Quality SIG Manager’s Column

SIG Manager

• Re-establish trust with the SIG membership and (especially) the volunteers.
• Find ways to increase the visibility and participation of SIG liaisons.
• Become more visible in other Quality-related organizations.
• Identify and begin training the next SIG Manager (for 2004 or 2005).

Website

• Hold an online SIG discussion on password protecting the SIG site.
• Work with the SIG Manager to hold a contest to redesign the SIG website.
• Work with the SIG Manager to develop or revise the following areas for the site (the goal being to turn our site into a reference tool for SIG members):
  • History of the Quality SIG (in conjunction with STC@50). We need to find our history and publish what we have. Then, we need to ask the SIG (and the Society) for help in filling in the gaps in our history.
  • List of References. Specifically, have the SIG membership determine a list of essential Quality related publications for a bookshelf. In addition, add links to the actual articles in the list of references.
  • Educational opportunities. (That is, where can I go to learn more about Quality?)
  • Online training modules (this one may be more of a wish than a goal).
  • Presentation information (schedule, slides and handouts, summaries, and so on)
• Look into incorporating other technologies (forums, chat rooms, and so on) into our website.
• Implement the redesign of the site in phases, starting no later than November 2003 and finishing by May 2004.

Newsletter

• Identify what we need to do to take the newsletter to the next level.
• Work with the SIG Manager to find ways to get more members contributing to the newsletter.
• Make sure our newsletter is reaching other SIG newsletter editors and chapter newsletter editors.
• Look for and republish quality-related articles from chapter newsletters.
• Look into ways to encourage student members to submit articles to our newsletter.
• Look into publishing a joint newsletter with another SIG.

Listserv

• Resolve the plain text vs. HTML posting issue.
• Work with the SIG Manager to develop a regular listserv communication to the SIG. (Monthly? Every other week?)

Membership

• Work with the SIG Manager to resolve the issues with the Society about the membership roster.
• Develop a new electronic membership welcome packet.

SIG Outreach

• Submit proposals for the following quality-related sessions at the STC Conference:
  • A progression on quality-related topics. (Ask SIG members to submit progression topics they would be willing to present.)
  • An “advanced” session on metrics. Specifically, a look at individual metrics, what they tell you, when you could use them, how you measure them, what the measurements show you, and how to use them to communicate to your manager.
  • A Quality 101 panel offering an introduction to the different areas of Quality (overview and history; standards, processes, metrics, examples of how companies integrate quality into their work, and so on). In the past, the SIG key volunteers have participated in this session.
• Develop a SIG PR campaign for the next STC conference (similar to the Accessibility SIG’s efforts in Dallas).
• Develop answers to the top five quality questions asked by STC members. We would include this on our website. We could also turn this into a conference presentation or an article for an STC publication.
• Develop a speaker’s bureau – a list of SIG members available to speak on Quality-related issues at local chapter meetings, universities, and so on. This will need to be featured on our website. In addition, we will need to publicize this to chapters (easy to do) and to their communities (much harder to do). This publicity should include the reason why chapters should include quality-related presentations in the programs.
• Revise the SIG brochure in time for the next STC conference.
• Develop at least one article for Intercom or other STC publication.