ASQ Fellows - Congratulations, The More The Merrier

I wanted to extend my sincere congratulations to the newly recognized ASQ Fellows.

ASQ Fellows 2014

The list of honorees has been posted and new ASQ Fellows are definitely in very impressive company which includes a past ASQ Chair and Board Members.

I recognized about 4 or 5 of the names from various initiatives, and doing a quick search on linkedin.com revealed the background of other new ASQ Fellows.  The new cohort definitely adds to the prestige and prominence of this membership category.  I am humbled to be included among their ranks.

I have commented before that the ratio of ASQ Fellows to the breadth of ASQ Senior members suggests that even with 10% representation, there should be between 4000 and 5000 Fellows instead of 600-800.  

24 does seem to be a low number of recipients, particularly since the Fellow criteria is not that remarkable for a professional with 15 years of Quality experience.  Here is an example portfolio of an active QA professional that should qualify for ASQ Fellow recognition.

·         Have a responsible QA role or position: 4 points
·         ASQ Certification: 6 points
·         Teach courses regularly at post-secondary institute (or consulting engagements for academics):  7 points
·         ASQ Committee work or member-leader:  4 points
·         Write articles or give presentations: 4 points
·         Participate in an equivalent industrial organization :3 points

If records were properly kept, there is no reason why each ASQ section or division should not submit a minimum of one application for a new Fellow every year.  I personally think that it would be a sign of success and robustness if ASQ recognized 50 or even 100 people in a year with this credential (without reducing or waiving the criteria for acceptance into the Fellow ranks).  I encourage any ASQ Senior Member who fulfills the ASQ Fellow criteria to approach their section or division to prepare and submit an application.

If anyone is interested, I recommend the following Quality Progress article: So You'd Like To Be An ASQ Fellow.  According to the article the ASQ Society Examining Committee receives 40-50 applications each year and nominates 60% of the candidates.  If every section and division were to nominate a minimum of one Senior Member per year (and up to 4 or 5), and if the guidance was followed, increasing the success rate to 80-90%.this would easily result in having over 100 new ASQ Fellows being recognized annually.  

The ASQ Fellow program is very good and I am glad when deserving quality practitioners and professionals receive this recognition and enhance its prominence and prestige. 

Congratulations again to the new ASQ Fellows – see you in Dallas in May.

Manufacturing - You Cannot Be Serious!!!

When I read the outcomes of the Manufacturing Outlook from the View From The Q , my reaction was similar to that of tennis legend, John McEnroe.

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS !!!

When business leaders blame the economy, they are implicitly absolving themselves from accountability. However it is interesting that in times of prosperity, these same business leaders take full credit for their success and reward themselves disproportionately.

In truth, there has never been a better time to operate a business.  The capabilities of technology, along with the increased sophistication and collaboration of many business participants and stakeholders, should be a source of optimism in the future.

When business claim that they can't find "good people" and can't afford to adopt any of the practices of Smart Manufacturing, one cannot help but identify the relationship.  Good people are attracted to companies and organizations that will have and provide reasonable chances of success and prosperity.  There are many interdependencies that not only attract good staff, but sustain and permit their continual growth within an organization.

According to the survey, almost 90% of those manufacturers surveyed have not experienced the improvements that Smart Manufacturing purports to deliver.  Conversely speaking, those manufacturers have embraced the status quo of retaining uninspired and moderately competent people, using obsolete and detrimental processes and technology solutions, to deliver manufactured solutions which frankly will not be competitive with the 10% of firms who employ good people, adopt Smart Manufacturing practices, and take steps to innovate and grow.

So these firms that are not adopting modern practices expect to hire more staff at higher wages?  YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!  The relationship is clear and should be self-evident.

Consider that top companies like Apple, Honda, and Toyota didn't immediately make premium products.  Their initial prototypes were mocked by the established industry leaders of the day, and many pundits predicted their fall.  However while General Motors was distributing Corvairs with known safety hazards and paying their union employees high wages to literally sabotage productivity and innovation, organizations like Honda and Toyota were redefining the workplace and the expectations of employees.

Quality products emerge from quality organizations and quality systems, which originate from quality governance.  To those who expect a different outcome, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!

Epiphany in 2014

Today people of many different cultures celebrate Epiphany.

This holiday originates back to the celebrations of Dionysus, and the wine festivals of Ancient Greece.

The Christianized version alludes to the visit of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men, who came to the nativity to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

Epiphany also refers to the discovery of a solution.  With that in mind, I wish everyone a delightful Epiphany in 2014.