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AQP Connections
Words From Managing Director, Bill
Miller
 AQP is at an exciting stage in
its history. There is great interest in the AQP Body
of Knowledge. In addition, AQP is developing a new
vision to reinvent itself to better serve you and
your profession. AQP is operated on a fiscal year,
ending June 30, 2003. We have been reorganizing to
serve you better since January 2003.
State of AQP
AQP is now in the middle of its first full fiscal
year since associating with ASQ, and we see many
encouraging signs. Several AQP products are in great
demand by corporate America. We held many public
courses this fiscal year, and attendance at them has
been encouraging. Our “In-House/On-Site”
courses have been taken to organizations nationwide,
exceeding our expectations. The number of
sponsorships and exhibits at the 25th Annual
Conference also increased this year.
AQP is a membership association. AQP had more than
600 new members join this past year, but we need
more; therefore, we will be increasing our marketing
and member services this spring. Please let us know
of your associates and friends who can benefit from
AQP, and we will contact them; you also can refer
them to the AQP Web site at www.aqp.org .
The staff at AQP is very dedicated to our members.
We have three staff departments: administration,
education, and membership. Our affiliate, ASQ,
handles our customer service through their very
professional center and does a fine job.
AQP staff currently is seeking input and planning
advice from our seven standing committees. The AQP
board now comprises 11 members, led by Michael
Glowacki, president, and it has become a strategic
leadership group with many new approaches planned for
our association’s future success.
New Vision for AQP
Since the 1990s, all organizations, especially
associations, have realized they need to change to
meet the new needs of their members. The board and
staff have been working with the Vision Team, led by
Perry Payne, which completed its initial Vision
Strategic Plan in January. Additionally, this winter
almost 700 organizational leaders participated in a
survey, the Leader Vision Survey,
regarding their needs in changing times.
The results and the plan are now being analyzed
and developed further by the Vision Stakeholder
Group, whose work will continue this spring. In April
and May, the staff and committees will set priorities
for the Vision Plan, and new member services will be
launched this summer and fall.
Your Help is Requested
AQP is seeking members who wish to contribute and be
part of the new exciting future. Members are
encouraged to submit articles for The Journal for
Quality and Participation, News for a
Change, or our monthly e-mail,
InBox.
Or, perhaps you have an interest in serving on one
of our committees. Our AQP Web site at www.aqp.org
shows ways you can let us know your areas of
interest.
Thank You for Your Belief in AQP!
This spring and fall will be very exciting for AQP as
we begin to offer new products and services and to
improve your opportunity to grow your career and that
of your colleagues through AQP. Thank you for
allowing us, your AQP staff, to serve you.
Bill Miller
BILL F. MILLER joined AQP in January 2002,
bringing more than 20 years’
experience in member-driven associations. His
extensive experience began
in convention and visitors bureaus—associations
serving as sales and marketing offices for their
cities. Miller then became president of the Los
Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau. Most
recently, he served as executive vice president for
the Building Owners and Managers Association in
Orange County, CA. He also has served as public
affairs officer for the USNR and USAF.
Miller is a certified association executive (CAE). He
is a daily jogger, father of two college students,
and an active member of several civic organizations.
He can be reached via e-mail at bill@aqp.org or by calling
800-388-7393.
Team Competition Testimonial
The Boeing Company’s C-17
Program has been on a journey to involve our
employees since 1996. The Employee Involvement
Organization was formally chartered that year with
the goal of empowering our work force and building a
culture of high-performance teaming through training,
assessments, and partnerships. As a result of our
dedication to meeting this goal, the California Team
Excellence Award and AQP’s National Team
Excellence Award process are two of several
approaches we’ve used to validate our successes
since our journey started.
Our organization is entering its
fourth year in this competition, and we are thrilled
we finally made it to the national competition! In
fact, the C-17 Program has over 45 employees, from
airplane mechanics to the vice president of the C-17
Program, attending the AQP conference to cheer on and
support our three teams competing for the National
Team Excellence title.
From a project manager’s
perspective, I believe that our organization will
continue with the team application year after year
because of the volume of successes our teams have on
our program. It’s one way we can demonstrate
our commitment to continuous quality improvement;
quality is a journey, not a destination. We are proud
to be able to share those successes with you, and
with the rest of the industry!
Cathy Tran
Quality Journey Project Manager
Member-Get-a-Member Winner
Mark Stadtmueller is the winner of AQP’s
recent “Member-Get-a-Member” competition.
In addition to joining AQP himself, he sponsored four
other new members during the membership drive between
December 9, 2002, and January 31, 2003.
