Vol. 20, No.

1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006

CCT
Your Name Here

XXX

How much is the CCT certification really worth? According to the 2005 Salary Survey pub-
lished in the December 2005 edition of Quality Progress, the average salary for technicians
without ASQ certification is $39,625. The average salary for technicians that have received
their CCT is $55,715. A difference of +$16,090!! Each job/circumstance is unique...However,
these numbers speak volumes for the possible advantage of obtaining your CCT certification.
 The Standard
Vol 20, No. 1, March 2006
Editor and Publisher
Jay L. Bucher
6700 Royal View Dr.
De Forest, WI 53532-2775
Voice: 608-277-2522
Fax: 608-846-4269
Email: yokota-69@charter.net
or jay.bucher@promega.com
Advertising
Submit your draft copy to Jay Bucher, with a
request for a quotation. Indicate size desired.
Since The Standard is published ‘in-house’
the requester must submit a photo or graphic
of their logo, if applicable. The following
rates apply:
Business card size ............................ $100
1/8 page .......................................... $150
1/4 page ........................................... $200
1/3 page ........................................... $250
½ page ............................................. $300
Full page ......................................... $550
Advertisements will be accepted on a ‘per
issue’ basis only; no long-term contracts will
be available at present. Advertising must be
clearly distinguished as an ad. Ads must be
related to measurement quality, quality of
measurement, or a related quality field. Ads
must not imply endorsement by the Measure-
ment Quality Division or ASQ.
Letters to the Editor
The Standard welcomes letters from mem-
bers and subscribers. Letters should clearly
state whether the author is expressing opin-
ion or presenting facts with supporting infor-
mation. Commendation, encouragement,
constructive critique, suggestions, and alter-
native approaches are accepted. If the con-
tent is more than 200 words, we may delete
portions to hold that limit. We reserve the
right to edit letters and papers.
Information for Authors
The Standard publishes papers on the qual-
ity of measurements and the measurement of
quality at all levels ranging from relatively
simple tutorial material to state-of-the-art.
Papers published in The Standard are not
referred in the usual sense, except to ascer-
tain that facts are correctly stated and to as-
sure that opinion and fact are clearly distin-
guished one from another. The Editor re-
serves the right to edit any paper.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAIR’S COLUMN ......................................................................3
CCT UPDATE ................................................................................6
THE FUTURE OF QUALITY .......................................................8
THE LEARNING CURVE...........................................................11
MQD MEETING MINUTES ..............................................14 & 15
MQD MEETING & TELECONFERENCE SCHEDULE ...........16
MQD 2005 ~ 2006 LEADERSHIP...............................................17
MQD OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS .......................19
MQD REGIONAL COUNCILORS .............................................20
NCSLI WORKSHOP & SYMPOSIUM.......................................22
METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION INITIATIVE ....................23
MJD SURVEY RESULTS ...........................................................24
½ FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER
Welcome to the first newsletter for 2006. Looks like
we made it through 2005 with four quarterly editions
published on time. Of course, every coin has its flip
side...now we are expected to maintain the quality and
timeliness of all future newsletters. We will try our
best to fulfill those expectations. Speaking of coins, all
CCT alumni should be getting their new CCT chal-
lenge coins very soon. My sincere congratulations to
each and every one of you. A rendition of the coin is
pictured on the front cover of this edition. The MQD
officers sincerely hope you enjoy this unique, one-of-a-kind coin. The pic-
tures on pages 5, 7 & 18 are used to test the level of stress a person can
handle. The slower the pictures move, the better your ability of handling
stress. Alleged criminals that were tested see them spinning around madly;
however, senior citizens and kids see them standing still. None of these
images are animated - they are perfectly still. Enjoy! The article, The Fu-
ture of Quality, is different than the one Graeme refers to in his column.
Also, at the very end, we have included the Metrology Job Description
survey results. So, without further ado...Happy Valentine’s, President’s,
and St. Patrick’s Day to all.
The Standard is published quarterly by the Measurement Quality Division of
ASQ; deadlines are February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15. Text infor-
mation intended for publication can be sent via electronic mail as an attachment in
MS Word format (Times New Roman, 11 pt). Use single spacing between sen-
tences. Graphics/illustrations must be sent as a separate attachment, in jpg format.
Photographs of MQD activities are always welcome. Publication of articles, prod-
uct releases, advertisements or technical information does not imply endorsement
by MQD or ASQ. While The Standard makes every effort to ensure the accuracy
of articles, the publication disclaims responsibility for statements of fact or opinion
made by the authors or other contributors. Material from The Standard may not be
reproduced without permission of ASQ. Copyrights in the United States and all
other countries are reserved. Website information: MQD’s homepage can be found
at http://www.asq.org/measure. © 2005 ASQ, MQD. All rights reserved.
MQD Page 3

CHAIR’S COLUMN
By Graeme C. Payne Recognition of Change

We are entering a year of celebration, and facing a This can also be a time for
future where the inevitability of change is the only “recalibrating” our vision for the
thing that is certain. 2006 marks the 60th anniver- future. The historical informa-
sary of the founding of ASQ, and also the 15th an- tion will show us where we have
niversary of the formation of the Measurement been. We also need to look for-
Quality Division. Neither organization is the same ward, to see where we want to be
now as it was when it started, and the nature of in the next five years, ten years or more. What do
quality and metrology have both changed over the you want from the division? What changes will we
time periods. have to make as our profession
changes? What can we do to prepare
Celebration for the unforeseeable future? We need
to discuss this together to reach a
The Measurement Quality Division shared vision and achievable goals.
was chartered as a Division on May
19, 1991. That means the upcoming There has been a change in the Divi-
2006-2007 year is our 15th Anniver- sion leadership since the last issue of
sary year! Of course, in a sense the this newsletter. Karl Wigdal asked to
organization is older than that. It grew step down as Treasurer, and Jay
from the Metrology Technical Com- Bucher offered to move into that posi-
mittee that was created by the Inspec- tion. The nominating committee se-
tion Division in 1972. lected Rick Roberson to be the new
Chair-Elect. Rick, who is from Norman, Okla-
I think it would be great if, in the next several is- homa, will take over the Chairperson position in
sues of this newsletter, we feature some historical July 2007 (see Rick’s bio on page 13).
information. This will help refresh and document
it, and will (I hope) be of interest to those who It is important to plan how to deal with both per-
have become MQD members more recently In my sonal and professional change. For example, last
case, I joined ASQ only a couple of months before week (as I write this) I was notified that my posi-
the Division was chartered, so I have no direct tion will be eliminated at the end of March. As I'm
knowledge of anything that happened before. We a contractor, I can't move to anything else in the
also have newer members—our Historian, Keela company. In the area of change in the profession,
Sniadach, for example—who only know about the the nature of metrology is changing with increased
past couple of years and are trying to find out electronics and automation, smaller dimensions,
more. If you share some history, it will help all of higher frequencies, more visibility and control of
us. measurement uncertainty and so on. The amount
and type of calibration is also changing as the mix
We need your help to do this, especially if you are of industries changes in each country. If you have
one of our Charter Members. Please send informa- not already read it, I suggest looking at the article
tion to me, Keela or Jay Bucher, the newsletter edi- “The Future of Quality” by Scott M. Paton, in the
tor. We can use written recollections, copies of February 2006 issue of Quality Digest. If you don't
original brochures, posters, newsletters or other have a free subscription to the print copy, the
items, photographs or whatever else you can share. m a g a z i n e is available online at
Electronic files are preferable but anything else www.qualitydigest.com. (The article starting on
will work as well. If you need the originals back page 8 is different)
we can scan them or make copies in other ways.
All of this will help document the history of our Graeme C. Payne
Division. Division Chairperson

