Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Certification

Body of Knowledge
The topics in this new BOK include descriptive details (subtext) that will be used by the Exam Development
Committee as guidelines for writing test questions. This subtext is also designed to help candidates prepare for the
exam by identifying specific content within each topic that may be tested. The subtext is not intended to limit the
subject matter or be all-inclusive of what might be covered in an exam but is intended to clarify how the topics relate to
a Quality Manager's role. The descriptor in parentheses at the end of each entry refers to the maximum cognitive level
at which the topic will be tested. A more complete description of cognitive levels is provided at the end of this
document.
I. Leadership (25 Questions)
A. Organizational Structures and Culture
1. Organizational structures
Define and describe basic organizational designs: matrix, flat, parallel, etc., as well as the
management hierarchy and its influence in an organization. (Understand)
2. Organizational culture
Define and describe characteristics of an organization that determine or underlie its culture.
(Understand)
B. Leadership Challenges
1. Roles and responsibilities of leaders
Describe typical roles, responsibilities, and competencies of people in leadership positions and how
those attributes influence an organization's direction and purpose. (Analyze)
2. Roles and responsibilities of managers
Describe typical roles, responsibilities, and competencies of people in management positions and
how those attributes contribute to an organization's success. (Analyze)
3. Change management
Use various change management strategies to overcome organizational roadblocks and achieve
desired change levels, and review outcomes for effectiveness. (Evaluate)
4. Motivating, influencing, negotiating, resolving
Apply techniques that support and sustain employee enthusiasm, and implement strategies that
enable parties with different or opposing outlooks to recognize common goals and work together
to achieve them. (Create)
5. Empowerment
Apply various techniques to empower individuals and teams, identify typical obstacles to
empowerment and appropriate strategies for overcoming them, and distinguish between various
techniques used to achieve empowerment, such as job enrichment and job enlargement, job
design and job tasks, etc. (Apply)
C. Teams and Team Processes
1. Types of teams
Identify different types of teams (e.g., process improvement, self-managed, temporary/ad hoc,
work groups, cellular, special project) and their purpose. (Understand)
2. Stages of team development
Define and describe the classic stages of team development: forming, storming, norming,
performing. (Apply)
3. Team-building techniques
Apply basic team-building steps such as holding an introductory meeting in which team members
share information about themselves, using ice-breaker activities to enhance team membership,
developing a common vision and agreement on team objectives, identifying and assigning specific
roles on the team, etc. (Apply)
4. Team roles and responsibilities
Define and describe typical roles related to team support and effectiveness (e.g., facilitator,
leader, process owner, champion, project manager, contributor, etc.) and responsibilities with
regard to various group dynamics, such as recognizing hidden agendas, handling distractions and
disruptive behavior, keeping on task, etc. (Analyze)
5. Team performance and evaluation
Evaluate teams in relation to established goals and objectives and determine when, why, and how
to reward teams and celebrate their success. (Evaluate)
D. ASQ Code of Ethics
Identify and apply behaviors and actions that comply with this code. (Apply)

II. Strategic Plan Development and Deployment (15 Questions)

A. Strategic Planning Models
Define, describe, and use basic elements of systematic strategic planning models, including how mission,
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vision, and guiding principles relate to the plan. (Apply)
B. Business Environment Analysis
1. SWOT analysis
Analyze an organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and develop and
prioritize actions to take as a result. (Analyze)
2. Market forces
Define and describe various forces that drive strategic plans including entry of new competitors,
rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and
suppliers, etc. (Apply)
3. Stakeholder analysis
Identify and differentiate the needs of various stakeholders to ensure alignment with the
organization's strategic objectives. (Analyze)
4. Technology
Describe the effects that changes in technology can have on strategy formation. (Understand)
5. Internal capability analysis
Describe the effects an organization's internal capabilities (e.g., human resources, capacity,
operational capabilities, etc.) can have on strategy formation. (Understand)
6. Legal and regulatory factors
Define and describe legal and regulatory factors that can influence strategy formation.
(Understand)
C. Strategic Plan Deployment
1. Action plans
Identify basic characteristics of tactics (e.g., specific, measurable/quantifiable, timely, linked to
strategic objective, etc.) for translating strategic objectives into action, and determine whether
proposed plans meet these criteria. (Evaluate)
2. Resource allocation and deployment
Evaluate current resources to ensure they are available and deployed in support of strategic
initiatives. Identify and eliminate administrative barriers to new initiatives. Ensure that all
stakeholders understand the plan and have the skills necessary to carry out their responsibilities.
Identify advocates/cheerleaders for the plan and assign them initial activities and leadership roles.
