Baldrige Improvement Day(s) Call for Comments

Published: Monday, June 23, 2008 - 22:00

(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- The Baldrige National Quality Program strives to continuously improve all aspects of the program to deliver greater value to its customers and stakeholders and to improve the effectiveness of our processes. To that end, the program is offering opportunities for your participation in its annual Improvement Day (I-Day) through two venues. The traditional I-Day meeting is an opportunity for interested people to gather at NIST, provide input, and discuss and refine suggested modifications to the program, and will be held on Wednesday, July 30, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Additionally, this year, NIST will be piloting a “virtual I-Day”—two focus groups with up to 15 people in each. The focus groups will be held on Thursday, August 7, from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EDT) and on Thursday, August 14, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM (EDT). NIST’s intent is to migrate all of I-Day to a virtual environment in 2009 to enable wider participation in the improvement process.

Registration for the on-site and virtual I-Days is available here. Participants should select only one session, please—July 30, August 7, or August 14.

While comments are welcome at any time, the annual Improvement Day is an opportunity for interested people to provide input and to gather at NIST to discuss and refine suggested modifications.

In preparation for the traditional and virtual I-Day events, you are invited to send NIST your comments on any aspect of the program. Typically, comments clustering around a common theme will become subjects for discussion on the Improvement Day agenda. Topics might include but are not limited to:

Criteria for performance excellence—business/nonprofit, education, health care
Revisions to the award process
Revisions to examiner, new examiner, and senior examiner training
Baldrige Award application forms booklet and eligibility
Case studies
Program outreach—conferences, exhibits, documents, web site

Because Improvement Day is scheduled just prior to the annual review of the criteria for performance excellence, comments on the criteria are especially timely.

Please send your comments by July 16, 2008, via web, e-mail, U.S. mail, or fax. For more information, visit patapsco.nist.gov/ImprovementDay/index.htm.

Quality Digest does not charge readers for its content. We believe that industry news is important for you to do your job, and Quality Digest supports businesses of all types.

However, someone has to pay for this content. And that’s where advertising comes in. Most people consider ads a nuisance, but they do serve a useful function besides allowing media companies to stay afloat. They keep you aware of new products and services relevant to your industry. All ads in Quality Digest apply directly to products and services that most of our readers need. You won’t see automobile or health supplement ads.

Our PROMISE: Quality Digest only displays static ads that never overlay or cover up content. They never get in your way. They are there for you to read, or not.

So please consider turning off your ad blocker for our site.

Thanks,
Quality Digest

About The Author

NIST

Founded in 1901, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a nonregulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, NIST’s mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

Quality Digest