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 4

We Need to Hear From YOU metrology technical conference;

many people believe it is one of
The Division leadership team – the elected officers, the best of its kind. NCSLI also
the committee chairs, the representatives and liai- has high quality conferences that
sons to other organizations, and the regional coun- attract top managers, engineers
cilors – are here for several reasons. We manage and scientists from all levels of
the affairs of the Division, represent the member- metrology; it is likely that the
ship (you!) to ASQ Headquarters and other organi- company you work for is a mem-
zations, provide information when needed, and try ber of NCSLI, and some of our
to implement the Division's mission, vision and members are also individual members of NCSLI.
goals. The ASQ World Congress is, of course, ASQ's an-
nual conference, and the Division's attendance as
In order to be effective in serving you, we need to an exhibitor is expected.
have some feedback. We cannot work well in a
vacuum. We need to hear from you, not only when Whenever someone from the leadership team is
we mess up but also when we are doing well, and going to one of these events in order to represent
especially if you want to share a point of view that the Division, we do reimburse the actual expenses
may not have been considered. connected with that representation. If the person is
doing other things as well, those other expenses are
We recognize that you are busy – we all are. How- their own responsibility.
ever, we do appreciate occasional feedback. We
may not always be able to do everything you want. For example, let's look at the Measurement Science
On the other hand, if you don't let us know what Conference, which will be over by the time you
your desires or point of view are, we may not think read this. I was there representing the Division.
to consider it at all. That means much of my time was spent on the ex-
hibit floor, talking with people who come by our
Contact information for the leadership team mem- exhibit booth. The MSC itself is two days, Thurs-
bers is in every issue of this newsletter, and is on day and Friday. Exhibits have to be set up on
the Division web site (www.asq.org/measure/). Wednesday and cannot be torn down until after the
Please, let's talk. end of the conference on Friday afternoon. That
means I had to be there from Wednesday to Satur-
day (because of flight schedules.) The Division
does pay for those hotel days and the airfare
How the Division Represents You (discounted, advance-purchase non-refundable
tickets.) Since I also wanted to attend a few of the
Some members have asked about how the Division technical sessions, I had to pay for the conference
represents them at various conferences put on by registration but the Division does not reimburse me
other organizations, and the expenses associated for that – it is a personal expense. One of the fea-
with that representation. tures of MSC is that they always have very good
quality short courses and tutorials on Monday
The Measurement Quality Division regularly par- through Wednesday. Many are put on by NIST;
ticipates in several activities. Within ASQ, there is others are courses given by people such as our own
the annual World Congress. In addition, we repre- Dilip Shah. Those are all extra cost. I attended a
sent you by co-sponsoring and exhibiting at the two day course put on by NIST, and I have to pay
annual Measurement Science Conference (MSC) for that myself. The added days at the hotel are also
and the annual NCSL International (NCSLI) work- a personal expense, because they were not required
shops and symposium. In all three cases, there is at to represent the Division. Also, if I was being paid
least one officer, and usually several other mem- to put on one of those courses, none of the ex-
bers, at the event. We feel that it is important to
continue this. MSC is a consistently high-quality (Continued on page 5)

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 5

(Continued from page 4) to help with the work! But, I also

penses for the week would be covered because that want to be open about what the
would come out of the fees paid to me for present- Division pays for and what it
ing the course. does not pay for. This is typical
at all levels of ASQ, from Sec-
Again, the only expenses that are reimbursed are tions all the way up to the Presi-
those directly associated with representing the Di- dent and Board of Directors. The
vision. This means that, in the case of the MSC, relevant policies can be found on
considerably less than half of what I actually spent the ASQ web site at http://
will be paid for by the Division. That is typical for w w w . a s q . o r g / a b o u t - a s q / h o w - w e - d o /
any of us. Add to that the fact that I have to pay my documents.html .
own ASQ membership fees – I have never worked
for a company that pays for any of that – and you I appreciate being asked questions like this. It gives
can see that volunteering for a member leadership an opportunity to explain how things are done, so-
position is definitely a “non-profit” proposition. licit feedback on how we can improve, and docu-
ment the policy for future leaders if it has not al-
I don't mean to scare anyone away from volunteer- ready been done. Please let me know how we can
ing for a leadership position. We need more hands do better

Other Division Activity

February 14 Graeme Payne (Chair) was speaker at Section 1102 meeting, Columbia, SC.
March 1 Dilip Shah (Immediate Past Chair) presented a tutorial course on Measurement Uncer-
tainty. This was a pre-conference tutorial associated with MSC.
March 2 Division meeting teleconference, Anaheim, CA.
March 2 – 3 Graeme Payne (Chair) represented division as an exhibitor at the MSC 2006.

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 6

CCT UPDATE
By Chris Grachanen
MQD Certification Chair

There were 159 candidates that sat for the 05 Dec

2005 offering of the CCT exam. Of those that took
the exam 88 passed. As of 01 Jan 2006 there are
now a total of 552
CCT alumni. Hearty
congratulations go The following is a list of companies that have the
out to all new CCT largest concentrations of newly certified CCT
alumni. professionals. The companies are listed from
"highest concentration" down through "lower
concentrations".

SIMCO Electronics
Boeing
St. Jude Medical
PCI
CALL FOR SPANISH SPEAKING Wyle Laboratories
CCT ALUMNI Western States Calibration
Medtronic Inc.
ASQ Certification is looking for 12 professionals
across North America to assist with the CCT Span- TRW Automotive
ish Cut Score workshop. The workshop is sched- PharmEng Technology Inc.
uled for June 23 & 24 at ASQ headquarters in Mil-
waukee, WI. The workshop participants must be
current ASQ members and hold a current CCT cer- Sat for Passed %
tification. They must be fluent in reading and un- Date of Exam Exam Exam Passed
derstanding Spanish. ASQ will reimburse travel up 7-Jun-2003 97 69 71%
to a maximum of $400 and pay for hotel accom- 6-Dec-2003 107 69 64%
modations (arrival Thursday June 22 and departure 23-May-2004 4 4 100%
Sunday June 25). Breakfast and lunch will be pro- 5-Jun-2004 133 102 77%
vided during the workshop. 4-Dec-2004 139 104 75%
4-Jun-2005 152 116 76%
Participants are required to sign a nondisclo- 4-Dec-2005 159 88 55%
sure agreement. This limits your performing
exam preparation training, authoring, or otherwise Total CCT Alumni: 552
sharing specific knowledge about the examination
for a period of two (2) years. This is to ensure that
the knowledge you gain about the exam is not used
in a manner that would give an unfair advantage to
anyone sitting for a future exam. Volunteers will
receive 2 RU credits to apply towards recertifica-
tion.

If interested please forward a resume to Mary Mar-

tin, mmartin@asq.org for consideration.

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 7

The following are recipients of ASQ certifications during the last testing cycle:

Hubert McLeod, United Space Alliance CQM

Mark Markovich, CQA
Miguel A. Decos, Wyle Laboratories CQA (Tested through Section 1405)
Fritz Cardona , Wyle Laboratories CCT
Brandon L. Capetillo, Wyle Laboratories CCT
Larry F. Graham, Wyle Laboratories CCT
Erich A. Kelley, Anadarko Industries CCT
Bryan A. Kanne, Anadarko Industries CCT
John P. Brown, Anadarko Industries CCT
Christopher E. Bailey, Anadarko Industries CCT
* NOTE: Members in blue belong to the same organization (Anadarko/Wyle)

A special recognition is in order for Anadarko Industries and Wyle Laboratories and especially for Mr.
Greg Boyd. Both organizations are the current contractors for the Calibrations and Metrology Service
(CAMS) contract at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). Mr. Greg Boyd exhibited great leadership by
encouraging the CAMS technical and management personnel to consider pursuing ASQ certification
and membership as a means of demonstrating competency in general metrology disciplines and quality
assurance. Through Mr. Boyd's leadership, the laboratory now has eighteen (18) out of twenty-four (24)
of the laboratory's technical and management workforce, or 75% of the total workforce, whom now
have obtained ASQ certifications.

The JSC calibration laboratory is seeking accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025, General requirements for the
competence of testing and calibration laboratories, through the American Association for Laboratory
Accreditation (A2LA) and reaching this milestone in the pursuit of accreditation will serve to improve
our customers confidence in the services provided by the laboratory. Great Job!

Miguel A. Decos, ASQ Member: CQA, CCT

Information Technology Manager
Education Chairman, ASQ Bay Area Texas Section 1422
Wyle Laboratories, Inc.
Measurement Standards and Calibration Laboratory
NASA/Johnson Space Center
Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 8

The Future of Quality Ten Conclusions for Managing the Future

In fifteen years, will you recognize
your organization?
By H. James Harrington and Frank Voehl
Changes in practices, technologies and methods
that show promise today most likely will be ex-
tended and widely used tomorrow. One future-
looking trend in today's leading organizations is the
renewed interest in customer focus. As more com-
panies improve information technologies and im-
plement just-in-time and lean production systems,
an increasing number of made-to-order products
and services will become available. Managing
quality in the year 2020 will demand new types of
quality management functionalities, more intensive
supplier-qualification systems, and shared design
and production information.
Buzzwords are emerging already for the new qual-
ity world, as predicted by quality researchers and
futurists such as A. Blanton Godfrey and Patrick
Dixon. These buzzwords point to "sense-and-
respond" systems replacing the former "make-and-
sell" systems. The advantages of low-inventory or
no-inventory systems, coupled with no unsold or
discounted merchandise and truly satisfied custom-
ers, are so promising that future-focused organiza-
tions are encouraged to move quickly and endorse
these concepts. Given all the buzz, it's interesting
to stand back for a moment and see what the world
of quality might look like in the year 2020.
Thirty years ago, visionary Xerox executive Peter
McColough asked, “Is it inevitable that organiza-
tions such as Xerox should have their periods of
emergence, full flower of growth and prestige and
then later stagnation and death?” McColough
even identified the causes of the fate awaiting his
company as it moved from an enterprise “loose on
procedure, unclear on organizational lines, vari-
able in policies” to an institution “governed by
rules written and unwritten and the heavy hand of
custom.” To avoid the stagnation and death that
McColough foretold more than 30 years ago, the
following factors need to be seriously considered:
1. Prepare for the unexpected.
2. Get ready for faster reaction times.
3. Develop flatter organizational structures.
4. Build teams and alliance partners.
5. Grow with the “global village.”
6. Practice cultural sensitivity.
7. Invest heavily in technology.
8. Create a family work atmosphere.
9. Provide a vision with purpose and meaning.
10. Enhance your leadership and quality manage-
ment competencies.

The FUTURE of quality defined through the downturns, as well as accurate vision
and steady nerves to see well into the future. Qual-
The organization of 2020 will be dominated by six ity managers in the year 2020 will need to be fa-
factors represented by the acronym FUTURE, miliar with the next wave of techno-change.
which stands for fast, urban, tribal, universal, revo-
lutionary and ethics. The acronym is based on the •Implications for the quality practitioner: Speed
research and work of Patrick Dixon will be foremost, and value-information and early-
(www.globalchange.com), a well-known interna- warning systems will provide managers with com-
tional futurist. In the business world of 2020, mas-
tering the quality-related aspects of these six fac- prehensive solutions to their day-to-day problems.
tors will be essential to survival and prosperity. "Management historians" will provide value infor-
mation to analyze organizational successes and
Fast failures. In 2020, who will be watching your radar
The world is changing faster than management re- screen? Where will you get fresh insights? What
alizes. Survival will require organizations to use quality tools will you use to harness external per-
quality-based scenario planning before events oc- spectives to protect you from institutional blind-
cur. Quality improvement rapid-response plans will ness?
help to make every dollar count. The binocular lens
of market research can't predict the future in a rap-
idly changing world--it just shows what consumers
think. In 2020, we'll need bifocal leadership: clear, (Continued on page 9)
short-range thinking and sharp action to steer

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 9

(Continued from page 8) Universal

Urban The opposite of tribalism is universality. Globaliza-
Big demographic and social "lifestyle" shifts will tion will hasten the emergence of the global super-
affect your business: fickle fashions, aging but brand and create huge pressures to manage global
wealthy populations, retired people inheriting tril- operations more effectively. New technologies as
lions of dollars, aggressive competition for top tal- well as virtual teams and companies will be key to
ent, female consumer influence, human cloning, this new paradigm. In today's business environ-
medical breakthroughs, virtual relationships and a ment, we're still playing games with globalization.
host of other factors, including the huge untapped Many business leaders are already spending more
challenge of megacity markets in emerging econo- than six weeks a year flying to and fro at 35,000
mies. These societal changes are fundamental to feet, and it's no fun anymore. Successful multina-
the future shape of your business because they'll tionals will need new management models to grow
alter how people think and feel. Soft factors might beyond the constraints of constant air travel. Qual-
create your best business opportunities. But are ity leadership will dominate the shape of all large
your teams gearing up to exploit them? corporations, as competitors realign through rapid
mergers, acquisitions, disposals or new partner-
•Implications for the quality practitioner: Popula- ships. However, reactions to universal quality stan-
tion growth, water shortages, and crime and drug dards will grow and require careful handling. Pow-
addiction will be major threats to the quality of life erful global structures will emerge and affect many
in our communities and our homes. What early- organizations' international interests.
warning indicators will you have in place to lessen
the effects upon your organization? •Implications for the quality practitioner: Global
management will most certainly lead to job insecu-
Tribal rity, erosion of nonwage benefits and further weak-
Poor project management is one of the major ening of trade unions. How will you globalize your
causes of quality program failure. Although the organization's management style and structures?
world of 2020 will be increasingly globalized, tri-
balism will become the most powerful force on Revolutionary
Earth. Groups of people will identify only with Few people in your workforce will likely be active
each other, often through projects. Brands will act members of political parties, although vast num-
as relationship partners and create product tribal- bers will have signed petitions or campaigned for
ism, where consumers will "belong" to their prod- causes. With the death of left/right politics and the
ucts (and vice-versa). Relationship marketing will weakening of "big" government power, corpora-
foster special alliances with customers by gathering tions will increasingly be held responsible for their
and employing massive amounts of information actions by single-issue groups. Examples include
about individual vs. tribal behaviors and buying the war against terrorism, animal welfare and child
habits. labor in the textiles industry. Quality-related issues
strike hard, and their effect can be difficult to pre-
Tribalism today makes people proud of who they dict. Clear quality policies, strong values and rapid
are and provides a national identity. It also affects media response teams will be vital to success in
us all through niche branding and product loyalty. 2020. Will you have quality measures in place for
The key to all successful mergers and leadership monitoring these areas sufficiently? Just-in-time
will be harnessing the quality elements of tribal will continue to grow as a major quality program,
culture. Although future team leaders will continue even though its effect to date has been on inventory
to manage up to 20 others, successful tribal leaders cost. In 2020, we'll need to look at total inventory
will create dynamic people movements of more costs because a high percentage of our products'
than 100,000. components will be manufactured in Asia.

•Implications for the quality practitioner: Tribal-
ism will continue to be the basis of all family, team
and workplace belonging, with a renewed and in-
creased respect for culture. How will you make
tribalism work for your organization and its quality
of worklife, while rebuilding group confidence and
a sense of belonging in a future world of constant
workforce reductions?
•Implications for the quality practitioner: The in-
ventory cost of one month's shipping will be a ma-
jor consideration when outsourcing decisions are
made. Add to that the additional cost of fuel, and
many of the decisions we make today to outsource
labor-intensive activities won't be justified. Tax
structures will be negatively directed toward the
company that puts an individual out of work. If
(Continued on page 10)

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 10

(Continued from page 9) change the way people think about business. We'll
your organization outsources from the United select hotel rooms, buy plane tickets, listen to and
States, be prepared to pay higher taxes to offset the download music, browse newspapers from thou-
additional costs that unemployed workers bring to sands of cities, and shop for almost every conceiv-
humanity. able product without leaving our own portals. Man-
aging the quality of these transactions, services and
Ethics products will demand new ideas, new methods,
The United States will stop focusing its quality ef- critical thinking and new tools.
fort on manufacturing and technology because in
the future it will have no engineering capabilities. A third force, virtual companies, will also stretch
At the present time less than 5 percent of U.S. stu- our ability to manage quality in the year 2020 and
dents are taking engineering classes, compared to beyond. As companies follow the lead of Nike,
China's 40 percent, according to a National Science Williams-Sonoma or Sara Lee and establish busi-
Foundation study. By 2020, more than 90 percent ness-partner networks rather than vertical or hori-
of all engineering students who graduate from col- zontal organizations, we'll find a vastly increased
lege could be Asian. With that kind of skill shift, need for clear specifications, procedures and com-
there's no way that the United States will be able to munication. Companies such as Volkswagen in
compete in the manufacturing and technology Brazil now have suppliers install and test parts on
fields. Instead, the areas of culture change and the assembly line, which changes Volkswagen's
quality philosophy will become increasingly im- role to that of coordinator and planner rather than
portant in shaping the vision and values of the or- manufacturer.
ganization. Whenever CEOs talk about the future,
they end up focusing on the personal concerns they Imagining current trends taken to extreme limits
have, their vision and values, priorities, ethics, mo- will offer another way to safely extrapolate the fu-
tivation, culture and spirituality. All these will be ture. Customer focus will continue to be essential.
key issues for large corporations in the year 2020. Nypro Clinton, for example, has reduced its cus-
tomer base by more than 90 percent to become
•Implications for the quality practitioner: What more customer-focused. By concentrating on a
kind of world do you want to live in? Because eth- small number of good customers, the company can
ics and values will carry us through periods of tre- co-design and co-locate production facilities and
mendous change and continue to provide increased develop true business partnerships.
context and meaning to visions and missions, what
will your role be in shaping these changes? Riskier predictions include speculations about tech-
nological breakthroughs or other societal or mana-
The FUTURE at work gerial changes. What happens when information
Financial rewards are not motivating factors in and and communication become virtually free? Or
of themselves. The genesis of this thinking goes when products and services become available any-
back to the work of Abraham Maslow and Freder- where in the world? The year 2020 will require that
ick Hertzberg. Retaining and motivating top execu- we manage development teams comprising thou-
tives in the future will involve various core job di- sands of far-flung independent programmers who
mensions, such as autonomy, feedback, task iden- create new operating systems and make them avail-
tity, skill variety and supervisory satisfaction. Per- able for almost nothing. Information quality will
sonal work motivation has already changed dra- become a critical issue, while new methods and
matically during the last five years and will con- tools for managing across company boundaries will
tinue to do so because it's much deeper than work- be essential. Old practices of price negotiations and
life balance. The key to capturing people's passion contracts will have radically changed and trans-
will be to show how the quality of your products formed into new cooperative partnerships with
and services builds a better world, not only for in- rapid sharing of information, plans and practices.
dividuals and their families, but also for the com- Quality-driven business-process management will
munity and humanity as a whole. radically extend across company and value-chain
boundaries and into customer operations. Time
A second force, the explosion of information tech- cycles will continue to shrink, and information
nology, will continue to drive change in ways we're flows, decisions and changes will occur with light-
just now beginning to grasp. The Internet, with its ning speed.
promise of new distribution channels, customer
information on unimagined scales and instant com-
munication across continents, will continue to (Continued on page 21)

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 11

THE LEARNING CURVE until after the publication dead-

line you have set for this issue.
By Phil Painchaud So went my other data source!
Now I am left to my own de-
This is the forty-fourth in a series of essays pur-
vices, please bear with me.
ported to be written concerning the general subject
of Metrology Education but which often wander
I have been rereading several of
somewhat as befits both the available material and
my previous columns. COL-
the current whim of the author. Over the span of
UMN 34 in particular drew my
the past fourteen years the one unchanging element
attention. In it I had explained that I had been
of its composition is that it is always in the format
asked to review a Master’s Thesis for a Master’s
of an open letter to our Boss, the re-
Candidate of Dr. Watson’s Masters in
nowned Editor of this hopefully periodic
Quality Program at California State Uni-
journal.
versity—Dominguez Hills. That candidate
had experienced a lifetime in Calibration
Dear Boss:
in both the Military and in industry, and
was now in the process of acquiring a
I believe that we both had expected this
good handle on Metrology through his
column to be an analysis and commentary
Master’s level studies in Quality Assur-
on the testimony that was given at out
ance. He was currently in the process of
Metrology Education Session at last
utilizing his new found knowledge and
year’s Measurement Science Conference. In the
Calibration experience in the analysis and correc-
last issue (Column 43), I did quote some of your
tion of costly problems in the manufacturing opera-
testimony and comment on it. I sent copies of Ms.
tions of his current employer. He was concentrat-
French’s transcripts to everyone involved — all of
ing on those problems arising due to the lack of
the identifiable individuals who gave testimony
proper Metrological control. His thesis was actu-
asking them to edit their portions. We surely did
ally a record of his findings and solutions. I pointed
not want to be placed in the embarrassing situation
out that while I could not agree with all of his solu-
of promulgating something that was transcribed in
tions, many of the statements he made in his thesis
error or misspoken by the individual. But Boss,
were outstanding in profundity. I shall repeat a few
you are the only one among all those who were
here and comment.
sent drafts that bothered to return their edited cop-
ies. True, Dr. Watson did phone me and tell me
“--------Metrology is a system. It must be
that he felt that his was “ok as is” – use it. But
looked at on a worldwide scale. It cannot be
while the testimony from both of you was excel-
localized. It cannot exist in a vacuum.”------
lent, it is scarcely a consensus of the overall opin-
ions expressed by both our panel of experts and
How true that is! My own expression was for many
those of members of the audience as presented at
years, “Metrology cannot be contained in an ‘Ivory
our session.
Tower”, it must be open, visible, and completely
integrated with our daily life”. We must always
Now before you or one of our readers jump me on
remember that Metrology is not just a technology
it, I did use some of your testimony in the last issue
nor is it an engineering discipline. it is a fundamen-
of THE LEARNING CURVE, but that use was
tal science—a broad horizontal science encompass-
based on its individual merits as befitted the theme
ing all physical sciences without exception. It cov-
of that column, not a part of a consensus. So one
ers not only all sciences, but also every facet of our
source of material for this issue was shot to you
daily lives. In one way or another it influences our
know where. My other pertinent source at this time
home life, our professional and workaday lives, our
of year is usually the Annual Measurement Science
transportation, our health care, our education, and
Conference, however this year the Conference is
much later than usual (due, I am told, to scheduling (Continued on page 12)
problems with the hotel). Boss, it will not be held
Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 12

