26 I APRIL 2004 I www.asq.org

n ASQ’s vision statement, it promises to be “thecommunity for everyone who seeks quality tech-nology, concepts or tools to improve themselves

and their world.” That’s quite a promise and a massiveundertaking, and the starting point is the collection ofknowledge.

There is plenty of quality knowledge out there, madeavailable in countless books and articles by qualitygurus and countless more writings by other hardwork-

ing quality professionals, both academics andthose in the manufacturing and service trenches.Since its inception in 1946, ASQ has been collectingthis material and compiling it into what it wantsthe world to consider the definitive quality body ofknowledge (QBOK).

About 10 years ago, ASQ established the QualityInformation Center (QIC) at its headquarters inMilwaukee to house this knowledge. Staffed withfive librarians and a few technical assistants, theQIC began collecting, cataloging and shelving asmany books, articles, videos and conference pro-ceedings as it could. A decade later, while stillstriving to continually improve itself, the QIC hasbecome a model for knowledge management.

Knowledge, as one can imagine, can be a diffi-cult thing to manage—not necessarily because it isintangible (making knowledge tangible is a librari-an’s specialty) but because it is forever changingand being added to. With every book and articlewritten, with every paper presented at every con-ference and with every new procedure establishedby every tool inspector or safety engineer, new dis-coveries are made, new knowledge is born, and theQBOK grows.

So what does this mean to the average ASQmember? How does Joe or Jane Quality benefitfrom a small library in Milwaukee? First of all, the

I

INFORMATION RESOURCES

In 50 WordsOr Less

• ASQ’s Quality Information Center (QIC) strives

to be a model for knowledge management.

• The QIC follows a three-step process for

information digging.

• ASQ’s top librarian gives her quality resource

recommendations.

Your Gateway ToQuality Knowledgeby Dave Nelsen, QP manuscript coordinator

Your Gateway ToQuality Knowledge

QIC is available to provide information to ASQstaff members, the ones who help create the publi-cations, courses and certifications that disseminatethe knowledge. Secondly, everything housed in theQIC is available via phone, fax, internet and e-mailto ASQ members.

This is a member benefit many people may notknow about, which is unfortunate, considering itspotential value. Finding an answer to a specificquality question can be a daunting task, due to theprecise nature of the profession. There is most like-ly a book or an article out there somewhere thatanswers your question perfectly—the challenge isto find it. This is where the QIC is most directly ofvalue to ASQ members.

The Fact FinderThe QIC is now staffed by only one full-time

librarian. Sharron Manassa, who holds a master’sdegree in library and information science fromIndiana University, gets assistance from as many asthree part-time employees but for the most partruns the QIC single-handedly.

When asked if this makes her the smartest per-son at ASQ, Manassa replied, “I don’t think so. Ijust know where all the facts are buried.”

Manassa, who has worked in the QIC for fiveyears, gets about 20 requests for information weekly,

about half from ASQ members, mostly by phone,but more and more by e-mail. Some requests comefrom people who call ASQ with a question that thecustomer care representatives who field phone callsdon’t have the immediate resources to answer. Otherrequests come from people familiar with the QICwho now call and ask for Manassa immediately.

When a request for information comes in,Manassa generally follows the same process:

Step One: Quality InfoSearch. This is the nameof the database of articles published by ASQ and

QUALITY PROGRESS I APRIL 2004 I 27

Stacks of Facts: The QIC’s shelves are packed

with quality information.

28 I APRIL 2004 I www.asq.org

the Association for Quality and Participation(AQP) and papers presented at ASQ or AQP con-ferences. Every time an article is published or apaper is presented, an abstract of it is entered intoQuality InfoSearch.

Manassa says there are about 1,500 abstracts cur-rently in Quality InfoSearch, and she continuallyadds new ones. When someone calls requestinginformation, she enters key words into the databaseand finds all the applicable articles and papers,based on how closely the key words match theabstracts. She can’t send free copies of articles towhoever wants them, but since most articles fromASQ publications are now archived on different por-tions of ASQ’s website, members have free access tothem. Manassa points them in the right direction.Nonmembers may purchase copies of the articles.

Anyone can access InfoSearch themselves athttp://qic.asq.org.

