December 2001 Newsletter

Greetings everyone, we are rapidly moving through the year, hard to believe we have entering the month of December. We have had some great meetings and training sessions this year and we have some opportunities the board needs your help with.

Let me begin by thanking the awesome board members that are pulling more than their share of responsibilities with the openings we currently have and for those members that are stepping up to the plate to make our section better. That still leaves us with two critical openings that have not been filled; Newsletter Editor and Vice-Chair. We need your help. Please consider exploring these opportunities. If we do not fulfill the Newsletter Editor position, we will have to consider discontinuing this benefit to our members until the position can be filled. A negative step we do not want to take, but we may be left with no other option.

Vice-Chair is another position that has remained open for the year. We also need to fulfill this position. This is a bigger commitment than the Editor position. Typically, we would be starting to get ready for the annual surveys where we poll you our members to find out how we can improve. Unfortunately, we may have to forgo this option this year if we do not have the position filled.

Each position had many benefits including re-certification credits, networking, and professional skill growth. Our section thrives on the volunteers who fill vacant positions allowing us to meet your professional needs. We need you! Two immediate concerns are the continuing of newsletters and conducting our annual survey. Please let us know how you can help. Approximate time commitments for Newsletter Editor would be two hours outside of board and monthly meetings and for Vice-Chair would be one-two hours outside of board and monthly meetings. Note; the Vice-Chair position steps into the Chair position for the following year.

Thank-you for listening to yet another plea for your help to fill our board positions. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

Michelle Kilgas
Winnebago Section Chairman

Last year, we ran into several problems with the newsletter reaching you in ample time to register for monthly meetings and training opportunities. If you are interested in having your name added to a mass e-mail list that would notify of the meeting or Section only activities, please update your information through ASQ by specifying an e-mail address. If you need help updating that information, please contact one of the board members. We are very close to having our own website and you won’t want to miss any opportunities.

• Jim Loseke reviewed the financial report. We discussed some of the costs and where he placed the costs, such as setting up the website was included in the printing cost. Some items are over budget; examples: printing costs were higher than expected as was the cost of postage due to the extra page. We had to pay for the speaker at the November meeting, thus creating a loss for the meeting. We briefly discussed some options for speakers at the monthly meetings.

• We discussed a list of jobs/tasks that would be available to interested volunteers. Jim Loseke will send each of the board members a contact list. Jim Wenske will contact all the new members. Areas that we could use help in are:

1. Vacant board member positions – Vice Chair, Treasurer, Newsletter, Education Chair (Jim Loseke volunteered to be the Web Coordinator for 2002 to 2003).
2. Help with registration.
3. Setting up mini sessions – including speakers with experience in management and quality related issues.
4. Volunteer company to host tours.
5. Summarizing the dinner surveys.
6. Reviewing and summarizing the Annual Survey (We will be sending out this years survey by mail. Next year we will try to set up on the website to do the annual survey. This will help reduce postage cost.).
7. Coordinating a meeting.
8. Setting up tours for future meetings.
• We discussed the website. Jim has asked us to review the website and get back to him with our thoughts. We talked about putting two to three questions on the website each month in lieu of the annual survey. Jim Loseke will talk to Wendy Luecke about summarizing these questions. Wendy has helped in the past by summarizing the annual survey. Jim will get back to us if Wendy wants to volunteer her services. Jim Loseke will summarize the first month or two to see how it goes.
• Jim Wenske gave us a list of new members. We reviewed the list for possible volunteers.

The next board meeting is December 17, 2001 at Schmitz Bros. II in Hilbert, WI from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. All members are welcome to the Board meeting.

We are interested in offering a CQ Manager overview course. It would be an eight-hour course. The course would cover the following topics…

Answers to your job search questions on ASQNet

An uncertain economy, cutbacks and shutdowns have left many in search of new employment. For help preparing your resume, securing an interview and getting the job visit ASQNet and click on "In Careers".  Syndicated columnist and nationally recognized management consultant, Joan Lloyd, shares her answers to commonly asked questions from job seekers.

If you need password assistance go to http://www.asq.org/asqwire/101601jobsearch2.html.   If you continue to have trouble accessing ASQNet, email .

Quality Press Introduces First e-Book

Quality Press is pleased to announce the addition of e-Books to our current portfolio of products. Our first e-Book is "ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001:2000 Excerpted Version: Quality Management System - Requirements (An Abridged Document for Auditors)." Based on customer feedback, this product includes only the actual requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard - information all auditors are required to have available when conducting an audit - without any additional text. More information.  

