• Release ID: 08-005
• Release Date: 1/8/2008
• Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-7939 or Brian Jones240-777-7955
• From: Office of Mike Knapp

Knapp Encourages Montgomery to Apply For Baldrige National Quality Award

‘We Need to Continually Re-evaluate the Way We Do Things,’ Council President Says in Letter to Leggett

ROCKVILLE, Md., January 8, 2008 – Citing an ongoing desire to improve services in county government, Montgomery County Council President Michael J. Knapp today formally requested that County Executive Isiah Leggett submit Montgomery County’s application for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

“Residents across the county tell me the same thing . . . they like what they see, and where they live,” Knapp wrote to Leggett. “I want to ensure that we in county government are living up to those expectations. It’s one thing to say we are great—it’s another to really show it. For those reasons, I am requesting that you submit Montgomery County’s application for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.”

The Baldrige Award is given by the President of the United States to organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results.

The criteria for the Baldrige Award are accepted widely, in the United States and around the world, as the standard for performance excellence. The criteria are designed to help organizations enhance their competitiveness by focusing on two goals: delivering ever- improving value to customers and improving overall organizational performance.

Knapp indicated that the coming challenges of working within projected budget shortfalls made his request particularly timely.

“There is no better time to ensure that the processes and procedures the county has in place are as efficient as possible,” said Knapp, who added that great organizations should not resist such self-examination. “Things are quickly changing in this economy, and we need to continually reevaluate the way we do things.”

A copy of Knapp’s letter is attached. For more information on the Baldrige award, visit http://www.quality.nist.gov/index.html


Text of letter from Council President Michael Knapp to County Executive Isiah Leggett:

January 8, 2008

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett
Executive Office Building
101 Monroe Street, 2nd Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Dear Mr. Leggett:

Residents across the county tell me the same thing: they like their communities, their
schools, their parks, their neighbors. In short, they like what they see, and where they live.

The results of the survey that we recently received only seemed to confirm this view our
residents have of their community. However, it’s one thing to say we are great; it’s another to really show it. I want to ensure that we in county government are living up to those expectations. For those reasons, I am requesting that you submit Montgomery County’s application for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Baldrige process will provide us with the internal perspective needed to determine whether the county really does what it says its doing.

As we look forward to 2008, we know that the County will have the difficult task of
balancing a budget with a projected shortfall as high as $400 million, while still maintaining the high standards of living that county residents have come to expect. There’s no better time to ensure that the processes and procedures the county has in place are as efficient as possible and there’s no better way to do that than by completing the Baldrige application process.

The Baldrige Award was designed to encourage American businesses and organizations to practice effective quality control in the provision of their goods and services because as we all know poor quality ends up being expensive to business and customers alike. By one estimate, poor quality costs companies as much as 20 percent of sales revenues nationally; conversely, improved quality of goods and services results in improved productivity, lower costs, and increased profitability.

Given our current success, we sometimes forget to ask ourselves what we need to do to keep improving. Sometimes when you look closely, you will find out there are things that can be done better, and that’s tough medicine for us in a county that considers itself great and ahead of the curve. Things are quickly changing in this economy, and we need to continually reevaluate the way we do things. After all, that is what great organizations do.

Again, I strongly urge you to submit the County’s application for the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award. And, I look forward to working with you to make this county
great.

Sincerely,


Michael J. Knapp
Council President

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