Step Two: Books. After a search for articles,Manassa turns to ASQ’s bookstore, which is onlineat http://qualitypress.asq.org/. This includes allbooks, software and other media ASQ sells, some ofwhich are produced by ASQ and some of which areproduced elsewhere and sold by ASQ. If she does-n’t find anything pertinent in the bookstore, shemoves on to books and other resources she has onthe shelves of the QIC. This currently includes 3,217books, 18 periodical titles, 332 VHS tape sets, 66audio tape sets, six CD-ROMs and six conferenceproceedings. Members cannot borrow books, butManassa will photocopy up to a chapter of a bookand fax it.

The reason Manassa starts with the ASQ book-store is that it ensures the book she’s recommend-ing is available for purchase. Many of the books onher shelves are out of print, making them less help-ful. She in no way encourages people to spendmoney in the bookstore. “I’m a librarian, not asalesperson,” she says. “I can’t do that.”

But if ASQ’s bookstore doesn’t sell anything thatcan help her customer, Manassa suggests booksthey may be able to borrow or purchase elsewhere.“My job is to get information through to people.My job is not to tell people they can’t think aboutsomething because we don’t sell anything on it.”

Step Three: Internet. Manassa then moves on tothe internet, a tool that has much more usefulpotential now than it did when the QIC began. Shehas several webpages bookmarked that she fre-

quently refers to. She visits the formal ones first—sites run by government organizations, educationalinstitutions and professional organizations. Theseare generally considered more credible than sitesrun by individuals, although sometimes one ofthese has the perfect answer to a question.

Ready ReferenceThat is how Manassa handles many requests—

not necessarily by giving the customer an immedi-ate answer, but by giving him or her the ways tofind the correct answers. Sometimes, however, sheplays the role of a ready reference librarian. Whileinternet search engines have taken much of theworkload away from ready reference librarianseverywhere, it is still sometimes more useful andefficient to call and interact with an actual personthan to embark on an internet search, which canquickly turn into a wild goose chase for a simpleanswer.

About 60% of all the calls and e-mails Manassareceives are of this short answer nature. She doeskeep some formal measures on which requests forinformation she gets most often, and she can quick-ly name 10 of the most popular off the top of herhead. More than half of these requests are easyenough for her to complete using resources literal-ly within her reach.

1. Templates for various processes and forms,from job descriptions to Six Sigma project pieces.People call for these quite often. Manassa has sev-eral sources, one of which is The Manual of QualityProcedures and Forms. Occasionally, though, peo-ple’s requests are too obscure for her to find anestablished template. In these cases, she finds simi-lar templates that people can combine and revise tocreate their own. She also finds articles that teachthe process of creating them.

2. Checklists for many things, mostly auditing,but also for accomplishing particular quality pro-jects. Manassa has the most commonly requestedchecklists readily at hand. She will send ASQ mem-bers photocopies of these checklists free of charge.

3. Software for accomplishing specific tasks inspecific ways, preferably with evaluations.Manassa refers to ASQ’s catalog of software, aswell as other software catalogs she keeps at hand.

4. Auditing questions for specific sectors.Manassa answers most auditing questions bysearching her collection of books and articles. For

INFORMATION RESOURCES

QUALITY PROGRESS I APRIL 2004 I 29

sectors that are controlled largely by law, she referspeople to the appropriate government resource,often the Code of Federal Regulations or the Foodand Drug Administration.

5. How to decide what processes to measure.This question is usually worded, “What does myindustry measure, and are those the most effectivemeasures?” Manassa has a number of books athand that apply to the most popular industries.

6. Supplier certification. People want to knowhow they can get to a point at which they can trusttheir suppliers. Manassa offers to get them in touchwith ASQ’s Customer Supplier Division. She alsorefers them to several articles and books on the topic.

For the rest of her top 10 requests, Manassaeither has to dig deeper or, sometimes, deliver theunfortunate information that there is no concreteanswer.

7. Statistical support for the validity of qualityinitiatives. People who are trying to sell the idea ofquality to their superiors or peers, either a specificaspect of it or a quality initiative in general, oftencall asking for statistical support. They want to beable to show hard data that prove organizationsthat use quality show increases in profit and finan-cial survivability.

