Thursday January 31, 2002, Hunt Valley Marriott

MdQI Meeting Minutes:
Uncompressed PDF

Overview

In the early 1990's, Maryland's State Highway Administration (SHA) recognized the need to address quality at all levels and areas of the highway community. SHA, along with other local industry members, attended the preliminary National Quality Initiative Conference and came away with a strong commitment to incorporate the concepts and strategies as a way of doing business in Maryland. To this end, Maryland sponsored its first "Road to Quality" Conference in 1994. A Steering Committee, comprised of a diverse group of industry professionals, was established to organize and present this conference. During this process, the committee recognized that the conference itself was only one way of advocating quality as a way of doing business throughout the industry. As a result, its mission was broadened beyond the conference to foster ongoing dialogue among members of the industry.

SHA's four-year business plan is the document that drives our efforts. The deployment of the business plan is strategically linked to its quality initiatives. Fostering an atmosphere of open communication and cooperation with our partners is critical to defining and achieving our goals. The MdQI Steering Committee draws industry partners into the business plan as we strive "to provide our customers with a safe, well-maintained and attractive highway system that offers mobility and supports Maryland's communities, economy and environment." The Steering Committee is the link between our stakeholders and this mission statement, and guides strategic thinking on a day-to-day basis.

The Chief Engineer chairs the committee, which has top level commitment from all the members. It meets monthly to discuss a broad range of quality-driven initiatives as well as deliver the annual conference, which features a series of workshops on pressing issues and future focus of the industry. Thus, the Steering Committee has evolved from conference organization to industrywide driving force in the continuing quality journey. As a result, Maryland has become a lead state in the quality initiative movement to encourage other state transportation agencies to initiate quality movements of their own, as well as support them in their efforts. The Steering Committee's Organizational Structure reflects the breadth of this commitment.

Mission Statement
"To provide the Maryland Highway Industry Forum that fosters Coordinated and Continuous Quality Improvement in order to ensure Safe, Efficient, and Environmentally Sensitive Highways which meets the needs of all Transportation Stakeholders"

Conference Structure
Maryland's "Road to Quality" Conference/Workshop is setup in a one day workshop format. Several breakout topics of interest are identified by the MdQI Steering Committee and discussed during the conference. Each breakout topic is presented by a panel comprised of public/private personalities considered to be expert in the topic area. The panel presentations on breakout topics are followed by team discussions and brainstorming sessions. The conference attendees participate in the breakout topics of their choice.