2011 Deming Award: SSA Office of Appellate Operations!

The W. Edwards Deming Award is presented annually to a federal government organization or a civilian or uniformed branch of the military, in recognition of an impressive workforce development and training initiative that has measurably improved the organization's performance.


2011 Winner — Social Security Administration’s Office of Appellate Operations

Because of a dramatic rise in the number of American citizens filing for disability insurance benefits and appeals in 2009 and an organizational changeover from paper to electronic files, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Appellate Operations was experiencing extensive backlogs and wait times. A system was needed through which to train and develop employees to ensure greater customer satisfaction. In response to this need, OAO created a state-of-the-art course, training 187 analysts as well as an additional 200 new employees. The course focused on curriculum that revolutionized how employees are taught new skills, with the desired goal of achieving a high rate of efficiency and accuracy and defining good public service. The OAO developed feedback loops that guided training decisions based on best practice and as a result, 150 of its 200 new employees were trained to be fully productive in just eight months, an improvement on a learning curve that had previously last eighteen months. The Office of Appellate Operations has established a framework for future agency training efforts, all of which will now incorporate the successful design features of the OAO New Analyst Design Team.

The Graduate School is proud of its affiliation with W. Edwards Deming. Dr. Deming was an instructor and a leader at the School for more than 20 years. The award honors him for his association with the Graduate School as a mathematics and statistics instructor and as a curriculum chair. His influence on management and statistical analysis is legendary. The School is proud to call him one of our own and in his memory established the Deming Training Award.


W. Edwards Deming Institute

The Wisdom of W. Edwards Deming - short video incorporating some of his philosphy and quotes.


Website Updates: Graduate School


If you haven’t visited the Graduate School’s updated website, you may be pleasantly surprised at the new look and special “Training Officials” tab that even lists their GSA Contract Training and pricing.  Read more...FAQs for Training Officials page