(Evaluate)
3. Organizational performance measurement
Design and use performance measures to drive and monitor organizational performance, and
evaluate the results in relation to the plan. (Create)
4. Quality function in strategic deployment
Represent the quality function in support of strategic plan deployment, and ensure that the voice
of the customer is addressed throughout the process. (Create)
III. Management Elements and Methods (32 Questions)
A. Management Skills and Abilities
1. Principles of management
Define and apply basic management principles (e.g., planning, leading, delegating, controlling,
organizing, staffing, etc.) in various situations. (Apply)
2. Management theories, styles, and tools
Define and describe classic studies such as MacGregor's Theory X and Y, Ouchi's Theory Z,
Herzberg's two-factor theory, and other theories of management style, and describe how
management styles are influenced by organization size, industry sector, competitive position, etc.
Identify basic elements of behavior tools used by managers such as the Myers-Briggs type
indicator, the dominance, influence, steadiness, conscientiousness (DiSC) model, etc. (Apply)
3. Interdependence of functional areas
Describe the interdependence of an organization's departments or functional areas such as human
resources (HR), engineering, sales, marketing, finance, research and development (R&D),
purchasing, information technology (IT), logistics, production, service, etc. (Understand)
4. Human resources (HR) management
Use basic HR management techniques for employee selection and professional development
including coaching, setting goals and objectives, conducting performance evaluations, developing
recognition programs, etc., and ensure that quality responsibilities are present in job descriptions
throughout the organization. (Apply)
5. Financial management
Read, interpret, and use various finance tools including income statements, balance sheets,
product/service cost structures, etc. Manage budgets, calculate return on investments (ROI) or
assets (ROA), and use the language of cost/profitability to communicate with senior management.
(Analyze)
6. Risk management
Describe and use basic techniques for risk identification, control, and mitigation. (Apply)
7. Knowledge Management
Use knowledge management techniques to identify and collect internal knowledge (core
competencies) and best practices, to understand and share lessons learned, and to adapt and use
such knowledge in new situations. Identify typical organizational hurdles that must be overcome
in order to implement these techniques. (Apply)
B. Communication Skills and Abilities
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1. Communication basics
Define communication and its role in organizations, including characteristics of a conducive
communication environment and what factors inhibit communication. Describe nonverbal
communication factors and what they convey. Use interpersonal skills (e.g., empathy, tact, open-
mindedness, friendliness, etc.) and techniques (e.g., clear writing, active listening, open- and
closed-questioning, etc.) to support effective communication. (Apply)
2. Communications in a global economy
Identify key challenges of communicating across different time zones, cultures, languages, and
business practices, and identify ways of overcoming them. (Understand)
3. Communications and technology
Identify how technology has affected communications, including improved information availability,
its negative influence on interpersonal communications, the new etiquette for electronic
communications, etc. Use appropriate communication methods to deliver different kinds of
messages in a variety of situations. (Analyze)
C. Project Management
1. Project management tools
Use benefit-cost analysis, potential return on investment (ROI), estimated return on assets (ROA),
net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), portfolio analysis, risk assessment, etc., to
analyze project risk, feasibility, and priority. (Analyze)
[NOTE: Calculations for ROI and ROA are covered in III. A. 5. ]
2. Project planning and estimation tools
Use tools such as critical path method (CPM), Gantt chart, PERT, work breakdown structure
(WBS), activity network diagram (AND), etc., to plan projects and estimate related costs. (Apply)
3. Measure and monitor project activity
Use tools such as cost variance analysis, milestones, actual vs. planned budgets, etc., to monitor
project activity against project plan. (Evaluate)
4. Project documentation
Use written procedures, project summaries, lessons learned, etc., to document projects. (Apply)
D. Quality System
1. Quality mission and policy
Develop and monitor the quality mission and policy and ensure alignment with the organization's
broader mission. (Create)
2. Quality planning, deployment, and documentation
Develop and deploy the quality plan and ensure that it is documented and accessible throughout
the organization. (Create)
3. Quality system effectiveness
Use various tools to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality system, including balanced
scorecard, skip-level meetings, management reviews, internal audits, feedback from internal and
external customers, warranty data, traceability and product recall process reviews, etc. (Evaluate)
E. Quality Models and Theories
1. MBNQA Criteria for Performance Excellence
Define and describe how the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria are used
as a management model in support of performance excellence. (Apply)
2. ISO and other third-party standards
Define and describe how ISO Standards can be used to support quality management systems.
