American Society for Quality

American Society for Quality
Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	American Society for Quality
Abbreviation	ASQ
Formation	1946
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Region served	United States; international
Membership	Quality professionals
Leader title	CEO

American Society for Quality is a global professional association that represents quality assurance, quality control, and continuous improvement practitioners across multiple industries. Founded in the mid-20th century, it connects engineers, statisticians, auditors, managers, and educators through certifications, standards development, publications, and conferences. The society works with healthcare systems, manufacturing firms, government agencies, and academic institutions to promote quality methodologies and organizational excellence.

History

The organization traces its roots to post-World War II efforts where leaders from General Electric and Bell Labs joined with academics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University to formalize quality practices. Early collaborations involved figures associated with Shewhart-era research at Western Electric and followers of W. Edwards Deming who later influenced Japanese post-war industrial revival and firms like Toyota Motor Corporation and Sony. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the society interacted with standards bodies such as American National Standards Institute and International Organization for Standardization, while individual members participated in initiatives tied to NASA programs and quality programs within Ford Motor Company and General Motors. In the 1970s and 1980s, links developed with proponents of Total Quality Management including consultants who worked with Procter & Gamble and Motorola. More recent decades saw expansion into healthcare through partnerships with Mayo Clinic and The Joint Commission, and into services with connections to IBM and Accenture.

Organization and Governance

Governance is overseen by a board similar to structures used by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, with committees drawn from volunteers affiliated with Universities such as University of Wisconsin–Madison and Purdue University. Executive leadership models mirror roles seen at American Medical Association and American Bar Association, with advisory input from councils that include representatives from U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and multinational corporations like Siemens and 3M. Regional divisions reflect organizational patterns used by British Standards Institution and Standards Australia, coordinating chapters that replicate approaches from Rotary International and IEEE regional sections.

Membership and Certification Programs

Membership cohorts resemble those of Project Management Institute and Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, offering networking similar to American Institute of Chemical Engineers chapters and student sections at schools like Cornell University and Georgia Institute of Technology. Certification pathways parallel credentialing seen at Certified Public Accountant programs and Chartered Financial Analyst examinations, with specific credentials akin to Six Sigma Black Belt certifications used by Motorola and Honeywell. Exam content draws on methods associated with Joseph Juran, Kaoru Ishikawa, and statistical techniques developed at Bell Laboratories and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Employers including Boeing, Caterpillar, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson often recognize these credentials.

Standards, Publications, and Research

The society publishes journals and books akin to outlets from Elsevier and Springer, with editorial contributions from academics at Harvard University and University of Michigan. Peer-reviewed research addresses topics linked to Lean manufacturing practices at Toyota and Kanban systems used by Microsoft teams, and statistical process control methods originating at Western Electric and Bell Labs. It contributes to standards discussions alongside ISO, ANSI, and ASTM International, and members have participated in committees that intersect with Food and Drug Administration guidance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations. Signature publications reference methodologies championed by Philip Crosby and Deming Prize recipients.

Training, Conferences, and Events

Training programs follow instructional designs similar to offerings from Coursera partners and corporate training units at GE Global Learning and Deloitte University. The society organizes annual conferences resembling Consumer Electronics Show satellite events for quality, and regional meetings comparable to SXSW format for professional exchange. Keynotes have mirrored speaker lineups found at TED Conferences and World Economic Forum sessions, attracting leaders from Intel, Amazon, Oracle, and academic keynote presenters from Columbia University. Workshops cover case studies drawn from UPS logistics, FedEx operations, and McDonald's supply chain examples.

Advocacy and Impact on Industry

Advocacy efforts engage policymakers and regulators in ways similar to American Hospital Association and National Association of Manufacturers, influencing procurement standards at agencies like U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and programmatic quality in partnerships with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Industry impact is visible in adoption of Six Sigma at General Electric and lean programs at Nike, with measurable outcomes noted by analysts from McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group. The society’s guidance has affected quality practices in pharmaceuticals like Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, and in technology firms such as Apple Inc. and Google LLC.

International Activities and Partnerships

International engagement mirrors outreach by American Red Cross and United Nations Development Programme, with chapters and collaborations spanning regions including Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Partnerships exist with national bodies like Standards Malaysia, Bureau of Indian Standards, and China Quality Certification Center, and with international organizations such as World Health Organization and World Bank on capacity-building projects. The society works alongside professional peers like Institute of Quality Assurance and Quality Council of India to harmonize practices and support quality improvements in multinational corporations including Samsung and Volkswagen AG.

Category:Professional associations based in the United States