An Engineering Company’s Top 10 Secrets to Sustainable Performance Excellence
Warren Knoles; Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2014
The “Top 10 Secrets” cover CMT’s key organizational, operational and continuous improvement elements that have kept its TQM system from becoming a short-lived “flash in the pan” through four CEOs over 20 years. Though not a one-size-fits-all system, some of its “secrets” may have application in your organization.
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. (CMT), a mid-size consulting engineering firm, implemented a comprehensive Total Quality Management (TQM) system within the firm in the mid-1990s, when TQM was a hot item in the engineering consulting business. Now, some 20 years later, many engineering companies have dropped TQM as a management strategy. However, CMT continues its quality journey under a TQM approach that has evolved and matured to meet the ongoing challenges of company growth, external competition and delivering excellence in engineering and project delivery.
CMT’s performance excellence and progress on its quality journey was recognized in late 2010 by Illinois’ Lincoln Foundation for Performance Excellence, a Baldrige-patterned quality organization, with a 2010 Lincoln Bronze Award for Commitment to Excellence.
Warren A. Knoles, PE, AVS
Warren Knoles has over 35 years’ experience with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. (CMT), a 270-person civil engineering firm headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, with a Regional Office located in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Knoles is the retired Chief Operating Officer of CMT and currently serves as a Senior Consultant and Principal Value Specialist on transportation and civil/site infrastructure projects.
Mr. Knoles is a 20-year member of ASQ and was instrumental in deploying a Total Quality Management system at CMT, serving as CMT’s quality program manager for over 15 years. During 2010, he led CMT’s application for the state of Illinois’ Baldrige-patterned quality award, culminating in CMT’s receipt of a 2010 Lincoln Bronze Award for Commitment to Excellence.
Mr. Knoles other professional affiliations include the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Institute of Traffic Engineers (ITE), International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) and the Society of American Value Engineers (SAVE) International.
ASQ St. Louis Section Monthly Dinner Meeting
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2014
05:30 PM – 09:00 PM Central
Register today for the next ASQ St. Louis Section Meeting
Location
Forrest Park Golf Course Clubhouse
6141 Lagoon D.
St. Louis, MO 63112
