Blogs

Upcoming ASQ Certification Exams - Applications due Jun 9 for July Exams

By Jo Haberstok posted 15 days ago
UPCOMING ASQ CERTIFICATION EXAMS ASQ Certification has impacted careers for decades with over 400,000 certifications issued worldwide. Offering independently accredited certifications with a proven track record, you can be confident that your certification will maintain its value throughout your career. By achieving ASQ Certification, you join a proud legacy of quality professionals and demonstrate your pursuit of excellence through quality. Acquire the knowledge to position yourself and your organization ahead of the competition and get certified by ASQ today! Applications are now being accepted for ASQ Certification exams that will be offered ...

Simon Collier Award - Nominations Due May 31

By Jo Haberstok posted 15 days ago
SIMON COLLIER QUALITY AWARD Call for Nominations by May 31 Do you know individuals who are leaders in promoting quality concepts, who have made a difference in the quality culture or performance of their industries, companies, or in the world at large? The Los Angeles ASQ section would like to recognize such contributions with the 32 nd Simon Collier Quality Award this fall. This is a nationally recognized award given in honor of one of the early movers and shakers of ASQ and the Los Angeles section. More information about the award and the nomination and selection process is available from Joe at jrdesimone@msn.com .

WCQI 2025

By Jo Haberstok posted 15 days ago
WCQI 2025 – THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGN UP! by Jo Haberstok I wonder how many of our section members will be attending WCQI? Although I haven’t heard from anyone or seen any comments on our myASQ Community yet, I hope many will be participating. This year’s event is being held May 4-7 in Denver. What a great location! There are so many fun and interesting things you could do in the area before, during (after hours), and following the conference. WCQI stands as a premier global forum dedicated to driving excellence in quality management, continuous improvement, and organizational success. Each year, it brings together ...

Memorial Day 2025

By Jo Haberstok posted 15 days ago
MEMORIAL DAY 2025 (excerpted from a Reader’s Digest article) Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. It is considered a federal holiday in the United States, a day to honor and mourn members of the military who have passed away while serving in the United States Armed Forces. History of Memorial Day Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day began with an idea from General John Logan as a way to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. The first celebration, on May 30, 1868, was held at Arlington National Cemetery, with a crowd of 5,000 people decorating the graves of more than 20,000 military personnel with ...

Chair's Article - May 2025 - Survey Says ...

By Jo Haberstok posted 15 days ago
Chair’s Corner – SURVEY SAYS … from Denise Fast Thank You to all of you that took the time to complete our recent online survey. We really appreciate your feedback and look forward to providing more opportunities for our section in the future. Interest regarding in-person, virtual, and/or combination meetings received similar results across each of these options. Regarding costs associated with meetings, however, the majority of respondents indicated they are not willing at this time to cover the costs associated with in-person meetings. So, at this time, we will continue with virtual meetings. We will also keep looking for ...

May 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ Newsletter

By Jo Haberstok posted 18 days ago
The May 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ newsletter is now available. We encourage everyone to sign up for and participate in one or more of the other ASQ section or division meetings being offered in May. There are many opportunities for learning, networking, and growth! Check the ASQ Events Calendar for even more offerings. And remember… Recertification Units (RUs) can be earned for participating in meetings/events, viewing your monthly free member gifts, or by serving in a section leadership or team member role.

April is Earth Month - Improving the Quality of Life

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
APRIL IS EARTH MONTH – IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE by Jo Haberstok In the decades leading up to the first officially designated Earth Day in 1970, Americans had been consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Smoke and sludge were being emitted from manufacturing sites with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as inevitable. While much of the country remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatened human health, there were a few groups fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories, ...

April 9 Webinar - AI Adoption Journey: Governance, Challenges, and Strategies

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
AI ADOPTION JOURNEY: GOVERNANCE, CHALLENGES, AND STRATEGIES ASQ Quality Management Division Webinar April 9 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm PDT Are you interested in learning more about the process of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into operations, products, or services? AI adoption involves using a range of AI products and systems to support workflows, from streamlining tasks to strategic decision-making. This webinar is for you if you are at any stage of your AI journey and: • Eager to adopt AI at the individual/team/enterprise level • Looking to harness AI for improving processes Join presenter Shruti Patil to delve into critical ...

Upcoming ASQ Certification Exams - Applications due May 12

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
ASQ CERTIFICATIONS – UPCOMING EXAMS Have you been thinking about applying for an ASQ certification? Why not stop thinking about it and just do it! As an ASQ member, you’ll save $100 off the usual (non-member) fee for each exam. Applications are now being accepted for the following exams scheduled for June 1-30. The application deadline is May 12. • CQA (Quality Auditor) • CQE (Quality Engineer) • CQIA (Quality Improvement Associate) • CSQE (Software Quality Engineer) • CSSGB (Six Sigma Green Belt) • CQPA (Quality Process Analyst) • CCT (Calibration Technician) • CPGP (Pharmaceutical GMP Professional) • CCQM (Construction ...

Get Ready - For WCQI 2025

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
GET READY – FOR THE 2025 WORLD CONFERENCE ON QUALITY & IMPROVEMENT (WCQI) May 4-7 in Denver For decades, the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement (WCQI) has empowered quality professionals like you to elevate their organizations, teams, and careers. Here are just a few reasons why participating in WCQI is a smart move: • Stay ahead of the curve with insights into cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning for quality processes • Learn best-in-class strategies to improve team performance, motivation, and cross-functional collaboration • Refine your skills in process mapping, KPI development, and data-driven decision-making ...

