Local News

ASQ Montreal — Call for Officer Nominations 2024

From: Sam Weissfelner, ASQ Senior, ASQ CSQE, CQA, Nominations Committee Chair The following slate of candidates was submitted by the nominating committee for the 2024 Section Leadership Team (SLT):  Chair: Veronica Marquez Vice-chair: Raymond Dyer Secretary: Carolee Rigsbee Treasurer: Chantale Simard The election process involves that the Nominating Committee submits a slate of officers to be approved at the General Assembly. To hold a Section Officer position, you must be a Professional, Senior or Fellow ASQ Member in good standing affiliated with our Section. To submit alternate nominations for Section officer positions, please complete and submit this Nomination Form before September 30, 2023. Alternate nominations for Section Officer positions can be made by petition of 10 members in good standing of the Section. The slate of officers will be repeated in the October newsletter and approved at our next planned Annual General Assembly to be held on October 25th, 2023. Thank-you to all.

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ASQ Montreal — Business Plan 2024

By J.P.  Amiel, ASQ Senior, CQA ret., Secretary

As fall slowly settles in, your Montreal Section leadership team is looking ahead at next year’s line-up of action plans based on ASQ’s continuing development of its own Strategic Plan. Basically, our Business Plan lists what steps the section will be taking to achieve a specific goal. It is broken down into actionable steps that can be easily followed and tracked so as to clarify what resources will be required to reach it within a specific timeline. You will find below a preview of what we will be working on in 2024.

As for the 2023 Business Plan Objectives, we are proud to report that for the 16 objectives that we defined, so far 12 are 100% completed, 2 are 90% completed, one is at 80% and the last one at 78%. What a Q3 report, indeed!

Here are the 2024 goals for your Montreal Section Section Leadership Team (SLT).

1. DELIVER MEMBER VALUE: Design programs and initiatives that are diversified and add value to membership, meet/exceed their identified needs and expectations and support the Mission of ASQ. Think out of the Box to WOW members.

Deliver events and opportunities that address evolving needs of current and next generation quality professionals to ensure each has an optimized member experience. Help quality professionals understand how they can guide their organizations by leveraging standards to achieve operational excellence by publishing multimedia on the use of standards.

2. ENHANCE THE ASQ BRAND AND PUBLIC IMAGE: Highlight Quality experts and provide Quality knowledge growth opportunities in your community and others.

Create opportunities to showcase knowledge of Quality subject matter experts by publishing multimedia on ASQ Montreal Section subject matter experts. Generate opportunities for training, learning, and education in Quality: Offer and publicize the offering of ASQ certification preparation courses; Promote ASQ in local industry conferences by attending local industry conferences with the intent to promote ASQ; Conduct Student Outreach events by doing networking session with educational institution(s)/students; Recognize section leaders and/or members: Present awards to section leaders and/or members having demonstrated section leadership and involvement.

3. DELIVER OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE: Leverage the expertise of Quality Professionals to ensure best practices in Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEI&B) culture, member experiences, efficient operations, access to quality content and education, governance, and financial responsibility are implemented to support ASQ and Geographic Communities.

Advance a culture of DEI&B to make the Society a place everyone feels welcome: Engage francophone members and customers through sponsored French professional events; Have Section Leadership Team (SLT) attend a course on DEI&B; Develop a DEI&B plan. Deliver a greater member experience and make it easier for ASQ members to participate and make their voices heard: Issue regular newsletters throughout the active part of the year; Post content on myASQ website targeting member feedback. Drive efficiency and manage resources responsibly by meeting the approved budget bottom line and taking into account adjustments made throughout the year. Contribute content to the myASQ community site to reach members across channels by posting content on the Montreal Section myASQ website. Create meaningful learning and networking opportunities. Conduct in-person networking session with members; Conduct networking session with educational institution(s)/students. Deliver Geographic Community minimum requirements: Acknowledge the Member Unit Operating Agreement (MUOA); All Member Leaders complete General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) training; Deliver member value by conducting member events; Conduct Section Leadership Committee (SLC) meetings; Participate in Geographic Community Council’s (GCC) meetings or trainings; Submit officers list using Committee Manager and after having conducted the elections; Prepare and submit yearly business plan and budget to RD for approval; Member value by posting content on myASQ; Submit ASQ Community Annual Report in Q1 by communicated deadline; Submit year end financial report, if applicable (not required for sections on Billhighway); Sustain the section’s leadership team by recruiting section members to join the Section Leadership Team (SLT).

We look forward to seeing you at our events and should you decide to help us in our endeavours, we will make room around the Section Leadership meeting table. We’d love to hear from you here.

 

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ASQ PEP 2022 Performance Awards

ASQ-HQ offered its congratulations to the 2022 Awardees for Member Unit Performance Excellence!

It was a total of 17 Technical Communities (Divisions) and 28 Geographic Communities (Sections) which were recognized for their commitments and excellence. For 2022, five out of the 13 Canadian Sections won recognition. We are especially proud to report that amongst the seven GOLD winners, both the Montreal and Toronto Sections were recognized. Calgary won Silver recognition, and both Edmonton and Hamilton won Bronze recognition.

The ASQ Performance Excellence Program was created by Milwaukee-based ASQ to recognize Member Units for excellent performance that reinforces ASQ’s position as the thought leader and expands ASQ offerings to members and customers:
• Contributions to ASQ thought leadership, as measured by myASQ content postings;
• Member Engagement and Experience, as measured by myASQ activity and member increases;
• Fiduciary responsibility, as measured by adherence to budget;
• Achievement of business plan objectives, as measured by self-reported progress on business goals and targets.
These measures were evaluated based on the Member Unit’s own baseline data and self-reported business plan progress. Award levels were conferred using a common point system.

Congratulations!

 

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Radical Transformation Kaikaku – A personal Story

By Jean-Pierre Amiel,  ASQ Senior, CQA ret., Web Committee Chair

On the 30th of November 2022 we had the privilege to meet and hear Albanesa Ymaya, CLSSBB, TPS, Kaikaku Practitioner describe her approach on transformation in Kaikaku Before Kaizen. What I didn’t know then, was that Albanesa had also had her own personal radical transformation. In 2019, she survived a terrible car accident. Today, on LinkedIn, she reports in her own philosophical way how that day caused her to reflect that on life — not personal or professional — but both. This reflection set her on a dream to visit Japan, the place where the Toyota Production System began…. Here’s part of that post, translated from Spanish:

😱 4 years ago in that vehicle! Where my life could have ended in a minute and thus many of my dreams. But if this is a professional network (LinkedIn) why am I sharing something so intimate and personal? Simple. Over the years I have discovered that there is no real separation between the professional and the personal, because all we have is a life. A life that we occupy at different times.
Our professional life is completely tied to who we are as a person. Well, there is only one life!
After that fateful accident, I promised myself that I would live every moment as if it were the last day of my life and fight with all my might to achieve every dream I had… Four years ago, I made a firm decision not to keep waiting and today, thanks to God and the work of my team and family, I will be able to realize another big dream…. I will be in the place where one of the most admired business models in the world (the Toyota Production System) began …. I will finally be in Japan!
Today I invite you to fight with all your heart for each of your dreams ….. I invite you to take one action each day that will bring you closer to achieving them….. Never give up!

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ASQ Montreal — Women in Quality Initiative

By Veronica marquez, M.Sc., CSSBB, ASQ Member, Social media Chair.

Today, March 22, 2023, the Montreal Section introduces our Women in Quality Initiative. We want to showcase women, their accomplishments, their successes, and inspire the next generation of Women in Quality.
Will you join us?

Click here for a silent video or access the survey.

 

 

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ASQ Montreal — Business Plan 2023 | Plan d’affaires 2023

Jean-Pierre Amiel, ASQ Senior, CQA ret., Secrétaire

Business Plan 2023

Plan d’affaires 2023

In 2023, ASQ-HQ continues its Business Plan based on four major strategic goals. In order to support those strategic goals, the ASQ Regions, Divisions and Sections developed an overall strategic plan aligned with those goals and based on four major priorities: Drive thought leadership; Provide an advanced and comprehensive education experience; Enhance the member experience, and Institute best practices. For your Montreal Section Section Leadership Team (SLT), this then translated into the development of local action plans and objectives. They are aligned with ASQ-HQ’s Strategic Goals and briefly described HERE along with the results as of 2023-03-03.

En 2023, l’ASQ-HQ poursuit son Plan d’affaires basé sur quatre objectifs stratégiques majeurs. Afin de soutenir ces objectifs stratégiques, les régions, divisions et sections de l’ASQ ont élaboré un plan stratégique global aligné sur ces objectifs et basé sur quatre priorités majeures : Stimuler le leadership éclairé ; Fournir une expérience d’éducation avancée et complète ; Améliorer l’expérience des membres, et Instituer les meilleures pratiques. Pour votre équipe de direction de la section de Montréal (EDS), cela s’est ensuite traduit par l’élaboration de plans d’action et d’objectifs locaux. Ils sont alignés sur les objectifs stratégiques de l’ASQ-HQ et brièvement décrits ICI ainsi que les résultats en date du 2023-03-03.

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Lean: A catalyst for sustainable businesses — Guest appearance in Indianapolis

This Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2023, while we were enjoying little chocolates with our significant others, our Social media Chair and resident knows-a-lot-about-sustainability, Veronica Marquez, M.Sc., CSSBB, ASQ Member, President, Founder and Senior Consultant of Aristeio was sharing her knowledge and experience on Lean: A catalyst for sustainable businesses with participants at an event put on by the ASQ Indianapolis Section. Her presentation aimed at showing the synergy that exists between Lean management and realizing a sustainable organisation. Here are some notes on that presentation.

Recent unusual extreme weather events in our southern neighbour’s regions, probably peaked her audience’s curiosity to learn more on how “human actions still have the potential to determine the future course of climate”. Veronica, a believer that lean tools are in the forefront of solutions, proposed ways for participants to instigate the necessary changes in their organisation so that sustainability becomes part of their Lean path and evolution.

Her basis is from various European studies in 2019 which showed that ten countries produced more than 68% of global greenhouse gas emissions (!!). In that report, China was the largest, followed by the US, India, the European Union (27 countries counted as one), Russia, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Iran and Canada. It also showed that for the US and Canada (in similar proportions but not quantities), the majority of the effects were from Electricity/Heat, Transportation, Building and Manufacturing/Construction. It was proposed that in 2016, globally, energy use represented 73,2% of the 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Having made that statement, it followed that there goals must be set and solutions found. The United Nations (UN) set 17 goals. Veronica proposes that Sustainability in Supply Chain management — the orchestration and continuous improvement of planning and execution of processes on strategic, tactical and operational level along a value chain end-to-end, operating within economic, environmental, and social thresholds — should be one of them.

The emissions throughout the supply chain may be identified and then reduced or eliminated by thinking in terms of Lean and Green processes — economic growth is combined with continued reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. This may be achieved by the use of effective demand management and efficiency measures, the efficient use of energy, water, and other natural resources, optimized inputs to production processes, and a decrease/elimination of the level of waste to landfill.

Lean		Green
Management System Improve performance Create value for the customer True north Efficiency Waste reduction People involvement Cost reduction		Reducing hazardous emissions Eliminating wasteful resources Recycling Minimizing health risks and environmental footprint during the whole life-cycle.

Because “linking Lean and Green is a real advantage as opposed to implementing two distinct approaches”, Veronica explained that of the various tools currently available to the professional (5S, ANDON, JIT, KANBAN, POKE-YOKE, SMED and TPM), shared examples of 5S and TPM could work to solve productivity and environmental issues as part of  a strategic vision for Lean and Green. In that regard, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed adding a “Green” layer perspective to the traditional Visual Stream Mapping (VSM) typically used in Lean to document every step in the process. This “Green” layer perspective could then be applied to environmental projects and help instigate the necessary changes in an organisation so that sustainability becomes part of their Lean path and evolution.

