American Society for Quality (ASQ)

ASQ, a professional, not-for-profit society founded in 1946, is the world-wide leader in the development, promotion and application of quality related information and technology for the quality professional and serves over 100,000 individual members and 900 corporate members in the United States and more than 80 other nations.

ASQ Certification Program

The ASQ certification program was developed in 1980 to recognize those individuals who have demonstrated proficiency in a specified body of knowledge relating to quality and reliability. This program has become a marketplace requirement for quality professionals in North America and other parts of the world. Examples of ASQ¡¦s professional certifications are:

1. Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)

… is a professional who understands the principles of product and service quality evaluation and control. This Body of Knowledge and applied technologies include, but are not limited to, development and operation of quality control systems, application and analysis of testing and inspection procedures, the ability to use metrology and statistical methods to diagnose and correct improper quality control practices, and understanding of human factors and motivation, facility with quality cost concepts and techniques, and the knowledge and ability to develop and administer management information systems and to audit quality systems for deficiency identification and correction.

2. Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)

… is a professional who understands the standards and principles of auditing and the auditing techniques of examining, questioning, evaluating, and reporting to determine a quality system’s adequacy and deficiencies. The Certified Quality Auditor analyses all elements of a quality system and judges its degree of adherence to the criteria of industrial management and quality evaluation and control systems.

3. Certified Reliability Engineering (CRE)

… is a professional who understands the principles of performance evaluation and prediction to improve product/systems safety, reliability, and maintainability. This Body of Knowledge and applied technologies include, but are not limited to, design review and control; prediction, estimation, and apportionment methodology; failure mode effects and criticality analysis; the planning, operation, and analysis of reliability testing and field failures, including mathematical modelling; understanding human factors in reliability; and the ability to develop and administer reliability information systems for failure analysis, design and performance improvement, and reliability program management over the entire product life cycle.

4. Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence (CMQ)

… is a professional who understands quality standards and concepts, can implement organisational assessments, and maintain customer satisfaction and focus. The Certified Quality Manager should manage projects supporting strategic objectives and motivate human resources in the support of organisational goals.

Certification Requirements

1. Education and Experience

For those applying for certification as a CQE/CQA/CRE:

• Eight years of working experience in one or more of the areas of the CQE/CQA/CRE Body of Knowledge for non-degree holders and four years of working experience for holders of Bachelor’s degree is required. At least three years of this experience must be in a decision-making technical, professional, or management position.

For those applying for certification as a Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellencer:

• Ten years of working experience in one or more of the areas of the Certified Quality Manager Body of Knowledge for non-degree holders and six years of working experience for holders of Bachelor’s degree is required. At least five years of this experience must be in a decision-making technical, professional, or management position.
  

2. Proof of professionalism

Proof of professionalism may be demonstrated in one of two ways:

     i. Membership in ASQ, a foreign affiliate society of ASQ such as HKSQ.

     ii. The signatures of two persons who are ASQ members, or members of a foreign affiliate society such as HKSQ, verifying that you are a qualified practitioner of the quality sciences.

The Examination

1. Format

All examinations consist of multiple-choice questions that are carefully designed and analysed to properly determine the degree of comprehension of the prescribed Body of Knowledge. The Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence examination also contains two constructed responses or essay questions.

2. Length

3. Locations and Dates

Examinations administered in Computer-based Testing (CBT) mode can be taken in Hong Kong. Each type of certification examination can be taken in any of the six examination windows available each year. Visit ASQ’s web site at https://asq.org/cert/dates for information on the examination windows of specific examinations.

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For Enquiries and Application Form
Please contact ASQ or HKSQ at the following addresses: