Penn State Students Create Website That Gives Quality Improvement Professionals Free Software

Quality management professionals often need computer software to help with decisions. Unfortunately, software is expensive and consultants often charge exorbitant prices. Graduate students in Penn State's Quality and Manufacturing Management program have created a Web site that provides--free of charge--all the charts, selectors, diagram generators, and other tools that quality improvement professionals and the general public may need.

The idea for the Web site- www.Freequality.org -was originally conceived by Dr. S. Thomas Foster, Jr., visiting associate professor of operations management in Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration. Earlier in the year, Foster presented the students with a vision for a web site that would become a preeminent site for quality practitioners and others who are interested in quality improvement.

"Basically, we decided to the develop this Web site to give away quality tools for free. The students enrolled in the QMM program deserve the credit for its success because they went to great lengths to learn the basic programming languages and other information technology tools to develop the site," says Foster. HostPro.com has donated a hosting space for the site and Boise State University-where Foster is professor of operations management-is partnering with Penn State to provide support for future development.

The notion behind the Web site is pretty straightforward, says Foster. The field of quality management has not a good job of disseminating quality tools to the general public. Freequaltiy.org should rectify that since it offers free downloads.

"We only ask that credit be given to the original developers. The site is completely non-commercial and we are providing this so those interested in quality management can support decision-making with good analytical approaches," says Foster.

The tools were developed using the Microsoft Office family of products. While the software tools found at the Web site do not come with any warranties, the tools have undergone thorough testing. They have been standardized and evaluated for functionality as well as usability. Training materials are also available at the site.

"In future semesters we will add more tools, content and training materials. It is our hope that eventually we will be able to provide a major resource for the world and the quality community-all free of charge," says Foster.

In the QMM program, graduate students learn to integrate business and engineering principles in a unique collaboration between Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration and its College of Engineering. Jointly taught by faculty from both colleges, the QMM Program takes an interdisciplinary approach to educating world-class manufacturing managers. Other universities offer similar programs, but most provide only a loose connection among the courses with no real integration of business and engineering.

A joint effort from the start, the interdisciplinary program was developed in the early 1990s and admitted its first class in 1996. Often referred to as "QMM Boot Camp," the highly competitive and rigorous program leads to a Master of Manufacturing Management degree. The curriculum emphasizes a team-based approach to a wide array of manufacturing management issues, including product design, process development, plant design, capacity management, product distribution, product costing, quality management, workforce organization, strategic planning, and supply chain management.