Some organizations just get by. While they may realize some successes over time, they often aren’t traceable to the organization’s quality management system (QMS). Other organizations can trace performance improvements to their QMSs, and therefore are able to sustain and expand upon them. Working from the tenet that performance improvement is too important to be left to chance, the authors of Unlocking the Power of Your QMS have meticulously combed the most fundamental, globally accepted quality standards and criteria, and have culled 12 principles that can serve as a foundation for mature quality management systems. Next, through an assessment by top management, the mission, vision, and business model of the organization are determined and aligned with these 12 principles.West and Cianfrani make the case that “...there is nothing an organization can do that can have more benefit than the development and deployment of its principles.” This book not only convinces you, it provides you with the guidelines you need to dramatically improve performance in your organization.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the IFIP TC 8 International Conference on E-Government and E-Services, EGES 2010 and the IFIP TC 8 International Conference on Global Information Systems Processes, GISP 2010, held as part of the 21st World Computer Congress, WCC 2010, in Brisbane, Australia, in September 2010. The 12 revised full papers presented at EGES were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on interoperability, participation, adoption and diffusion, back-end transformation, and new applications. The 6 revised full papers presented at GISP were carefully reviewed and selected from 13 submissions. They are organized in two parts: global case studies on process design issues with four papers covering the contextual settings of Singapore, Kuwait, Finland and South Africa, and globalized process design with two papers dealing with the demands of large scale process models and a process design project covering two continents.

ASQ’s Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification is designed to introduce the basics of quality to organizations and individuals not currently working within the field of quality. This book and the Body of Knowledge (BOK) it supports are intended to form a foundation for further study and application of proven quality principles and practices worldwide. The book follows the CQIA BoK in both content and sequence. The intent is that this book will serve as a guide to be used in preparation to take the CQIA examination given by ASQ. Each chapter stands alone, and the chapters may be read in any order. Some material reaching beyond the content of the BoK has been added. Supplemental reading suggestions are provided. An online, interactive sample exam and a paper-and-pencil sample can be found on the ASQ website (http://asq.org/cert/quality-improvement-associate/prepare).

The ASQ Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification introduces the basics of quality to organizations and individuals who are new to quality. This book, and the Body of Knowledge (BoK) it supports, form a foundation for applying proven quality principles and practices that are used around the world. This handbook follows the CQIA span in both content and sequence. Let it serve as your guide in preparing for the ASQ CQIA examination, and refer to it frequently as you learn and implement these ideas and tools in your organization.

This handbook is a comprehensive reference source designed to help professionals address organizational issues from the application of the basic principles of management to the development of strategies needed to deal with the technological and societal concerns of the new millennium. The content of this fourth edition has been revised to reflect a more current global perspective and to match the updated Body of Knowledge (BoK) of ASQ’s Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE). In order to provide a broad perspective of quality management, this book has specifically been written to address: • Historical perspectives relating to the evolution of particular aspects of quality management, including recognized experts and their contributions • Key principles, concepts, and terminology relevant in providing quality leadership, and communicating quality needs and results • Benefits associated with the application of key concepts and quality management principles • Best practices describing recognized approaches for good quality management • Barriers to success, including common problems that the quality manager might experience when designing and implementing quality management, and insights as to why some quality initiatives fail • Guidance for preparation to take the CMQ/OE examination. Organized to follow the BoK exactly, throughout each section of this handbook the categorical BoK requirements associated with good quality management practices for that section are shown in a box preceding the pertinent text. These BoK requirements represent the range of content and the cognitive level to which multiple-choice questions can be presented. Although this handbook thoroughly prepares individuals for the ASQ CMQ/OE exam, the real value resides in post-exam usage as a day-to-day reference source for assessing quality applications and methodologies in daily processes. The content is written from the perspective of practitioners, and its relevance extends beyond traditional product quality applications.

This handbook is a comprehensive reference designed to help professionals address organizational issues from the application of the basic principles of management to the development of strategies needed to deal with today’s technological and societal concerns. The fifth edition of the ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook (CMQ/OE) has undergone some significant content changes in order to provide more clarity regarding the items in the body of knowledge (BoK). Examples have been updated to reflect more current perspectives, and new topics introduced in the most recent BoK are included as well. This handbook addresses: • Historical perspectives relating to the continued improvement of specific aspects of quality management • Key principles, concepts, and terminology • Benefits associated with the application of key concepts and quality management principles • Best practices describing recognized approaches for good quality management • Barriers to success, common problems you may encounter, and reasons why some quality initiatives fail • Guidance for preparation to take the CMQ/OE examination A well-organized reference, this handbook will certainly help individuals prepare for the ASQ CMQ/OE exam. It also serves as a practical, day-to-day guide for any professional facing various quality management challenges.

Quality accreditation in higher education institutions (HEIs) is currently a buzzword. The need to maintain high-quality education standards is a critical requirement for HEIs to remain competitive in the market and for government and regulatory bodies to ensure the quality standards of programs offered. From being an implicit requirement that is internally addressed, quality assurance activities become an explicit requirement that is regularly audited and appraised by national and international accreditation agencies. HEIs are voluntarily integrating quality management systems (QMS), institutional and program-specific, in response to the political and competitive environment in which it exists. Through its higher education department or by creating non-profitable accreditation bodies, many governments have implemented a quality framework for licensing HEIs and invigilates its adherence based on which accreditation statuses are granted for HEIs. Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions provides a comprehensive framework for HEIs to address quality assurance and quality accreditation requirements and serves as a practical tool to develop and deploy well-defined quality management systems in higher education. The book focuses on the critical aspects of quality assurance; the need to develop a concise and agile vision, mission, values, and graduate attributes; and to develop a system that effectively aligns the various activities of the HEI to the attainment of the strategic priorities listed in the institutional plans. The chapters each cover the various facets of the quality assurance framework and accreditation agencies' requirements with practical examples of each. This book is useful for HEI administrators, quality assurance specialists in HEIs, heads of academic departments, internal auditors, external auditors, and other practitioners of quality, along with stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in quality assurance and accreditation in higher education.

In today’s competitive environment, it’s no longer enough to satisfy your customers. To sustain success, you must meet the needs and expectations of all relevant interested parties of your organization. The journey is a process in which those needs and expectations are inputs, and sustained success is the output. To transform the inputs into sustained success, the organization must establish and implement the right processes. This represents ‘what’ must be done. The organization also must ensure that it has the behaviors and competences needed to maintain these processes, representing ‘how’ things should be done. This book covers both the ‘what’ and ‘how’ aspects of achieving sustained success and is a guide for top managers ready to embark on this journey. The chapters serve as a sequential checklist that elaborates on the key elements of the process, with each element building on the next as readers are guided through their journey.