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About the Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK®)


To meet the knowledge and professional development needs of the quality community, ASQ offers the Guide to the Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK®), Version 2.0. Originally published in 2009 and updated in 2015, this guide contains:

QBOK Guide
  • Definitions and background for the QBOK activity
  • The framework of topics that make up the QBOK
  • Process models for QBOK development activities
  • Information about how you can participate in developing and distributing information on quality

Download the Guide to the Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK®) Version 2.0 (PDF)

The QBOK Framework


Since the 2009 publication of the Guide to the Quality Body of Knowledge, the framework of topics has been updated to reflect the changing needs of the quality community. Chief among the changes made for version 2.0 is stronger focus on innovation.

 

View the QBOK framework, version 2.0

The QBOK Management System

QBOK Stewardship ModelA strategic management system based on ASQ's stewardship for quality knowledge helps ensure the vitality, reliability, and accessibility of the QBOK. 

 

The Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK®) Framework of Topics

The journey begins with base quality competency. Individual processes, skills, and quality philosophy form the underpinning for the rest of the journey.

Improving enterprise systems and increasing quality in all aspects of an organization then prepare the way for a focus on sustainability and holistic living. A quality mindset adds rigor to creativity, innovation, and social responsibility, and quality becomes integrated into movements, not just organizations and communities.

Although not all topics in the framework can be listed here, a more detailed look at some of the topics at the highest levels follows.


