The Business Excellence Centre at the Department of Economic Development (DED) conducted the third self-assessment workshop for companies that are potential participants in the 2010 cycle of the Dubai Quality Award (DQA).
The workshop focused on conducting the self-assessment of companies and the logistics involved in preparing a well-organized award submission document, based on the current European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) 2010 Excellence Model.
“We recommend self-assessment as the first step to participate in the DQA as it enables participating companies to examine their existing strategies and working practices against the DQA criteria. This will allow them to identify their strengths and areas of improvement,” said Mr Mohammed Bushanain, Executive Director, Business Excellence Centre, DED.
“Companies that undergo this comprehensive self-assessment exercise should carry the process further to prepare a full submission document, which can then be submitted to the Award office for qualification by a team of assessors,” he added
The DQA workshop was conducted by Mr Norman Hughes, Business Improvement Consultant, Footloose Enterprises Ltd, UK, who focused on the use of the latest EFQM 2010 Excellence model, which helps organisations to improve their overall performance. Mr Hughes urged all attendees to use the DQA criteria as a vehicle for introducing change, and improving activities and innovation in their own organisations, as well as while applying for the Award.
“The methodology used in the workshops concentrated on interactive learning techniques that will help individuals to adapt to a specific environment,” said Mr Hughes.
Mr Bushanain called upon companies all over the UAE, wishing to participate in the DQA to begin the process early and to focus on the journey to enhance their quality standards. “We stress the importance of allowing sufficient ‘quality’ time for the preparation process. This would enable companies to acquire and build on the skills that are vital in preparing a successful submission document,” he added.
More than 25 senior managers and executives representing different sectors of Dubai-based organizations including manufacturing, construction, finance, trading, higher education, healthcare, tourism and services, attended the workshops.
