News

ASQ National Members only – Free Monthly bonus

Download and view your bonus today

Aug 2018 Member Gift Bundle: Continuous Improvement Tools

Information

Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek incremental improvement over time or breakthrough improvement all at once.

Free: A Basic Overview of Continuous Improvement 

Free E-Books:

• Continuous Permanent Improvement (PDF, 256 pp)
• Proving Continuous Improvement with Profit Ability (PDF, 304
  pp)
• Modular Kaizen: Continuous and Breakthrough Improvement (PDF, 224 pp)

ASQTV Videos:

• Why Improvement Teams Fail
• Coaching Your Staff Into a CI Mindset 
• Implementing a Continuous Improvement Program
• Dave Cote, Honeywell: The Importance of Continuous Improvement
• Shawn Perkins, Clorox: The Continuous Improvement Model 

Webcasts: PDCA Webcast Series

Dr. Jack ReVelle, quality expert and ASQ Fellow, walks through the basic elements of plan-do-check-act (PDCA), its various iterations, and its benefits.

• Part 1 (17 min):
• Part 2 (16 min):
• Part 3 (10 min):

Webcasts: Bonus!

The Seven Basic Quality Tools: An Exclusive ASQ Webinar Series*
Dr. ReVelle walks you through all seven of the tried-and-true quality control tools.

• An Introduction to the Series (26 min)
• Data Tables (26 min)
• Pareto Analysis (24 min)
• Scatter Analysis (28 min)
• Cause and Effect Analysis (33 min)
• Trend Analysis (15 min)
• Histograms (18 min)
• Control Charts (30 min)

DONE

Annoucing ASQ Boulder (Section 1313) Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/ASQboulder/

Viewable when not signed into FaceBook

Has Six Sigma Articles

Sign up as ASQ Section 1313  Facebook “Team Members” to Join the discussions, posts and likes on the section’s Facebook site

Denver Software Testing Symposium 2018

• Date: 28 Aug 2018
• Location: The Westin Denver Downtown, 1672 Lawrence Street, Denver, CO

Theme: Influence of Digital trends in Quality Assurance

• Software Testing Symposium in Denver, Colorado is a single day, single track event which will be held near you.
• Join us for this event where we celebrate Software Quality Assurance Testing learnings from proven Industry leaders and practitioners.
• The Summit showcases the trends, innovations and challenges associated with
  modern and futuristic Software Quality Assurance Testing.
• Look forward to sessions encompassing topics on Functional and Non-functional Quality Assurance techniques.
• The event features an inspiring day of talks by professional speakers focused on Software Testing, Innovation and Influence of Digital trends in Quality Assurance.
• Quality Assurance Leadership, Management and Strategy converge here to bring out Industry best practices and is a key meeting place for Test Professionals and Executives from leading IT organizations.
• Apart from the engaging sessions, do savour an opportunity to network with peers and practitioners over lunch and during networking breaks to exchange ideas and extend your connectivity across organization.
• The content is geared towards C-level IT executives, QA directors, Head of Testing, Test Managers, Senior Engineers and Test Professionals.

Speakers:

• Tim Gorman, Technical Manager, Delphix
• Jeff Tatelman, Senior Director, Orasi
• Melissa Tondi, SDLC Quality Engineering, Disrupt Testing
• Sue UyetaKE, Senior QA Analyst, Solutions by Sue
• Eajaz Ali M, Senior Software QE, Pearson
• Ram Shanmugam, Co-Founder and CEO AutonomIQ Inc
• Arnold Miller, Senior Software QA-Tester, Swisslog HealthCare
• Dinesh Velhal, Principal Consultant, Tech Mahindra

Registration

• Includes: Full access to Summit, Networking Breaks, Refreshments and Lunch, Access to recorded materials
• Early Deadline: 25 Jul 2018
  • Individual: $250
  • Group of 2: $450
  • Group of 4: $860
  • Group of 6: $1230

ASQ Section 1302: Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) Online Primer Class

Certified Quality Engineer is a professional who understands the principles of product and service quality evaluation and control.

• CQE Course Instructor: Professor Robert Ludrick
• Course Dates: August 13 – October 7, 2018
• Course Registration Deadline: August 5, 2018
• Course Cost: $400 excluding books and other study materials
• Register for course here! http://www.asq-1302.org/education-and-training/cqe-test-prep/

ASQ Section 1302: Certified Quality Manger (CMQ/QE) Online Primer Class

• CMQ/QE Course Instructor: Professor Rick Pennington
• Course Dates: August 13 – October 7, 2018
• Course Registration Deadline: August 5, 2018
• Course Cost: $400 excluding books and other study materials
• Register for course here! http://www.asq-1302.org/education-and-training/cqe-test-prep/

Both Courses

From the cozy comfort of your home!

