FAQ
GENERAL
How do I enter a team in the International Team Excellence Award Process?
Step 1
Create a 30 minute Video or DVD of your completed project and ensure that it is aligned with ASQ’s Team Excellence criteria.
Step 2
Complete the online entry form and submit payment.
Step 3
Ship 2 copies of Video/DVD, 2 hard copies of all presentation slides and the copy of the script to ASQ by December 15, 2006
Step 4
E-mail team photo and company logo to gbalagopal@asq.org by December 15, 2006
How many entries can my company send?
Each operating site may send up to 5 entries each year.
What is the entry fee?
The entry fee is $600 per entry for ASQ members and $700 per entry for non-members.
How do I pay the entry fee?
The entry fee may be paid by any of the following options:
- Online with a credit card.
- Through a wire transfer.
- Mail the entry form with a check made payable to ASQ.
- Call ASQ’s Customer Care at 1-800-248-1946 (United States and Canada only) or 414-272-8575 and mention item number TC2007.
What is the Mailing address for entry materials?
ASQ
Administrator, Team Excellence Awards
600 North Plankinton Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005
USA
What should my video or DVD cover?
It should cover a completed project with measurable results. Projects completed within the past 24 months are eligible. The presentation should also be aligned with ASQ’s team excellence criteria. All the available resources for a team to put their presentation together may be downloaded from the website, including: the Criteria, Scoring Guidelines, Criteria Detail, and a variety of previous award winning presentations.
How will the score be affected if a team uses its organization’s problem solving/process and/or improvement methodology instead of the ASQ’s team criteria?
The criteria were designed to be comprehensive, yet generic in scope and description. Therefore, there is no one methodology that must be utilized. However teams that are most successful in the competition, regardless of their team process, carefully address all sections of the criteria as specifically as possible and show where their process fits within the criteria to enable accurate judging of their effort. Again, please refer to the criteria detail and scoring guidelines documents for assistance.
Do teams also have to tell the judges what they did not do?
It is essential that teams demonstrate awareness of each criterion, and whether each was addressed. A team should explain unique circumstances that prevented it from taking action in a particular criteria area.
What materials are available to help a team prepare for the competition?
All the available resources for a team to put their presentation together may be downloaded from ASQ’s website, http://wcqi.asq.org/team-competition/index.html, including the Criteria, Scoring Guidelines, Criteria Detail, and a variety of previous award wining presentations.
Geetha Balagopal, Team Excellence Award Administrator is also available to answer any questions that teams may have and provide them with additional information/resources. She can be reached at 1-800-248-1946 x7303 or gbalagopal@asq.org
Should the video/DVD be professionally produced?
It is not necessary to have it professionally produced. However, the judges must be able to clearly see ALL the slides used in the presentation and HEAR the speaker(s).
Entries are judged on the information provided by the speakers and the slides. Important information may be missed by the judges if the speakers can’t be heard and there are slides that can’t be seen.
What should be the length of my presentation?
Teams are allowed 30 minutes to tell their story. We encourage all teams to take advantage of the full 30 minutes. However, if the presentation exceeds 30 minutes, the remaining content will not be judged.
What format should I use for my presentation video?
Your recorded presentation can be sent on VHS tape or DVD Please ensure that the video is in the NTSC format. The judging sites are in the United States and they will be unable to view videos in other formats (e.g., PAL, SECAM). Please do not send the presentation in other formats (MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, Flash, etc.); it is not recommended as this can create problems with playback.
Why do you need 2 copies of all slides used in the presentation?
The judges need to refer to the slides during scoring consensus discussion to ensure that they have not missed the information provided on the slides.
When will my entry be judged?
All video and DVD entries will be judged in January 2007 at various judging sites across the United States.
How will I know if my team successfully qualified for the final round competition?
You will receive an e-mail from ASQ on or before March 2, 2007.
FINAL ROUND LIVE PRESENTATIONS AND AWARD EVENT AT ASQ’S WORLD CONFERENCE
When can I register my team for the World Conference?
You will be able to complete an online registration form in March 2007.
Why does it have to be a competition?
Formal and informal feedback from companies, teams, and employees have consistently supported a team competition format that recognizes all successful teams, and awards special honor to all the finalists and top scoring teams that clearly demonstrate ‘best practice’ efforts.
Can a team win the gold award or one of the top 3 awards the 1st time it enters the Team Excellence Award Process?
Yes. Each team is judged solely on how well its current submission addresses all the criteria.
Are previous winners available to help new teams?
Generally winning teams are very willing to offer a limited amount of non-proprietary advice and guidance to other teams, however this is not a requirement from ASQ. The finalists’ presentations are available and may be downloaded from ASQ’s website.
Do you have site visits?
