February 2019 Meeting

February 2019 Atlanta SPIN Meeting Information

Standardizing Quality Process for Customized Products
Presented By Karen Bolen

Wednesday February 27th at 6pm

About The Presentation

Organizations must develop quality products that satisfy customer wants and needs in order to effectively compete in the global market. Quality Management Systems (QMS) that are based on customer-focused product design and development can be important contributors to product success.  Research suggests that organizations with ISO 9001-certified QMS experience better business performance and increased profits than firms without certification.  These firms are typically manufacturing and service organizations that produce standardized products at high volume.  Applied research and development (R&D) organizations that produce one-of-a-kind products or prototypes face challenges in achieving ISO 9001:2015 certification for their QMS. In this presentation, we will describe approaches used to define quality management processes and procedures that standardize product design and development for customized products. We will also discuss how processes and procedures that are adaptable for a large variety of product types and sustainable for continued certification may be applied to other firms. Finally, measurements of effectiveness for quality management systems will be addressed.

About The Presenter

Karen Bolen is the Quality Assurance Manager for the Electronic Systems (ELSYS) Laboratory at Georgia Tech Research Institute.  Karen has a BS in Business Administration-Accounting, from the University of Tulsa, a Master of Science in System Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA, and a Master of Science in Quality Assurance from Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA. She has led the quality process improvement program in ELSYS for the past four years, including the initiative that resulted in the laboratory’s first ISO 9001 certification of its quality management system (QMS) in August, 2016, and the QMS transition to ISO 9001:2015 standard certification in July of 2018. Prior to employment at Georgia Tech Research Institute, Karen served in software engineer, software test engineer, and technical writer roles in many industry sectors including Banking, Consumer Electronics, Energy, Healthcare, Medical Device, Non-Profit, and Casino Management. Karen is also the former co-owner of a retail store where she learned important and sometimes painful lessons of the value of customer-focused operations.


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Eventbrite - February 2019 General Meeting

Location Information:
6 Concourse Parkway
Suite 1500
Atlanta, GA 30328
Location Sponsor:

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Atlanta SPIN is proud to partner with RGP as our location sponsor. To learn more about them and their services, please click the logo above.

Meeting Agenda:

  • 6PM – 7PM – Networking
  • 7PM – 7:15PM – Announcements
  • 7:15PM – 8:15PM – Presentation
  • 8:15PM – 8:30PM – Post presentation wrap up