ASQ CCQM Certification Exam Syllabus

• Identify various types of clients (e.g., private, commercial, federal, state, municipal, and international) and their use of project delivery methods, such as Engineering, Procurement, Construction Management (EPCM), Design-Bid-Build (DBB), Design-Build (DB), Design, Build, Finance, and Maintain (DBFM), Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR), and Construction Manager for Fee (CMFF). Understand project lifecycle phases (e.g., project initiation, project planning, project execution, monitoring & control, and project closeout) align with the project delivery method. (Understand)

• Understand various types and sources of contracts (e.g., Public-Private Partnership (P3), DesignBuild Institute of America (DBIA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), lump sum, subcontract, consultant agreement, consultant staffing agreement, joint venture contracts, and purchase orders) along with their quality requirements. Recognize contract terms and conditions (e.g., liquidated damages [LDs], liquidated and ascertained damages [LADs], and general damages [GDs]). (Understand)

• Understand the risks associated with and the differences between payment models (e.g., unit rates and reimbursable costs) and methods (e.g., Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). (Understand)

• Understand payment documentation requirements, such as schedule of values, percent completion determination (cost complete vs. work complete), retainage, billing methods, and billing terms. (Understand)

• Define a project’s scope components (e.g., boundaries), develop the schedule and resource plan, track milestones, and identify roles and responsibilities in terms of quality of different entities (e.g., trade partner, contractor, owner, and quality manager). (Analyze)

• Determine and analyze quality management inputs (e.g., Certificate of Authorization (CoA), input for proposals, and Request for Proposal (RFP)) to adhere to a project’s quality standards. (Analyze)

• Identify and acknowledge internal and external stakeholders and engage them. (Apply)

• Understand the impact of local contract (e.g., DBE, SWaM, local small businesses and suppliers) opportunities and contract values (e.g., allocation percentages to local resources) in relation to the quality of a project. (Understand)

• Understand procurement methods, such as sole source, single source, competitive bid, lowest bid, technical bid, and contracting methods, such as general contracting, and subcontracting. Identify and understand the best value proposal. (Understand)

• Apply delegated design or specialized engineering to transfer specific design responsibilities for a project to a contractor or subcontractor and understand the associated risks. (Apply)

• Analyze the role of audits in the prequalification process, align the prequalification process to meet organizational needs, and explain the prequalification process for short-listed bidders. (Analyze)

• Review the criteria for assessing and comparing bids (e.g., dollars, schedule, lead times, workforce, products, assemblies, safety, sustainability) to integrate the bid criteria with quality requirements, critical to quality (CTQ) concepts, and examine bid criteria for the specific contract type in use. (Analyze)

• Distinguish the role of quality requirements in the context of different contract types during the bidding process. Identify strategies and techniques for building consensus when finalizing quality requirements. (Analyze)

II. Planning Phase (30 Questions)

• Formulate a comprehensive project quality strategy, integrating stakeholder requirements (stated and implied), procurement requirements, contracting approaches, and regulatory compliance based on Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), and securing management commitment. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to align with each element of the quality strategy. (Create)

• Apply sustainable practices and programs (e.g., LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, and Cradle to Cradle Certification), social responsibility, and governance standards to enhance the overall quality and long-term viability of projects. (Apply)

• Create the quality plan, ensuring alignment with the quality strategy and technology strategy. Align the quality plan with other project plans, such as the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Plan, Execution Plan, Communication Plan, project schedule, and Risk Management Plan. (Create)

• Analyze the quality management system (QMS) to ensure it follows industry standards and understand how it complies with international standards (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 10006, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001) to deliver quality outcomes. (Analyze)

• Create a project-specific quality management plan (QMP) that complies with the appropriate QMS, incorporating policies and procedures (e.g., nonconformance control procedures, inspection and testing procedures, and method statements). Integrate PMBOK® Guide principles and system assurance practices into the development of the QMS and QMP. (Create)

• Develop and implement quality assurance (QA) practices to verify the project meet quality specifications and is compliant with applicable standards by establishing standardized quality policies and procedures. (Create)

• Develop and implement quality control (QC) measures such as an inspection and test plan to ensure compliance with requirements. (Create)

• Identify the specific quality resources and timely availability needed for a project and develop a mobilization plan including allocation and a gap analysis of current and necessary resources. (Create)

• Ensure all relevant quality personnel and internal stakeholders understand the quality plan and have the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out their responsibilities. Formulate the roles and expectations of quality personnel, contribute to the personnel qualification process, and ensure all personnel understand their roles and responsibilities. (Create)