(Understand)
3. Other quality methodologies
Describe and differentiate programs such as total quality management (TQM), continuous quality
improvement (CQI), six sigma, benchmarking, etc. (Apply)
4. Quality philosophies
Define and describe the basic methodologies and theories proposed by quality leaders such as
Deming, Juran, Crosby, Feigenbaum, Ishikawa, and others. (Apply)
IV. Quality Management Tools (28 Questions)
A. Problem-Solving Tools
1. The seven classic quality tools
Select, interpret and apply these tools (Pareto charts, cause and effect diagrams, flowcharts,
control charts, check sheets, scatter diagrams, histograms) in various situations. (Create)
2. Basic management and planning tools
Select, interpret and apply these tools (affinity diagrams, tree diagrams, process decision program
charts (PDPCs), matrix diagrams, interrelationship digraphs, prioritization matrices, activity
network diagrams) in various situations. (Evaluate)
3. Process improvement tools
Select, interpret and apply tools such as root cause analysis, PDCA, six sigma DMAIC model,
failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), statistical process control (SPC), in various situations.
(Evaluate)
4. Innovation and creativity tools
Use various techniques and exercises for creative decision-making and problem-solving, including
brainstorming, mind mapping, lateral thinking, critical thinking, design for six sigma (DFSS), etc.
(Apply)
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5. Cost of quality (COQ)
Define and distinguish between prevention, appraisal, internal, and external failure cost categories
and the impact that changes in one category will have on the others. (Evaluate)
B. Process Management
1. Process goals
Describe how process goals are established, monitored, and measured and what impact they will
have on product or service quality. (Evaluate)
2. Process analysis
Use process mapping, flowcharting, and other visual aids to analyze a process and compare it to
written procedures, work instructions, and other documents. (Evaluate)
3. Lean tools
Identify and apply lean tools and processes such as cycle-time reduction, 5 Ss, just-in-time (JIT),
kanban, value streams, etc. (Understand)
4. Theory of constraints (TOC)
Define key concepts of TOC including local vs. system optimization, physical vs. policy constraints,
throughput, etc., and classify various types of constraints such as finite resources, increased
expectations, etc. (Understand)
C. Measurement: Assessment and Metrics
1. Basic statistical use
Use techniques such as the goal-question-metric (GQM) model and others to identify when, what,
and how to measure projects and processes. Describe how metrics and data gathering methods
affect people and vice-versa. (Apply)
2. Sampling
Define and describe basic sampling techniques (e.g., random, stratified, etc.) and when sampling
is appropriate. (Understand)
3. Statistical analysis
Apply basic statistical techniques (e.g., measures of central tendency, range, variance, types of
distribution, check sheet output) to data sets, charts, and other data summaries to monitor
processes and make data-based decisions. (Evaluate)
[NOTE: Statistical process control (SPC) applications are covered in IV. A. 3.]
4. Trend and pattern analysis
Read and interpret data sets, graphs, charts, etc., and identify various trends such as cyclical,
seasonal, environmental, etc., and patterns such as shifts, etc. (Evaluate)
5. Theory of variation
Differentiate between common and special causes of variation. (Analyze)
6. Process capability
Determine the capability of a process in terms of Cp and Cpk indices. (Evaluate)
7. Reliability and validity
Use measurement theories of reliability and validity (including content-, construct-, and criterion-
based measures) to guide the development of survey instruments and to support inferences about
the data gathered by them. (Analyze)
8. Qualitative assessment
Identify subjective measures (e.g., verbatim comments from customers, observation records,
focus group output) and how they differ from objective measures, and determine when
measurements should be made in categories rather than in terms of numeric value. (Analyze)
9. Survey analysis and use
Analyze survey results and ensure that they are interpreted and used correctly. (Analyze)
V. Customer-Focused Organizations (20 Questions)
A. Customer Identification and Segmentation
1. Internal customers
Define and describe the impact an organization's treatment of internal customers will have on
external customers, and develop methods for energizing internal customers to improve products,
processes, and services. (Evaluate)
2. External customers
Define and describe external customers and their impact on products and services, and develop
strategies for working with them to improve products, services, and internal processes. (Evaluate)
B. Customer Relationship Management
1. Customer needs
Use various tools and techniques to identify and prioritize customer needs and expectations,
including the voice of customer, house of quality, quality function deployment (QFD), focus
groups, customer surveys, etc. (Analyze)
2. Customer satisfaction and loyalty
Develop systems to capture customer perceptions and experiences using a variety of feedback
mechanisms (e.g., complaints, surveys, interviews, guarantee/warranty data), and use customer
value analysis, corrective actions, etc., to measure and improve satisfaction. Describe ways of
measuring the value of existing customers and the financial impact of losing customers. (Create)
3. Basic customer service principles
Describe and develop strategies for deploying and supporting principles such as courtesy,
politeness, smiles, attention to detail, rapid response, etc. (Apply)
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4. Multiple and diverse customer management
Establish and monitor priorities to avoid and resolve conflicting customer requirements and
demands, and develop methods and systems for managing capacity and resources to meet the
needs of multiple customers. Describe the impact that diverse customer groups can have on all
aspects of product and service development and delivery. (Evaluate)
VI. Supply Chain Management (15 Questions)
A. Supplier Selection
Define and develop selection criteria such as rating programs, external certification standards, etc., and
identify and manage their impact on various internal processes of the organization. (Evaluate)
B. Supplier Communications
Design and implement techniques for communicating with suppliers including scheduled meetings,
routine and emergency reporting procedures, presenting explicit expectations, confirming awareness of
criticality, etc. (Create)
C. Supplier Performance
Define and describe common measures of supplier performance (e.g., quality, price, delivery, service
levels) and metrics (e.g., defect rates, functional performance, timeliness, responsiveness, availability of
technical support). (Create)
D. Supplier Improvement
Design and conduct supplier audits, evaluate corrective and preventive action plans, provide feedback,
and monitor for process improvement. (Create)
E. Supplier Certification, Partnerships, and Alliances
Design and implement supplier certification programs, including process reviews and performance
evaluations, and identify strategies for developing customer-supplier partnerships and alliances.
