The Presidential Award
for Quality
Recognizing Excellence and
High Performance Among
Federal Government
Organizations
What is the Presidential
Award for Quality?
• Created in 1988 to recognize
high performing Federal
organizations
• Promotes sharing effective
management techniques with
other organizations
• Provides organizational models
to help assess performance
How
Can the Presidential Award for
Quality Help My Organization?
• Improve performance
• Become more responsive to
customers
• Prioritize improvement
opportunities
• Places emphasis on visionary
leadership
Are there any other
benefits from this award?
• From the application:
• As an applicant, you can benefit
from an objective review of your
performance and receive
valuable feedback that pinpoints
your strengths and weaknesses.
Sounds good, but I
really don’t want to
apply.
• Criteria in the application can be
used for self-assessment to:
• Improve communication
• Make effective resource
decisions
• Motivate the workforce
The core values the
criteria are based on.
• Visionary leadership
• Customer driven
• Organizational and personal
learning
• Valuing employees and partners
• Agility
• Focus on the future
Core values continued.
• Managing for innovation
• Management by fact
• Public responsibility and
citizenship
• Focus on results and creating
value
• Systems perspective
The seven criteria used
to evaluate applicants
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Leadership
Strategic Planning
Customer Focus
Information and Analysis
Human Resource Focus
Process Management
Business Results
Leadership
• Organizational Leadership
• Organization Responsibility and
Citizenship
Strategic Planning
• Strategy Development
• Strategy Deployment
Customer Focus
• Customer and Market
Knowledge
• Customer Satisfaction and
Relationships
Information and
Analysis
• Measurement of Organizational
Performance
• Analysis of Organizational
Performance
Human Resource Focus
• Work Systems
• Employee Education, Training,
and Development
• Employee Well Being and
Satisfaction
Process Management
• Product and Service Processes
• Support Processes
• Supplier and Partnering
Processes
Business Results
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•
•
•
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Customer Focused Results
Financial Performance Results
Human Resource Results
Supplier and Partner Results
Organizational Effectiveness
Results
Application Eligibility
• Must be part of the executive branch
of the Federal Government
• At least 100 full time Federal
employees
• Autonomous with own defined
mission
• Provide products and/or services to
customers outside the organization
Steps and Time Frame of
the Application Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Application distribution, April 2002
Agencies establish internal review
process by July 2002
Application to agency coordinators, July –
Sept 2002
Application due to Office of Personnel
Management by Oct 4, 2002
Application Review, Oct/Nov 2002
Site visit review, Nov 2002 – Jan 2003
Judges final review, Feb 2003
Real World Example – The
National Security Agency
• Won the Presidential Award for
Quality in 1999
• Was viewed by many as
“mysterious” before winning the
award
• Is now a respected organization
with deep ties to the community
An Exercise Your
Organization Can Use
• Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Is top management in my organization
pushing for better quality, and if they
are not, would they be responsive to
this?
2. Are our customers consistently
pleased by our operations?
3. Can my company adapt rapidly to
changing market conditions without
sacrificing product and worker
integrity? (continued on next slide)
The Exercise Continued
4. Does my organization involve itself in
the community, and if so, is the
community thankful?
5. Is my organization focused on longterm progress rather than short term
gain?
6. Do employees in my organization feel
valued, and will they voice new ideas?
• If so, you probably embody the spirit
of the award, and may even be able to
apply.
Summary
• Even if your organization cannot or
decides not to apply, the Presidential
Award for Quality can greatly aid
your operations.
• Integrating the Criteria with your
daily operations will tremendously
benefit your organization.
• Quality is not a destination; it is a
state of mind.
References
• http://www.opm.gov/quality
• http://www.nsa.gov