and create lasting impact — all with the power of a small but highly efficient team.

“We have been busier than ever, reaching new audiences who have been absolutely amazed at the quality of our online learning programs and the effectiveness and impact that it has had in their jobs and lives.”

Katie Krell, Learning Systems Specialist

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false The W. Edwards Deming Institute The W. Edwards Deming Institute The W. Edwards Deming Institute 3x learner engagement “We have been busier than ever, reaching new audiences who have been absolutely amazed at the quality of our online learning programs and the effectiveness and impact that it has had in their jobs and lives.” Katie Krell, Learning Systems Specialist