Building an infrastructure for quality management in Russia

Describes work done to research Russian needs in quality management education and to begin the process of creating an infrastructure to meet them. Needs were determined through a questionnaire, interviews and feedback from key actors at specially organised seminars. Knowledge of quality management ideas and the provision of education and training in the quality field were found to be low. Syllabuses and course structures for quality management were devised consistent with EU norms but harmonised as far as possible with existing practice and traditions. A Centre of Excellence to deliver quality management education was founded called the European Quality Centre. It received its first students in September 1998 and it will be the first node in a regional network of such institutions. The creation of an educational infrastructure will facilitate the building of a cadre of trained quality professionals, ultimately enabling Russian quality management practice to rise to world levels.