News and Press Releases
Delaware Quality Award application process streamlined

April 16, 2007—The Delaware Alliance for Excellence, a partnership between the University of Delaware's Division of Professional and Continuing Studies and the Delaware Quality Award Initiative has introduced a new application process for the Delaware Quality Award.

Beginning with the 2007 application cycle, Delaware Quality Award candidates will choose to apply at one of three levels: Commitment Level, Merit Level and the W. L. (Bill) Gore Level of Excellence. At both the Commitment and Merit levels of application, applicants can also choose to complete “Baldrige Express,” a simple online organizational assessment.

The Delaware Quality Award Program is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria. It honors companies and organizations that excel in leadership, strategic planning and deployment, customer focus, knowledge management, valuing people, operational processes and results.

Several of the 39 state-sponsored Quality Award programs offer multiple application options. The new Delaware Quality Award application process will allow participants to select the award level that best suits their organization's developmental needs and resources, rather than limiting them to a single comprehensive application.

“In designing the new application, we noticed the trend throughout the country of organizations helping businesses with their improvement efforts by using different award levels,” John Riabov, executive director of the Delaware Alliance for Excellence, said. “The new structure makes it easier for businesses to get involved with the internationally-recognized Baldrige criteria for performance excellence at an earlier stage in their developmental process. It also allows them to get external assessment, as well as valuable feedback, which will allow them to accelerate the improvements they make to their organizations.”

The new application process also has a graduated fee schedule, which varies according to award level. Discount application fees are available for government and educational organizations.