Celebrate the World of Quality
SHARE THE GREAT WORK YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
Another November, another World Quality Month.
Since 2010, ASQ has been pleased to host the World Quality Month website, offering organizations around the world an opportunity to celebrate successes and share results for others to learn from.
Celebrating World Quality Month in Your OrganizationWhile there are many organizations that plan their World Quality Month celebrations weeks—if not months—in advance of the event date, your organization can plan a successful event in a short amount of time. You can also celebrate without planning a specific event. ASQ has developed an event planning handbook based on events that have taken place over the past World Quality Months. Here are a few examples: Print and hang World Quality Month posters around your building. Posters are available on the World Quality Month website. Add World Quality Month as a skill on LinkedIn and ask connections to endorse you. Share the World Quality Month toolkit (also on the website) via email with co-workers. Encourage them to use the materials and link to WorldQualityMonth.org. Encourage your colleagues to participate in the online polls on WorldQualityMonth.org and compare your responses to those of other professionals around the world. Include a note about World Quality Month and the work of the quality department in your organization’s newsletter and on your intranet site. Arrange for the quality department to host an open house in which staff speak about the importance of quality and showcase their projects. Consider serving light refreshments. Host a “lunch and learn” event about quality or World Quality Month at your organization. Ask the quality director or VP to speak about the role of quality and its importance in the organization. Consider serving light refreshments or dessert at the event. |
Before this column continues, it is important to note: “Speaking of Quality” isn’t getting mushy. True, the main goal of World Quality Month is “to raise awareness of the quality, continuous improvement, and performance excellence field and quality professionals worldwide.” One way to raise the awareness of quality is to celebrate successes. Yes, World Quality Month could be one big party. But that’s just one slice of the celebratory cake.
In raising the awareness of quality and celebrating successes, organizations are offering proof of the importance of quality methods and tools, the wide-ranging applications of the tools, and the impact quality has on the business and people. World Quality Month is also about sharing. Where there’s sharing, there’s an opportunity to learn.
Take this as an example. DUBAL Aluminum, one of two Gold level winners in the ASQ International Team Excellence Award process, shared their story.
“DUBAL Rodding incurred a high cost of $2.6 million for stub repairs in 2009. A project was initiated to reduce repair costs by reducing the stub damage rate from 6% to 4%. The Lean Six Sigma approach and DMAIC methodology were adopted, including prioritization matrix, gage R&R, Pareto, fishbone diagram, hypothesis testing, regression, and control charts. The damage rate was reduced by 3%, leading to annual savings of $1.3 million. The success of this project inspired many similar projects.”
In the course of five sentences we learned what problem the team needed to solve, what methods and tools they used and the results the team was able to deliver. Does this pique your interest? Visit worldqualitymonth.org and read the full case study. There are many more to be found, studied and replicated.
ASQ hopes you celebrate World Quality Month with your colleagues and share with your organization and the quality community the great work you have accomplished.
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