ASQ 2007 World Conference on Quality and Improvement

Sorry for not blogging last night. I could not get on the internet, and I was so tired that I just gave up trying. I tried again this morning with no luck, so that was that.

Some of the sessions I attended included a session on disaster planning and business continuity (I was the moderator), supply chain management, and some sessions related to the biomedical industry. Although I missed the opportunity to get a free book from Paton Press, I decided to purchase one and still was able to get Craig Cochran's signature. I am a fan of his letters from Hopeulikit, Georgia, so it was great to not only meet him, but have the opportunity to spend a few minutes chatting and get his signature. I forward his stories to coworkers throughout the organization. I was also able to get a copy of ISO Lesson Guide 2000: Pocket Guide to Q9001:2000 to send to a coworker in Thailand and have it autographed by both of the authors.

Tuesday evening finished up with the President's Reception followed by the Banquet, and of course more hospitality suites. The dancing at the Banquet was fun as always, with a wide variety of music, and some songs I had never heard before. I turned into a pumpkin early, and even got to sleep earlier than usual because of the technical difficulties with my computer. Someone must have known that I needed more sleep.

This morning went very quickly with a session on "Flawless Execution at the Speed of the Customer" (my second moderator session), and a fascinating closing keynote by Stephen Hacker based on his book about the Wild Dogs of Africa. I also ran into my friend Steve, and got to help with taking down the Biomedical Division booth. Of course, I think I may have been in the way more than I was a help, but it was fun.

With that, the conference ended and I am now in Tamarac, FL visiting my mom! I hope that you have enjoyed our blog. I have certainly enjoyed being able to share the details of the conference. It made me much more aware of all of the details of the event, and it was a factor in helping expand my network. I look forward to seeing you in Houston next year.

Aimee Siegler

p.s. I will try to get my photos up and get a link posted tomorrow if I have the chance.

Posted by Aimee Siegler at 08:33 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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by Dennis Arter

Jim Carroll talked about the future and how it is changing our profession. Although he didn't use the words, he presented Kurzweil's Law of Accelerating Returns, where technologies are doubling in power every year. He gave several examples of this accelerating change:
- 65% of today's six-year olds will work in a job that doesn't presently exist,
- half of the technical knowledge a freshman engineering student learns will be obsolete by the time that student graduates,
- many of today's products have six-month life cycles

The second half of his talk focused on five effects of this rapid change:

1. Idea instantaety, where news travels around the world in minutes (and bad news travels even faster),
2. Scientific rapidity, where we have less available time to assess quality due to ever increasing complexity,
3. Hyperconnectivity, which can result in exponential risk several layers down the supply chain,
4. Workforce risk, where today's employees have different reward drivers,
5. Volitility, where everything seems to be moving and changing

Jim closed by suggesting that we need to

Observe everything around us.
Think about the changes.
Change how we approach a task.
Dare to experiment with something new.
Banish fear and disincentives.
Try new things.
Question the established ways.
Grow your knowledge base.
Do something new.
Enjoy the ride!

Today marks my last day at the conference. Tomorow, I am teaching auditing classes north of here by Universal City, for the rest of the week.

Dennis Arter, WorldCon blogger

Posted by Dennis Arter at 08:24 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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by Dennis Arter

The Head of ISO, Alan Bryden, gave us a thought-provoking perspective on standards. The management system standards (MSS) are all coming together under the flag of "sustainable development."

Here's how it works.

Think of an overlapping bubble diagram with three bubbles.

The first bubble is Social Equity. Inside this bubble are standards on
- consumer protection
- worker protection
- occupational health and safety
- homeland security
- fair trade
- ethics and labor

The second bubble is Environmental Integrity. Inside this bubble are standards on
- environmental management
- life cycle and green labeling
- climate change
- energy efficiency
- renewables
- soil, air, and water quality

The third bubble is Economic Growth. Inside this bubble are standards on
- internet technology
- quality management
- trade facilitation
- e-business
- emergent economies
- finance

They all come together in the middle, giving us Sustainable Development.

 

Dennis Arter, WorldCon blogger 

Posted by Dennis Arter at 06:05 AM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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Dennis Arter taught me in his auditing class that in order to establish a fact, you have to have corroborated evidence. This could be through interview/conversation, documents, records, etc. Last night, I heard some rumors that I did not believe to be true, so I wanted to share that information with you.

Rumor one: Roberto Saco is Mike Nichol's business parter. FALSE. Both Roberto and Mike USED TO work for Amex. However, Mike left Amex before he started on the board, and Roberto had already left Amex by the time he was selected by the nominating committee. Evidence: Conversation with Roberto and Mike, business cards. Roberto is a principal for Aporia Advisors, Mike is a principal for Nichols Quality Consultants.

Rumor two:Roberto Saco co-authored Mike's Six Sigma book. FALSE. Roberto is mentioned in the book on Six Sigma for Financial Services, however, both books are co-authored by Rowland Hayler. Evidence: Conversation with Roberto and Mike, ASQ website.

It is easy to be critical when one is not satisfied with the results in an election. However, we need to remember that even when we do not agree, that in itself is not evidence that the process is broken.

Posted by Aimee Siegler at 11:08 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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Today was another busy day. Did I get everywhere that I wanted to? No. Did I find value in where I went? Absolutely.

