The process of writing and speaking is a core part of the Quality profession. Only through these activities can we truly contemplate and learn from our accomplishments to propel us forward to new heights.
There are some great speaking opportunities for folks around the Boston area coming up:
BOSCON is November 6 and 7th and is looking for speakers. I’m a huge fan of this regional convention and strongly recommend it. Submissions are due August 15th, 2023.
The ASQ’s Quality Innovations Summit (formerly the Quality 4.0 Summit) is September 19–21 in Boston, MA with a theme of “Innovations and Future Trends for Excellence.” Submission deadline is June 9th, 2023, with more information here.
I’m quite happy to help coach potential new speakers, both in the development of your proposal and in your presentation.
ASQ WCQI starts with Member Leader Day, the one time a year when we actually get the chance to get a large group of member leaders together.
The ASQ continues to grapple with demographics, and I would love to see the demographics of this group of member leaders. Given that 76% of member leaders joined between 1970 and 2020. I would love to see that a little more granular by decade.
I know that the divisions send 2 members each, but I am not sure what sections are allowed for conferences and travel. Given the huge amount of sections compared to divisions, I would not be surprised if there is a different dynamic. If so, then that would skew the demographics even more.
We made it 12 minutes before the membership challenge was brought up. The value of a professional association remains critical to my mind. I feel that a lot of folks in my own organization don’t see the value, let alone among the wider professional group (and I pay for an ASQE membership as well as a few others for people to take advantage of).
We then did a brainwriting activity (yes!) on “What is one thing we, as ASQ, Member Leaders, can do together to increase the Society’s value to our members?”
Our table consolidated around push vs pull communications and the value of a personal connection. Other tables talked about entrepreneurship (overuse of the buzz term if you ask me); student organization connections; the value of fun.
I look forward to seeing the full list. More importantly, I would like to see the follow-up. Aspirational activities often end up being just that, with little follow-through.
The CFO then discussed the “Short Term Fixed Income Investment Fund” which seems more directed to the Sections (which seem to sit on a lot of than the Division. Given that on the Division basis, it usually feels like a total lack of money, not sure of the value of this. I definitely zoned out.
And then we got the 3+ year debate on Division funding grumbling through the Q&A. Only took 40 minutes.
We then broke into Geogaphic Communities (the sections) and Technical Community (the divisions). I went to the technical meeting, as I am currently serving as chair-elect of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Division.
One can take, from posts like ASQ Technical Forums and Divisions as Knowledge Communities and my thoughts from the 2022 Member Leader Day that I have struggled over the years with the concept of the technical community (divisions). For all the changes happening in the ASQ, blowing up the technical communities would be my favorite thing to happen.
As an aside, the tendency to focus on longevity as a member leader may be counterintuitive to our desperate need to have new member leaders get more engaged.
Scholarship and Donations (including Sponsorship, Grant, and Honorariums) have been a source of discussion for years. Well overdue in having a procedure for this.
It is always embarrassing when folks ask where to find operating procedures. Document/Content management is a core part of the Quality profession, and the fact member leaders continue to complain they aren’t aware of procedure and do not know how to find it is a black mark.
Way too much time spent on scholarships, it is a small segment of our work yet something we discuss a lot. Not even sure why this is such a hard matter, every kid going to college I know uses CommonApp Having 2 kids currently in college I got to know CommonApp really well). Put the scholarships in that, go from there.
And then myASQ was the topic. Same old topic, new platform. I haven’t had a chance to use the new platform that went live on May 1st. Frankly, my.ASQ has never been part of my daily or weekly internet diet, and often my engagement was driven by folks tagging me and me seeing an email. Hopefully, it will be easier to use and drive more content and discussion. Driving engagement is so critical. And at its heart lies the problem core to a lot of ASQ activities, poor communication.
Communication is a theme throughout today. It is a return to fundamentals around communication plans.
Economic and Environmental Sustainability – this is a hard one for me. I agree we should be discussing, but in every organization I’ve been in, Quality is not welcome at this table.
NextGen Mentoring
Conference/Event Improvement
Financial Update – everyone’s favorite topic! At the end of the day, the membership cliff means everything to the budget (and lack thereof)
I am becoming more and more convinced that the individual membership model is dead. Individuals cannot afford and do not see the value of paying for a membership, so the only way to get members is to make organizations see the value. And there’s the challenge.
Congratulations to all the member units who won Performance Excellence Program (PEP) awards.
I would like to state that any rubric that is secret is not really a rubric. Also, secret scoring mechanisms may be antithetical to quality principles. Make that PEP rubric public!
myASQ Engagement
I worry that myASQ continues to falter because it is viewed as a social medial tool instead of a knowledge management tool that drives communities of practice. That said, this transition has been driven more by member leaders than past attempts, which makes me feel positive that it will meet some unmet needs.