Manassa has trouble with this one because aproper large-scale study of this kind has not yetbeen done. She can refer people to countless casestudies of individual organizations that have seenthe use of quality turn into profit, but what mostpeople are looking for is a study of hundreds orthousands of organizations that have used thesame quality initiative. Of all the gaps in the cur-rent QBOK, this is one Manassa especially hopes tosee filled. Unfortunately, for now, she must tellthese people they are out of luck.

8. Information on the proper or most effectivesize and makeup of a quality department. This isanother study that has not been done, mainlybecause the size and makeup of a quality depart-ment are dependent on so many unique factors.These factors can include the size or type of anorganization but more likely include the type andscope of quality initiative and the managementstyle of the organization. This makes it difficultfor Manassa to provide a general answer that isapplicable for any organization that calls.

She usually starts by pointing people to theQuality Progress annual salary survey. By looking at

the various quality positions and their hierarchies,callers can get an idea of how many people reportto certain positions, which gives a starting point toanswering this question. She also points them toThe Certified Quality Manager Handbook, which has asection that discusses setting up a quality depart-ment and the different positions often needed.

9. Proper job titles for specific tasks and propertasks for specific titles. Again, this depends largelyon the characteristics of the organization and qualityinitiative, but a good source of basic job titles is the

salary survey. Also, The Manual of Quality Proceduresand Forms has a section dedicated to job descrip-tions. Anything that cannot be found in those twosources can usually be found on the internet.

One gap Manassa sees in the current QBOK isthe lack of job descriptions for many quality jobsoutside the manufacturing sector.

10. How to calibrate specific metrical devices.When people have metrical devices they need tocalibrate, they often find the device is so old thatthe instruction manual is not just missing, but outof print. Because of this, Manassa keeps instructionmanuals for several common devices on her shelves.For other devices, she searches for instructions onthe Web.

Those are the top 10 requests, the ones that seemto come up repeatedly. “Everything else tends to bemassive and unique,” Manassa says.

An example that is both massive and unique isthis one: A customer once called looking for ASQ’smembership totals for each year of its existence(1946 through the present) plus a list of HonoraryMembers’ names for each year. Since membershiptotals are not kept in one central location, Manassahad to find and compile this information for the

There is most likely a bookor an article out theresomewhere that answersyour question perfectly—the challenge is to find it.

30 I APRIL 2004 I www.asq.org

first time. The names of Honorary Members foreach year proved to be particularity hard to find.But six weeks later, after spending two to threehours a day on the project, she delivered the need-ed information to the customer.

Every Quality Practitioner’s ShelfShould Have…

About two years ago, Manassa found herselfgetting more calls from people new to quality. Men

and women who had been pulled from other posi-tions and told to start quality departments didn’tknow where to begin. They called the QIC bewil-dered and wondering what to do next.

Manassa would begin by recommending theyattend their local section meetings, as the best wayto learn about quality is from other quality profes-sionals. She would also give them a list of basicbooks every quality professional should have. Thatlist would differ from caller to caller, naturally

INFORMATION RESOURCES

Among the many resources avail-able to quality practitioners are thoseprovided by Quality Progress on itswebsite at http://www.asq.org/pub/qualityprogress.

To assist in searches, QP has com-piled links and site descriptions for awide variety of topics in the WebWatch section of its site.

The site is categorized by qualitytopic and is continually updated,with sites from the print Web Watchfeature in the “Keeping Current”section of QP added monthly.

Categories in Web Watch are thefollowing:

• ASQ.• Awards.• Auditing.• Automotive.• Baldrige.• Benchmarking.• Careers.• Conformity assessment.• Conferences.• Customer satisfaction.• Customer service.• Design of experiments.• Educational quality.• Environmental.

• Forums.• Government quality.• Healthcare.• History of quality.• ISO.• International.• Knowledge management.• Manufacturing.• Measurement and metrology.• Organizations.• Project management.• Quality degrees.• Quality function deployment.• Quality gurus.• Quality management.• Quality resources.• Reliability.• Safety.• Six Sigma.• Software quality.• Standards.• State and local.• Statistics.• Supply chain management.• Teams.• Testing.• Training.One of the more comprehensive

categories covered in Web Watch ismanufacturing, with links to 10 web-

sites: the American CeramicComponent Manufacturers,American Measuring Tool andManufacturing Association, ASQ’sAdvanced Manufacturing InterestGroup, Department of the Navy BestManufacturing Practices Program, asite for manufacturing automationand process control engineers, acomponents and parts site, LeanConstruction Institute, NorthwestLean Manufacturing Network, PlantMaintenance Resource Center andSociety for Manufacturing Engineers.