• Identify a project team’s quality-specific training needs to achieve project deliverables, develop a training plan, deploy the training, and evaluate the effectiveness of the training. (Create)

• Identify the need for third-party inspection services as applicable and develop criteria for selecting and integrating outsourced quality services into the project. (Create)

• Assess the measurement system and its requirements to verify if equipment accurately and reliably measures specific parameters. Ensure calibration and certification requirements are met and that all equipment, including equipment used by subcontractors, is accurate, precise, and compliant with relevant standards and regulations. (Evaluate)

• Identify and assess quality tools (e.g., data analysis tools, statistical process control, dashboards, construction pre-control checklists, and budgets) and quality infrastructure essential for effective quality management. (Evaluate)

• Identify the appropriate type of audit (e.g., first-party, second-party, and third-party) for different situations, such as personnel independence from the area being audited. (Apply)

• Create and evaluate a quality audit plan that aligns with strategic objectives, key project controls, prime contractor audits, and compliance checks for areas at risk using specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound tactics. (Create)

• Conduct a quality audit to evaluate the management system’s effectiveness, review adherence to standards, and identify nonconformances through detailed observations. (Evaluate)

• Examine the quality objectives set by the client, owner, or user from the initial scope agreement and determine how these objectives align with design inputs. Consider the delivery method and contract when reviewing design phase / development planning. (Analyze)

• Explain the coordination between functional (e.g., foundation) and nonfunctional (e.g., finish) requirements and illustrate their application at various levels, such as system and component. Relate these requirements to industry standards and demonstrate their relationship to overarching quality objectives. (Apply)

• Apply lessons learned from previous projects and industry best practices to design inputs. Understand the impact of value engineering on design. (Apply)

• Determine key stakeholders involved in the design process for each discipline. Collaborate with the subject matter experts from each discipline responsible for making design decisions. Analyze the impact of these design decisions on quality. (Analyze)

• Apply QMS procedures and interdisciplinary reviews to address feedback related to quality requirements in the design process. (Analyze)

• Participate in reviews that assess the design’s functionality and constructability. Provide quality inputs that focus on various aspects, such as complexity, inspectability, testability, reliability, durability, survivability, interoperability, compatibility, maintainability, and comparative cost of ownership. (Analyze)

• Apply verification and validation to design outputs to evaluate whether quality objectives are met. (Apply)

• Support the design review process across multiple disciplines to identify and address gaps in design outputs using a design review checklist. Determine and address conflicts within the overarching system design, among individual component teams, and in interactions between component teams. (Analyze)

• Analyze the proposed criticality levels for equipment and material. Identify appropriate inspection levels and methods (e.g., in-process inspection and third-party design review) based on criticality and budget considerations. (Analyze)

• Evaluate the effectiveness of project controls, including the timeline, in meeting the quality expectations of stakeholders, such as the client, owner, or user. (Evaluate)

• Examine the design review output received at each phase (e.g., 30%, 60%, 90%) to determine its alignment with the expectations of stakeholders, such as the client, owner, or user. (Analyze)

• Understand sources of design change communication, including requests for proposals (RFPs), change order directives, addenda, and requests for information (RFIs). Assess and track the impact of proposed design changes and determine the effectiveness of incorporating any agreedupon changes into the contract. (Analyze)

• Understand design verification and validation and understand how the design output conforms to the design input through the use of reviews, inspections, and testing. (Understand)

• Examine design effectiveness and progress at various gates (e.g., schematic design (SD), design development (DD), construction documents (CD)) to align with the quality objectives and schedule. Address any deviations or issues discovered at each gate. (Analyze)

• Identify the necessity of peer reviews (e.g., design peer reviews and third-party consultant reviews), evaluate their input, and incorporate them into the quality documentation process. (Evaluate)

• Collaborate with the design review facilitator to document all quality-related activities, decisions, and changes, ensuring a comprehensive record for evaluating the design’s adherence to quality standards. (Evaluate)

• Collaborate with engineering teams to design functional and nonfunctional quality requirements for the procurement of specific products or services. Analyze if these requirements are clearly defined, complete, correct, compliant, and coordinated. (Analyze)

• Develop a strategy, incorporating methodologies such as first article inspection (FAI) and factory acceptance testing (FAT), to determine whether the trade partner’s inspection and testing plan aligns with established quality requirements. Incorporate a rigorous review process for the inspection and test plans to ensure comprehensive evaluation. Additionally, integrate specific quality requirements for subcontractors and vendors, focusing on their scope of work, historical performance, compliance with standards, and the thoroughness of their documentation and plans. (Create)

