Certified Quality

Manager Exam:

It Makes Good Career Sense


by Greg Hutchins

As jobs become scarcer,
ASQC certifications like the
CQM are becoming more popular.

Free agency is coming to the quality profession, and the impact will be as profound as it has been in professional sports. The downsizing of the 1990s has resulted in sudden and massive layoffs. Company loyalty is scarce. Very few safe harbors of employment exist anymore. Dilbert is alive and well. We're all vulnerable to these new marketplace and workplace pressures.

The statistics are stunning: Forty percent of the jobs held 10 years ago no longer exist. What can you do? The best tool for working with significant change is to learn something new. Flexibility and the ability to learn are critical competencies for life and career success.

We all must anticipate changes, discern trends and predict business needs in our industries. We then must make shrewd career moves that will keep us ahead of the change curve and position ourselves for professional opportunities.

The American Society for Quality Control offers a number of opportunities for career positioning, specifically through certifications such as Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE), Certified Quality Technician (CQT) and, most recently, Certified Quality Manager (CQM). Each of these certifications will be featured in Quality Digest, starting this month with CQM.

Why get certified?

What's in it for you? You've got to make the career cost-benefit decision. Tough, fundamental questions should be addressed before you invest time and money in a certification. What are some of the benefits of ASQC certification?

Certification pays. According to the 1996 Quality Progress Salary Survey, CQA auditors earn $8,000 more than those who aren't certified; CQEs earn almost $5,000 more than those who aren't; and CQMs earn $8,000 more than those who aren't.

Certification gets you recognized. More companies are using tests and certifications for promotion and employee training. If you don't believe it, look at the back of any ASQC certification brochure to see the companies that use certifications in their personnel practices.

Certification gets you a leg up on the competition. As jobs become scarcer and the pool of qualified people grows, that additional certification may mean the difference in a promotion, new opportunities or a new client. All other things being equal between you and other job applicants, that something extra may make the difference between getting the job or not.

Certification demonstrates knowledge and abilities. We all know that lifetime job security is history. We need to develop portable, transferable and marketable skills. We're going to be much more mobile as job security and seniority-based wages disappear. ASQC certifications provide an excellent way to demonstrate abilities and knowledge. For example, the CQM has a structured response section that demonstrates critical understanding, thinking and problem solving.

Certification implies credibility and, ultimately, marketability. ASQC certifications are usually based on a thorough and widespread analysis of what quality managers and professionals do. The certifications are reality-based and tested.

Certification helps communicate quality to others. Certifications can be used as a means to communicate about quality. For example, the CQA incorporates many ideas found in the ISO 10000 series, the standards specifying auditor training and auditing criteria.

CQM: What is it?

The CQM may be the ASQC's crown jewel certification. It is a formal recognition by ASQC that a person has demonstrated proficiency, knowledge and comprehension of the CQM body of knowledge. For legal reasons, ASQC calls it a peer recognition, not a professional recognition or license.

ASQC defines the CQM as a: "professional who understands quality standards and concepts, can implement organizational assessment and maintain customer satisfaction and focus. The Certified Quality Manager should manage projects supporting strategic objectives and motivate human resource in the support of organizational goals."

How and why did the CQM develop? Thomas Pyzdek, quality professional and author, was involved from the beginning. He recently noted: "In recent years it became increasingly obvious that there existed a glaring certification omission from the ranks of certified quality professionals: the quality manager. The quality manager supervised the work of an array of certified professionals without needing to be certified himself or herself. This situation could and did lead to problems, especially when the quality manager was less than fully qualified for his or her position.

"When the demand for qualified professional quality managers exceeded the supply, the field was overrun with hacks and incompetents. The result was resentment on the part of the other certified quality professionals and a general lack of respect for the ability of the quality department to contribute to the success of the organization."

Quality is everyone's business

ASQC's definition of a CQM is good, but it doesn't tell the whole story. In our surveys and our CQM refresher classes, we've discovered something interesting: Up to two-thirds of the people taking our CQM classes were people from outside the quality profession. They were first-line supervisors, team facilitators, functional managers, ISO 9000 administrators, operational supervisors and project improvement leaders. They had operational quality responsibilities and needed to understand the discipline. Many were from service and government organizations. These people were new to quality. They had never been exposed to quality. They wanted the quality information and knowledge but weren't particularly interested in sitting for the exam. Another way to think about this startling revelation is that the ASQC definition of CQM can be applied to almost anyone in any organization.

Why are so many nonquality professionals attending CQM refresher courses? The quality profession has been successful beyond its wildest expectations. Quality professionals have been preaching the same message for years: A person or team responsible for an activity or process is truly responsible for the quality of his or her efforts. More companies realize this as they integrate ISO 9000 or QS-9000 systems into their organizations. Some organizations understand that quality is everyone's business. Everyone quality-manages his or her process. That means that everyone should have a basic understanding of quality.

