International Team Excellence Award

Frequently Asked Questions

What should our PowerPoint file contain?

It should cover a project completed in the last 24 months that had measurable results. The presentation should also be aligned with ASQ's Team Excellence criteria. Every slide should include a script for that slide that appears in notes page format of PowerPoint. (Maximum file size for PowerPoint file is 3 MB. If your PowerPoint file is larger than 3MB, please contact Geetha Balagopal at gbalagopal@asq.org or call 800-248-1946 or 414-272-8575 x7303)

Must every criterion be specifically addressed in the team's presentation?

Because the teams are judged and scored on each criterion, it is expected that each individual criterion be specifically addressed. If any criterion was not addressed by the team, justification for the deletion should be provided. It is understood by the judges that the level of detail provided for each criterion can vary depending on factors such as the team's project scope and methodology used.

Do teams also have to tell the judges what they did not do?

It is essential that teams demonstrate awareness of each criterion, and whether each was addressed. A team should explain unique circumstances that prevented it from taking action in a particular criteria area.

How do teams explain when their project started and when it ended?

Teams can explain the timeline for their project in a number of ways. One way may be in a timeline chart showing dates and key benchmarks from the conception of the project to its completion. Another means of doing this may be showing and/or explaining a basic Activity Log or Gantt Chart of the team's activities including collecting and organizing data on a specific project to making the final acceptance presentation. This historical overview provides context to the team's presentation.

What materials are available to help a team prepare for the competition?

All the available resources for a team to put its presentation together may be downloaded here.

Geetha Balagopal, Team Excellence Award administrator, is also available to answer any questions that teams may have and to provide them with additional information/resources. She can be reached at 800-248-1946 or 414-272-8575 x7303 or gbalagopal@asq.org.

How will the score be affected if a team uses its organization's problem solving/process and/or improvement methodology instead of the ASQ's team criteria?

The criteria were designed to be comprehensive, yet generic in scope and description. Therefore, there is no one methodology that must be utilized. However, teams that are most successful in the competition, regardless of their team process, carefully address all sections of the criteria as specifically as possible and show where their process fits within the criteria to enable accurate judging of their effort. Again, please refer to the Criteria Detail and Scoring Guidelines Documents for assistance.

What is the Competition Timeline?

We post the most current timeline on the site.

For more information on the process, please contact Geetha Balagopal, Team Excellence Process Administrator at gbalagopal@asq.org or call 800-248-1946 or 414-272-8575 x7303.