April 2025 Chair's Corner - Ransomware

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
CHAIR’S CORNER – RANSOMWARE from Denise Fast In today’s world, where everyone’s digital lives are woven into almost every aspect of their daily routines, the threat of ransomware looms larger than ever. According to a Sophos State of Ransomware survey of 5,000 IT and cybersecurity leaders released in April of 2024, 59% of organizations were hit by a ransomware attack in 2023. Of those victims, 56% paid a ransom to get their data back. Exploited vulnerabilities were the most commonly identified root cause of an attack, impacting 32% of organizations. This was closely followed by compromised credentials (29%) and malicious emails (23%). Ransomware ...

April 2025 Newsletter

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/31/25
The April 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ newsletter is now available. We will not be holding a section meeting in April. We encourage everyone to sign up for and participate in one (or more) of the other ASQ section or division meetings. There are many opportunities for learning, networking, and growth! You can check the ASQ Events Calendar for even more offerings. And remember… Recertification Units (RUs) can be earned for participating in meetings/events, viewing your monthly free member gifts, or by serving in a section leadership or team member role.

Lions and Lambs and Change ... Oh My!

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/04/25
LIONS AND LAMBS AND CHANGE … OH MY! by Jo Haberstok We’ve probably all heard the saying "March comes in like a Lion and goes out like a Lamb,” right? There are conflicting theories about the origin, but it most likely began as a reference to the position of the constellations Leo (a lion) and Aries (a ram, or lamb) in the night sky. Then at some point it evolved into a fairly good summation of March's changing weather as the seasons change from winter to spring. March is an interesting month, often beginning with (a lion’s roar of) very cold weather and (a lion’s long, white teeth) winds so biting that we still need our down‑filled parkas. ...

ASQ Certified Medical Device Auditor (CMDA) Refresher Course

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/04/25
ASQ CERTIFIED MEDICAL DEVICE AUDITOR (CMDA) REFRESHER COURSE Offered by San Gabriel ASQ Saturdays - March 15 – May 24 Instructor Upen Patel will cover key topics related to ASQ’s Certified Medical Device Auditor (CMDA) body of knowledge through then (10) Saturday sessions. Topics covered include: Auditing Fundamentals, Auditing and Inspection Processes, US Laws: QSR: CFR Title 21, U.S. requirements (FD&C Act), QSR, EU MDR, Health Canada, Other international agencies, International Standards, Validation, Risk Management, Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS), Human factors and usability engineering, Biological evaluation, Packaging, ...

March 2025 from the Chair - Mastering Essential Communication Skills

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/04/25
Chair’s Corner – Mastering Essential Communication Skills From Denise Fast Here are some tips from an article from the Indeed Editorial Team Communication skills are the abilities you use to exchange information, ideas, and feelings. They include listening, speaking, observing, and empathizing. · Clarity : Make it easy for others to understand your main ideas · Concision : Get to the point without using extra words · Concreteness : Use specific examples or explanations · Correctness : Use the right information, grammar, and word choice · ...

March 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ Newsletter

By Jo Haberstok posted 03/04/25
The March 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ newsletter is now available. We will not be holding a section meeting in March, so we encourage everyone to sign up for and participate in one (or more) of the other ASQ section or division meetings. There are many opportunities for learning, networking, and growth! You can check the ASQ Events Calendar for even more offerings. And remember… Recertification Units (RUs) can be earned for participating in meetings/events, viewing your monthly free member gifts, or by serving in a section leadership or team member role.

Random Acts of Kindness - Every Day!

By Jo Haberstok posted 02/05/25
RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS by Jo Haberstok (with excerpts from the AARP website) Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 9-15, and the official Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 17. But we shouldn’t need an official proclamation to do good things every day. In today’s environment, where everyone seems to have so many things to do, people to see, and places to go, it sometimes feels like kindness and courtesy have begun to take a back seat. Acts of kindness may not be high on everyone’s priority list. I was getting in line at the only available checkout at the grocery store the other day, with just a handful of items. The fellow ...

Spring is Coming - Time to Plant some ASQ Seeds!

By Jo Haberstok posted 02/05/25
SPRING IS COMING ... TIME TO PLANT SOME ASQ SEEDS! by Jo Haberstok Are you a winter person, someone who loves seeing six inches of snow on the ground for weeks, the nearby ski resorts open every day, and you get to bundle up in layers? Or are you a summer person, basking in 100-plus degrees, enjoying hot weather sports, shorts, and sandals? Or maybe you’re an in-betweener – you don’t mind a little snow (as long as it doesn’t stick around for long) but you look forward to warmer weather and being able to leave the puffy parka and scarf in the closet so you can get outside, work in the yard again, and start planting vegetables. We’ve been ...

Upcoming ASQ Certification Exams - Applications due March 9

By Jo Haberstok posted 02/05/25
ASQ CERTIFICATIONS – UPCOMING EXAMS Have you been thinking about applying for an ASQ certification? Why not stop thinking about it and just do it! As an ASQ member, you’ll save $100 off the usual (non-member) fee for each exam. Applications are now being accepted for the following exams scheduled for April 1-30. The application deadline is March 9. • CQA (Quality Auditor) • CQE (Quality Engineer) • CQIA (Quality Improvement Associate) • CSQE (Software Quality Engineer) • CSSGB (Six Sigma Green Belt) • CQPA (Quality Process Analyst) • CCT (Calibration Technician) • CPGP (Pharmaceutical GMP Professional) • CCQM (Construction ...

February 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ Newsletter

By Jo Haberstok posted 02/05/25
The February 2025 Columbia Basin ASQ newsletter is now available. We are not holding a separate section meeting in February, so we encourage everyone to sign up for and participate in one (or more) of the other ASQ section or division meetings. There are many opportunities for learning, networking, and growth! You can check the ASQ Events Calendar for even more offerings. And remember… Recertification Units (RUs) can be earned for participating in meetings/events, viewing your monthly free member gifts, or by serving in a section leadership or team member role.