The ASQ Certified Quality Improvement Associate Handbook

Quality Improvement: Basic Principles and Practices

The ASQ Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification introduces the basics of quality to organizations and individuals who are new to quality. This book, and the Body of Knowledge (BoK) it supports, form a foundation for applying proven quality principles and practices that are used around the world.

This handbook follows the CQIA BoK in both content and sequence. Let it serve as your guide in preparing for the ASQ CQIA examination, and refer to it frequently as you learn and implement these ideas and tools in your organization. ASQ's experts help you navigate:

• Quality terms, benefits, and philosophies
• Team organization, roles, responsibilities, and dynamics
• Continuous improvement concepts, processes, and tools
• Root cause analysis and risk management
• Supplier and customer relationships

This edition features ample material that stretches beyond the content of the BoK, making it useful for any quality practitioner--not just those who plan to become certified. In this book, you ll find a thorough overview of quality tools and history--presented in an accessible manner and easily understood by non-engineers. Start on your quality path here.

Grace L. Duffy is the author of 15 books and over 260 published papers and articles. She is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Quality Improvement Associate, and Quality Auditor. Grace is a certified Lean-Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Manager of Process Improvement.

Dr. Sandra L. Furterer is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Dayton in the Department of Engineering Management, Systems, and Technology. She is an ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, an ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, an ASQ fellow, and a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.