• Attend an Online CQE or CMQ/QE Prep course and prepare for the exam

What to Expect

• Weekly readings from the primer, handbook, test samples, and articles pertinent to CQE or CMQ/QE exam
• Weekly homework modeled after CQE exam questions.
• Weekly Discussion Board: Communicate & interact with your instructor and your classmates
• Videos that reinforce learning course concepts and the CQE body of knowledge
• Opportunity to simulate the exam: A sample version (approximately 5.5 hours) of a mock exam will be available so you can practice taking the test under timed setting.
• You must order and pay for the required Primer and other required course resources. Links and approximate cost are available at the website (shown below) . Allow 5-7 days for delivery.
• Recertification Units (RU) = 2.0 upon successful completion of course. Signed certificate will be emailed.
• Weekly Google Hangouts with instructor: optional video conferencing to ask any questions you may have.
• See Course Flyer for more information 

ASQ National Members only – Free Monthly bonus

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Jul 2018 Member Gift Bundle: Process Mapping and Improvement

Information

A picture of a process is truly worth a thousand words.

Whether you’re implementing ISO 9001, Lean Six Sigma, Baldrige, or business process management, process mapping and flowcharts play a critical role in understanding the current state of a process and its potential improvement.

The benefits of documenting and visualizing a process are numerous, including formalizing your understanding of the process to promote consistency, getting your team aligned to avoid conflicts, and revealing wasteful steps or nonvalue-adding activities to improve efficiency and the bottom line.

In this gift we are giving you lots of resources to help you realize these benefits, including two best-selling e-books on process mapping and process improvement, webcasts and videos of experts and practitioners on the topic, and process templates you can download and use today.

Overview: A Basic Overview of Process Flowcharts

ASQ’s librarian can help you find information in the Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK), which includes books, journal and magazine articles, conference proceedings, case studies, and benchmarking reports.

• When to use a flowchart
• Basic procedures for creating a flowchart
• Flowchart considerations
• High-level and detailed examples

Free Workbook: Map Your Processes, Second Edition (PDF, 112 pp)

This peerless best-seller is a hands-on, step-by-step workbook of instructions on how to create flowcharts and document work processes.

No other book even comes close in teaching practitioners these crucial techniques.

This second edition includes several new types of process maps.

While the basic, straightforward flowchart is still used, it is supplemented by many other types that serve different purposes.

All the mapping techniques have also been updated, the mapping exercise itself is put into a larger context, and organizational examples from many different industries are used throughout to help readers understand real-life applications of the material presented.

Also new is an example case study carried throughout the entire book to illustrate the construction and use of the different types of process maps.

Free E-Books: Process Improvement Simplified (PDF, 192 pp)

Process Improvement Simplified is written for leaders and managers of organizations or enterprises who:

• Are struggling with their organization’s success
• Are not satisfied with the current state
• Are striving to be number one
• Have heard about the negatives or positives of process improvement (PI) but have never implemented it

But PI is not a panacea; it takes leadership commitment and involvement, plus organizational behavior modification so that PI becomes a disciplined way of life.

It entails hard work through dealing with nitty-gritty details.

This is a how-to book with simple examples. A step-by-step method of implementing PI is presented using the example of running a restaurant business.

ASQTV Videos: provides brief introductions to quality topics, as well as tips and best practices from industry leaders and experts in the field.

• Process Architecture Map – Learn how to use a process architecture map to
  improve the process and identify lean wastes.
• Value Stream Mapping – Perhaps the most valuable lean tool is a value stream
  map, a flowchart that details every step of a process and can help pinpoint waste.
• Customer Journey Maps – Lisa Custer, Firefly Consulting, discusses how to create a customer journey map, how it becomes more than a robust voice of the customer tool, and provides a real-world example of a customer journey map in action.
• Tiered Visual Management -Bryan Krieg, Six Sigma Black Belt, Genesis HealthCare System, explains the tiered visual management process through all four tiers using line of sight metrics.

Webcasts: Process Flowcharts and Maps Webcast (WebEx, 20 min)

Dr. Jack ReVelle, quality expert and ASQ Fellow, walks through the basic elements of process flowcharts and their application to process analysis and improvement.

This is one presentation in a two-hour, seven-part series, The Seven Supplemental Quality Tools.