The Six Sigma links include a sitewith introductory Six Sigma papersand project examples, Adams SixSigma, free resources from GeneralElectric, International Society of SixSigma Professionals, a listing of 101things a Six Sigma Black Belt shouldknow, a Six Sigma related divisionof the International Quality andProductivity Center and ASQ’s SixSigma Forum.

Sites in Web Watch are reviewedby a QP editor before being listed.They must be generally noncommer-cial and include plenty of free infor-mation and user friendly features. If

Come Into Our Web

QUALITY PROGRESS I APRIL 2004 I 31

depending on the individual’s industry, organiza-tion size and other factors.

Still, many of the books Manassa recommends toquality newcomers are the same ones she findsherself referring to most often when fielding ques-tions. Here are Manassa’s top five choices:

1. Concepts for R&R Studies, second edition, byLarry B. Barrentine, ASQ Quality Press, 2002, 76 pp.

The second edition of this handbook on methodsused to evaluate repeatability and reproducibility(R&R) studies reflects current manufacturing prac-

tices. Methods have changed since this book wasfirst published in 1991—using software to analyzestatistics has become a more common practice.

Barrantine clearly discusses the relationship ofthe two basic measurement indexes and providesnew examples of methods for applying statisticalsoftware to R&R studies. This supports the conceptthat measurement evaluation should be performedin conjunction with process capability assessmentsto fully judge the status and priority of measure-ment systems.

An extensive chapter titled “Examples of Prob-lems and Procedures” is a holdover from the previ-ous edition. It repeats helpful discussions of x-ray,bore, electronic width and nuclear moisture gages,electric temperature equipment, profilometers,micrometers, scales, chemicals, sheet flatness andphysical tests.

Written for process engineers, quality profes-sionals, technical managers and process managersin manufacturing industries, the book assumesfamiliarity with basic statistical process control.

2. Handbook of Dimensional Measurement, thirdedition, by Francis T. Farago and Mark A. Curti,Industrial Press, 1994, 580 pp.

When the first edition of this book came out in1968, the preface stated, “Dimensional measure-ments are a vital link between the designer’s intentand the actual product.”

The third edition, printed 26 years later, still car-ries that principle but has been extensively revisedto include the computer and electronics revolutionin metrology. In revising the original text by Farago,Curti continues to provide in-depth discussions ofbasic principles and theory of operation.

Curti and Farago cover the measuring of angles,straightness, flatness, perpendicularity, profiles,roundness, surface-texture, screw threads, machinesand gears. Chapters are devoted to tools such as linegraduated measuring instruments, fixed and elec-tronic gages, gage blocks, engineering microscopesand optical projectors.

Other topics include comparative length mea-surements with mechanical and electronic indica-tors, pneumatic gaging, process control gaging andautomated dimensional measurements.

3. ISO 9001:2000 Explained, second edition, byJoseph J. Tsiakals, Charles A. Cianfrani and John E.(Jack) West, ASQ Quality Press, 2001, 216 pp.

you’d like to suggest a new site for WebWatch, send it to dnelsen@asq.org.

Back Issues and Articles

Another valuable resource is the QPback issues section, where articles arecategorized by subject, author anddepartment or column name. Full textsof articles are available to ASQ mem-bers.

The back issues section includesissues back to January 1995.

Vendor Directories

For those interested in informationof a more commercial nature, QP ’sadvertising sales department offers theQuality Marketplace featuring suppliersin manufacturing, service, healthcareand education sectors, and the QualityResources Directory (formerly theVirtual Quality Network), a list of com-panies offering services and productsfor quality practitioners.

The directory features a searchcapability by company name, criteria/areas of expertise, geographic region,industry code, certifications, numberof employees, years of experience oryears in business.