Does that mean that everyone should or may become a CQM? Probably not. The present experience requirements specify "at least five years in a decision-making technical, professional or management position" in the areas covered by the CQM body of knowledge. (See sidebar on page 37.)

What's in it for you?

Steve Landenberger, quality assurance manager at Nelson Steel and a CQM instructor, sees two types of quality professionals sitting for the exam: people without college degrees who are using the CQM certificate to justify that they are qualified to hold or attain a quality manager position, and people with nontechnical degrees who are using the certificate to supplement their knowledge and lend credibility to their quality management status.

Companies are also using the ASQC certification process to assess and improve the abilities of their present employees as well as to recruit new employees. Bill Vance, quality systems manager at furniture manufacturer Haworth, says that "the certification process provides Haworth with the confidence that an individual being considered for a particular position has a minimum understanding of quality methods and techniques required in that position." Almost every quality professional at Haworth has at least one quality certification, while many have up to four.

Fast-growing certification

The CQM is still relatively unknown. It has been out for a little more than a year. The number of people sitting for the exam has been flat, and the pass rate remains relatively constant at about 44 percent. However, this will change in 1997.

This year, ASQC is developing a number of CQM products and will be promoting the certification heavily. Bill Wortman, a CQM instructor and author, reports that when he speaks to ASQC sections and inquires how many have taken the CQM, about 5 percent raise their hands. When he asks them how many plan to take the exam in the near future, about 85 percent to 90 percent raise their hands. It's conceivable that thousands of people will attempt the CQM exam each year.

It's not a slam dunk

The CQM is a difficult certification. Less than half of the people who sit for the exam pass it.

The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions and two constructed-response questions. The multiple choice questions are open book and fairly straightforward, similar to the SAT. They are more organizational, team and strategy oriented rather than technical. You won't get any questions like, "Given 5-percent AQL, what are the accept/reject numbers using MIL-STD 105E?"

When you work through the multiple-choice questions, you must focus on quality. Some questions are open to interpretation. There is always a right quality answer, while there may be close business answers. So it is critical to interpret each question in terms of how you, the quality manager, would deal with, respond to and work with the situation described in the question. Typical multiple-choice questions provided by ASQC include:

1. Which of the following is not an appropriate use of the Baldrige Award criteria?

a. Self-assessment model
b. Quality system registration
c. Quality award application
d. Quality system model

The correct answer is b. Quality system registration refers to ISO 9000 quality systems registration -- the Baldrige Award wouldn't be used for this.

 

2. To ensure success in implementing quality initiatives, the most important factor is:

a. An empowered work force
b. A training program that explains and promotes the quality initiative
c. Upper management support
d. A reward-and-recognition program

The correct answer is c. Any person who has driven or facilitated a companywide quality initiative or improvement project knows that without a senior management sponsor, the initiative or project has a much higher risk of failure.

The biggest challenge

The constructed response part of the certification is the most challenging element of the certification. One reason is because this part of the CQM is closed book. Another reason is that many people haven't written an essay in years. The fear factor sets in when being timed to get the right answer in two mini-essays within 45 minutes.

The ASQC certification brochure offers the following as a typical problem:

"A company that provides repair services to airlines has both field service for on-site repairs and a repair depot for other repairs and maintenance. Field service technicians, who report to the manager of field service, often replace major assemblies to get equipment back on-line as quickly as possible, sending the 'defective' assemblies back to the depot. Depot technicians, who report to the depot manager, complain that too many of the 'defective' field returns are diagnosed 'no trouble found.' Indicate what actions a quality professional should take to better understand and resolve this situation."

Scoring for the above problem is based on how you would approach the problem. A higher score would be given to a solution that integrated:

Data collection -- What is the scope of the problem?
Problem solving -- How would you solve the problem?
Cross-functional teams -- How would you implement the solution?

 

A low score would incorporate just one or two elements of the above approach. Regardless of the question, follow a structured approach with your answer:

Define the problem.
Identify causes of the problem.
Develop or select possible solutions.
Develop an implementation plan.
Follow up on the solution.
 
Who can take the exam

The ASQC determines who can sit for the exam by reviewing education and work experience. Certification as a quality manager requires that you have at least 10 years of higher education and/or work experience in one or more of the areas of the CQM body of knowledge. Five years should be in a decision-making technical, professional or management position. Some of the experience can be waived through certifications and degrees. For example, a bachelor's degree is worth five years toward the required 10 years.

What happens if you never held a quality manager's title but assumed quality management responsibilities are part of your job? This could qualify as having had a decision-making position.

How do I sign up?

Call the ASQC at (800) 248-1946 or (414) 272-8575 and request the CQM Certification Brochure B0070 for complete requirements. The information packet is free. Pay attention to the application dates.

The exam costs are: $140 for an ASQC Member&endash;North America, $170 for an ASQC Member&endash;outside North America, $245 for a nonmember&endash;North America and $275 for a nonmember&endash;outside North America.

The CQM is offered twice a year, in March and October. The ASQC is firm about application deadlines. The 1997 test dates are: March 1 (application deadline: Jan. 10) and Oct. 18 (application deadline: Aug. 22).


Certified Quality Manager Body of Knowledge

I. Quality Standards (eight questions)
A. Total Quality Management
B. Continuous Process Improvement
C. Cycle-Time Reduction
D. Supplier Management
E. Customer Service
F. Quality Award/Quality Standards Criteria (e.g., Baldrige Award, ISO 9000)
II. Organizations and Their Functions (12 questions)
A. Organizational Assessment
B. Organizational Structures (e.g., matrix, hierarchical)
C. Quality Functions Within the Organization
D. Communication Within the Organization
E. Change Agents and Their Effects on Organizations
F. Management Styles (e.g., by facts and data, by coach- ing/other leadership styles)
G. Business Functions
1. External: safety, legal and regulatory, product liability, environment, technology process
2. Internal: human resources, engineering, sales and marketing, finance, R&D, purchasing
III. Quality Needs and Overall Strategic Plans (18 questions)
A. Linkage Between Quality Function Needs and Overall Strategic Plan
B. Linkage Between Strategic Plan and Quality Plan
C. Theory of Variation (common and special causes)
D. Quality Function Mission
E. Priority of Quality Function Within the Organization
F. Metrics and Goals That Drive Organizational Performance
G. Formulation of Quality Principles and Policies
H. Resource Requirements to Manage the Quality Function
IV. Customer Satisfaction and Focus (30 questions)
A. Types of Customers (e.g., internal, external and end-user)
B. Elements of Customer-Driven Organizations
C. Customer Expectations, Priorities, Needs and "Voice"
D. Customer Relationship Management and Commitment (e.g., complaints, feedback, guarantees, corrective actions)
E. Customer Identification and Segmentation
F. Partnership and Alliances Between Customers and Suppliers
G. Communication Techniques (e.g., surveys, focus groups, satisfaction/complaint cards)
H. Multiple-Customer Management and Conflict Resolution
I. Customer Retention/Loyalty
V. Project Management (30 questions)
A. Planning
1. Integrated quality initiatives
2. Short- and long-term quality plans and objectives
3. Feedback loops
4. Performance measures
a. Timeliness
b. Resources
c. Methodology
5. Relevant stakeholders
6. Benchmarking
7. Budgeting
8. Cost-Benefit Analysis
B. Implementation
1. Management support and organizational roadblocks
2. Short-term (tactical) plans
3. Cross-functional collaboration
4. Continuous review and enhancement of quality
process
5. Documentation and procedures
VI. Continuous Improvement (22 questions)
A. Tools
1. Quality control tools (charts and diagrams)
2. Quality management tools (diagrams and matrixes)
3. PDCA (plan, do, check, act)
B. Cost of Quality
C. Process Improvement
D. Trend Analysis
E. Measurement Issues
1. Reliability and validity
2. Sampling plans and other statistical analysis techniques
3. Specifications, calibration and process capability
F. Concurrent Engineering and Process Mapping
VII. Human Resource Management (15 questions)
A. Leadership Roles and Responsibilities
1. Conflict resolution
2. Professional ethics
B. Quality Staffing Issues
1. Selection
2. Performance evaluation
3. Professional development
4. Goals and objectives
C. Quality Responsibilities in Job/Position Descriptions
D. Post-Training Evaluation and Reinforcement
E. Team Formation and Evolution
1. Process improvement teams
2. Work groups
3. Other self-managed teams
F. Team Management
1. Facilitation techniques
2. Member roles and responsibilities
3. Performance evaluation
4. Recognition and reward
VIII. Training and Education (15 questions)
A. Importance of Top-Down Support and Strategic Planning for Quality Training
B. Training Subgroups and Topics
1. Management training&emdash;general quality principles
2. Employee training&emdash;implementation of quality plans
3. Facilitator training
C. Training Needs Analysis
D. Post-Training Evaluation and Reinforcement
E. Tools
1. Lectures, workbooks, case studies, on-the-job training
2. Use of technology in training (videos, computer- delivered instruction, etc.)

 

Suggested resources

CQM Primer by Bill Wortman, Quality Council of Indiana, (812) 533-4215.

The Quality Book by Greg Hutchins, QPE Inc., (800) 266-7383.

The Complete Guide to the CQM by Thomas Pyzdek, Quality Publishing, (520) 749-9113.

 

About the author

Greg Hutchins is a noted author and lecturer on quality. His firm, Quality Plus Engineering, offers internal CQM training. He wrote The Quality Book, which is a sourcebook for the CQM. It can be ordered through QPE at (800) 266-7383.

© 1997 Greg Hutchins