Quantitative and qualitative insight into the quality management workforce for the Chartered Quality Institute
Quality professionals participated in the survey
%
Response rate achieved
Qualitative research participants
Challenge
The Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) is the professional body representing 18,000 quality management practitioners across over 100 countries. It offers professional recognition through the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA) certification and Chartered Quality Professional status for those working as experts in improving product, project and service quality.
The CQI has conducted a workforce insights survey on a regular basis to better understand topics including remuneration, job satisfaction, opportunities and barriers to career progression, and skills gaps identified by employers. Enventure Research was appointed to deliver this research in 2021.
Approach
A questionnaire was co-designed by the CQI and Enventure Research, including new questions focusing on current topics of interest and other questions repeated from previous waves of the workforce survey to track and compare attitudes. The survey was securely hosted online and personalised invitations to take part were emailed to CQI and IRCA members.
Reminder emails were sent to non-responders to encourage participation. In order to reach both members and non-members, the survey link was promoted by the CQI and IRCA via various communication channels. The survey was also translated into Japanese by the IRCA Japanese office and promoted to Japanese IRCA members.
Following the online survey, three focus groups and 15 in-depth interviews were conducted online or via video call with quality professionals to provide additional insight into the findings. Focus groups and interviews were moderated by experienced researchers who followed a specifically designed discussion guide, which revisited key areas covered in the survey in greater depth.
Outcome
During the survey period, 2,830 responses were received, representing an increase of 11% in responses from the 2019 survey. Based on the mailout to CQI/IRCA members and number of responses from CQI/IRCA members, a response rate of 13% was achieved. A total of 33 professionals, including a mix of members and non-members, industries and roles participated in the qualitative research.
Enventure Research provided detailed survey analysis, complemented by the qualitative feedback to provide greater depth of insight and understanding. All findings were combined into one comprehensive report and provided the CQI with up to date insight into the quality management professional workforce.
“This was an interesting piece of research, as it didn’t only target CQI and IRCA members, but anyone working within the quality profession. The findings proved very useful for the CQI, gaining insight into entry routes and barriers into the profession, career development and skills, and the understanding and perceived value given to quality by employers. Combining the survey with in depth interviews allowed us to explore issues highlighted in the survey results in more detail, adding value to the research report.”
Insightful research. Expertly delivered.
