Articles

Have you completed an award winning Project?

Two years ago, Excellence Canada partnered with The Government of Alberta  to promote excellence in project management.   A national Canada Awards for  Excellence Criteria was developed with input from experts across Canada . In  2011, three Alberta projects received a “Certificate of Merit” at the  prestigious Canada Awards for Excellence ceremony. We are looking for excellent projects to receive recognition!  Does yours qualify?

Herzig Eye Institute opens new Retinal Clinic

Herzig Eye Institute, a Founding Partner of Excellence Canada, has announced the addition of a new Vitreoretinal Division headed by Vitreoretinal Surgeon Dr. Netan Choudhry. With this expansion, the Herzig Eye Institute will be the first centre in Canada to treat patients with an  innovative high power micropulse laser system designed to preserve healthy retina while providing therapeutic treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy.

Does Anyone Know How to Get to the Moon?

At the Excellence Canada Thought Leaders Roundtable, recently convened in Toronto, 33 senior executives came together to discuss leadership in Canada.

Moving Excellence Forward

Article written by: Don Wilson, former Executive Director for the National Capital Region of Excellence Canada

Early in 2011, the National Quality Institute (NQI) Board of Governors decided to re-brand NQI as Excellence Canada. They had decided that the name National Quality Institute no longer related to what customers and prospects understood to be the focus of business, namely improving performance and recognizing excellence.

Excellence Makes People Happier at Work

Why do we bother with Excellence strategies?  This stuff doesn’t really make a difference  does it?  What is the return on  Excellence?  I have way more important  things to do.  I’ll put it off until next  month/quarter/year.  If this sounds like  you or anyone you know please read on. 

Mental Health @ Work

Excellence Canada and Great-West Life introduce the new Mental Health @ Work Award recognizing organizations that promote good mental health.

Graphing Marathon Measures #3
– Scatter Diagram

A Scatter-brain usually refers to a person who makes no sense, who doesn’t employ logic, and who takes irrational approaches toward problem solving.  A Scatter-diagram has a similar name but it’s used to do pretty much the exact opposite

Hockey and I&T Excellence at the City of Toronto

The  Information & Technology Division at the City of Toronto has already  obtained Level 1 certification in the Excellence Canada's Progressive Excellence  Program® (PEP) and is now preparing to apply for Level 2 certification.   This achievement recognizes the initial  progress that the division has made in the areas of Quality and Healthy Workplace® practices, and  reflects on a commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement.  The Level 1 designation affirms that the  journey has begun with a dedication to excellent service and a positive  workplace.

Graphing Marathon Measures #2
– Run Chart Run

“Run Forrest Run”… Run charts can take data over time and tell interesting stories. The chart below is a simple run chart that shows my weight in pounds from 2008 to 2011. I have lost about 50(ish) pounds since January 2008. My strategy has been the classic “eat less and move more”. The eating less part is always tough for me so I’ve adjusted the strategy to be “move more and eat decently.” To keep up the move more side, I have run in 7 organized races including a half-marathon over the last 2 years. In order to finish these races you need to keep a pretty rigorous training schedule. It’s been lots of fun and I still have a long way to go. I’m not looking for a medal by the way (other than the ones you get when you finish the races). I just thought using my marathon training/weight loss data (in pounds) would be a good way to remind people of the correct use of some simple charts.

Graphing Marathon Measures #1
– Raising the Bar Chart

“There is no way I can run in a 5km race…”
“Wow that wasn’t so bad, but 10km is definitely too far…”
“I can’t believe I just finished 10km… I’m going to try a 16km run!”
“Really, I’m going to try a half- marathon??” said Adam to himself