No, we do not have site visits. The presentations, featured on our website, serve as a benchmarking and learning tool.
ALIGNMENT
Are the criteria applicable for any type of team?
Yes. Any team undertaking a new project or that has successfully completed one, including “on-going” teams–e.g., problem solving, continuous improvement, reengineering, work process, new product development, etc.–can use the criteria to explain their team success story from start to finish.
How do we involve senior management in the criteria?
As stakeholders in any team project, senior management can be made aware of the criteria during the project selection phase. Their direct involvement will depend on factors such as project scope, company culture, internal team processes, and individual leader commitment. Many teams effectively involve senior management by sharing concise progress reports, inviting them to critical team meetings, and informing them of final team results. Since the Criteria are generic, each team must be responsible for building its own case for how managers need to be involved or not, and why. An explanation of the logic around your decision is suggested.
Do the criteria support other approaches like ISO, Six Sigma, Lean, Baldrige, etc.?
The team criteria are unique and not dependent on any other improvement system, but no conflicts with any of these approaches have been identified or substantiated.
PARTNER AWARD PROGRAM AND COMPANY WIDE TEAM COMPETITIONS
What is the Partner Award Program?
ASQ partners with specific organizations and companies that hold regional team showcases and send their qualified winners to the final round live competition. Please e-mail gbalagopal@asq.org for more information on the current partners, or if you are interesting in participating in the partner program.
How does the international award process differ from the partner award program?
The International Team Excellence Award process is open to all teams from around the world. The partner award program is open to teams within their respective organizations, states, or countries.
Is my company allowed to use the ASQ criteria, process, and samples for our internal competition?
Yes. ASQ is the copyright holder of the Team Excellence Criteria. To receive permission to use the criteria and materials, please e-mail gbalagopal@asq.org or call 800-248-1946 x 7303.
GENERAL CRITERIA
How are the criteria rated? Where can I find more information on the criteria and the scoring scale?
The Criteria Detail document and Scoring Guidelines document contain all the necessary information and may be downloaded from ASQ’s website http://wcqi.asq.org/team-competition/index.html
How do you adapt criteria to service organizations versus manufacturing organizations?
The criteria are not industry or sector specific and therefore do not need to be ‘adapted.’ Each criterion should be reviewed, understood, referenced, and documented as the team progresses through its project, and then specifically addressed in the team’s submission.
Should the soft side of team dynamics be explained for the criteria?
Yes, if explaining how the team reached a conclusion helps to respond to the criteria. It also adds some insight into the team dynamics and processes. The team will find that much of Criteria Number 5 addresses the team dynamics and structure, so it is an essential part of the competition.
Must every criterion be specifically addressed in the team’s presentation?
Because the teams are judged and scored on each criterion, it is expected that each individual criterion be specifically addressed (or if any criterion was not addressed by the team, justification for the deletion should be provided why not). It is understood by the judges that the level of detail provided for each criterion can vary depending on factors such as the team’s project scope and methodology used.
How do teams explain when their project started and when it ended?
Teams can explain the timeline for their project in a number of ways. One way may be in a timeline chart showing dates and key benchmarks for the conception of the project to its completion. Another means of doing this may be showing and/or explaining a basic Activity Log or Gantt Chart of the team activities from collecting and organizing data on a specific project to making the final acceptance presentation. This historical overview provides context to the team’s presentation.
JUDGING PROCESS
How is judging consistency assured?
During the preliminary round judging process, each judge scores the video/DVD presentation individually. Then the facilitator puts each judge’s score by criteria on a chart. If any score is more than one score away (i.e., one judge scores a criteria a 1 and another scores the criteria a 3), a discussion will take place until consensus is reached on that criteria point. For assistance in the discussion, the judges can and do refer to the hard copy of the presentation slides for review and clarification. Realizing that organizations have different work processes, the judges are trained to only focus on how each criterion was met not on their own perceptions.
At both the preliminary and final rounds, judges receive the same training, which was carefully developed, benchmarked, and “continuously improved” over the years. Judges are also required to complete pre-work before attending the 2 day training in January 2007. Judges’ scores are reviewed for consistency and are considered when inviting a judge for the final round competition. Additionally, recommendations are provided from the preliminary round coordinators, based on their observations of the judge’s “performance” at the preliminary level, indicating overall knowledge of the material, their ability to observe and ask relevant questions, their group process skills, etc. Final round judges undergo further review and participate in training exercises that are specifically aimed at ensuring consistent interpretation of the criteria both within and across judging panels.
How do judges balance negative and positive feedback and be consistent?
The judges are trained before and during the preliminary rounds and again at the final round live competition level on the need for feedback consistency. They are trained not to give prescriptive feedback but to give constructive feedback as it pertains to the criteria. Also, prior to the judge selection process, the background, type of organization, and size of organization are balanced to assure a well-balanced judging panel.