(Evaluate)
F. Supplier Logistics
Describe the impact purchased products and services have on final product assembly or total service
package, including ship-to-stock, just-in-time (JIT), etc. (Understand)
VII. Training and Development (15 Questions)
A. Training Plans
Develop and implement training plans that are aligned with the organization's strategic plan and general
business needs. (Apply)
B. Needs Analysis
Use various tools and techniques to develop and implement training needs analysis. (Apply)
C. Training Materials/Curriculum Development and Delivery
Use various tools, resources, and methodologies to develop training materials and curricula that address
adult learning principles and the learning needs of an increasingly diverse workforce. Describe various
methods to deliver training, including classroom style, workbooks, simulations, on-the-job, self-directed,
etc. (Apply)
D. Training Effectiveness and Evaluation
Describe and implement various ways of measuring training effectiveness, including customer feedback
from training sessions, end-of-course test results, on-the-job behavior/ performance change,
departmental or area performance improvements. (Apply)
Topics for the Constructed-Response (Essay) Portion of the Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence
Exam
Candidates will be presented with three open-ended questions from which they can select the two that they prefer to
answer. Candidates will have 45 minutes in which to write responses to the two chosen situations. Prior to the start of
the constructed-response portion of the exam, candidates will be given 5 minutes to review and select their situations.
Candidates may split their time spent on the problems as they like. Their responses will be graded on their knowledge
of quality management as it relates to the content areas listed below and in the following skills and abilities:
communication, critical-thinking, personnel management, general management.
CR-1. Leadership
Demonstrate knowledge of the quality manager's role in organizational leadership and as quality champion and
customer advocate. Deploy change agent strategies in support of organization-wide continuous improvement efforts.
Develop teams and participate on them in various roles.
CR-2. Strategy Development and Deployment
Develop and maintain organizational focus on the importance of quality and performance excellence. Create quality
policies and procedures in support of the strategic plan, and integrate those policies and processes into the tactics
developed to support the strategic plan.
CR-3. Management
Demonstrate management abilities in human resources, financial, risk, and knowledge management applications. Use
effective communication methods in various situations to support continuous improvement efforts. Select and use
appropriate tools and methodologies to plan, implement, and evaluate projects. Develop, deploy, and evaluate quality
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plans that can be used throughout the organization. Evaluate and recommend appropriate quality models or systems to
implement in various situations.
CR-4. Customer Focus
Identify and segment customers using a variety of criteria and tools. Identify and prioritize product or service design
and development on the basis of customer requirements and feedback. Solicit customer input proactively and combine
with market analysis and other research to achieve organizational goals, etc. Use customer expectations and feedback
to manage continuous improvement projects.
CR-5. Supplier Management
Develop and implement supplier management systems from selection process through partnership agreements. Identify
methods for assessing supplier performance at various levels of customer-supplier relationships.
CR-6. Training and Development
Demonstrate knowledge and ability in developing, implementing, and evaluating needs assessment, training delivery
methods, and outcomes of training efforts.
Levels of Cognition
based on Bloom's Taxonomy - Revised (2001)
In addition to content specifics, the subtext for each topic in this BOK also indicates the intended complexity level of
the test questions for that topic. These levels are based on "Levels of Cognition (from Bloom's Taxonomy - Revised,
2001) and are presented below in rank order, from least 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 constituent parts and recognize their relationship to one another and how they are
organized; identify sublevel factors or salient data from a complex scenario.
Evaluate (Evaluation Level)
Make judgments about the value of proposed ideas, solutions, etc., by comparing the proposal to specific criteria or
standards.
Create (Synthesis Level)
Put parts or elements together in such a way as to reveal a pattern or structure not clearly there before; identify which
data or information from a complex set is appropriate to examine further or from which supported conclusions can be
drawn.
Return to "Prepare for the exam."
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