I. Pursuit of Personal Excellence
  1. Pursuit of Personal Excellence
    1. Personal knowledge, skills, and abilities
      1. Personal vision and purpose
      2. Life planning and fulfilling a specific life purpose
      3. Personal enjoyment and satisfaction in personal/professional life
      4. Commitment and accountability
      5. Self-knowledge and self-assessment
      6. Prioritizing and time management
    2. Interpersonal and social skills
      1. Emotional intelligence (EQ)
      2. Verbal and written communication skills
      3. Listening skills
      4. Persuasion/influence skills
      5. Conflict resolution skills
    3. Professional development
      1. Leadership training, evaluation, and skill demonstration
      2. Continuing education
      3. Professional certification
    4. Underlying quality philosophies
      1. Personal improvement
      2. Seeking mutually beneficial solutions
      3. Quality of decisions—data, emotions, values, decision-making approaches
      4. Error awareness and prevention
^ View more Framework of Topics.
II. Pursuit of Operational Excellence
  1. Pursuit of Operational Excellence
    1. Process management and improvement
      1. Continual process improvement
      2. Engineering economics
      3. Activity-based costing (ABC)
      4. Trend and pattern analysis
      5. Creative problem solving
      6. Lean
      7. Theory of constraints
      8. Process standardization
      9. Risk analysis and management
      10. Value engineering
      11. Statistical process control
      12. Process capability
      13. Root cause analysis
      14. Six Sigma
      15. Systems thinking
    2. Quality management principles
      1. Quality assurance
      2. Quality control
      3. Quality analysis
      4. Quality planning
      5. Quality improvement
      6. Economic case for quality
      7. Cost of quality/cost of poor quality
    3. Quality management tools
      1. Seven fundamental quality tools
      2. Management and planning tools
      3. Process improvement tools
    4. Quality assurance approaches
      1. Measurement systems/metrology
      2. Evaluation approaches—inspection and testing
      3. Defect analysis and prevention
      4. Auditing
      5. System reliability
      6. Process documentation
    5. Measurement
      1. Sampling
      2. Data collection methods
      3. Statistical analysis
      4. Variation
      5. Data reliability and validity
      6. Gage repeatability and reproducibility (R&R)
      7. Calibration and standardization
      8. Qualitative assessment
      9. Survey analysis and use
    6. Standards
      1. Accreditation
      2. Certification
      3. Compliance
      4. ISO standards
      5. ANSI standards
      6. Industry standards
    7. Supply chain management
      1. Supplier identification
      2. Supplier relationship management
      3. Supplier requirements
      4. Supplier logistics
      5. Open market innovation
    8. Customer/market focus
      1. Market segmentation
      2. Customer requirements identification
      3. Quality characteristics/critical to quality
      4. Specifications and tolerances
      5. Customer relationship management
      6. Customer satisfaction management
      7. Customer loyalty management
      8. Innovation for customer value
    9. Statistical methods
      1. Data types
      2. Probability
      3. Descriptive statistics
      4. Hypothesis testing
      5. Design of experiments
      6. Modeling relationships
      7. Graphical and non-graphical tools
    10. Product/service design, development, and execution
      1. Design for manufacturability/serviceability
      2. Human factor analysis
      3. Toyota Production System
      4. Product/service liability management
      5. Innovation for solutions
    11. Project management
      1. Quality project planning
      2. Project documentation
      3. Project management tools
^ View more Framework of Topics.
III. Pursuit of Organizational Excellence
  1. Pursuit of Organizational Excellence
    1. Leadership
      1. Organizational structure
      2. Organizational culture
      3. Roles and responsibilities
      4. Change management
      5. Participative management
      6. Empowerment
      7. Reward and recognition
      8. Motivation
      9. Corporate ethics
    2. Strategic planning
      1. Vision, mission, and values
      2. Strategic planning models
      3. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis
      4. Market analysis
      5. Market differentiation through innovation
      6. Stakeholder analysis
      7. Internal capability analysis
      8. Regulatory factors
      9. Resource allocation
    3. Teams
      1. Types of teams
      2. Team development/team building
      3. Team roles and responsibilities
      4. Employee involvement approaches
      5. Facilitation
      6. Team performance improvement approaches
      7. Team performance evaluation
    4. Human-social systems
      1. Culture and diversity
      2. Social Darwinism and rigidity
      3. Human resource management
      4. Performance management
      5. Behavioral modification
      6. Human development
      7. Education and training needs analysis
      8. Instructional design and delivery
      9. Developmental planning and assignment management
      10. Communication effectiveness and efficiency
      11. Mentoring
      12. Coaching
      13. Career counseling
      14. Safety
      15. Ergonomics
    5. Infrastructure
      1. Knowledge management
      2. Technology
      3. Information systems
      4. Resource management
      5. Financial management systems
    6. Organizational analysis and assessment
      1. ISO certification
      2. Industry certifications
      3. Organizational performance measurement
      4. Benchmarking
      5. Assessment models
      6. Quality/performance excellence award criteria
      7. Comprehensive/holistic measurement systems
      8. Competitive analyses
      9. Innovative ability
    7. Quality philosophies—principles and practices
      1. Definition of quality—fitness for use, zero defects, cost to society, and other approaches.
      2. Crosby’s absolutes of quality management
      3. Shewhart cycle
      4. Deming’s 14 points
      5. Feigenbaum’s management fundamentals
      6. Ishikawa’s total quality control
      7. Kaizen
      8. Group participation approaches—quality circles and teams
      9. Juran Trilogy
      10. Taguchi methods
      11. Prevention versus detection
    8. Stakeholder Management
      1. Customers
      2. Markets
      3. Employees
      4. Suppliers and partners
      5. Communities
      6. Other stakeholders
    9. Industry specific applications
      1. Automotive industry
      2. Aviation, space, and defense industry
      3. Biomedical industry
      4. Chemical and process industry
      5. Design and construction industry
      6. Education industry
      7. Electronics and communications industry
      8. Food, drug, and cosmetic industry
      9. Government
      10. Healthcare industry
      11. Service industry
      12. Software industry
      13. Manufacturing industry
      14. Small business
^ View more Framework of Topics.
IV. Pursuit of the Quality Ideal
  1. Pursuit of the Quality Ideal
    1. Innovation
      1. The innovative organization
      2. The innovation process
      3. Innovation culture
      4. Innovation risk assessment
      5. The innovation manager
      6. Innovation techniques (including Design for Six Sigma and TRIZ)
      7. Innovation tools (including quality function deployment, Kano analysis)
    2. Transformation
      1. Four cornerstones
      2. Mindsets for performance
      3. Discontinuous creative methods
      4. Transformative coaching
      5. Transformative cycle
      6. Whole system engagement
      7. Generative dialogue
      8. Asset-based community development (ABCD)
      9. Shoji Shiba transformational case studies
    3. Social Responsibility and Sustainability
      1. People, planet, profit (triple bottom line)
      2. Business/corporate social responsibility (BSR/CSR)
      3. Community involvement and development
      4. Consumer issues
      5. Fair operating practices
      6. Human rights
      7. Labor practices
      8. Organizations and organizational government
      9. Environmental management
    4. Enterprise Risk Management
      1. Due care and due diligence
      2. Public safety and security
      3. Risk control and abatement
      4. Regulatory compliance
    5. History of quality
      1. Craftsmanship guilds
      2. Factory system/product inspection
      3. Industrial Revolution
      4. Early 20th century process control
      5. World War II, sampling inspection, and statistical quality control
      6. Total quality
      7. Quality award programs
      8. International standards
      9. Process management and improvement
      10. Beyond manufacturing
      11. Global quality
    6. Thought leaders
      1. ASQ Honorary Members
      2. Other influential contributors
      3. Influential organizations
    7. Organizational recognition awards
      1. European Foundation for Quality Management Award
      2. Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
      3. Other national quality awards/awards for excellence
      4. State and local quality awards
      5. Shingo Prize
    8. Individual recognition awards
      1. Distinguished Service Medal
      2. Crosby Medal
      3. Deming Medal
      4. Edwards Medal
      5. Feigenbaum Medal
      6. Freund-Marquart Medal
      7. Grant Medal
      8. Ishikawa Medal
      9. Juran Medal
      10. Lancaster Medal
      11. Shainin Medal
      12. Shewhart Medal
      13. Brumbaugh Award
      14. Spencer Hutchens Jr. Medal
      15. ASQ Division Awards
      16. ASQ Section Awards
^ View more Framework of Topics.

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