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C E R T I F I E D Q U A L I T Y

I M P R O V E M E N T A S S O C I A T E

Certified QualityImprovement AssociateQuality excellence to enhance your careerand boost your organizations bottom line

InformationCertified Quality Improvement AssociateThe Certified Quality Improvement Associate has a basicknowledge of quality tools and their uses and is involved inquality improvement projects, but does not necessarily comerom a traditional quality area.

Education and/or ExperienceYou must have two years of general work experience or an associateegree as a minimum.Proof of ProfessionalismProof of professionalism can be demonstrated in one of three ways:

Membership in ASQ, an international affiliate society of ASQ, or another society that is a member of the American Association of Engineering Societies or the Accreditation Board for Engineeringand Technology.

Registration as a Professional Engineer. The signatures of two personsASQ members, members of

international affiliate society, or members of another recognizprofessional societyverifying that you are a qualified practof the quality sciences.

ExaminationEach certification candidate is required to pass a written examithat consists of multiple-choice questions that measure compreof the Body of Knowledge. The CQIA examination is a one-pa100-question, three-hour exam and is offered in English.For comprehensive exam information on Quality Improvementcertification, visit www.asq.org/certification.

Certification from ASQ is considered a mark of quality excellence many industries. It helps you advance your career, and boosts yourorganizations bottom line through your mastery of quality skills.Becoming certified as a Quality Improvement Associate confirms ycommitment to quality and the positive impact it will have on yourorganization.

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Quality Basics(25 Questions)A. Terms, Concepts, and Principles

1. Quality Define and know how to use this termcorrectly. (Apply)

2. Quality planningUnderstand a quality plan and its purposefor the organization as a whole and whoin the organization contributes to itsdevelopment. (Understand)

3. The importance of employeesUnderstand employee involvement andemployee empowerment, and understandthe benefits of both concepts; distinguishbetween involvement and empowerment.(Understand)

4. Systems and processesDefine a system and a process; distinguishbetween a system and a process;understand the interrelationship betweenprocess and system; and know how thecomponents of a system (supplier, input,process, output, customer, and feedback)impact the system as a whole. (Analyze)

5. VariationUnderstand the concept of variation andcommon and special cause variation.(Understand)

B. Benefits of QualityUnderstand how improved process, product,and/or service quality will benefit anyfunction, area of an organization, or industry.Understand how each stakeholder (e.g.,employees, organization, customers, suppliers,community) benefits from quality and howthe benefits may differ for each type ofstakeholder. (Understand)

C. Quality PhilosophiesUnderstand each of these philosophies andhow they differ from one another. (Remember)

1. Deming (14 points)2. Juran (Trilogy)3. Crosby (Zero defects)

I Teams(25 Questions)A. Understanding Teams

1. PurposeUnderstand the definition of a team, whento use a team, and for how long. (Apply)

2. Characteristics and typesRecognize characteristics and types of teams and how they are structured; know how teams differ and how they are similar;know which type of team to use in a givensituation. (Apply)

3. ValueUnderstand how a teams work relates tothe organizations key strategies and the value of using different types of teams.(Understand)

B. Roles and ResponsibilitiesIdentify major team roles and the attributesof good role performance for champions,sponsors, leaders, facilitators, timekeepers,and members. (Understand)

C. Team Formation and Group Dynamics1. Initiating teams

Apply the elements of launching ateam: clear purpose, goals, commitment,ground rules, schedules, support frommanagement, and team empowerment.(Apply)

2. Selecting team membersKnow how to select team members whohave appropriate skill sets and knowledge(e.g., number of members, expertise, andrepresentation). (Apply)

3. Team stagesDescribe the classic stages of teamevolution (forming, storming, norming,and performing). (Understand)

4. Team barriersUnderstand the value of conflict, knowhow to resolve team conflict, define andrecognize groupthink and how to overcomeit, understand how poor logistics andagendas as well as lack of training becomebarriers to a team. (Analyze)