Veronica then proposed how to integrate the Lean-Green deployment as a strategic sustainability, the integration into the corporate bottom-line and discussed steps to overcome barriers. An interesting presentation indeed.

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Some further ressources:

• Our World in data GHG Emissions by sector
• EPA Environmental professionals guide Lean and Six Sigma
• Sustainable Development Goals Compass

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By Jean-Pierre Amiel, ASQ Senior, CQA ret., Web committee Chair.

Plan your career today: where would you like to go with Career Pathways?

ASQ has developed a tool that will allow you to “map out” your career journey, now available in beta test form for you to provide feedback on. The Career Pathways tool is full of resources and learning to help you reach your desired role, field, and experience level, as well as find new and exciting opportunities on our job board. Click on the links below to find basic information about typical quality field roles, the skills required and potential advancement opportunities.

More information…

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The Quality Manager and the Multiple Management Systems — Guest appearance in Toronto

Last December our Montreal Section Chair, Raymond E Dyer, BSc & MBA, ASQ Senior Member, CMQ/OE, & CQA took his 30 years plus in Quality experiences with various industries, quality methods, models, tools, management system registrations, and registrars virtually to Toronto (A short walk the living room). His objective: To share stories with the ever growing need to have Quality Management System (QMS) professionals represent organizations facing multiple management systems and their certifications, well beyond ISO 9001. This presentation, similar to the one at our General Assembly, last October, but with a virtual twist.

In his presentation Ray suggested that the QMS professional was the individual best able to ensure integration of the various systems because, that person usually had a :

• • • Broad understanding of the business;
  • • Cross functional influence;
  • • Experience with management system notions in Leadership communications, objectives, risk management, documentation, internal audits, management reviews, metrics/KPIs, corrective actions and improvement, etc. and a growing notion of an Integrated Management System;
  • • Experience representing the organization during 2nd and 3rd party audits.

Opportunities	Challenges
Adopt common management system processes: Risk management Objectives and KPIs Documentation Internal audits Management reviews Corrective actions Improvement opportunities	Dealing with non integrated systems already in place Dealing with overcomplicated process requirements and excessive documentation (some may remember Dilbert’s “One big honkin binder”) Dealing with different colleagues responsible (Beware of working in silos) Dealing with highly competing priorities

His conclusions:
• Organizations are increasingly seeking recognition in more than one ISO certification (ISO 9001 is often just the start!);
• The QMS professional is often chosen to lead or strongly support such management system certifications due to their experience and the nature of their work;
• Integrating the common elements of these management systems helps improve effectiveness and efficiency of related activities.

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Canada & Greenland Region: 2022 Business Plan Reviews

We did our Homework!!

The results of the 2022 Montreal Section Business Plan were reviewed at a recent meeting with Puneet Manchada (Regional Director), Natella Isazada (incoming Regional Director elect) and Sam Weissfelner (Deputy Regional Director), Montreal Section’s Raymond Dyer (Chairman) and Eric Hosking (Treasurer).  The section fared very well in attaining and surpassing many of the set objectives.Read the Summary and Results. As a result, Raymond Dyer received a Certificate of accomplishment on behalf of the Section for these results.

 

Congratulations to the Montreal Section Leadership Team. It was quite a year indeed.

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Canada & Greenland Region: Quality Conference Highlights

Overcoming Adversity: A Leap Forward
(Surmonter l’adversité : Un bond en avant)

Hybrid Conference, hosted by ASQ Vancouver

This year’s ASQ Canada Conference on Quality and Business Excellence was hosted by ASQ Vancouver Section 408 on November 19th, to mark World Quality Month.  It also became the first hybrid event hosted post-pandemic by ASQ Vancouver. Around 120 quality professionals attended the conference, with experts from various industries, plus academicians, students, and other friends of the quality community. More than forty attendees joined the sessions online from various parts of Canada.

Amongst the attendees were out-of-province ASQ member-leaders, including Puneet Manchanda, Regional Director of ASQ Canada and Greenland Region, Cecilia Barrios, Edmonton Section Chair and Member Leaders Shireen Fader of Calgary and Sumith Kahanda from Saskatchewan.

The organizing committee included ASQ Vancouver Section Chair Fuat Ramazanov, the Voice of Customer Chair Natella Isazada, and the Publicity Chair Louis Blais. As faculty members of Acsenda Management School in Vancouver, they are grateful to their partner organization Acsenda for accommodating the conference on their campus in the heart of downtown. ASQ Vancouver would also like to extend their gratitude to all sponsor organizations and to other Canadian Sections of ASQ who supported the conference.

Conference presentations generated a lot of interest in the audience. Among the speakers there were a 3x-Olympian, a Canadian track and field athlete completing in the javelin throw; Quality and Continuous Improvement Experts; Best-Selling Author and Podcast Host; Corporate Creativity expert, artist and coach; Corporate Reputation Management Expert; Operations and Technology Management Expert; Ergonomist and Occupational Hygiene Officer; as well certified quality auditors participating in the moderated panel discussion.
The day was packed with engaging sessions, networking opportunities, quality-related trivia games, catered meal and coffee breaks, door prizes and volunteer appreciation. The event was also attended by Acsenda top management who acknowledged the land the conference was conducted on and expressed their gratitude for the partnership with ASQ which is a mutually beneficial relationship that allows Acsenda students to learn through volunteering and to expand their horizons.

Congratulations to the organizing committee.

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New: Certification Study Group

Would you like to work with others to prepare for the ASQ examinations?

Starting 17 January 2023, we have a Teams based section study group that is open every Tuesday evening from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Join the team and get to help each other. Contact your host Dr. David Tozer, Montreal Section Education Chair, to obtain a link.

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Serendipity Strikes General Assembly 2022

By J.P. Amiel, ASQ Senior, CQA ret., Web committee Chair

Well, life happens! And sometimes in the most interesting ways.

At our recent General Assembly, Sam Weissfelner was struck by serendipity. Back in the days (around 1998), Sam wrote a chapter in collaboration for the publishing of the book Software Process Assessment & Improvement. It was published by Wiley and the IEEE Computer Society in 1999.

One day, after it’s publication, he dedicated a copy of the book for Denis Pronovost. The dedication reads “To a training professional whom I highly respect and an esteemed quality person!“

Recently the Montreal Section created the 2022 Prix Denis Pronovost in memory of Denis Pronovost who passed away in June 2015. At the General Assembly, participants were reminded of that the award was given to Patrick Barnes at the June 15th, 2022 webinar. They were also offered the opportunity to take quality-related books that Roger Pelletier (past chair of ASQ Section Québécoise) had donated from his private collection.

Now here is the real serendipity, lo and behold, amongst the donated books was the very same book that Sam had dedicated for Denis more than 23 years ago!!

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Serendipity (noun, ser·en·dip·i·ty): the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Also: an instance of this. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

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Wisdom from our Wisest — Rosaire Ratelle

By Eric Hosking, Section Treasurer, Membership Chair, ASQ CQE, CSSBB, CQA and Samira Kazemi, Program Committee Member

Texte en français ICI

Last month in this column we featured Ruth Stanley, ASQ Canada’s former Regional Director. This month we are featuring one of our very longest serving members Rosaire Ratelle, B. Eng., ASQ CQE. April 1st saw Rosaire celebrate 46 years with the ASQ. Like Marcel Charbonneau featured two months ago, Rosaire was instrumental in the development and evolution of the Quality institutions in Quebec.

Rosaire has worked and consulted in various industries and companies. He had the opportunity to watch, act and share his thoughts on the evolution of various quality techniques at work and in various articles he authored. He was also a player in the Quebec quality movement.

You can read his story here.

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If you enjoyed this article, send your comments to the Membership Chair.We will share them.

(2022-05-20)

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