• Schedule, implement, and oversee pre-activity meetings (e.g., pre-assembly, pre-inspection, quality kick-off) to review the project’s requirements with the relevant stakeholders. (Evaluate)

• Incorporate material control, material traceability, and vendor requirements into the project prior to commencement of work. Evaluate the resources needed for various inspections (e.g., selfinspection and certification, third-party inspection), including those conducted at the source and as mandated by regulations. (Evaluate)

• Integrate resource qualification and training, along with warehouse quality and material management into the resource management process. Assess the need for specific resources tailored to each inspection type, ensuring that these resources are available and properly allocated, and aligned with the established inspection and test plan. (Evaluate)

• Analyze various risk identification and assessment tools, including failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), fault tree analysis (FTA), and strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis. Examine risks based on quantitative and qualitative data related to potential impact on the project. (Analyze)

• Evaluate risk mitigation strategies such as risk transfer, retention, acceptance, avoidance. (Evaluate)

• Use risk monitoring tools (e.g., risk-based audit programs) and perform surveillance audits to regularly evaluate identified risks and monitor key factors (e.g., cost, time, safety, supplier performance), and the criticality of material and equipment. (Evaluate)

• Evaluate inspection and test reports, quality records, and manufacturers’ data books to ensure traceability. Assess conformance with product specifications and quality criteria. (Evaluate)

• Evaluate and document key insights from the quality management process to inform future actions. Communicate quality-related insights and determine the appropriate timing, escalation, and method to alert stakeholders about significant quality issues. (Evaluate)

• Analyze vendor performance periodically using quality key performance indicators (KPIs) and use supplier performance incentives (e.g., awards, more wallet share, premium). (Analyze)

V. Construction (34 Questions)

• Assess plans and specifications (e.g., permanent and temporary work) in relation to the project’s quality plan to meet established quality standards. (Evaluate)

• Understand the importance of securing all essential permits before project commencement. (Understand)

• Review various types of construction submittals (e.g., action and deferred/delegated), taking into consideration the interdependency across trades and the project’s quality plan and standards. (Apply)

• Evaluate materials to verify their conformity to project specifications. (Evaluate)

• Participate in the process to track requests for information (RFIs), field change requests (FCRs), and design change requests (DCRs) to ensure the project remains on track and that objectives adapt when necessary. (Apply)

• Develop a risk-based inspection and testing strategy by identifying risks. Establish priorities for inspections, including modifications based on changes in project requirements (e.g., scope modifications), and testing in line with specifications (e.g., concrete testing) and accepted standards or regulations (e.g., welding certifications). (Create)

• Identify inspection processes for various stages, including source, initial, intermediate, and continuous. Prioritize program inspections and tests based on their criticality, respective project stages, and potential impact on overall project quality, ensuring alignment with the project’s evolving needs and scope changes. Identify the need for procedures for specialized tasks, such as welding, heat treatment, coating, and soldering. (Evaluate)

• Develop a system to address nonconformances, manage nonconformance reports (NCRs) and corrective action requests (CARs), and implement corrective and preventive action (CAPA). Design quality protocols and establish criteria for stop work notices. Establish a robust framework for maintaining quality records. Design a strategy for conducting site quality audits and create a mechanism for generating and distributing quality reports. (Create)

• Evaluate laboratory accreditation and conduct periodic reviews or surveillance audits based on project quality requirements. (Evaluate)

• Assess compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, standards, and codes, and conformance to specifications, procedures, and drawings. Document defects and nonconformities, and collaborate with technical authorities and engineering disciplines to review, disposition, and resolve identified nonconformities. (Evaluate)

• Conduct regulatory body or AHJ reviews and audits to assess adherence to established criteria and maintain proper documentation of reviews and audits. (Analyze)

• Establish criteria for accepting work at various stages, such as mock-up inspection and testing, initial inspection and testing, work-in-process inspection, punch list inspection, and final inspection, testing, and commissioning. Integrate material verification at each stage to assess if materials meet project specifications and quality standards. Apply escalation procedures to address materials that do not meet established acceptance criteria. (Evaluate)

• Design periodic reports and conduct statistical analyses to identify quality trends and assess waste elimination. (Evaluate)