ISO 9000, Documentation & Members - Chat Now! 

Join ASQNet on Tuesdays from Noon to 1pm CT, for the chance to ask member leaders like Danny Duhan and Steve Pettyjohn about their experiences. On Wednesdays at the same time you can talk with best selling authors about topics like ISO 9000 and Documentation. More details and schedule.  

Quality 101 Program Revised 

Quality 101 offers self-directed, cost-effective quality training. New content directly relates to ASQ's Certified Quality Improvement Associate certification and satisfaction of training requirements for ISO 9000:2000. Delivery options include computer-based CD-ROM and Web-based. For more on Quality 101, plus a free demo, click here.  

Visit the ASQ e-Learning Center for Quality 101 and other basic quality courses such as Auditing (CQA) Fundamentals I and II, Six Sigma Executive Summary, and ISO Lesson Guide Tutorial.  

Koalaty Kid Fall Special 

Act now: Become your Section's Koalaty Kid liaison and receive a complimentary Koalaty Kid Alliance membership for your Section – a $125 value. You can play an essential role in building quality schools by getting your community into quality basics and beyond. Find out more information about visit Koalaty Kid Web site or them. . 

Quality Intro Courses Ensure Your Career Skills 

Whether you're beginning your career or brushing up on a solid foundation in quality, our popular intro courses will keep you on track. Register for "Introduction to Quality Engineering" to enhance your engineering expertise, and "Introduction to Quality Management" to grasp the QM principles and tools for on-the-job application in a wide range of businesses.

Watch For Salary Survey Results in December

The weak economy doesn't seem to be having a huge impact on quality professionals' salaries, at least not yet, according to the results of the Quality Progress 2001 Annual salary Survey. Many of the survey results will appear in the December print edition. The complete results will be posted on ASQNet in December, including information comparing the 2001 results with those of previous years. Watch your mailbox and ASQNet for the whole story in December!

Discover Secrets of the Best Teams

Each year, our affiliate, the Association for Quality and Participation (AQP) sponsors a team competition to find world-class teams solving major problems for their companies. Learn from their efforts through "An American Concept of Collaboration: Teams in the United States in 2001." This informative white paper explores how the phenomenon of collaboration gets things done. You'll also discover the history of teams, ideal team makeup, and their effect on employee morale and individual performance. Download the pdf file.  (You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print this document).

Baldridge, Six Sigma, & Strategic Plans - Chat Now! 

Join ASQNet on Tuesdays from 12 noon to 1pm Central time for the chance to ask member leaders like Jeff Jackson and Mike Nichols about bringing initiatives to the Board of Directors or the DAC strategic plan. On Wednesday's at the same time you can talk with Liz Keim about Six Sigma or best selling author David Hutton about Baldridge and Organizational Performance Excellence.  More details about the schedule.  

If you need password assistance go to http://www.asq.org/asqwire/101601jobsearch2.html.   If you continue to have trouble accessing ASQNet, email .

Ideas Wanted! 

ASQ's library, the Quality Information Center, would like your suggestions of topics for their upcoming subject guides. Over the past several months, the QIC developed online quality topic guides for popular subjects including Six Sigma, Benchmarking, Cost of Quality, Gage R & R, Health Care, History of Quality, Software, and Statistical Quality Control. These guides include recommended books, articles, web sites, and other resources. Share your ideas for new quality topics. 

Free Trail of JQT and QMJ Journals Online

Now you can review the full content from the latest issue of the Journal of Quality Technology (JQT) and Quality Management Journal (QMJ) FREE. Preview the October 2001 issues of  JQT and QMJ. While you're there you can also subscribe online and receive ASQ member pricing.

Improve Productivity and Employee Performance

"Performance Measurement Explained: Designing and Implementing Your State-of-the-Art System" is a complete and easy-to-use guide to establishing a performance measurement system in any organization. By establishing clear goals and monitoring performance, organizations can expect improved performance for their employees. Best selling authors Bjørn Andersen and Tom Fagerhaug provide a step-by-step performance measurement system design process, including information on what to measure, how to measure it, and how to evaluate the results. More information. 

Host Training At Your Facility and Save

Save significant training costs by hosting an ASQ course at your facility versus sending your employees to public courses. We can design an In-House Training course that meets your organizational goals... customized to your specific training requirements.  More information.