Australian Organisation for Quality (Queensland) Inc

Gold Award for Business Excellence
The Gold Awards for Business Excellence recognise and encourage organisations whose leadership and innovations have progressed them beyond Management System Certification to leading examples of best practice.

Gold Award 2007
Gold Award 2006
Gold Award 2005
Gold Award 2004
Gold Award Pre 2004

National Laboratory Management Award
The National Laboratory Awards are available to laboratories which stand out above other laboratories for their exemplary, sustainable management activities.

The Australian Organisation for Quality (Queensland) Incorporated (AOQ-QLD™) is a stand alone member based not-for-profit association registered under the Queensland Associations Incorporation Act 1981 Section 15, Incorporation Number IA16979.

AOQ-QLD™ has always purported to be what it is, ie a networking organisation for quality management and Business Improvement individuals and organisations providing training, networking, consulting and auditing services.

The AOQ-QLD™ rescinded its membership of the Australian Organisation for Quality Inc (the National Body) in September 2007 because, in the short term, the Council could not see a reasonable return on investment for the dues that were levied and for the time spent in participating in the activities of the National Body.

AOQ-QLD™ is a very responsible and forward looking organisation, being at the forefront of improvement strategies for business and now has ventured into the energy conservation field, as this activity impinges on the sustainability of enterprises.

AOQ-QLD™ operates six Divisions: Aerospace, Aged Care, Entrepreneur, Regulated Research Development and Manufacturing (Pharmaceutical), Six Sigma and Software Systems Engineering. Regional Groups operate in Townsville and Rockhampton.

AOQ-QLD™ sponsors and mentors student academic activities at The University of Queensland and Griffith University and provides specialist external lecturers in all three Brisbane based universities. Conferences are co-hosted with The University of Queensland, Griffith University, QUT and Monash University.

AOQ-QLD™ conducts training in related fields on a regular basis, both in Queensland and other States. During 2008, the various Divisions of the Organisation will have co-hosted four conferences in Aged Care, Six Sigma, Pharmaceutical and general business. Plans are in place for six conferences in 2009. Conferences and Forums are conducted in a number of States.

AOQ-QLD™ owns the copyright to the Gold Award for Business Excellence, which it has developed over a decade and which is conducted as a State-by-State and National Event.

AOQ and Universities

Aims of the program

The Australian Organisation for Quality Inc - Queensland aims to influence the undergraduate and postgraduate students in our Universities that Quality Management in all its facets is a significant pre-requisite to business excellence.

In this context we approach students in the Sciences, Engineering, Business and Food Technology.

Each year AOQ nurtures these arrangements by providing presenters and mentors to the "experts from Industry" programs that each university undertakes. AOQ also provides prizes for the best project that has a quality component and prizes for a project with an auditing component.

The winning group in each semester is required to make a presentation to the members when they receive their prize.

AOQ also sponsors and provides presenters, mentors, judges to the Griffith Innovation Challenge. In 2007 the following members were involved:

Mike Harris, Wendy Free, Narelle Stratford, Mario Pennisi, Kevin Mulholland and Len Mahon.

The winning group for the Griffith Innovation Challenge was Hope4Health, a Griffith University Medical students not-for-profit organisation that provides activities for medical students and the medical fraternity on the Gold Coast as well as raise funds for charities.

The Business School co-hosts AgedCare 2008 Conference on 10th June, 2008.

Queensland University of Technology

The Health Sciences School co-hosts the RRDM2008 Seminar.

The UQ Business School Downtown will co-host PRCon2008, the Progressing Business Conference with the Progressing Business Institute in Brisbane on 26th September, 2008. More information go to PBCon2008.htm .

Presenters, Mentors and Prizes

AOQ provides presenters to the MBA program, mentors and prizes for the best project report with a quality and/or auditing component, in each semester.

The first of these was presented in 2005:

Kedron Wavell Services Club: Quality Issues and Meeting the Standards of Regulatory Compliance in the Future

Kay Schafferius .....................Bernard Holland

Praneel Kumar........................Mary-Louise North

In 2006 the winning project for second semester was:

The Kerr Memorial Hospital
Michael Tuppin, Deon Strydom, Tyson Fowler, Darren Cobb and Michael Barry

A report examining the operations management of the elective orthopedic service at the kerr Memorial Hospital.

The main issue of the waiting list for accessing the service is identified within the report and an analysis made of the factors influencing this. The main cause of the problem is benchmarked against international data, with a discussion on how addressing this can streamline the processes.

Key recommendations were presented that will allow the Kerr Memorial Hospital to overcome this quality issue, with the relevant implementation issues discussed in detail.

In 2007, the winning project for First Semester was:

Quality Improvements Appraisal and Business Application
Steve Bugden, Peter Moutsatsos, Richard O'Grady, Alexander Stathakis and David Way

AOQ-QLD collaborates with Monash University in the conduct of Six Sigma 2007 and Six Sigma 2008. Monash University provided the facilities for the 2007 event. Monash co-hosts SixSigma 2008 on 22nd August, 2008

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