FORT LEE, Va. — November is World Quality Month. Defense Contract Management Agency employees have a lot to celebrate this month related to the many accomplishments in the quality assurance area in 2016.
One of the accomplishments is the results from the recent class of DCMA employees taking the Certified Quality Engineer exam, which is administered by the American Society for Quality. DCMA employees achieved a 70 percent pass rate, which is above the average industry pass rate of 61 percent. Overall, 26 employees throughout the agency passed the CQE exam this year.
Stephanie Rocha, a software team lead from the DCMA Western Regional Command, is one of the employees who passed the exam. “My goal was to expand my quality engineering knowledge,” she said. “I was not expecting to learn about the foundation of my current job. Many of the software approaches we use stem from quality. Understanding the history of quality gave me better appreciation for what I do as a software professional.”
In addition to the DCMA employees passing the CQE exam, 57 employees passed the Certified Quality Auditor exam and 33 employees passed the Certified Quality Technician exam. DCMA’s pass rates for all certification exams continue to surpass those of our industry counterparts.
“Our people continue to outperform their industry peers in all certifications,” said Michael Shields, executive director of Quality Assurance in the Technical Directorate. “This is certainly an indication of the knowledge, experience, expertise and professionalism DCMA personnel bring to the table each and every day.”
DCMA employees hold more than 900 certifications, including CQE, CQA and CQT. These certifications are widely recognized and respected throughout industry. These certifications are achieved via exams, which test and validate an individual’s knowledge, experience, education and training. The exams are taken at or near an employee’s work location.
“The agency takes great pride in the accomplishments of its employees,” added Shields. “These certifications are very challenging, and DCMA personnel around the world continue to prove they are up to the challenge of studying, preparing for and passing certification exams, all while keeping mission first.”
DCMA is a member of ASQ, and by the end of fiscal year 2016, 5,639 employees had joined under the agency’s enterprise membership, which allows individuals to join for free. That is more than 50 percent of the DCMA workforce.
As a member of ASQ, employees can use the organization’s website for answers to quality assurance matters and research. Based on ASQ data, agency employees have benefited from this resource. According to ASQ, during the fourth fiscal quarter of FY16, DCMA members accounted for 6,203 visitors to the website, 14,028 pages of information viewed, and 15,943 total hits on specific information. The data showed DCMA’s access rates surpass those of our industry counterparts.
ASQ membership is free to all DCMA employees. As a member, employees have access to information that can help them in their career development and assist them on their job. They are able to access benchmark data, have access to a research librarian, and sign up for quality assurance information. Employees can also register and take the certification exams.
Employees who are not a member can join and create an account by
clicking here.
For more information about World Quality Month,
visit ASQ’s website.
Editor’s Note: This article is intended to inform DCMA personnel about the professional benefits of ASQ membership. It is not intended as an endorsement of ASQ.