Stadtmueller serves as a team coordinator for
Oshkosh Truck Corporation in Oshkosh, WI. When asked
why he had chosen to join AQP, he mentioned three
benefits as his primary reasons:
- “This organization has benefited me
through the years. Through this membership I like
to think I’ve kept up on what’s new and
upcoming.
- “By attending this convention I hope to
learn new things and get ideas to further develop
my skills as a team coordinator.
- “Interaction—the networking not
only gives me energy to bring to the workplace, but
I also enjoy the opportunities to develop
relationships with like-minded
people.”
Stadtmueller won a free registration (valued at
$870) to the 25th Annual Conference in New Orleans
for his recruitment efforts. He said,
“It’s been a while since my last visit to
the convention. I’m looking forward to meeting
new people and sharing ideas. I really believe that
the investment made here for me to attend this
convention will teach me and some of my fellow
workers the real benefits of collectively working
together to achieve a goal that will benefit us
all.”
Even though the competition is over now, AQP
relies on its members to spread the word about the
benefits of belonging to the association. As we build
our membership, we expand the knowledge and
experience base that is available for interchange and
learning. AQP applications are available online at
www.aqp.org, and they include a place to enter the
name and membership number of the sponsoring
member.
Topline Results From 25th Annual
Conference
AQP’s 2003 annual conference, Jazz-Up Your
Organization’s Performance Through Teamwork,
Quality, and Integrity, was held in New Orleans
February 24-26. The keynote speaker at the opening
session was Herman Cain, who discussed why
“Leadership is Common Sense.” Cain is
chairman of Godfather’s Pizza, Inc., and has
authored three books: CEO of Self, You’re in
Charge; Speak As a Leader; and Leadership is Common
Sense.
Coach Herman Boone and Coach Bill Yoast spoke on
“Teamwork, Leadership, and Diversity”
during the final day’s keynote address. These
real-life heroes’ story inspired the hit movie,
“Remember the Titans.”
One of the most exciting aspects of each AQP
annual conference is the National Team Excellence
Award Competition. Since 1985, 660 teams from the
United States, Canada, and Mexico have participated
in this competition. Companies and organizations of
all sizes and structures enter teams that excel in
their ability to solve problems in a collaborative
manner. This year, 25 of the 26 qualifying teams
participated in the live competition.
Although the presentations of all the finalists
were outstanding, three teams earned the highest
scores from the judges:
- The Gold winner was the “Incoming
Customer Correspondence Process Improvement
Team” from Fidelity Wide Processing, Hebron,
KY.
- The “Ramp Team” from The Boeing
Company, Long Beach, CA, was named the Silver
winner.
- Another team from The Boeing Company, Long
Beach, CA, the “Shim Cell Team,” was
the Bronze winner.
Two other awards were presented during the
conference. Jennifer Powell, AQP past president, who
serves as chief of staff to a regional vice president
of customer service at Aetna, Inc., received the
prestigious President’s Leadership Award.
AQP’s Judy Gibson Volunteer Award was given to
Dr. Robert Finkelmeier, academic director, New
Ventures of Regis University, Arvada, CO.
More information on the annual conference,
including feedback from the teams involved in the
National Team Excellence Award Competition, will
appear in the May issue of News for a
Change.
AQP Begins Reorganizing for Future
In 2001, AQP affiliated with ASQ with the intent
of building a strong collaboration that would benefit
members of both associations. Since that time,
numerous assessments of AQP’s marketplace,
products and services, processes, and strengths and
opportunities for improvement have been
conducted.
In addition to restructuring its board of
directors, now under the direction of President
Michael Glowacki, a special team began working last
fall to develop a new vision, mission, and scope for
AQP. Initial recommendations are currently under
review, and board action is scheduled for May 2003.
Committees and staff members will develop aligned
strategic and tactical plans during the spring and
summer of 2003.
One of the outcomes of these efforts involves
AQP’s decision to suspend its current chapter
structure until a new community-oriented structure
can be designed that aligns with the
association’s future vision and strategies.
AQP’s managing director, Bill Miller, said,
“AQP values its chapters and their leadership.
For more than 20 years, dedicated volunteers have
worked tirelessly at the local level. Chapters have
accomplished remarkable things in the fields of
quality and participation. Unfortunately, with our
current limited staff resources, we are unable to
provide the support that the chapter approach
requires to succeed. As we work diligently to build
membership, improve our products and services, and
strengthen our position in the marketplace, we intend
to identify the best solution for supporting local
member networks and their efforts.”
Members of AQP’s board have contacted
leaders of the current active and inactive chapters,
and they have begun the steps necessary to support
this restructuring. News for a Change will
continue to provide updates as AQP moves to its
exciting and stronger future.
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