32 I APRIL 2004 I www.asq.org

Written by contributors to the development ofISO 9001:2000, this book clarifies the changes inpresentation, terminology, format and require-ments to the standard.

As the title suggests, the authors simply dividethe exact text of ISO 9001:2000 section by sectionand give thorough explanations of each require-ment. For each section, the authors explain theoften rigid text in everyday language, provide defi-nitions of related terms and include a checklist oftypical audit items.

At each step, the authors continually point out theelements of the 2000 standard that represent changesfrom the 1994 version. They also suggest what shouldbe documented and discuss the requirements as theyrelate to various business sectors. The result is a bookthat not only clarifies the popular standard for thebenefit of someone new to quality but also helpsorganizations prepare for audits.

4. Manual of Quality Assurance Procedures andForms, third edition, by Robert D. Carlsen, Jo AnnGerber and James Frank McHugh, Prentice Hall,1994, 656 pp.

This massive three-ring binder is divided intothree main parts: a general purpose quality assur-ance (QA) manual, a QA forms collection andexamples of QA job descriptions.

These are followed by a short fourth part, whichis a set of indexes. A numerical index of procedurescross-references associated forms and job descrip-tions, and another index lists the procedures andforms alphabetically.

Some of the QA forms include quality procedurestatus logs, audit plan reports, quality surveys ofsuppliers, source inspection reports, warning labels,test logs, a quality yield chart, standard repair con-trol log, notice of certification and a work transferquality requirements checklist. There are 106 formsin all, several of them multiple pages.

The 104 job descriptions, which were not includ-ed in prior editions, include descriptions of posi-tions such as quality statistics analysts, productsafety engineer, fabrication inspector, metrologist,inspections supervisor and electronics tester.

Because of the 8.5 x 11-in. paper and three-ringbinder format, all the forms can easily be removedfor photocopying.

5. Measuring Process Capability: A Reference andHandbook for Quality and Manufacturing Engineersby Davis R. Bothe, Landmark, 2001, 899 pp.

“To understand, you must first measure,” beginsthis book’s introduction. Bothe goes on to covermore than 50 different capability measurementtechniques, explaining each one, showing how toselect and apply the appropriate technique de-pending on needs.

The 14 chapters, most of which are divided intoseveral subchapters, cover topics that include mea-suring potential and performance capability, check-ing normal assumption, nonnormal variable data,attribute data, machine capability studies, confi-dence bounds, combining capability measures,assessing process capability for special situationsand understanding Six Sigma.

Bothe uses case studies from real life to demon-strate how the measures should be calculated, ana-lyzed and interpreted. He includes step-by-stepguidelines for identifying critical process character-istics and variables, assessing the outcome ofprocess modifications, making quick machinescheduling decisions, preparing comprehensivecapability reports and communicating capabilitytest results to top management.

Originally published in 1997 by McGraw Hill,the 2001 reprint was self-published. The contentsare identical to the original.

INFORMATION RESOURCES

The Helping Hand: Manassa assists a customer with a question.

Essential BookmarksManassa also has a list of essential websites.

Besides ASQ’s homepage and other general qualitysites, these are the pages she finds herself going tofor many answers:

1. http://www.census.gov/statab/www. This is theU.S. Census Bureau’s online Statistical Abstract of theUnited States. Besides the expected population infor-mation, there is a wealth of statistics here. These in-clude national statistics on education, income, em-ployment, business, agriculture, energy, utilities anddomestic trade. The first appendix is a 17-pagealphabetic guide to important primary sources of sta-tistical information for the U.S. published since 1900.

2. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/index.html. This isthe website of the Government Printing Office(GPO), which produces and disseminates printedand electronic publications of the U.S. Congress andother federal government departments and estab-lishments. Resources are listed alphabetically, bytopic and by branch of government and includecongressional bills, the Code of Federal Regulationsand a complete catalog of public and private laws.

3. http://www.isixsigma.com. This is a site Ma-nassa uses quite often that she’s guessing manyquality professionals don’t know about. It includesSix Sigma articles, online newsletters, a sigma calcu-lator and a discussion forum, but Manassa’s favoritepart of the site is the quality dictionary. Besidesbeing extensive, it is somewhat interactive. The defi-nitions have been posted by the site’s visitors, andall visitors have the opportunity to add more defini-tions or suggest revisions to the current ones.

