World Quality Month–A Roundup

November was World Quality Month. You can read about the event on www.worldqualitymonth.org, plus see all the resources that were compiled and sent in from around the world. It’s always great to see that kind of energy and enthusiasm from the global quality community for the practice of quality. Of course, most of us have it year-round, but it’s nice to see an extra burst of energy each November.

ASQ’s Influential Voices bloggers certainly wrote about their enthusiasm for quality this month. For example, Tim McMahon and Paulo Sampaio wrote about ways to celebrate World Quality Month. Jimena Calfa invited readers to talk about what quality means to them. David Levy wonders what needs to be done now for quality to succeed in the future.  On a slightly contrarian note, Dr. Michael Noble wondered if the quality community might be overextending itself with our events and celebrations.

Bloggers also reflected on a question from my previous post—if quality can do so much, why isn’t it being adapted faster, better, more frequently? What can we do about this? Some ideas:

Raise your voice! Don’t wait for the invite-offer your knowledge and expertise, says Don Brecken.  Nicole Radziwill advises us to focus on good business and, just as importantly, personal transformation. Bob Mitchell writes about making quality—including your ASQ section—more visible in the community. On a similar note, Aimee Siegler writes about volunteering and making connections. Anshuman Tiwari argues in favor of taking quality to different industries and demographics. Cesar Diaz Guevara writes about Ecuador’s initiatives to increase the use of quality. Deborah Mackin advises readers to use the “5P” model to fine-tune their elevator speech about the value of quality.

Educate yourself: Understanding finance and business is key for quality professionals who want to advance the field, says Daniel Zrymiak. John Priebe writes about the importance of understanding marketing concepts in raising awareness and adoption of quality. Scott Rutherford wonders why we ask the same question about quality—are there certain persistent reasons that keep quality from being adopted? Dr. Lotto Lai writes about the term “quality velocity” and how it explains the adoption of quality.

Consider the consumer (and other stakeholders): Jennifer Stepniowski writes that the consumer has the power when it comes to quality. Guy Wallace notes that we must ask “What’s in it for them” when encouraging the adoption of quality. And Dr. Robert Burney wonders if there’s a payoff for quality in healthcare. Rajan Thiyagarajan champions quality assurance over quality control.

Finally, John Hunter calls for quality organizations to make their content easily available and accessible to all. John mentions ASQ specifically, and I am compelled to note that a lot of our content is available to the public for free. I encourage you to explore ASQ’s Knowledge Center for resources, articles, case studies, and much more.