The Face of Quality

Name: Søren Bisgaard.

Place of birth: Umanak, Greenland (part of Denmark).

Current residence: Pelham, MA.

Education: Doctorate in statistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

First job related to quality: While a student, spent three months in the quality inspection department for Danish Signal Industries, a division of L.M. Ericsson.

Current job: Professor, Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where he is developing a center for technology management; also professor of business and industrial statistics at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and an international consultant to industry.

ASQ activities: Conference speaker on Six Sigma and other topics; producer of video interview of George Box; member of editorial board of the Journal of Quality Technology; column editor for Quality Engineering; ASQ representative on management committee of Technometrics.

Most recent honors: 2002 ASQ Shewhart Medal; 2002 William G. Hunter Award from ASQ's Statistics Division.

Other major accomplishment: Worked with William Hunter, George Box and Conrad Fung to establish and eventually direct the Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Personal: Married to Sue Ellen.

Favorite ways to relax: Sailing and sailboat racing, cross-country skiing, reading.

Quality quote: Quality is fundamentally an issue about product and process innovation. Adopting a quality improvement strategy allows organizations (private or public, manufacturing or service) to reduce the cost of doing business and deliver better features. But improving design and delivery quality requires information, knowledge generation and systematic learning. The quality profession is the primary purveyor of information on how to apply statistics and allied management techniques to better serve customers and ultimately benefit society at large.

 

Microsoft Announces New Product at ASQ Conference

Microsoft Corp. chose ASQ's Six Sigma Conference as the venue for its announcement of plans to release a new Six Sigma product this spring.

Microsoft Accelerator for Six Sigma is an integrated set of products and services that leverages existing software and is customized for Six Sigma practitioners, said Ted Johnson, corporate vice president of the business tools division, at the Palm Springs, CA, conference.

Accelerator includes interactive project guides to lead Six Sigma teams through each phase of the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) model. Microsoft says the new product can help project teams more effectively and easily manage a large number of projects, track their financial impact, utilize and track people resources, manage Six Sigma tools and share knowledge electronically.

Accelerator uses Microsoft XP Professional, Project Server 2002, Project Professional 2002, Visio 2002, Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000 and SharePoint Team services, along with third-party products, services and deployment partners, to create an enterprise performance management platform.

In developing Accelerator, Microsoft worked with Apriso Corp., a provider of execution solutions for manufacturing and healthcare organizations, and SigmaPro, a supplier of integrated Six Sigma, design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and lean enterprise consulting and training services.

To aid in developing Accelerator, Microsoft says it practiced Six Sigma internally and used DFSS.

 

Best Sellers of 2002

What were other quality professionals reading in 2002? Here's a list of the top selling Quality Press books of 2002.

1. ISO Lesson Guide 2000 by Dennis R. Arter and J. P. Russell.

2. ISO 9001:2000 Explained, second edition, by Charles A. Cianfrani, Joseph J. Tsiakals and John E. "Jack" West.

3. Mapping Work Processes by Dianne Galloway.

4. Six Sigma Project Management by Jeffrey N. Lowenthal.

5. Root Cause Analysis: Simplified Tools and Techniques by Bjørn Andersen and Tom Fagerhaug.

6. Business Process Improvement Toolbox by Bjørn Andersen.

7. Six Sigma for the Shop Floor by Roderick Munro.

8. The Certified Quality Manager Handbook, second edition, Duke Okes and Russell T. Westcott, editors.

9. Customer Centered Six Sigma by Earl Naumann and Steven Hoisington.

10. The FDA and Worldwide Quality System Requirements Guidebook for Medical Devices by Kimberly A. Trautman.

11. Measuring Quality Improvement in Healthcare by Raymond G. Carey and Robert C. Lloyd.

12. ASQ ISO 9000 Handbook by Charles A. Cianfrani, Joseph J. Tsiakals and John E. "Jack" West.

13. Quality Audit Handbook, second edition, by ASQ Quality Audit Division, J.P. Russell, editor.

14. Insights to Performance Excellence 2002 by Mark L. Blazey.

15. Customer Satisfaction Measurement Simplified by Terry L. Vavra.

A listing at http://qualitypress.asq.org links each of the book titles to additional information on it.

 

Koalaty Kid Conference April 6-8 in Canada

The 14th annual ASQ Koalaty Kid Conference will take place April 6-8 at the Ottawa Congress Center in Ottawa, Canada.

This year's conference will offer:

• All-day preconference training that covers continuous improvement initiatives in education, such as using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award framework, tools and processes for continuous student improvement; facilitating teams and training adults; and integrating the Koalaty Kid principles, processes and tools into the classroom.
• Local tours of K-12 schools that use quality tools.
• Breakout sessions on topics including the practical application of Baldrige Award principles in the high school setting, how to connect quality tools to the learning process and how to measure school improvement by applying the balanced scorecard framework.

Christopher Spence, a superintendent for the Toronto School District Board, will give the keynote address.

To receive a copy of the preliminary program, call ASQ at 800-248-1946 (United States and Canada only) or 414-272-8575 and ask for item K0673.

 

Opening AQC Event Planned At KC's Union Station

A special opening is planned for this year's Annual Quality Congress (AQC) May 19-21 in Kansas City, MO.

All attendees and guests are invited to the city's famous Union Station from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on the Sunday preceding AQC. The historic site's many attractions include:

• Science City with more than 50 hands-on activities including solving crimes, reporting news, defying gravity, creating a water maze and visiting a nature center.
• Century Box with items left by people who attended the 1900 Century Ball.
• A Smile exhibit, which commemorates the station's World War I canteen and the Red Cross.
• An interpretive exhibit that depicts the railroading history of Union Station.

In addition to the opening event, area tours and company visits are slated during AQC. These include:

• Kansas City Highlights. This tour of historic, residential and scenic areas includes Crown Center, the home of Hallmark Cards.
• Arabia Steamboat Museum and Crown Center. The Arabia sank in 1856 and was recovered in 1988. More than 200 tons of cargo was recovered.
• A Day With the President. Tour members will see Independence, MO, and the Harry Truman Museum and Library.
• A Masterpiece Day. Kansas City's Nelson Atkins Art Museum features works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Missouri's Thomas Hart Benson.

Company tours will be to facilities of Hallmark Cards and Harley-Davidson. For information on all these special events and the many educational and networking opportunities being offered at AQC, go to http://wcqi.asq.org and click on the various links.

 

Past President Art Bender Dies Jan. 25 at 90 Years

ASQ Past President Arthur Bender Jr. died at the age of 90 on Jan. 25 in Anderson, IN.

Bender was trained in modern quality control engineering techniques by the War Production Board in 1944. He was employed by Delco Remy for 41 years.

A founding member of ASQ, Bender was president of the Society in 1955-56 and was a Fellow. He received the Edwards Medal in both 1973 and 1984.

In 1966, Bender was honored as one of the 53 pioneers in quality control.

 

Stats Division Awards Scholarships; Seeks Applicants

The Statistics Division has awarded its 2002-03 scholarships of $5,000 each to two students: Megan Price, a master's degree student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Yuri Ramirez, a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The scholarship is offered to students enrolled or accepted into a graduate program with a concentration in applied statistics or quality management at a North American institution. During the last five years, scholarships have been awarded to 25 students.

Applications for the 2003-2004 scholarships are being accepted until April 1. Applicants must have a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale or equivalent standing on another scale in any undergraduate field. Instructions and forms can be downloaded from www.asqstatdiv.org.

For additional information, contact Lynne Hare at lynne.hare@kraft.com.

International Chapter To Meet During AQC

The International Chapter will hold its annual meeting on Monday evening, May 19, during the Annual Quality Congress (AQC) in Kansas City, MO.

Previous years have brought members from more than 40 countries to the meeting to interact, socialize and establish new professional relationships with colleagues around the world.

Co-chairs Jack Pompeo and Bob Fisher will preside over this year's meeting, which is open to international AQC attendees who are not members of the chapter.

AQC will also feature a Global Exchange exhibit area and a track of international sessions on topics such as international views on corporate governance and business excellence practices.