Bonus! Check out the rest of the tools in this series and gain RU credits:

• Supplemental Tools Overview (14 min)
• Defect Density Maps (10 min)
• Events Log (7 min)
• Data Stratification (13 min)
• Randomization (15 min)
• Process Improvement Center (11 min)
• Statistical Sampling and Sample Size Determination (28 min)

Tools and Templates: Flowchart Tool (Excel, 125 KB)

Use this downloadable Excel template to create a graphical representation of the steps in a process to better understand it and reveal opportunities for improvement.

Process Templates

We have shared them before, but just in case you missed them, here are lots of process model templates you can use to guide your process mapping efforts.

• Acme process map (Doc, 34 KB)
• Calibration process model (Doc, 37 KB)
• Corrective action process model (Doc, 34 KB)
• Customer satisfaction process model (Doc, 38 KB)
• Internal audit process model (Doc, 37 KB)
• Management review process model (Doc, 37 KB)
• Maintenance Process model (Doc, 37 KB)
• Product design and development process model (Doc, 33 KB)
• Risk assessment and mitigation process model (Doc, 30 KB)
• Shipping process model (Doc, 29 KB)

Devin McElroy a Ph.D. (candidate) at Capella University, who is a Senior ASQ Member in the Central California (0626) chapter.

For his dissertation, he is requesting your help with partipating in a Root Cause Analysis research study.

Help him with this request, the ASQ Boulder Section has posted

• Research study flyer
• Informed consent
• Qualification questionnaire

If you are interested please contact Devin McElroy directly.

– Email: dmcelroy1@capellauniversity.edu

– Mobile: 925-353-0042 (Evenings and Weekends)

Note: He has a full-time, day job and may not be available during business hours

SSD Global Scholarship to Leaner Six Sigma Green Belt Course in Jul 2018

SSD Global is offering one ASQ Member Scholarship (no cost) to its “Leaner Six Sigma Green Belt Training & Certification” course

Phase 1: (Required) Dates Jul 23 to 26, 2018 on-line, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm MDT

Additional phases are self-paced with an on-line mentor.

Course uses Dr. Stern’s copyrighted method Leaner Six Sigma (LrSS©)

To apply Email the following to Alexandra Ramsey at alex.ramsey@ssdglobal.net

With Subject: Scholarship – Leaner Six Sigma, Jul 2018 course

• Your Name, Email address, Contact Phone Number
• Your ASQ Section or Division information
• Any Lean, Agile, Six Sigma experience

ASQ National Members only – Free Monthly bonus

Download and view your bonus today

Jun 2018 Member Gift Bundle: ASQ Certification 50th Anniversary

Information

ASQ’s first certification exam was held in 1968. Now, 50 years later, ASQ has granted nearly 500,000 certifications around the world and across industries. ASQ certification is a formal recognition that an individual has demonstrated a proficiency within, and comprehension of, a specific body of knowledge.

In this gift we’re celebrating this incredible milestone with lots of resources for you, whether you’re considering a certification, preparing for an exam, or already certified and maintaining your professional requirements.

We hope you enjoy this very special gift, and thanks again for being a champion of quality.

ASQ Certification at 50  – In this video, four certification recipients discuss the importance of the certification(s) in their professional lives.

Certification: Preparation Webcasts

NEW! How to Break Into Quality Engineering – a CQE’s Personal Story  (41 minutes)

Scott Laman, an ASQ Fellow, and holder of seven certifications, shares his personal journey into quality engineering and how he’s leveraged certifications to expand his impact and influence along his progressive career path.

NEW! CMQ/OE Body of Knowledge Review and Exam Prep Webcast  (1 hour)

Grace Duffy, an ASQ Fellow, course instructor, author, and holder of six certifications, walks you through the CMQ/OE Body of Knowledge and offers tips on how to prepare for the certification exam.

Preparing for a Certification Examination Webcast (31 minutes)

Doug Wood, a CQM/OE certification preparation instructor and holder of three ASQ certifications, provides insights into successfully preparing for and passing ASQ certification exams.

Certification Tips, Tricks, and Traps Webcast (43 minutes)

In this still popular webcast, James Rooney, an ASQ Fellow, professional trainer, and holder of nine ASQ certifications, shares his tips, tricks, and traps he’s learned throughout his years of working with ASQ certification exams

Certification: Free E-Books

The Certified Quality Engineer Handbook, Third Edition (E-Book)*

This handbook can be used as a reference text for professional development. When a complete description or discussion of a topic is beyond the scope of the handbook, useful references have been included for further reading. Quality engineers will find this book to be an indispensible addition to their libraries.

The Quality Improvement Handbook, Second Edition*

This book is for anyone who wants to improve themselves and/or their organization. It is particularly salient for those at the beginning stages of learning about the history, concepts, and tools of quality.
A sample test is included, along with tables giving cross-references to the suggested reference materials as well as the BoK. Answers to the questions in the sample test are also provided.