4. http://www.nist.gov. The website for the Na-tional Institute of Standards and Technology hasinformation on standards, calibration, uncertainty,lab accreditation, weights and measures, softwareand the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

5. http://www.yahoo.com/. When Manassa can’tfind an answer on her usual sites, she turns toYahoo, her preferred search engine. For example, asearch on statistical process control produces180,000 results; Six Sigma gets 177,000 results; andquality assurance results in 4.6 million matches.

Continuous Improvement And the Future of the QIC

In the field of knowledge management, knowingwhere to find the facts is obviously important. Just

as important is the continuous improvement ofresources and procedures.

An example of this can be drawn from Manassa’sexperience when she first was hired by ASQ. Sheimmediately identified a problem in the QIC—arti-cles and books were cataloged by title and authoronly. This is incomplete by most libraries’ stan-dards, as most libraries catalog material by title,author and subject.

Since the material was categorized only by titleand author, finding what a customer was lookingfor was often a time consuming hassle and usuallyresulted in an incomplete outcome. If someonecalled looking for information on root cause analy-sis (RCA), for example, a search in the QIC’s data-base would find only material that had the words“root,” “cause” or “analysis” in their titles. Withoutthe capability to search by subject, Manassa wouldget results that were incomplete and excessive atthe same time. A book that had a chapter on RCAbut none of the words in its title would be exclud-ed, while anything with the word “cause” in itstitle would come up.

Manassa therefore introduced proper catalogingin the QIC. Each article of each journal and eachchapter of each book is now categorized by subject.When someone calls now, she can find more com-plete and concise answers more quickly.

Other continual improvement projects forManassa include expanding the QIC’s accessibilityto audio and video tapes and adding articleabstracts monthly, as soon after the periodicalscome out as possible. The largest continualimprovement project for the QBOK, however, is anongoing effort that involves all of ASQ.

ASQ’s plan is to ultimately make the entireQBOK completely accessible online to members.This is obviously a long-term project, and it isbeing carried out by ASQ’s knowledge offeringsworkgroup, of which Manassa is a member. A lothas been done already. The first steps includedrecent redesigns of the websites to include moreeasily accessible information and expansions ofbacklogs of published articles.

Back issues of the Journal of Quality Technology(JQT), for example, are now completely accessibleonline. Subscribers to JQT can access full text PDFfiles of all articles going back to its premiere issue,January 1969, by visiting http://www.asq.org/

QUALITY PROGRESS I APRIL 2004 I 33

pub/jqt/past/backissues.html. All back issues ofQuality Management Journal, Software Quality Pro-fessional and Six Sigma Forum Magazine are alsoavailable at http://www.asq.org/pub/. Backissues of Quality Progress from 1995 to the presentare available to ASQ members at http://www.asq.org/pub/qualityprogress/back.html. Anyonewishing to access these needs a member numberand password.

Back issues of publications are just the begin-ning of ASQ’s ultimate vision for the QBOK.

ASQ hopes someday anyone with a questioninvolving quality will come to ASQ’s website andbe able to search a database in which all qualityknowledge is centralized. Customers will visitASQ’s website, type in their questions and imme-diately receive titles of all applicable articles,books, websites and other resources.

Dennis Arter, an ASQ Fellow and the QBOKproject champion, says, “I think of ASQ’s qualitybody of knowledge as the totality of all the quali-ty tools and technologies we have explored andapplied over our half-century of existence. It’sbigger than any one of us and any single commu-nity. It is composed of the knowledge, skill, teach-ing, learning and applications we use in oursearch for perfection.”

The knowledge is all out there—the work willbe bringing it together. Until then, ASQ memberswill continue to have access to the QBOK throughthe many resources ASQ strives to offer, not theleast of which is the helpful voice on the otherend of the phone: “Quality Information Center,this is Sharron, may I help you?”

34 I APRIL 2004 I www.asq.org

commentPlease

If you would like to comment on this article,

please post your remarks on the Quality Progress

Discussion Board at http://www.asq.org, or e-mail

them to editor@asq.org.

INFORMATION RESOURCES