This is an edited blog repost by the author. Following the WCQI conference, it seemed like a good addition to the site. If we met at the conference, I hope it was as fun for you as it was for me.
What's the big deal?
Some of you reading this are part of the ASQ organization. They offer a wealth of quality resources, certification, and other useful tools for quality professionals. I will spend this episode talking about how the ASQ is a great organization for those who are looking for help with quality in their organization. Oh yeah, not a sponsored episode, I am an ASQ member, so it seemed useful to share why I find it valuable. I’ll go over a few areas I think are most impactful. I personally maintain the CQE, CQA, CSQP and I’ve also got the SSGB certification. I’m working to actually passing the CRE exam and after that I will push on getting my CQM/OE certification.
Good Reasons
Certifications: for those who aren’t aware, ASQ maintains a batch of quality related certifications for different quality roles. These serve as indicators of professional expertise and proficiency. Some certifications are difficult to achieve, others can be had with a good weekend study session. All of their testing for the certifications are, to my understanding, open-book, which is nice. This doesn’t make the hard tests easier, trust me. Certifications, other than an indication you are awesome at a quality area also expose you to new information. You are presented with new perspectives of quality systems as you prepare for the test. The whole arrangement is quite useful and I have seen quite a few newly minted inspectors gain real appreciation for the mechanisms behind the AQL sampling structures, or how value stream mapping works.
References:
The books and references for the certifications are a huge benefit to the organization and the people in it. My CQE book is full of sticky notes, tabs, hand-written notes, and all manner of other doodles to add or extrapolate on a section. The books are full of history, which can be a big help when explaining why a sampling plan is the way it is, or how you came by the idea for a KPI system. There are test prep books too, though mostly for the more math heavy certifications. Youtube, of course, has a bunch of prep videos as well. Even if you don’t intend to get a certification, the CQE book is worth its price simply to have the reference in the office. A good quality manager would be well served with a copy in the bookshelf. The monthly magazine, Quality Progress, is generally a good read. I keep all of mine at work, and go through the pile once a year and toss anything I can’t see an immediate use for. I have used the magazine to contribute directly to at least three different projects. I am very pleased with the extra $10 to my annual membership for the reference materials.
Community:
ASQ includes local chapters with frequent meetings to cover quality topics. These groups provide networking and growth opportunities. You would be surprised at the diversity of professions where quality is important enough to have people get into the organization.
ASQ also holds conferences. Some of them are huge. Their world conference is annual and it is very large, I hope to speak at the event in Milwaukee next October (2024), if they will have me. The various technical communities hold specific conferences throughout the year, you should look into one.
Leverage what is provided
ASQ includes many side benefits. The community side is possibly the biggest selling point for me. I am on a mission to help people and the relationships I've built through ASQ help me do so every day. The geographic and technical communities both offer different yet compelling resources. Collaboration is the name of the game and you will find all sorts of volunteers who will help you. I mentioned conferences AND there are myriad online webinars and virtual meetups. Just dig around myASQ (if you are a member) and you will discover something you find useful.
So if you are on the fence about ASQ in your organization, by all means, keep looking into it. I think at least grabbing a few of the books is valuable, and they will pay for themselves over time if you have use for them.