The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Third Edition*

This handbook provides comprehensive guidance for process improvement,
describes tools and techniques to drive change, emphasizes sound management
principles that have relevance even beyond the quality field, and can be a
primer for new leaders and a go-to manual for experienced professionals.

Note: Newer editions of these e-book are are available.

Certification: Value

ASQ’s librarian can help you find information in the Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK), which includes books, journal and magazine articles, conference proceedings, case studies, and benchmarking reports.

Certifiably Valuable  – See results of ASQ’s annual Salary Survey. The complete report includes details on salaries by ASQ certification.

The Next Rung: Designing your own career ladder to reach the next level

ASQ Certification: My Competitive Advantage in a Tough Economy h

Tyler Wallace obtained CQIA and CSSBB certifications to jumpstart his career in healthcare. Within a period of two years, he received two promotions and tripled his salary.

 Certification: Getting Started

Certification Journey: Your 8-Step Guide

A great place to start your certification journey is with this short video guide produced by our ASQTV team. In it you’ll learn the eight steps to getting certified, from making the decision to implementing what you’ve learned to become a change agent and process improvement master in your field.

H3 Certification: Handbooks

These handbooks can be taken into the exam with you to research questions! Not sure which is right for you? Enjoy free downloadable (PDF) sample chapters and peruse their first chapters, tables of contents, and indexes.

• The ASQ Auditing Handbook, Fourth Edition
• The Certified Quality Technician Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Software Quality Engineer Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Supplier Quality Professional Handbook
• The Certified Quality Engineer Handbook, Fourth Edition
• The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, Third Edition
• The Biomedical Quality Auditor Handbook, Third Edition
• The Certified Quality Improvement Associate Handbook, Third Edition
• The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Fourth Edition
• The Certified Reliability Engineer Handbook, Third Edition
• The Certified Pharmaceutical GMP Professional Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Quality Process Analyst Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt Handbook 
• The Certified HACCP Auditor Handbook, Third Edition
• The Metrology Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Quality Inspector Handbook, Second Edition
• The Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt Handbook

Certification: Local Section and Online Study Groups

Students that have passed the exam often cite finding or creating study groups as critical to their success, as a means to add positive support and accountability to their study regimen.

Whether you use your local ASQ chapter to create a live meetup study group or an online networking tool such as LinkedIn, there’s no doubt that meeting peers working toward a common goal can make the difference between success and failure.

Go here to connect with your local section or

Check out ASQ’s LinkedIn group for existing online groups:

Certification: Free Sample Exams With Past Test Questions

Take an interactive sample exam  to receive additional feedback on the questions that appear in the sample exam.

Print out the paper-and-pencil sample exam f (PDF, 695 KB) of the CMQ/OE in this example, to see the actual test format, including instructions and test questions from past exams.

ASQ National Members only – Free Monthly bonus

Download and view your bonus today

May 2018 Member Gift Bundle: ASQ Member Resources

Information

DID YOU KNOW that you have access to nearly 40,000 ASQ quality resources including articles, case studies, industry reports, tools and templates, topic introductions, free e-books, webcasts and videos, sample chapters, newsletters, and expert blogs?

With so many resources available to ASQ members, we thought it would be helpful to remind you of all the ideas, applications, and solutions you can access when you need them and where to find them. Plus, we’ve included lots of free bonuses with this gift, too!

Benefit: Peer-Reviewed Magazines and Journals

ASQ publishes Quality Progress monthly magazine, read by more quality professionals than any other magazine on quality in the world, and seven other peer-reviewed journals, covering a wide range of topics.

ASQ magazines and journals are accessible online at http://asq.org/pub/

Resource: ASQ Webcasts

We have produced over 100 webcasts that feature authors, editors, speakers, sponsors, and other subject matter experts sharing their knowledge, experiences, and lessons learned.

Member-only webcasts are featured in monthly ASQ member gift bundles and public access webcasts are posted online.

Resource: Quality Tools and Templates

Quality tools can be found in the Learn About Quality section of the ASQ website.

Templates are shared in the ASQ Member Gifts, and then added to the
online repository, which is searchable here.

Resource: ASQTV

ASQTV videos provides brief introductions to quality topics, as well as tips and best practices from industry leaders and experts in the field.

Check out the ASQTV Guide for a full list of what’s available and what’s coming soon!

Resource: ASQ Newsletters

Our newsletters deliver quality-related news, feature articles, and resources to your inbox.

• Career Connection
• Standards Connection
• QP Connection
• The Insider
• Quality News Today

To access sample issues and subscribe, go the ASQ Newsletter page.

