American Society for Quality

American Society for Quality (ASQ), formerly known as American Society for Quality Control (ASQC), is a knowledge-based global community of quality control experts, with nearly 85,000 members dedicated to the promotion and advancement of quality tools, principles, and practices in their workplaces and in their communities.

History

Established in 1946 and based in Milwaukee, ASQ traces its beginnings to the end of World War II, as quality experts and manufacturers sought ways to sustain the many quality-improvement techniques used during wartime. ASQ has played an important role in upholding these standards from the past while championing continued innovation in the field of quality.

In the 1980s, ASQ members began to see how quality could be applied beyond the world of manufacturing. Quality, they realized, could make a difference in any organization and touch every person in it. Because of this, the idea of quality began to morph into a much broader discipline aimed at leading, inspiring, and managing a broad range of businesses and activities, with a focus on excellence.

Quality

ASQ supports its members by providing a wide range of resources, from certification and training to publications and conferences. Globally, ASQ has formed relationships with nonprofit organizations that have comparable missions and principles, forming collaborative efforts to meet the quality needs of companies, individuals, and organizations worldwide.

The Society serves as an advocate for quality. Its members have informed and advised the U.S. Congress, government agencies, state legislatures, and other groups and individuals on quality-related topics. Since 1987, ASQ has administered the United States’ premier quality award, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which annually recognizes companies and organizations that have achieved performance excellence. The ASQ Dorian Shainin Medal is awarded annually for the Development and Application of Creative or Unique Statistical Approaches in the Solving of Problems Relative to the Quality of Product or Service. [ [http://www.asq.org/about-asq/awards/shainin.html Shainin Medal - ASQ ] ] ASQ is a founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a prominent quarterly economic indicator.

Certifications

The ASQ offers a variety of professional certifications relating to various aspects of the quality profession. Tests are given nationally and, to a limited degree, worldwide several times per year. The body of knowledge for each certification is maintained through peer review every few years on a rotating schedule.

* Quality Improvement Associate
* Quality Inspector (formerly "Mechanical Inspector")
* Quality Technician
* Calibration Technician
* Quality Auditor
* Biomedical Auditor
* HACCP Auditor
* Quality Process Analyst
* Quality Engineer, first one issued in 1968
* Software Quality Engineer
* Reliability Engineering
* Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence (formerly "Quality Manager")
* Six Sigma Green Belt
* Six Sigma Black Belt

In a 2008 press release for the 40th anniversey of ASQ's certifications, the three most popular were the engineer (CQE), followed closely by the auditor (CQA) and the Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB).

Divisions

ASQ has 24 [http://www.asq.org/forums-divisions/ divisions] on various aspects involving quality-related issues. These divisions cover specific disciplines involving quality of specific field that have members who are in quality assurance or quality control.

* [http://www.asq.org/audit Audit]
* [http://www.asq.org/auto Automotive]
* [http://www.asq.org/asd Aviation/Space & Defense]
* [http://www.asq.org/biomed Biomedical]
* [http://www.asq.org/cpi Chemical and Process Industries]
* [http://www.asq.org/cs Customer-Supplier]
* [http://www.asq.org/design Design and Construction]
* [http://www.asq.org/edu Education]
* [http://www.asq.org/ec Electronics and Communication]
* [http://www.asq.org/fdc Food, Drug, and Cosmetic]
* [http://www.asq.org/gov Government]
* [http://www.asq.org/health Healthcare]
* [http://www.asq.org/hdl Human Development and Leadership]
* [http://www.asq.org/inspect Inspection]
* [http://www.asq.org/le Lean Enterprise]
* [http://www.asq.org/measure Measurement Quality]
* [http://www.asq.org/pslp Product Safety & Liability Prevention]
* [http://www.asq.org/qm Quality Management]
* [http://www.asq.org/reliability Reliability]
* [http://www.asq.org/service Service Quality]
* [http://www.asq.org/sixsigma Six Sigma]
* [http://www.asq.org/software Software]
* [http://www.asq.org/statistics Statistics]
* [http://www.asq.org/teamwork Team and Workplace Excellence]

15 Largest ASQ Sections in the US

* [http://www.mnasq.org Minnesota Section ASQ]
* [http://www.asqchicago.org Chicago Section ASQ]
* [http://www.asqdetroit.org Greater Detroit Section]
* [http://www.asqmilwaukee.org Milwaukee Section ASQ]
* [http://www.asqatlanta.org Greater Atlanta Section]
* [http://www.asqorangeempire.org Orange Empire Section]
* [http://www.asq-silicon-valley.org Silicon Valley Section]
* [http://www.asqboston.org Boston Section]
* [http://www.asqphilly.org Philadelphia Section]
* [http://www.asqdallas.org Dallas Section]
* [http://www.asqhouston.org Greater Houston Section]
* [http://www.asqnorthjersey.org North Jersey Section]
* [http://www.asq-0704.org Phoenix Section]
* [http://www.asqraleigh.org Raleigh Section ASQ]
* [http://www.asqstlouis.org ASQ St. Louis]

ee also

* European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)
* Total Quality Management (TQM)
* Technometrics

References

External links

* [http://www.asq.org American Society for Quality]
* [http://baldrige.nist.gov/ Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program]