The day started with the opening session. Unfortunately, I was too tired to sit in a dark room, so after 9, I walked over to the exhibit hall and started walking around. I also got a chance to get a book personally autographed by Denise Robitaille (for free!) from Paton Press. Then I got to spend some time with my friend Eric, who promised I could get my picture taken in the BMW at the automotive division booth. Eric also convinced me to go see the featured speaker, Dan Korem, talk about Profiling. I had planned to attend a session on periodicals writing that overlapped it. While I was interested in the writing session, I am glad that I went to see Dan speak. I also purchased his book on profiling. I think that I can use his tools to try to improve the performance on some of the teams that I work on. The conference sessions I attended were on the Baldrige criteria, and supplier management.

After that things got a little crazy. The ECD had an after 5 session - I got to present about the RoHS technical committee, followed by a mad dash from the other end of the OCCC to the Rosen Center Hotel for a meeting of the research committee at the Executive Rountable Reception. Then, it was time for the Biomedical and FD&C joint dinner at Sleuths. We got to see the Squire's Inn. I won't tell you whodunnit, but perhaps Danny Whelan can tell you.

I mentioned last night that ASQ friendships really meant a lot to me. Today was a day that really highlighted that for me. I feel really lucky to have made the friendships I have here. However, what really means the most is that I have made friends that won't disappear when the conference is over. Perhaps lack of sleep is making me somewhat sentimental, but at a conference on quality, I don't want to mention quality of life. Friendship is a big component in that equation.

Posted by Aimee Siegler at 10:04 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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Today was a very long day. Of course, some of it is self-inflicted (I stayed up way past my bedtime), however, there was a lot going on today. The morning started at 6:30am with the second part of the ideas to action gathering. There was a lot of great sharing. I had the opportunity to meet Sylvia Garcés Soria, and she said that she would blog on the conference on her Spanish blog - mission accomplished. At the end we had to make a committment to do something before the next meeting in the fall - I committed to share the "good" stuff from WCQI and the rest of my trip with my home section, and to continue blogging after the conference.

After lunch with the Lean Enterprise Division (I learned that Cliff Moser is a surfer dude), I got to attend some division meetings. I went to Lean Enterprise, EED and ECD. Lean Enterprise is looking at pairing up with the Six Sigma Forum for a conference. EED discussed the need for better control and understanding of their conference planning. ECD is working on documenting their BoK.

The annual meeting was next. I was disappointed to discover so few members had voted. Approximately 4,600 members voted. Dennis alreay blogged the presentation itself since he beat me here again tonight.

The conference opening reception was fun and filled with pirates. I got to see Michael Dreikorn from the Aviation, Space and Defense Division. I met him at the reception at my first conference in Philadelphia. I must have looked totally lost, and he took pity on me and had a conversation with me that evening in Philly. I didn't even go to the annual meeting that year because I thought it was not for people like me. It was nice ot see him again. Next was the certification board reception followed by a visit to the FD&C suite. It was a very full evening to cap a very full day.

One thing that we discussed at the cert. board reception was ASQ and friendships. I feel lucky to have the friendships I do within ASQ. The networking is important, especially since it leads to the exchange of information. The training is important, since it helps me do my job better. However, the thing that I have come to value the most is the friendships. I hope that this is something that you too can find within ASQ.

Aimee Siegler

Posted by Aimee Siegler at 11:23 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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Annual Business Meeting
by Dennis Arter

We started off with a presentation by our representatives in Washington, DC. Even though they continually referred to our Washington Presence, As a resident of the State out West, I knew they really meant the lesser location -- DC. We are working with legislators and agency people in Education (no Child Left Behind), FEMA (disaster planning), and Food Safety (recent contamination and recalls).

Ron Atkinson presented the State of the Society:

- External Communications: We are working in Washington, DC, and providing information to various media outlets. Rumer has it tomorrow's USA Today will have an article on us.
- Membership: We have finally turned the corner and membership numbers are increasing after nine years of decline. We are presently at 93,000 members. We were also told that membership renewal is highly dependent on Section and Division satisfaction.
- Body of Knowledge: We continue to acquire, provide, and share our jewels with others.
- Education and Training: We are studying how to better provide what is really wanted.
- Internal Communications: Our Friday Fast Facts to member leaders has been well received.
- Markets: We continue to emphasize healthcare (6 sigma and Baldrige), service (federal government), and education (higher education).
- Management of the Society: We are applying the quality tools to the operations at Headquarters and were awarded the Mastered Level of the Wisconsin Forward Award.

Elections were announced and all candidates presented by the nominating committee won.

The Financial and Membership report shows that membership is increasing and the financial condition is quite good. An interesting fact: 1/4 of the revenue comes from Sections, 1/4 from Divisions, and 1/2 from Headquarters.

Dennis Arter, WorldCon blogger

Posted by Dennis Arter at 09:01 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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Blogging Conversations
by Dennis Arter

Over the past several days, I have shared information about this blog with my colleagues. I mention how Will, Aimee and I are trying to share the sights, sounds, smells, and thoughts associated with this event. We know that most of our readers cannot be here, but some can.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the Division and Section member leaders were to start blogging about what they are doing to make your ASQ association better, fuller, and more rewarding?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear about the thoughts, pressures, and successes of our headquarters staff managers through a blog?

Blogs shouldn't be limited to single events like this. They are a powerful communication tool, for use throughout the year.

Now, you already know this, because you are reading this entry. I know this, because I am writing to you. But we have so many colleagues that are mystified by this communication tool. When I mention this blog, their eyes glaze over.

Let's help them to understand that it doesn't have to be scary.

Posted by Dennis Arter at 08:16 PM | Comments (0) | Send to a Friend

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