D&D News : Spring 2005 Newsletter
Welcome to our latest newsletter and thank you for taking time to read it. Your comments and feedback continue to be very much appreciated. We are also delighted that we are now well into our sixth year of operation, so many thanks to our customers who have played an obvious and important role in our business over the years.
We have enjoyed a varied workload again these last few months which has kept us busy and stimulated. Much has been assessment and improvement related, but a variety nevertheless, as the following examples show.
- We have been involved in five more Highways Agency CAT assessments (Capability Assessment Toolkits). These involve teams validating a self-assessment document and score submitted by companies wishing to work for the HA in designing, building and maintaining our major roads. Dave even managed part of an assessment in Dublin, but both of us saw some great businesses and people.
- Dave has also been part of the HA's CAT Review Team. A couple of days were spent looking at what went well, what didn't and how the next CAT should be structured.
- Some of our readers may not have picked up that Derek spent some time in Dubai in February helping organisations prepare for the Dubai Quality Award. An article is already on our site - do read it if you get a chance.
- We have followed up on earlier work with a client who wanted some assistance in prioritising some of the Areas for Improvement which came out of their self assessment. We will also be working with them during the year to guide their progress.
- Derek was delighted to be able to work for our good friend Mike Curry, on an assessment of a 75 page Award-style document put together by a brewery! We have heard that they were similarly delighted with Mike and Derek's work. There was no site visit, but Mike visited Kent for the consensus with Derek. So we arranged a reunion with Julie and Gary Tite, and it seemed fitting to meet at a pub with beer from the re-born local Westerham Brewery (this was not the one assessed!). It was a pleasure to be able to give Mike some true tastes of Kent!
- As part of our own contribution to society, we delivered a free workshop about Excellence and the Model to a locally based charity who are making use of the Model.
Keeping up-to-date and in touch
This is important for both our own development and also to be able to contribute to the excellence arena. Activities include:
- Derek continues to play an important role in the review of the Fundamental Concepts of Excellence for the EFQM and has now also added active membership of the small group which is reviewing the Model itself for unveiling later this year. We feel proud that our knowledge and practical insights are taken so seriously by the EFQM.
- An interesting spin off from Derek's involvement with the EFQM Model development teams has been a recent invitation to be co-author of an article in Russia about the Model and its application. We'll let you know of progress - hopefully about successful publication!
- There have been a couple of other important meetings which we have attended. Dave was at the British Quality Foundation's Keys to Excellence meeting in Reading, hosted by two times EQA Winners, Yell. Derek went to the BQF Sponsor Members' Meeting (also open to EFQM's UK members) hosted by Lloyds TSB in London. Derek regularly attends, and one of his other competencies has now been recognised, in that BQF has asked him to take a few photos at the events to illustrate their newsletter! The photo here shows the EFQM's Head of Operations, Melissa Rancourt, networking at the meeting.
We also decided to set aside some time to catch up 'face to face' with a few old friends recently. It was good to meet up with Rob Painter, Ian Twine and Christina Pritchard again, and we've still got a few more names in the diary who we are looking forward to seeing in the near future. In addition we've had some specific messages from Dave Peachey, Steve Wells, Michael McCabe and Jane Cathrall.
