Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ-OE) Practice Exam

Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ-OE) Practice Exam

The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) is a highly skilled professional who leads and drives process improvement initiatives across organizations of all sizes—from small businesses to multinational corporations—with both regional and global impact. This role applies to diverse service and industrial environments.

CMQ/OEs are responsible for facilitating and guiding teams to build strong customer and supplier relationships, supporting strategic planning and execution, and developing effective measurement systems to assess and drive organizational performance.

A certified professional in this field is expected to:

• Motivate, develop, and evaluate staff.
• Manage projects and human resources.
• Conduct financial and risk analyses.
• Apply knowledge management practices and problem-solving methodologies.
• Address organizational challenges with data-driven decision-making.

The CMQ/OE certification evolved from the Certified Quality Manager (CQM) credential to reflect the expanding scope of responsibilities in modern organizations. Based on surveys of certified quality managers and subject matter experts, it was determined that both the Body of Knowledge (BoK) and the certification title needed to expand. With approval from the ASQ Certification Board, the CQM program transitioned into the CMQ/OE certification, highlighting its broader organizational excellence focus.

Exam Requirements

• 10 years of professional, on-the-job experience in one or more areas covered in the CMQ/OE Body of Knowledge.
• 5 of those years must be in a decision-making role, where the candidate has responsibility for defining or managing processes, projects, or staff.

Who should pursue the CMQ-OE Certification?

This certification caters to:

• Those who want to advance their careers in quality management, process improvement, and leadership roles.
• Quality Managers and Leaders responsible for driving organizational excellence.
• Project Managers and Process Owners overseeing improvement initiatives.
• Operations and Business Leaders seeking to align quality with strategy.
• Human Resource Managers focused on performance development and evaluation.
• Professionals in decision-making roles who guide teams, manage resources, and influence organizational outcomes.

Exam Details:

• Exam Provider: ASQ
• Format: Multiple-choice questions
• Number of Questions: 165
• Duration: 4 hours 18 minutes
• Delivery: Testing center or online proctored

Course Outline

The exam covers the following topics:

1. Leadership (28 Questions)
A. Organizational Structures
B. Leadership Challenges

• Roles and responsibilities of leaders
• Roles and responsibilities of managers
• Change management
• Leadership techniques
• Empowerment

C. Teams and Team Processes

• Types of teams
• Stages of team development
• Team-building techniques
• Team roles and responsibilities 
• Team performance and evaluation

D. ASQ Code of Ethics

2. Strategic Plan Development and Deployment (22 Questions)
A. Strategic Planning Models
B. Business Environment Analysis

• Risk analysis
• Market forces
• Stakeholder analysis
• Technology
• Internal capability analysis
• Legal and regulatory factors

C. Strategic Plan Deployment

• Tactical plans
• Resource allocation and deployment
• Organizational performance measurement
• Quality in strategic deployment

3. Management Elements and Methods (31 Questions)
A. Management Skills and Abilities

• Principles of management
• Management theories and styles
• Interdependence of functional areas
• Human resources (HR) management
• Financial management
• Risk management
• Knowledge management (KM)

B. Communication Skills and Abilities

• Communication techniques
• Interpersonal skills
• Communications in a global economy
• Communications and technology

C. Project Management

• Project management basics
• Project planning and estimation tools
• Measure and monitor project activity
• Project documentation

D. Quality System

• Quality mission and policy
• Quality planning, deployment, and documentation 
• Quality system effectiveness

E. Quality Models and Theories

• Quality management standards
• Performance excellence models
• Other quality methodologies
• Quality philosophies

4. Quality Management Tools (30 Questions)
A. Problem-Solving Tools

• The seven classic quality tools
• Basic management and planning tools
• Process improvement tools
• Innovation and creativity tools
• Cost of quality (COQ)

B. Process Management

• Process goals
• Process analysis
• Lean tools
• Theory of constraints (TOC)

C. Measurement: Assessment and Metrics

• Basic statistical use
• Sampling
• Statistical analysis
• Measurement systems analysis
• Trend and pattern analysis
• Process variation
• Process capability
• Reliability terminology

5. Customer-Focused Organizations (21 Questions)
A. Customer Identification and Segmentation

• Internal customers
• External customers
• Customer segmentation
• Qualitative assessment

B. Customer Relationship Management

• Customer needs
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Customer service principles
• Multiple and diverse customer management

6. Supply Chain Management (17 Questions)
A. Supplier Selection and Approval
B. Supplier Risk Management
C. Supplier Communications
D. Supplier Performance
E. Supplier Improvement
F. Supplier Certification, Partnerships, and Alliances
G. Supplier Logistics and Material Acceptance

7. Training and Development (16 Questions)
A. Training Plans
B. Training Needs Analysis
C. Training Materials, Development, and Delivery
D. Training Effectiveness and Evaluation