The CQI
Challenge
He who ceases to try and do better ceases
to do well.
 Oliver Cromwell
Welcome to MSU Billings CQI page! The university is committed
to an organizational culture of continuous quality improvement where
all levels of campus community in all programs and disciplines are
constantly motivated to improve their services. CQI emphasizes the
continuous study and improvement of the processes of providing services
to our “clients” and the community.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), adopted from the principles
of Total Quality Management (TQM), provides the tools to help the
university enhance existing programs, improve our effectiveness
in the teaching-learning process, foster a collaborative work environment,
and tap the expertise of University faculty, staff, and students.
First applied in manufacturing and later expanded to service organizations,
quality initiatives now assist colleges and universities across
the country.
CQI also means a method of evaluation that is composed of structure,
process, and outcome evaluations which focus on improvement efforts
to identify root causes of problems, intervene to reduce or eliminate
these causes, and take steps to correct the process. CQI recognizes
that the majority of problems result from a failure in the process
of providing the service, as opposed to being attributable to the
providers themselves. Students, faculty and staff will find an improved
climate for learning as MSUB moves forward with its continuous improvement
efforts.
CQI efforts at MSUB will position the university in meeting several
major mandates in the coming years such as the NWCCU commission
visit in fall 2008, NCATE in spring 2009, AACSB and other program
accreditation visits. In addition, it will help the university to
meet the Board of Regents’ cyclic program review mandate.
Most of all, this approach will allow us to integrate the university
strategic initiatives and goals into the self-study process that
will be conducted using the processes outlined by the Northwest
Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Program reviews
and accreditation visits are end points of our efforts, but CQI
is an ongoing effort that continues beyond those mandates.
This website is created to communicate the various activities and
the progress of CQI on our campus. We invite you to explore this
website for the deliberations of the CQI committee as we post the
minutes of our meetings. We welcome your suggestions to improve
this site and the communication of information on CQI activities
through this site, and we look forward to your participation in
the process.
Core Concepts of CQI
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Quality is defined as meeting and/or exceeding the
expectations of our customers.
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Success is achieved through meeting the needs of those we
serve.
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Most problems are found in processes, not in people. CQI does
not seek to blame, but rather to improve processes.
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Unintended variation in processes can lead to unwanted
variation in outcomes, and therefore we seek to reduce or
eliminate unwanted variation.
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Using the scientific method it is possible to achieve
continual improvement through small, incremental changes.
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CQI is most effective when it becomes a natural part of the
way everyday work is done.
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