• Organize pre-inspection meetings that include quality meeting sample agenda items that address key topics, such as upcoming inspections, current quality metrics, recent findings, and open issues. (Evaluate)

• Incorporate lessons learned from previous projects into the quality monitoring and reporting process. Document and communicate these lessons learned for future projects. Develop strategies to assess and manage quality risks. Engage in root cause analyses and investigations to understand underlying quality issues. Develop quality improvement programs based on identified needs and insights. (Evaluate)

• Understand and determine when to use the 5-level (factory acceptance test, component verification, system construction, individual system and major equipment operation verification, integrated system testing) and 8-level (preparation, design, pre-construction, construction, commissioning of services, pre-handover, initial occupation, post-occupancy care) commissioning frameworks. (Evaluate)

• Evaluate the potential impact arising from the demobilization of quality resources. Review and assess inspection and test records related to safety critical equipment to determine if they are compliant with required standards. Confirm how final documentation will be transferred to the client (e.g., digital platforms, electronically, and hard copy). (Evaluate)

• Maintain comprehensive documentation throughout the project’s duration, including records of all activities and changes. (Apply)

• Ensure all work not conforming to contract specifications (i.e., punch list) is closed. (Evaluate)

• Verify the completeness of all quality deliverables. (Evaluate)

• Facilitate the process for obtaining final certification, ensuring inclusion and maintenance of all documentation related to each closeout milestone and stage (e.g., beneficial occupancy / use, substantial completion, and final completion). Use the current version of Issued for Construction (IFCs) documents. (Evaluate)

• Audit the final turnover plan and related closeout documentation, including permit close out, operations and maintenance manuals, as-built drawings, attic stock / spare parts records, commissioning reports, and owner training materials. Confirm all quality inspection and test records are reviewed and validated for fitness for use. (Evaluate)

• Implement effective communication regarding the warranty program and documentation or warranty work to all relevant stakeholders. (Evaluate)

VII. Operations and Maintenance (5 Questions) 

• Collaborate with stakeholders to adopt quality goals and a clear vision for a team or project. (Apply)

• Identify and distinguish between the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. (Analyze)

• Employ various communication techniques (e.g., verbal, nonverbal, written, and visual) and active listening. Collaborate with multiple groups (e.g., designers, project management, and craft teams). Implement the Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (RACI) Matrix to clarify roles and responsibilities and streamline decision-making processes. Understand decision-making pitfalls (e.g., groupthink and power dynamics) to promote healthy team dynamics and achieve project objectives. Resolve conflicts through established procedures. (Apply)

• Define and explain the factors that shape an organization’s culture. (Apply)

• Analyze and provide input to various change management strategies to overcome organizational roadblocks, adapt to global changes, assess the achieved change levels, and review outcomes for effectiveness. (Analyze)

• Examine the methods and sources for collecting CoQ data. Interpret the CoQ data to derive meaningful insights. Report and communicate findings from the CoQ data analysis. (Analyze)

• Incorporate CoQ as a foundation for improvement methodology, alongside Lean, Six Sigma (e.g., DMAIC), and Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge (SoPK). Identify areas for improvement from CoQ data analysis, and participate in the improvement plan to address these, integrating the plan with existing business processes. Evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of CoQ tools and methodologies. (Evaluate)

• Assess how CoQ improvement efforts align with organizational goals. Monitor and measure the progress made towards achieving organizational goals. Evaluate the steps taken to achieve organizational goals based on CoQ improvements. (Evaluate)

• Apply feedback collection tools, such listening posts, focus groups, complaint logs, warranty data, surveys, and interviews to capture positive and negative feedback. (Apply)

• Analyze a customer value analysis to determine the financial impact of customer retention and the potential consequences of customer attrition. (Analyze)

• Evaluate corrective strategies and proactive methods to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. (Evaluate)

• Select the appropriate tool and evaluate the output from the seven classic quality tools (Pareto charts, cause and effect diagrams, flowcharts, control charts, check sheets, scatter diagrams, and histograms) as preventive measures, analyze root causes, and problem solve. (Evaluate)

• Incorporate after-action reviews, and root cause analysis (RCA) meetings to critically assess project outcomes and identify lessons learned from all phases of the project, identifying both successes and areas for improvement. Analyze the critical success factors that led to best practices being implemented within the project. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to systematically track and assess the impact of implemented improvements and evaluate strategies to reinforce and replicate these improvements across future projects. (Evaluate)

• Document the strategies and outcomes of knowledge management throughout the project. (Apply)