Dennis Arter, an ASQ Fellow and one of our Spring Conference Keynote Speakers this year, will be delivering two of the public courses being offered by ASQ National in St. Louis in November.

Quality Audits for Improved Performance

This is a basic course for both internal and external auditing. Move from compliance (policing) to management (performance improvement) auditing. It covers preparation, performance, reporting and closure. The curriculum follows the ASQ Certified Quality Auditor Body of Knowledge and assumes participants have no auditing experience. Learn how to present audit findings such that managers want to change current practices.

November 12-13, St. Louis – Click here to register.

Process-Based Auditing

Designed for managers and professional staff already familiar with fundamental quality auditing concepts, this one-day course focuses on business processes and how to audit them. The course is especially useful for those faced with assessing the process approach to quality management called for in ISO 9001:2000. This workshop will show you how to move your current audit program from boring to brilliant. All aspects of the audit (planning, performing, reporting and closure) are covered.

November 14, St. Louis – Click here to register.

For a complete listing of ASQ public courses being offered in St. Louis, please visit the ASQ National Website at: http://www.asq.org/training/locations/st-louis.html.

In addition to our standard location at the Engineers’ Club, ASQ St. Louis is offering December certification exams at SIUC (Southern Illinois University Carbondale). Please note that the registration deadline for the December exams is October 12, 2007.

Will Meyer, our Certification Chair, has coordinated with SIUC Student Sub-Section's Chair, Aspen D'Costa, and ASQ’s Linda Gruetter to make this additional testing location possible. We have setup a testing site and proctor at SIU.

Our official exam site will still be the Engineers Club (each section has only one registered site); however, if anyone requests it (or they are identified by their mailing address), we can route the exam to SIU. Those identified for SIU will get an appropriate seating letter in advance specifying their test site - this advance notice will allow the applicant to correct or move their seating location if required.

Please contact Will Meyer with any questions.

Meeting evaluation and feedback is on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being high.

Speaker Ratings

• Speaker #1, Katie Grantham Lough - 4.31.
• Speaker #2, Ray Luechtefeld - 3.84.

Facility Ratings:

• Facility – 4.41,
• Food – 4.04
  
• Geographic Acceptability – 4.34.
  

The overall value of the program was 4.13

There were several questions and comments received on the comments form:

• Programs on TS and EHS quality topics.
  I am in the process of planning the spring speakers, if you know a good speaker that would be very helpful.
• Program on lean concepts applied to hospitals and healthcare.
  I am working with a healthcare provider to arrange for them to speak at a spring meeting and hope to have the details finalized soon.
• Programs on Six Sigma, Design for Six Sigma, and new product development.
  If you have a recommendation for a dynamic speaker, please let me know. As I plan for the spring meetings, I will certainly look for a speaker in these areas.
• An overall good meeting.
  Thanks! I will pass along to the speakers and the ASQ Leadership Committee.
• Would like to have had a handout from the first and second speaker.
  For upcoming speakers, I will request they bring handouts. Thanks for the improvement suggestion!
• Program on supply chain.
  This is a topic that I believe would make a good workshop presentation. I will look for a speaker for the spring meetings.
• Vegetarian food please.
  All facility comments are passed on to Tony Indihar, our Arrangements Chair.

Several individuals indicated their interest to give a program, participate on the LC, and/or help with the Spring Conference.

Program feedback summary provided by Beth Cudney, Program Chair