Presenters receive complimentary attendance to the conference!

The Pee Dee Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the Southeastern Institute for Manufacturing Technology (SiMT) are taking applications for papers and presentations at the Southeastern Continuous Improvement Conference on March 19 and 20, 2009 in Florence, SC.

The Key Note Speaker, Darla Moore, the first woman profiled on the cover of Fortune magazine, will lead an expected lineup of regional and nationally recognized speakers.   Anticipated presentation topics will cover the many tools used in Continuous Improvement including Lean, Six Sigma, Baldrige Criteria, and Quality/Regulatory Systems from initial implementation to sustained world class performance.  Tracks include Leadership Practices, Quality Assurance and People Skills with the topics intended for those working in Manufacturing, Healthcare, Education, Financial, and Service industries.

BENEFITS OF PRESENTING

• Recognition from your peers in the Continuous Improvement field

• Complimentary attendance at the conference

• Your presentation will be published in our electronic proceedings

CRITERIA

• Presentations must be non-commercial.

• Abstract should be no longer than 300 words … presentation length between 30 and 40 minutes including Q&A.

• No more than two presenters per presentation is recommended.

• The categories below are suggested guidelines.

• ASQ and SiMT are willing to consider all topics related to Continuous Improvement.

• If you feel your topic does not fit well into one of the tracks below, please select the closest fit.

• Accepted presenters must submit a written paper and their PowerPoint presentation approximately 4 weeks prior to the conference so these items can be included in the conference proceedings.

SUBMISSION

• Abstracts must be submitted electronically by e-mail to conference@asqpeedee.org.

• Submissions will close on December 31, 2008.

• Notification of acceptance will be sent to each submitter on or before January 31, 2009

• When submitting your abstract, please indicate the track(s) your presentation is best categorized within … please rank your presentation as beginner, intermediate, or advanced.

• ASQ/SiMT will adjust your category selection, if required.

• Please be sure to include your name and appropriate background and contact information.

Track #1 - "Leadership Practices"
Papers in this track should describe the skills and resources used to translate an organization’s goals into appropriate Continuous Improvement goals that support and contribute to the organization’s results. Subjects would include:

• Creating strategic direction and plan.
• Selling programs and change to stakeholders.
• Creating measurement, performance evaluation, and prioritization systems.
• Managing risk.
• Business case preparation.
• Communicating to stakeholders.
• How to plan and budget resources.

Track #2 - "Quality Assurance"
Papers in this track should cover subject areas that relate activities as part of the quality assurance and improvement of the various processes and services of the organization. Subjects would include:

• Managing to process and industry standards and specifications.
• Assessing performance.
• Performance metric development, implementation, and stewardship.
• Effectiveness techniques.
• Safety, health, and environmental issues.
• History review and failure identification/correction.

Track #3 - "People Skills"
Papers in this track should describe the processes for assuring employees are the most qualified and best assigned to achieve the organization’s goals. Subjects would include:

• Assessing organizational competence and direction.
• Developing the organization structure.
• Professional growth, staff development and retention.
• Managing the effects of changes to systems and people.
• The “human side” of continuous improvement.

WORKSHOPS
There will be several post-conference half-day mini workshops. If you are interested in presenting one of these workshops, please contact us at conference@asqpeedee.org.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Panel discussions may be convened during the conference. If you are willing to serve as a panelist on a particular discussion topic or topics, please indicate so when making your submission. 

CASE STUDIES
Case studies are welcome on any of the above topics.  The conference is geared to the professional development and education of Continuous Improvement practitioners in all industries. Take advantage of this opportunity to promote your success to your peers at the 2009 Southeastern Continuous Improvement Conference!

QUESTIONS?
Contact us at conference@asqpeedee.org.