Like a lot of things, a few more tools like job aids would be greatly appreciated.
ASQE Insights of Excellence and the Quality Body of Knowledge
I am so excited we have moved this ahead. I participated in developing this tool and seeing where it is going excites me so much. So much that this will be another post later this week.
Wrap Up Thoughts
I am so done talking about the impact of the new membership model and whether or not member units were ripped off. And the spin off of the ASQE. And the debacle of the first launch of myASQ.
I want to focus on QBoK and member value realization and how the future is in organizations and not individual members. And doing cool things like poster sessions and a few other ideas in the works as I do the 2nd half of my chair-elect term and gear up for my term as chair of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic division.
I have so many thoughts on IoE and QBoK that will definitely be a separate post. Probably after the ASQE meeting on Tuesday.
Share your knowledge and experience with your peers!
Proposal Deadline: August 15, 2023
About the event
BOSCON is a key event for local, national, and international quality professionals to hear speakers discuss different quality topics and network. Each year hundreds gather at this BOSCON quality conference to share best practices, expand their network, and further develop their professional and personal growth from experts and professionals in multiple quality related fields. This year BOSCON 2023 will be held on November 6th and 7th, 2023.
We invite you to join us as a key contributor to the success of the 41st BOSCON Quality Conference hosted by ASQ – Boston. It encompasses two days of presentation by the most knowledgeable and innovative quality professionals at all levels.
Presentations will be offered in 4 tracks:
Technology and Innovations
Quality and Regulations for Lifesciences
Quality Tools and Continuous Improvement
Reliability, Maintenance & Managing Risk
Format
Presentations must be 50 minutes plus up to 10 minutes of Q&A. Presenters must be on site and receive free admission to the conference, the Exhibitor Hall, keynote addresses, and lunch. The Conference Committee will evaluate all proposals, but there are only 12 time slots available each day.
September 3rd: Applicants will be notified if the submitted proposal was accepted, confirmation requires a signed speaker agreement.
September 15th: Sign speaker agreement and submit.
October 8th : Submit final set of slides by October 8th.
Speaker Proposal Form
1. Title: (Max 50 characters)
Provide a clear and concise title to list and publicize your presentation. Consider including a tag line, e.g. – “Raising the Bar to Excellence – a CAPA journey.”
2. Description: (Max 100 Words)
Show the prime focus of your presentation and what the attendee(s) will learn.
Provide a short description of your session that will be posted on the conference website and distributed electronically to registrants. Consider identifying the intended audience (Management, Engineers, Quality Professionals, etc.) and what they will learn. Think of this as an advertising blurb to capture people’s attention and make them want to attend.
3. Session Abstract(s): (250-300 Words)
Please provide a more detailed overview of your proposed presentation for inclusion in the conference materials. Abstracts should include the following:
Introduction of the topic, including context and background (don’t repeat the Description above)
Objectives in terms of what you intend to communicate; what problem(s) are you addressing?
Approaches you intend to use to get your message across, e.g. – case studies, data analyses, tips & tricks, etc.
Key takeaways the audience should expect to learn.
4. Biographical Sketch: (150-200 Words)
Please provide a summary of your career and credentials for publishing in the conference proceedings. This information should be composed from the third person perspective. You may also include a link to your LinkedIn profile or website.
5. Contact Info & Credentials:
Name, address, email, phone, organization, title, and LinkedIn profile link.
6. Additional Info:
Anything that may increase the value or credibility of your proposal, for example, presenter’s relevant credentials or experience in the related field, etc. If the proposed or similar presentation has been presented in another venue, preferably a national venue, it will add to the credibility and interest to our audience; if the organization or the presenter has won relevant industry recognitions, such as awards or press citations, this will be of benefit in attracting attendees. Attachment of your presentation or an outline slide is welcome.
I would like encourage new speakers at BOSCON, and at ASQ events in general. I will make myself available to assist and coach individuals who want to speak. I will help you refine your proposal, review and propose edits to your slides, and do some speaker coaching. Let me know if you want some coaching through this blog’s Contact or on LinkedIn.
The next ASQ Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Division Boston area poster session will the 13th of June from 3-5 pm, hosted graciously by Veeva Systems. The plan is to co-host this event with the Boston section.
The theme for this session is “A challenge in your QMS you found a solution to (and how)” so start working on your posters. Let us know your plans here.
As a reminder, we will be hosting a May session with the Princeton Section. Looking for poster ideas!
The FD&C Division of the ASQ is partnering with the Princeton Section to hold a poster session on 23-May-2023 on the topic “What are you proud of in your eQMS? What about your implementation or continued use stands out and that you want to share?”
We would love for you to contribute! Let us know your proposed topic here.
Investigations of a Dog 