(Continued from page 11) the specified criteria without

so on. It cannot be held in a vacuum or an ‘Ivory fully documented empirical evi-
Tower’; it is omnipresent. dence backing that claim. By Act
of Congress, the National Insti-
In light of the foregoing, my Master’s Candidate tute of Standards and Technol-
made another wise observation; ogy (formerly the National Bu-
reau of Standards) is always cor-
“Effective Metrology requires a highly visible rect and is the only agency in
top down commitment by management. It can- this nation that can issue such
not be left to the individual whims of the tech- edicts. If that agency were not in that solo top posi-
nician, the engineer, or the product line man- tion, we would have technological anarchy. In eve-
ager.” ryday language, if your boss orders you to certify
or to otherwise promulgate a measurement you
I countered ( in Column 34) with, “In previous know to be incorrect, that order does not make it
columns you have heard me preach (or “soap box” correct. Or, to counter phrase the usual democratic
if you prefer) that an effective efficant Metrology tradition, “It must be considered guilty until
organization can only be managed by competent proven innocent”.
Administrative Metrologist reporting directly and
solely to top management. It must not be hidden My next excerpt from my subject thesis is on a
either organizationally or physically. It must stand matter that is constantly in argument nearly every-
out such that every member of the parent organiza- where. I have been able to close that argument
tion, from top to bottom, can observe it’s every many times by using the reference I cite below.
move as it sets an example of efficiently, effica- The statement goes:
ciousness, ethics, and integrity. It must become the
conscious of the entire organization.”— What I “-------Metrology cannot exist unless it is uni-
did not add, but should have, is that the Adminis- formly applied to everyone in the process.------“
trative Metrologist must accomplish all of this with
humility. Metrology is no place for the ego trips we How many times have we heard the baseless argu-
see so often today. I am reminded of a quotation of ment, “My measurements don’t need to be checked
one of the ancient sages (I cannot remember who), because I am only doing R&D, not production.”?
“Humility is more than scriptural wisdom—it’s a Or, “I don’t want my instruments calibrated as I am
survival skill”. All who contribute must be recog- only making comparative measurements?” The
nized and credited. best irrefutable argument negating these arguments
that I have ever encountered was written forty-four
My next gem from my Master’s Candidate is dia- years ago in 1962. You will find it in NBS Miscel-
chronic to our usual concepts of justice in a democ- laneous Publication 248, Page 203, in a paper enti-
racy, i.e. “innocent until proven guilty”. tled “Instrument Recall Concepts and Policies”,
and authored by none other than Jerry L. Hayes the
“Metrology------makes the usual assumption long time head of the U.S Navy Metrology Engi-
that the data collected is questionable and un- neering Laboratory. I can only recommend that you
certain-----” acquire a copy of that paper and sell the philosophy
within your own sphere of influence.
In Metrology, all measurements at all times must
be considered suspect until irrefutably proven to be My final extraction from the thesis is probably the
idiomorphic (proper for the application), and best description that I have ever encountered con-
within the specifications for accuracy, precision, cerning what the Calibration element of the overall
and resolution, all within the environmental factors Metrology function is all about:
specified. Neither you nor anyone else within your
chain of command (unless you are NIST) can issue
an order that a measurement complies with all of (Continued on page 13)

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 13

(Continued from page 12) column published nearly five

“----Calibration is actually the act of historical years before. When I write a col-
story telling. It is the act of creating an NIST umn I have only a vague idea
traceable uncertainty statement. It relates a when it will be finally published
unit’s performance with respect to an SI unit of and even less of an idea when
measurement at a specific time, using a specific you may receive and read it. But
set of standards, by a specific individual, at a with a number I can identify it
specific place, in a specific environment. Even instantly. Thank you.
a unit operating well outside of its stated manu-
facturer’s range of operation, can be calibrated I hope will have seen many of you at the upcoming
using this philosophy. Physical adjustments of Measurement Science Conference. In the mean-
indication to closely represent the value tar- while, I am still at the same old stand.
geted is strictly an act for ease of use and inter-
pretation. Without a qualifying uncertainty PHIL PAINCHAUD
statement it has little meaning.---” 1110 WEST DOROTHY DRIVE
BREA. CA 92821-2017
I might suggest that you print out the above state- TELEPHONE: 714-529-6604
ment, frame it, and hang it over your work station. FAX: 714-529-1109
e-mail: painchaud4@cs.com or
During years gone by, from time to time I have olepappy@juno.com
published a few technological brain twisters. I have
been asked to try a few more. I’ll do one here, if
you want more, tell me so. This one goes: Richard D. (Rick) Roberson
Chair-Elect
“HOW MANY WATTS DOES IT TAKE TO
COOK A HOT DOG?” Rick has been appointed as the Chair-Elect for the
Measurement Quality Division of ASQ. He will fill
This is a real question; it was used in a final exam the position for the rest of the 2005~06 term, and
by a university. I will give you these clues: The fill the position during the 2006~07 term. Follow-
answer is independent of the mass of the sausage ing is a short bio on Rick.
used and is also independent of the means used to
apply the energy: i.e., thermal conduction, thermal Rick has worked in many different places around
radiation, thermal convection, electrical resistively, the world with the US Air Force on active duty,
or microwave induction. Send me an e-mail with civil service, and contractor. He currently is the
the correct answer and I shall credit you. lead technician of the electronics section of the
Tinker AFB calibration laboratory. He graduated
We will call it quits for this issue, however I would from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in
like to ask one favor of any of you who happen to 2002 with a degree in Management of Technology
rouse out of your lethargy and decide to contact Operations (cum laude). He has been a member of
me. Please, when you are contacting concerning ASQ for three years and is a Certified Calibration
material in a specific column, tell me which col- Technician (CCT). Rick has volunteered his time
umn you are referring to by number. For example as a Subject Matter Expert for several Item Writing
this column is Number 44. The column number is and Item Review workshops for the CCT program.
always contained in the preamble to that column. I He also is the current Certification Chair for ASQ
get many calls and e-mails that just open up and Section 1408 (Oklahoma City).
start; “I read your column”, and then go on, “thus
and so, etc”. I never know which column they are On behalf of the officers and committee chairs of
referring to. A while back an individual called and the Measurement Quality Division...Welcome
it took quite many minutes of AT&T Long Dis- aboard, Rick. Your dedication and support of MQD
tance time to figure out that they were referring to a is much appreciated.

