ASQ 2008 World Conference on Quality and Improvement

Some highlights of the days events included Board Member Satisfaction, reviews of ASQ's performance to Business Plan and Financial Status for year to date FY 07-08 (which ends June 30, 2008) and approval of the Business Plan and Budget for FY 08-09.

Kay Kendall, Director at Large presented the results of the last board satisfaction survey (from the Feb 2008 BoD meeting).  She reported the BoD is looking toward continual improvement of the BoD.  Additionally, Kay reported that the dynamics of the board operation have improved over the past several years in which this activity has been undertaken.

 Kay Kendall

Kay went on to advise all BoD members that if some issue arises during the BoD meeting that can be addressed or corrected during the meeting it should be raised at that time and not wait for the surveys to be completed.  The info should also be included in the survey so as not to be lost.

Brian LeHouiller reported onthe status of ASQs performance to date with regard to the 07-08 Business Plan.

 Brian LeHouiller

Chris Bauman presented ASQs year to date financial status.

 Chris Bauman

Most of the day was spent addressing the FY 08-09 Budget and Business Plan.  A new approach was taken this year to make this process more effective and dynamic.  First we tackled the issue of the Business Operating Budget.  With that completed, we moved on to address 6 key Essential Activities from a budgetary perspective.  These activities included:

• Global Transformation
• Education and Training Initiative
• Quality Body of Knowledge (Q-BoK)
• Awareness / Cause
• Community
• Social Responsibility

Once these budgetary items wereaddressed and approved, then we moved on to address and approve the business plan that will utilize the budget to make these activities happen.

Several significant items that were also brought up were:

1. Introduction of a new web site targeted toward Social Responsibility.  www.TheSRO.org will launch this coming week at WCQI;
2. A new financial management system is in the process of being implemented at ASQ HQ.  This enhanced version of the currently used J.D. Edwards software is a web enabled system.  It will be launched by HQ by July 1, 2008 and bring both RABQSA and ANAB on board by Dec 31, 2008.  Divisions will roll into the system during FY 08-09 with a plan to integrate Sections into the system during FY 09-10.  For those member units that have been requesting an centralized web-based vesin of Quickbooks, this is believed to be the system that allow for improved financial management at the member unit level.