STEP THREE

CONNECTICUT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AWARD

CQIA CATEGORIES AND ITEMS

Step Three is another new award requested by participants at the 2009 CQIA 22nd Annual Conference on Quality and Innovation held on October 23, 2009. It is an additional step between the 17 year old CQIA Innovation Prize and the Connecticut Breakthrough Quality Award. STEP ONE is the CQIA Innovation Prize and STEP TWO is the CQIA Organizational Profile Award

Step Three

Title: CQIA Categories and Items

Intent to Apply: Deadline March 15, 2012 along with entry fee

Qualifications: 1) Winning Organization Profile Award and CQIA Innovation Prize application at platinum, gold or silver level. 2)Two of your organization’s associates are required to attend the CQIA Examiner Baldrige Training, as soon as the training is available.

Application Cost: $2,000.00 per application. Apply until successful, then move on to Step 4 or Step 5. Mail check made to Connecticut Quality Improvement Award, PO Box 1396, Stamford, CT 06904-1396.

Application Deadline: September 22, 2012

Notification: Confidential notification on August 15. Public notification will be at CQIA 25th Annual Conference on Quality and Innovation.

Examiner Feedback: CQIA Examiner written feedback followed by site visit at applicant’s facility.

Criteria: 2010-2011 Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence or Health Care Criteria or Education Criteria. For a complimentary single copy of the criteria, contact Baldrige National Quality Program at (301) 975-2036; Fax: (301) 948-3716; or E-mail: nqp@nist.gov.

The CQIA Categories and Items uses just the seven (7) Categories overview and the 18 items. Applicants do not respond to individual questions under each item. For example, for Category 2, Strategic Planning, applicants respond to the “Strategic Planning category examines HOW your organization develops STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES and ACTIVE PLANS. Also examined are HOW your chosen STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND ACTION PLANS are implemented and changed if circumstances require, and HOW progress is measured.” The Items responded to are “2.1 Strategy Development: How do you develop your strategy? And 2.2 Strategy Deployment: How do you deploy your strategy?”

Number of pages: No more than twenty (20) 8 x 11 inch typewritten pages in no less than 10-point font size having ½ inch margins on all sides

Recognition: Trophy presented at CQIA 25rd Annual Conference on Quality and Innovation.

Please contact Sheila Carmine, Founder and Executive Director, Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership, Inc. at 203 322-9534 or cqia@aol.com with any questions you may have with your application.

Good Luck and Hard Work!