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 14

MQD Teleconference Minutes

March 2, 2006

Attendees:
Chris Grachanen Graeme Payne
Jay Bucher Bill McCullough
Karl Wigdal Dan Harper
Duane Allen Dilip Shah
Phil Painchaud
Minutes
Graeme
Graeme welcomed everybody to the meeting. His position with Delta Airlines has been eliminated and
will cease the end of March. The Division Management Agreement (DMA) will be going before the
ASQ board. The DMA could be in place by July 1, 2006.
Jay
Jay and/or Karl will contact Bruce Brown at ASQ to see if he will do an audit of our books. If he is un-
able, they will look at having a CPA performing an audit before Jay takes over as the new Treasurer.
Any expense for the audit will come out of the division funds.
ASQ donated four (4) copies of The Metrology Handbook for door prizes at MSC 2006. A big thanks to
them for their generosity. Lots of interest at the booth to see copies, which unfortunately were not avail-
able.
Phil
Phil’s column in The Standard is approaching its 50th installment. Though sometimes controversial,
The Leaning Curve always makes for interesting reading and is The Standard’s longest running inde-
pendent column.
Bill
Z540.3 has passed the full committee. A draft is available and can be viewed on NCSLI’s web site.
Dilip
MQD had a session on Friday, March 3, at MSC 2006. The presenters were Dilip and Bob Graham from
Sandia Labs. Dilip stated that Craig Gulka says space is available at NCSLI Workshop & Symposium
2006 to hold a CCT exam. Dilip will follow
up.
Chris
Summary of the MJD survey sent to NCSLI
newsletter (also included at the end of this
edition).
Professional Examination Services (PES) is
currently working on draft job descriptions
for Calibration Technician, Calibration Engi-
neer and Metrologist. It is anticipated that
these drafts will be provided to the core team
for review by mid-March. Our illustrious Chair
Minutes compiled by Graeme, Jay and Chris. manning our booth.

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 15

MQD Teleconference Minutes

January 10, 2006

Attendees:
Chris Grachanen Graeme Payne
Jay Bucher Bill McCullough
Karl Wigdal Norm Belecki
Don Ermer Eduardo M. Heidelberg
Minutes
Graeme

Welcomed everybody to meeting and started it by giving an update of ASQ’s Division Affairs Council
activities and information about the upcoming ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement
(WCQ&I) conference being held 01-03 May 2006 in Milwaukee, WI.

The new ASQ Management Agreement once ratified (voted scheduled for 01 Jun 2006) will be replac-
ing ASQ Division by-laws in order to provide better flexibility and alignment with existing division
structure and activities.

The will be volunteer leadership training classes prior to WCQ&I conference. Those that attend the lead-
ership training will be attend the conference at the reduce rate of $250. MQD supports officers planning
on attending the WCQ&I conference.

Karl

Provide an update on MQD financial status. As of Nov 2006, there is $9k in checking and $73.5k in
market fund. Professional Examination Services (PES) has been paid for administration of Metrology
Job Description as well as Quality Challenge Coins for minting of CCT commemorative coins (1000
minted).

Jay

No activities to report regarding NIST’s US Measurement System Roadmap. Deadline for article sub-
mittals to The Standard is 15 Feb 2006.

Norm

The Joe Simmons Scholarship was not awarded in 2005. There were only two candidate submittals for
2005 both of which were deemed not meeting criteria for awarding of the scholarship.

The Joe Simmons Scholarship still has not been given non-profit status by the IRS. Work is in progress
in creating a Joe Simmons Scholarship website.

Chris

There were 159 candidates that sat for the 05 Dec 2005 offering of the CCT exam of which 88 passed
giving a total CCT alumnus of 552 as of 01 Jan 2006. Congratulation letters sent out to all new CCT
alumnus.
(Continued on page 16)

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 16

(Continued from page 15)

One thousand CCT commemorative coins have be minted and delivered to Graeme.
Currently Chris is investigating using ASQ’s third party fulfillment supplier and
ASQ’s distribution group as to which can provide shipping and handling services at
the best rate for distribution of the coins to CCT alumni. A letter to accompany each
coin still needs to be drafted.

Bill

Z-540.3 revision will be voted on at upcoming Measurement Science Conference (MSC). It is expected
to be approved. The next volunteer opportunity will be to form a committee to develop a Z-540.3 hand-
book to provide guidance for the standard’s use.

Don

Don’s informative paper on R&R measurements will be appearing in the next two installments of Qual-
ity Progress’s Measure for Measure.

Graeme

Next MQD meeting will be on 02 Mar 2006 at MSC at 6:00pm Pacific Time. On behalf of MQD, Greg
Gay, chair of ASQ’s Inspection Division was recommended for an ASQ national directorship. Graeme
motioned to close meeting, Jay seconded, meeting closed.

Respectfully Submitted,

Christopher L. Grachanen
ASQ MQD Secretary

Division Meeting & Teleconference Schedule

Here are the planned dates and places for Division meetings and Leadership Team teleconferences for
the rest of 2006. Every meeting is by teleconference. Where a location is specified, any members in the
area are welcome to attend in person. This information is also posted on the Division's web site.

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 6:00 pm CDT ASQ World Congress, Milwaukee, WI

Wednesday, August 9, 2006 6:00 pm CDT NCSLI Symposium, Nashville, TN
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 2:00 pm EDT Teleconference
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 2:00 pm EST Teleconference

2006 ~ 2007 Officers

Position Name
Chair Graeme Payne
Chair Elect Rick Roberson
Secretary Chris Grachanen
Treasurer Jay Bucher

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 17

2005-2006 MQD LEADERSHIP

Officer Name Business Phone E-mail Address
Bus. (404) 714-4255
Chair Graeme Payne Home (678) 380-9380
Graeme@gksystems.biz

Chair-Elect Richard D. Roberson (405) 739-5080 richardroberson@sbcglobal.net

Secretary Christopher Grachanen (281) 518-8486 Chris.Grachanen@hp.com

yokota-69@charter.net
Treasurer Jay L. Bucher (608) 277-2522 jay.bucher@promega.com

Committee Chair Name Business Phone E-mail Address

Audit Committee Duane Allen (909) 273-4783 duane.allen@navy.mil

Certification Committee Christopher Grachanen

Examining Committee Graeme Payne

Historian Keela Sniadach (608) 298-4681 keela.sniadach@promega.com

Immediate Past Chair Dilip Shah (330) 328-4400 Emc3solu@aol.com

Newsletter & Publications

Jay L. Bucher
Committee

Nomination Committee Dilip Shah

Program Committee Dilip Shah

Liaisons, Representatives
Name Business Phone E-mail Address
& Other

NCSLI Liaison Christopher Grachanen

SharePoint Administrator Jay L. Bucher

Simmons Scholarship Norm Belecki n.belecki@ieee.org

Standards Committee
Bill McCullough bill.mccullough@bently.com
Representative

Website Manager Christopher Grachanen

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 18

2005 ~ 2006 MQD Meeting Attendance 8/10/05 10/11/05 1/10/06 3/2/06 5/1/06
Officers
Chair Graeme Payne P P P P
Chair-Elect Jay Bucher P P P P N/A
Chair-Elect Rick Roberson N/A N/A N/A N/A
Secretary Chris Grachanen P A P P
Treasurer Karl Wigdal P P P P N/A
Treasurer Jay Bucher N/A N/A N/A N/A
Committees
Program Dilip Shah P P A P
Liaisons & Representatives
Simmons Scholarship Norm Belecki A A P A
Standards Comm. Bill McCullough P P P P
ASQ Staff
Community Care Karen Prosser A P N/A N/A
Jeannette Cooke N/A N/A A A
Regional Councilors
Region 03 Eduardo Heidelberg A A P A
Region 07 Randy Farmer P P A A
Region 12 Don Ermer A P P A
Region 14 Keith Bennett P A A A
Members & Guests
Don Ruth P
Georgia Harris P
Howard Zion P
Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 19

MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Chair, Examining Chair Immediate Past Chair, Nominating Chair
Graeme C. Payne Program Chair
GK Systems, Inc. Dilip A. Shah
4440 Weston Drive SW, Suite B E = mc3 Solutions
Lilburn, GA 30047 USA 197 Great Oaks Trail #130
Voice: (770) 931-4004 / Fax (866) 887-9344 Wadsworth, Ohio 44281-8215
E-mail: Graeme@gksystems.biz Voice (330) 328-4400 / Fax (330) 336-3974
E-mail: emc3solu@aol.com, dashah@aol.com

Chair-Elect
Richard D. Roberson Joe Simmons Scholarship
10301 Clinkenbeard Rd NE Norm Belecki
Norman, OK 73026 7413 Mill Run Dr
Voice (405) 321-8580 Derwood, MD 20855-1156
E-mail: richardroberson@sbcglobal.net Voice (301) 869-4520
E-mail: n.belecki@ieee.org

Secretary, Certification Chair, Website

Manager, NCSL International Representative Historian
Christopher L. Grachanen Keela Sniadach
Manager, Houston Metrology Group Hewlett- Promega Corp.
Packard 5445 East Cheryl Parkway
P. O. Box 692000 MS070110 Madison, WI 53711
Houston, TX 77269-2000 Voice (608) 298-4681 / Fax (608) 277-2516
Voice (281) 518-8486 / Fax (281) 518-7275 E-mail: keela.sniadach@promega.com
E-mail: Chris.Grachanen@hp.com

ASQ Division Administrator

Treasurer, Publication Chair, Newsletter Ms. Jeannette Cooke
Editor/Publisher, Share Point Administrator Voice (800) 248-1946
Jay L. Bucher E-mail: JCooke@asq.org
Bucherview Metrology Services
6700 Royal View Dr.
De Forest, WI 53532-2775
Voice (608) 277-2522 / Fax (608) 846-4269
E-mail: yokota-69@charter.net
jay.bucher@promega.com

Standards Committee Representative

Bill McCullough
McCullough Consulting
1936 June Cr
Carson City, NV 89706
Voice: (775) 883-3042 Fax: (775) 883-3042
Cell: (775) 220-6424
E-mail: billmccullough@gbis.com

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 20

ASQ MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION REGIONAL COUNCILORS

Regional Councilors represent the Division to members and Sections in their geographic
areas. Regional Councilors are appointed for renewable two-year terms, and are advisory
members of the Division leadership team.

Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) Region 9 (IN, KY, OH)
Volunteer Opportunity! Ryan Fischer, ASQ CCT
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau
Region 2 (NJ, NY, PA)
New Haven, IN 46774
Volunteer Opportunity! E-mail: rfischer@l-a-b.com
Region 3 (CT, NJ, NY)
Region 10 (OH, MI)
Mr. Eduardo M. Heidelberg
Volunteer Opportunity!
Pfizer
Parlin, NJ 08859
Region 11 (NC, SC, TN, VA)
E-mail: eheidelb@yahoo.com
Volunteer Opportunity!
Region 4 (Canada)
Region 12 (IL, MN, ND, SD, WI)
Mr. Alexander T. C. Lau
ExxonMobil Dr. Donald S. Ermer
Whitby, ON L1R 1R1 ASQ Fellow; Eugene L. Grant Medal (2001)
E-mail: alex.t.lau@exxonmobil.com University of Wisconsin—Madison
Madison, WI 53706
Region 5 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA) E-mail: Ermer@engr.wisc.edu
Mr. Richard A. Litts
Region 13 (CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, SD, WY)
Litts Quality Technologies
Downington, PA 19335 Volunteer Opportunity!
E-mail: info@littsquality.com Region 14 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX, part of
Mexico)
Region 6 (AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA,
WY) Mr. R. Keith Bennett
TRANSCAT
Volunteer Opportunity!
Kingwood, TX 77339
E-mail: kbennett@transcat.com
Region 7 (AZ, CA, NV, part of Mexico)
Mr. Randy D. Farmer Region 15 (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, Puerto Rico)
Metrology Solutions
Mr. E. Bryan Miller
Chula Vista, CA 91913
ASQ Fellow
E-mail: farmerrd2@cox.net
Bryan Miller Consulting
Florence, AL 35633
Region 8 (OH, PA)
E-mail: milleb@mindspring.com
Volunteer Opportunity!
Region 25 (all other countries)
Volunteer Opportunity!

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 21

(Continued from page 10)

About the authors
Conclusion H. James Harrington is CEO of the Harrington
Today's focus is on Six Sigma; tomorrow's focus Institute Inc. and chairman of the board of Har-
will be on error-free performance. There will be a rington Group. He has more than 55 years of ex-
radical focus on reducing the time interval between perience as a quality professional and is the author
when errors occur and when they're measured at of 22 books. Visit his Web site at www.harrington-
the individual level. Knowledge management will institute.com.
play a big part in quality in the service industry.
Historically, prevention is one art to which we've Frank Voehl has more than 30 years of experience
never found the key. We talk prevention but prac- as a systems engineer and quality professional and
tice correction. is the author/co-author of 16 books and hundreds
of articles and papers on quality management, con-
By 2020, we'll stop teaching problem solving and
focus on developing new methodologies in preven- tinuous improvement and teamwork. He is the
tion--ones that really work so we don't need to chairman and CEO of Strategy Associates Inc.
solve the same problems over and over again.
Quality in U.S. manufacturing organizations is im-
proving at a rate of about 10 percent a year. Quality
in service is improving at less than 5 percent a Editor’s note: This article first
year, and in some sectors, such as the airline indus- appeared in the December 2005
try, it's going in a negative direction. Meanwhile, issue of Quality Digest. Here’s a
customer expectations are increasing at a rate of 15
percent to 20 percent per year. link to their web
site...www.qualitydigest.com. A
The bottom line is this: The FUTURE of quality big THANK YOU goes out to
lies in reversing the existing negative trends while Quality Digest for allowing us to
there's still time. reprint this article.