What is the objective of the feedback from the judges?
Feedback is the key to entering the competition. On one level it is ASQ's charge to give the best customer service available to teams. On another level, the preliminary round feedback describes how the teams met the specific criteria or how they can meet the criteria in the future. The teams that qualify for the final round competition use the preliminary round feedback to improve their presentation at the live competition. Whether the team qualifies for the final round or not, the feedback is the most important part of the Team Competition Award Process. The judging panels work hard to assure that the feedback is helpful to the teams. The desired effect is improvement for the team and their capability to contribute to their respective organization. For a sample feedback report, please visit http://wcqi.asq.org/team-competition/index.html
Is responding to the feedback the teams get from the preliminary round all that is necessary for a team to perform well in the final round live competition?
The feedback the teams receive at the preliminary round level is the key to doing better at the final round competition. However, after the feedback is received, the team must once again look at the project as a whole to make sure each criterion is achieved. Feedback from former finalist and winning teams may also be explored to gain potentially helpful insights. Please be careful in changing your presentation, as it is possible to get a lower score if the changes result in the deletion of key points that were addressed clearly in the preliminary round.
How are judges selected for the Team Excellence Award Process?
The judges are recruited for the preliminary round competition from several sources. During the year, ASQ e-mails a "call for judges" to all members and applications are received from those who are interested. Other applications come from past judges and others involved in the team competition. After an extensive application review process, some of the applicants are invited to receive training and serve as regional judges. The final round judges are selected based on their experience in judging the competition, their scoring consistency their feedback writing skills and the preliminary round site trainer’s recommendation.
What are the judges’ qualifications and training?
Judges must have team process experience as a team member, leader, or facilitator. They should be members of ASQ and active in their organization’s team process. Preferred qualifications include previous judging training experience and good feedback writing skills. The judges are trained at the preliminary judging sites and the before the final round competition.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION
What are the benefits of participation?
The tangible and intangible benefits are numerous:
Recognition is one benefit
The Team Excellence Award process is an excellent way to capture national and international recognition for an organization’s team-based improvement efforts. Past winners have received extensive press coverage and high honors both internally and externally. Several past finalists have won previous awards or used the knowledge gained from the Team Excellence Award Process to enter other prestigious competitions like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. All teams in the final round are presented with awards on the opening day and parade into the closing session on the final day. All team members receive finalist pins. Teams in the final round competition also receive a free DVD of their presentation.
Self-Assessment and improvement is another benefit
All entrants to the International Team Excellence Competition receive a Feedback Report and a Score Sheet detailing how they rated in each Team Criterion area. The Criteria provide a generic guideline for successful management of projects or work tasks, and the Feedback Report contains expert feedback on strengths as well as opportunities for improvement.
Encouraging excellence is yet another benefit
Participating in the Team Excellence process is also a superb way to promote business effectiveness and demonstrate commitment to quality and participation practices. Some of the organizations that have participated in the ASQ process conduct internal team competitions based on the ASQ Team Excellence Award Criteria. They not only improve their internal processes but also use the competition as a recognition tool by selecting their winner to participate in the international competition.
Could you provide a listing of the benefits of participation?
• Opportunity for ASQ members to be a judge
• Free resources
• Judging by consensus
• Detailed scoresheet
• Detailed feedback report
• Opportunity to qualify for final round live competition
• Self-assessment and improvement
• Attend ASQ World Conference at discounted team rate
• Meet and benchmark teams from around the world
• Recognition in publications, ASQ World Conference, Web site
• Learn and benchmark quality processes and tools
• Team finalist award
• Opportunity to become Gold, Silver, Bronze winners
• Team finalist pin
• Parade into closing session
How can teams (that enter the ASQ award process) help each other?
Teams compete against the criteria and not against each other. In this form of competition, teams are encouraged to assist other competing teams however they can. They are also assigned a “Buddy Team” at the live competition. Buddy Teams watch and cheer each other’s presentations. The ultimate goal is to encourage excellence via continuous improvement through teamwork. It is believed that this model best serves quality and participation.
What is the role of the International Team Excellence Award Committee?
The volunteer team competition committee was established in 1990 to evaluate and continuously improve the Award Process based on feedback from participating teams, judges, partners, ASQ members and other stakeholders. Project teams chartered by the committee and individual members are responsible for a multitude of tasks including: updating the Team Awards criteria and the guidelines booklet, evaluating and continuously improving the judges’ training manuals, serving as site coordinators for the regional judging process, selecting and training the ASQ judges, and serving as lead judges during the final round live competition.
For more information on the process, please contact, Geetha Balagopal, Team Excellence Process Administrator at gbalagopal@asq.org or call 800-248-1946 x 7303.
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