5. Decision makingUnderstand and apply different decisionmodels (voting, consensus, etc.). (Apply)

IIIContinuous Improvement(50 Questions) A. Incremental and Breakthrough Improvement

Understand how process improvement canidentify waste and non value-added activities.Understand how both incremental andbreakthrough improvement processes achieveresults. Know the steps required for bothtypes of improvement. Recognize which typeof improvement approach is being used in

specific situations. Know the similaritdifferences between the two approach(Understand)

B. Improvement CyclesDefine various improvement cycle ph(e.g., PDCA, PDSA) and use themappropriately. (Analyze)

C. Problem-Solving Process Apply the basic problem-solving stepunderstand the problem, determine throot cause, develop/implement soluti

and verify effectiveness. (Apply)D. Improvement ToolsUse, interpret, and explain flowchartshistograms, Pareto charts, scatter diagrun charts, cause and effect diagramschecklists (check sheets), affinity diagcost of quality, benchmarking, brainstand audits as improvement tools. Undcontrol chart concepts (e.g., centerlinecontrol limits, out-of-control conditiorecognize when control charts shouldused. (Apply)

E. Customer-Supplier Relationships1. Internal and external customers

Know how customers are defined.Understand the importance of work with customers to improve processservices, and how customers influeorganizational processes. Know hodistinguish between different externcustomer types (consumers and end(Understand)

2. Customer feedbackKnow the different types of customfeedback (e.g., surveys, complaintsunderstand the value in using the ddrive continuous improvement acti(Understand)

3. Internal and external suppliersUnderstand the value in communicexpectations and the impact of supperformance. Understand the value working with suppliers to improveprocesses, or services. (Understand

4. Supplier feedback Know the different types of suppliefeedback (e.g., surveys, complaintsand understand the value in using tto drive continuous improvement a(Understand)

The topicsin this Body of Knowledge (BOK) include additional detail in the form of subtextxplanations and the cognitive level at which the questions will be written. This information

will provide useful guidance for both the Exam Development Committee and the candidatereparing to take the exam. The subtext is not intended to limit the subject matter or bell-inclusive of what might be covered in an exam. It is meant to clarify the type of content o be included in the exam. The descriptor in parentheses at the end of each entry refers tohe maximum cognitive level at which the topic will be tested. A complete description of ognitive levels is provided at the end of this document.

Body of KnowledCertified Quality Improvement Associate

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Enhance your career with ASQ certification today!Visit www.asq.org/certification for additionalertification information including:ApplicationsAvailable certifications and international language optionsReference materialsStudy guides and test-taking tipsComprehensive exam informationASQ SectionsInternational contactsEndorsements

Visit www.asq.org/certificationfor comprehensive exam informati

Levels of CognitionBased on Blooms Taxonomy Revised (2001) In addition to content specifics, the subtext for each topic in this BOK also indicatesthe intended complexity level of the test questions for that topic. These levels arebased on Levels of Cognition (fromBlooms TaxonomyRevised,2001) andare presented below in rank order, fromleast complex to most complex.Remember (Knowledge Level)Recall or recognize terms, definitions,facts, ideas, materials, patterns, sequences,methods, principles, etc.Understand (Comprehension Level)Read and understand descriptions,communications, reports, tables, diagrams,directions, regulations, etc.

Apply (Application Level)Know when and how to use ideas,procedures, methods, formulas, principles,theories, etc.

Analyze (Analysis Level)Break down information into its constiparts and recognize their relationship toone another and how they are organizeidentify sublevel factors or salient dataa complex scenario.Evaluate (Evaluation Level)Make judgments about the value ofproposed ideas, solutions, etc., bycomparing the proposal to specificcriteria or standards.

Create (Synthesis Level)Put parts or elements together in sucha way as to reveal a pattern or structurnot clearly there before; identify whichdata or information from a complex seare appropriate to examine further or f which supported conclusions can be dr

em B1158