Latest ASQ Washington Meetings Yield Positive Results
Positive results emerged from meetings in Washington, D.C., between ASQ representatives and officials at the OMB’s Performance Improvement Council and officials at the U.S. Department of Energy.
ASQ and the OMB (Office of Management and Budget) discussed how ASQ can assist the OMB in its performance management work.
The meeting on March 25 opened up several options for ASQ to pursue with the agency. The OMB officials expressed interest in having ASQ conduct training on two levels for various federal employees.
- Quality 101-type training for a broad range of personnel involved in OMB’s Performance Improvement Council
- More advanced training for senior staff who serve as project leaders for OMB’s high-priority performance goals
The OMB officials at the meeting were Daren Wong, program examiner at OMB; Shelley Jones, lean facilitator at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Peter Russelburg, lean Six Sigma program manager for the General Services Administration.
Representing ASQ were Kay Kendall, chair of ASQ’s Public Policy Advisory Council; Paul Borawski, executive director and chief strategic officer; and Bill Sellery and Amy Kohler of Sellery Associates.
The training proposal awaits approval by Shelley Metzenbaum, OMB associate director for performance and personnel management. Discussions are also underway on ways ASQ can help OMB form communities of people interested in advancing performance improvement in the federal government.
| ASQ discussed quality training and other topics with members of a performance improvement working group at OMB. The meeting took place March 25 at the White House Conference Center in Washington. Pictured (l-r) are Shelley Jones, lean facilitator at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Peter Russelburg, lean Six Sigma program manager for the General Services Administration; and Daren Wong, program examiner at OMB. |
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ASQ to Share Knowledge of Lean Methods with Department of Energy Officials
At the meeting at the Department of Energy, ASQ was invited to conduct a learning session on lean methods and value-added process improvement. Training for a group of six to eight department officials will take place on April 19.
The request to ASQ came from David Abercrombie, assistant director for performance management, in the meeting on March 24 with Kay Kendall, ASQ Board member and chair of the ASQ Public Policy Advisory Council; Michelle Mason, ASQ managing director; and Amy Kohler of Sellery Associates.
This development comes as a result of discussions between ASQ and the department taking place over the last several months. The discussions concern ways that ASQ can assist the department in various strategic planning and performance management activities.