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 22

Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
MQD Page 23

METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION reau of Labor Statistics adminis-

trators agreed that updating the
INITIATIVE SOC would be the first logical
By Chris Grachanen step in assuring the Occupational
Outlook Handbook accurately
The MQD / NCSLI Metrology Job Description depicts calibration practitioner
(MJD) survey results have been compiled / summa- occupational information and
rized and is currently being used as the basis for associated demographics.
developing job descriptions for sub-
mittal to the U.S. Department of
Labor's Standard Occupational Clas-
sification (SOC) system. Readers
may remember that the SOC system
is used by all Federal statistical
agencies to classify workers into
occupational categories for the pur-
pose of collecting, calculating, and
disseminating data. The SOC is used as the guide
for developing the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Oc-
cupational Outlook Handbook. The Occupational
Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized
source of career information, providing valuable
assistance to individuals making decisions about
their future work lives. The Handbook describes
what workers do on the job, working conditions,
the training and education required, average earn-
ings as well as expected job prospects in a wide
range of occupations.

It was in the development of the Certified Calibra-

tion Technician (CCT) program that I learned that
the SOC's current job descriptions for calibration
practitioners were fragmented among many differ-
ent job titles, and inaccurate in communicating job
expectations. Without faithful job descriptions, it is
unlikely that prospective candidates will be steered
into the Metrology field by educators. In addition,
demographic information, such as how many folks
are in the Metrology profession, how many folks
are leaving the profession, etc., can not be accu-
rately determined. In early 2006, the Bureau of La-
bor Statistics will begin soliciting input for updates
and additions to the SOC listing for the next formal
release. The SOC is updated once every ten years.
The last SOC update was completed in 2000. Bu-

THE FOLLOWING SIX (6) PAGES ARE THE

METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION INITIATIVE
SURVEY RESULTS:
Vol. 20, No. 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality March 2006
 American Society for Quality
Metrology Job Description Study
Survey Results

February 2006
 JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR CALIBRATION PROFESSIONALS

I. Education and Experience Requirements1

Calibration Technician

Education: Technical school or military (PMEL) training

Experience: 0 to 2 years

Required skills and abilities:

• Determine the kind of measurement tools and equipment needed to do a job.
• Perform routine maintenance and calibration on equipment and determine when and what kind
of calibration and maintenance is needed.
• Use mathematics to solve measurement related problems.
• Conduct tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or
performance.
• Determine causes of measurement errors and decide what to do about it.
• Choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Apply measurement science principles to specific problems to produce answers that make
sense.
• Recognize when a measurement is wrong or is likely to go wrong.

Calibration Engineer
Education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree
Experience: 3 or more years

Metrologist
Education: Bachelor’s degree or military (PMEL) training
Experience: 5 or more years

1
For all positions, years of experience can be substituted for education.

MQD Metrology Job Descriptions 1 February 2006

II. Essential Knowledge and Desired Knowledge2

Calibration Technician
Essential Knowledge Desirable Knowledge
Algebra Trigonometry
Basic computer skills Electronics – advanced (circuit analysis)
Electronics – basic Measurement sciences

Calibration Engineer
Essential Knowledge Desirable Knowledge
Algebra Trigonometry
Basic computer skills Calculus
Electronics – basic Computer programming
Measurement sciences Physics
Statistics – basic Electronics – advanced (circuit analysis)
Technical writing Engineering – electrical
Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000 Series) Engineering – mechanical
Statistics – advanced (ANOVA, DOE, gage R & R)

Metrologist
Essential Knowledge Desirable Knowledge
Algebra Analytic geometry
Trigonometry Physics
Basic computer skills Electronics – advanced (circuit analysis)
Electronics – basic Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing
Measurement sciences
Statistics – basics
Technical writing
Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000 Series)

2
Essential knowledge was selected by >65% of survey respondents, desirable knowledge was selected by 51 –
65% of survey respondents.

MQD Metrology Job Descriptions 2 February 2006

III. Essential Responsibilities for Calibration Technicians, Calibration Engineers,
and Metrologists

Calibration Calibration
Responsibility Metrologist
Technician Engineer
1. Calibrate inspection, measurement, and test
equipment (IM&TE) in one of the following
disciplines - electrical, dimensional, optical,
physical/mechanical, chemical - in order to
● ● ●
ensure compliance with published
specifications.
2. Maintain primary and/or intrinsic calibration
● ● ●
standards.
3. Maintain secondary and/or working calibration
● ● ●
standards.
4. Develop calibration procedures and methods,
according to detailed specifications, blueprints, ● ●
drawings, and other technical requirements.
5. Collect, compile, measure, summarize, and
● ● ●
record data gathered during calibration.
6. Analyze measurement data for identifying
abnormalities, trends and/or predicting future ● ● ●
values.
7. Identify IM&TE out-of-tolerance conditions and
perform corrective action via adjustments, ● ● ●
component replacement, correction factors, etc.
8. Identify and correct measurement errors, as
● ● ●
applicable.
9. Prepare calibration reports and certificates. ● ● ●
10. Inspect and evaluate new calibration standards
for proper operation before releasing to ● ●
calibration laboratory.
11. Recommend IM&TE for use in measurement
● ● ●
applications.
12. Recommend standards for use in calibration
● ●
applications.
13. Adapt existing calibration equipment, standards,
and techniques to accomplish unique
measurements tasks for which they are not
● ● ●
principally used.

MQD Metrology Job Descriptions 3 February 2006

 Calibration Calibration
Responsibility Metrologist
Technician Engineer
14. Apply engineering knowledge to the design and
development of calibration methods, fixtures, ● ●
and IM&TE not commercially available.
15. Develop, document, and maintain calibration
systems and procedures, based on principles of
measurement science, technical analysis of ● ●
measurement problems and accuracy and
precision requirements.
16. Perform uncertainty evaluation and analysis for
measurement standards and associated ● ●
measurement processes.
17. Design and document measurement reference
● ●
material for laboratory use.
18. Conduct technical audits of the calibration
laboratory to verify traceability of standards and
compliance with published standards and
● ●
guidelines.
19. Develop software for calibrating IM&TE.∗ ● ●
20. Develop software for the maintenance of
● ●
calibration standards. ∗
21. Develop, implement, and maintain the
calibration laboratory's quality systems per ● ●
published standards and guidelines.
22. Train subordinates in calibration concepts and
● ● ●
procedures.
23. Perform technical assessments for personnel
● ●
performance reviews.
24. Perform laboratory housekeeping. ● ● ●
25. Maintain laboratory recognition/accreditation. ● ● ●
26. Provide technical advice to other departments of
● ● ●
the organization.

∗
May be performed, but not in all positions.

MQD Metrology Job Descriptions 4 February 2006

 IV. Extent to Which Knowledge is Required3 for Entry-Level Calibration
Technicians, Calibration Engineers, and Metrologists

Calibration Calibration
Metrologist
Knowledge Technician Engineer

Algebra ● ● ●
Trigonometry ● ● ●
Analytic geometry ● ● ●
Calculus ● ●
Basic computer skills (word processing,
● ● ●
spreadsheets)
Computer programming ● ●
Physics ● ● ●
Electronics – basic ● ● ●
Electronics – advanced (circuit analysis) ● ● ●
Engineering – electrical ●
Engineering – mechanical ● ●
Engineering – systems
Measurement sciences ● ● ●
Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing ● ● ●
Statistics – basic ● ● ●
Statistics – advanced (ANOVA, DOE, gage R & R) ● ●
Technical writing ● ● ●
Quality Management Systems (ISO 9000 Series) ● ● ●

3
Grey indicates 35% to 55%, 51% to 65% for light blue, and greater than 65% for red of respondents indicating
that the knowledge is essential at entry level.

MQD Metrology Job Descriptions 5 February 2006