Resource: Ask the Standards Experts Blog

This blog was originally launched to provide answers to technical questions submitted by users of international and American national standards. Topics covered include any and all questions related to quality standards.

Go to the Ask the Experts website  to submit your question.

Benefit: Career Resources

ASQ offers you extensive career resources including expert articles, webcast presentations, industry reports, and a full career center with up-to-the-minute job postings.

• Career Center  – Search new jobs posted by employers looking for quality professionals like you. This is a free service for members.
• Career Connection Newsletter  – Subscribe to find solutions and opportunities that will help you grow your professional quality career and improve your workplace.
• Quality Progress Annual Salary Survey  – Read the December issue, which features the most comprehensive salary study in the quality profession. It also includes expert analysis and and advice on how to apply the lessons learned.
• Quality Progress Career Column  – Do not miss this consistent source of great tips on growing yourself professionally and advancing your career.

Benefit: Monthly Member Gift

The monthly ASQ member gifts are our way of saying thank you for championing quality around the world. Each gift bundle covers a specific topic of interest to quality professionals and includes exclusive content for members only.

ASQ member gifts are emailed to you at the first of each month and the most current edition can always be accessed at asq.org/membership/members/gift/index.html

ASQ National Members only – Free Monthly bonus

Download and view your bonus today

Apr 2018 Member Gift Bundle: ISO AND Auditing

Information

Whether it is internal operations, ISO 9000 compliance, or supplier management, auditing plays a key role in ensuring systems are not only optimized for meeting output goals, but also improving to stay competitive in the marketplace and innovative when delivering on customer needs.

Toward these ends, we are sharing resources on auditing for ISO 9000 and beyond, including auditing and ISO 9001 videos, new webcasts, a complete free e-book on ISO 9001:2018, as well as additional articles, tools, and templates.

We hope this gift bundle prepares you for ISO 9001 transition and your next continuous improvement challenge.

Complete E-Books and Webcasts

Cracking the Case of ISO 9001:2015 for Manufacturing, 3rd Edition e-book (PDF, 298 pp)

This guide helps you participate in creating and sustaining a foundation of integrity, meet requirements and customer expectations, and support robust processes, to the advantage of everyone in the organization and to each of its customers.

It provides a simplified explanation of the clauses of ISO 9001:2015, including:

• What’s required
• Why to do it
• Implementation tips
• Questions to ask to assess conformity

Also included is a chapter that summarizes the key differences with past editions of ISO 9001.

Bonus – ISO 19011 – The Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems is Changing – Who Cares? (Webex or MP4 37 min)

Denise Robitaille, the chair of the ISO/PC302 – the project committee for the update to the ISO 19011:2018 guidelines for auditing management systems – shares the major changes you can expect to see in the upcoming revision and why you and your organization should not only care, but prepare for it.

Bonus – Webcasts on Auditing and ISO

• Advanced Quality Auditing Webcast (MP4, 64 min – Download slides, PDF)
• Improving Your QMS Webcast (WebEx or MP4, 35 min)
• The Art of Integrating Strategic Planning, Process Metrics, Risk Mitigation, and Auditing (WebEx or MP4, 26 min – Download slides, PDF)
• Auditing Basics (WebEx or MP4, 54 min)
• Auditing Process-Based Quality Management Systems (WebEx, 126 min)
  • Part 1: An Introduction to Auditing (WebEx or MP4, 62 min – Download slides, PDF)
  • Part 2: Conducting the Audit (WebEx or MP4, 63 min – Download slides, PDF)

 

ASQTV: Videos

ISO 9000 and Audits 

This episode explores the ISO 9001 series, audits, and how you can prepare for both.

The Ins and Outs of Quality Auditing

Auditing expert and ASQ Fellow Dennis Arter shares tips and advice for auditors and auditees.

Transitioning: Advantages, Expected Investment, and Advice

Robert Freeman discusses transitioning to ISO 9001:2015, including advantages, expected time and money investments.

Standards and Auditing

Learn how to identify, categorize and act on risks – vital skills for organizations transitioning to ISO 9001:2015. Also learn how audits can be conducted virtually.

Auditing Checklist and Templates

How to Audit ISO 9001:2015 – A Handbook for Auditors (Appendix)

Like many of ASQ’s Quality Press books, this new handbook for auditors contains appendices with great bonus resources:

• Assessment Reports
• Audit Plans
• Opening Meeting Checklist
•  Risk Sampling Sheet
• Audit Reports
• Process Analysis Worksheet
• Confidential Assessment report
• Opportunities for Improvement Worksheet
• Corrective Action Request
• Closing Meeting Checklist