Learning Institutions Quality Conference- For NUS IQ Teams

Creative and committed teams build strong ecosystems of continuous improvement. They become exciting catalysts of change, driving productivity up, enhancing innovativeness and igniting employee satisfaction.
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    This link is only available to NUS staff who are interested in submitting their IQ Projects to VOICES.

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Information for NUS IQ Teams

OQM is proud to present the first Learning Institutions Quality Conference (LIQC). The exciting conference will take place on 15 November 2012, and will be an opportunity for IQ Teams from faculties, laboratories and administrative offices to compete for the National Innovation Quality Convention's (NIQC) awards.

LIQC is part of the Team Acceleration track that aims to uplift IQ Teams in NUS reach their highest potential for excellence. More information on Team Acceleration can be found at:

This year's conference is a unique blend of competition and knowledge-sharing. Besides hosting the traditional NIQC, the Learning Institutions Quality Conference will also invite the best teams from other educational institutions like ITE and Polytechnics to share their project achievements. We will also enlist expert practitioners of Lean Six Sigma to share their insights on driving business excellence by leveraging the power of creative and committed teams.

IQ Teams are invited to present their projects at the conference's NIQC session. IQ Projects that are completed and implemented on or after 1 October 2011 and submitted to VOICES by 15 September 2012 are eligible. OQM will then assess projects that have been submitted from 1 October 2011 - 15 September 2012, and approach the IQ Teams directly to facilitate their participation in NIQC. Participating teams will receive cash incentives based on the results of the NIQC assessment. More information on these incentives can be found at:

The exciting journey does not end at just NIQC. From this year onwards, IQ Teams that participate in NIQC and secure a high standing, will be considered for next year's International Convention for Quality Control Circles (ICQCC). ICQCC 2013 will be held in the land of smiles- Taipei, Taiwan. Outstanding IQ Teams may also be selected to represent NUS at ASQ's annual quality conference, held in the United States.

Participation in LIQC 2012

Limitations on time and place mean that we cannot accomodate all teams and their projects, though we would love to. Projects that are presented at LIQC are therefore pre-selected by us. As a general rule, we like projects that are impactful (not necessarily through cost savings), innovative and relevant to the learning institutions' environment.

Pre-selection ensures that projects propel the learning component of LIQC, rather than stifle it. We want to make it easier for other participants to engage and identify with the ideas and improvements in projects, so that they can take away uncommon solutions to otherwise common problems.

Here, briefly, are the steps that an interested IQ Team should expect before the conference:

  • OQM sends out official invitation letters to NUS offices in June 2012.
  • IQ Teams submit their IQ Projects to VOICES, and receive approval by 15 September 2012.
  • OQM selects the suitable projects, and contacts the leader of the enlisted IQ Teams by 30 September 2012.

Project Report Submission

IQ Teams that have been invited to participate at LIQC are required to submit:

  • 5 printed colour copies of the project report.
  • A CD-ROM with both the digital copy of the project report, as well as the presentation slides, saved into it.

Project report submissions must include the conference's cover page:

These conference materials must be submitted before 15 October 2012.

Project Report Format

IQ Teams are required to prepare a project report for the conference. The project report must adhere to the Innovation and Quality Circles framework developed by the Singapore Productivity Association (SPA):

The project report should not exceed 20 pages single-sided, A4 including annexes. The project report's font size should be at least 10pt.

Project Presentation Format

IQ Teams are required to prepare a project presentation for the conference. IQ Teams will be given 15 minutes to present their projects to a panel of assessors. Another 10 minutes of Question-and-Answer will follow.

Other Awards and Incentives

Besides the official NIQC certification that SPA confers, which will be made available within 3 weeks after the conference, LIQC will also confer a set of Ancillary Awards that will focus on the following four areas:

  • Best Presentation
  • Best Impact on Productivity
  • Best Impact on Innovation
  • Best Green Effort

Qualification for the Ancillary Awards will be determined by a pair of expert assessors provided by an independant third-party. For more information on the assessment criteria for the Ancillary Awards:

Enquiries

We welcome all enquiries. If you want to know more about how you can shine, share or learn at LIQC, let us know. Contact us by clicking here; or engage with the community and us through OQM's qForum.