ASQ (American Society for Quality)

What ASQ (American Society for Quality) does

ASQ (American Society for Quality), founded in 1946 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a non-profit professional association serving a global community of 40,000+ quality practitioners across 130+ countries. The organization operates a quality management ecosystem spanning 18 professional certifications (five of which hold ISO 17024 accreditation through ANAB), nearly 300 training courses delivered via virtual, e-learning, and in-person formats, books and standards published through Quality Press, and major annual conferences including WCQI and the Lean and Six Sigma Conference. Membership is structured as Individual subscriptions ($31-$185 annually by tier) and Organizational memberships (Leader, Ambassador, Partner tiers), with the Insights on Excellence (IoE) benchmarking tool and Diamond Award recognition reserved for organizational accounts. The ASQExcellence (ASQE) trade association subsidiary, established in 2020, separates organizational credentialing operations from individual-member services.

The technology stack centers on asq.org as the member commerce and content platform, supplemented by the myASQ online community, ASQConnEx expert marketplace, ASQ TV video platform, and the ASQ Learning Library (launched 2024). The most strategically significant technical asset is Quincy AI, a proprietary LLM-based assistant launched in 2025 that uses retrieval-augmented generation over ASQ's 80-year content library (Quality Progress archives, eight peer-reviewed journals, Quality Press books, conference proceedings) and supports 40+ languages. Quincy functions as both a membership benefit and a product-led growth lever, with non-members receiving limited daily access before being prompted to convert.

Revenue is generated across six streams: Individual Membership subscriptions, Organizational Membership subscriptions, Professional Certification exams and recertification fees, Training Courses and E-Learning, Books and Standards Publications, and Conference/Event registrations. Distribution is primarily direct digital via the asq.org storefront with customer-care support, supplemented by enterprise field sales for corporate training (ext. 2167) and event-driven acquisition through marquee conferences. The customer base spans quality professionals at all career levels, enterprise organizations in manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, automotive, and pharmaceutical verticals, and full-time students entering the field — with board representation from Boeing, John Deere, and Eyas Medical Imaging signaling enterprise mindshare at the governance level.

Name

ASQ (American Society for Quality)

Legal name

American Society for Quality

Website

https://asq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ASQ is a 79-year-old non-profit professional association serving 40,000+ quality practitioners across 130 countries with 18 ISO-accredited certifications, 300 training courses, and Quincy AI, a proprietary AI assistant trained on ASQ's content library.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quality Management Professional Services

NAICS

Computer Training (61142), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Quality Management, Validation & Certification (EDADAIAL)

Keywords

• Quality management certification
• Professional membership services
• Corporate training programs
• Quality standards publishing
• Organizational benchmarking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to resources, communities, publications, and member discounts. Student membership $31/year, Professional membership $185/year. Provides recurring revenue base.
2. Organizational Membership: Three-tier organizational membership (Leader, Ambassador, Partner) providing benchmarking tools, exclusive events, certifications, and team discounts. Multiple linked employees per organization.
3. Professional Certifications: Certification exams and maintenance fees for 18+ certifications including CQE, CQA, CSSBB, CMQ/OE, CRE. Exam fees range $360-$1399. Recertification by journal ($120-$160) or exam.
4. Training Courses and E-Learning: Nearly 300 courses offered in virtual, e-learning, and in-person formats. Course prices range $99-$1299 with member discounts. Includes certification preparation courses.
5. Books and Standards Publications: Quality Press publishes books, handbooks, and standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, etc.). Prices range $35-$615 with member discounts. Includes certification preparation handbooks.
6. Conference and Event Registrations: Annual conferences including WCQI (Dallas 2027), Lean and Six Sigma Conference (Louisville 2027), Women in Quality Symposium. Registration fees plus sponsor/exhibitor revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

ASQ is a global nonprofit professional association that delivers quality management certifications (18 globally recognized credentials), individual and organizational memberships, an e-learning catalog of nearly 300 courses, and organizational benchmarking services. It monetizes through membership subscriptions, certification and recertification fees, training and corporate training revenue, book and standard sales, and conference registrations. ASQ also operates a separate trade association (ASQE) that serves organizations with tools such as the Insights on Excellence benchmarking platform and ASQConnEx expert-matching network.

Product overview

ASQ (American Society for Quality) offers a comprehensive quality management ecosystem comprising membership programs, professional certifications, training solutions, and knowledge resources. The portfolio includes 18 ASQ Certifications (accredited under ISO 17024 through ANAB) and 4 Specialized Credentials, supported by nearly 300 courses delivered via virtual, e-learning, and in-person formats through the ASQ Learning and ASQ Learning Library platforms. The product suite features Quincy AI as an AI-powered knowledge retrieval assistant, myASQ for community networking, and ASQConnEx for connecting organizations with quality experts. Organizational members access the Insights on Excellence (IoE) Benchmarking Tool and Diamond Award program. Additional offerings include Quality Progress magazine, ASQ TV video content, Quality Resources library, and downloadable quality tools/templates. The ecosystem serves individual professionals (annual membership from $185) and organizations through tiered membership levels (Leader, Ambassador, Partner), providing certification, training, benchmarking, and networking capabilities across industries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quincy AI: AI-powered quality assistant exclusive to ASQ members, providing 24/7 access to expert insights, tailored recommendations, and ASQ's extensive content library.
• ASQExcellence (ASQE)
• ASQConnEx
• Quality Progress
• ASQ Learning Library

Products and services

• ASQ Certifications A suite of 18 globally recognized professional quality certifications (e.g., Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence) for individual quality practitioners, requiring exams, experience, and recertification.
• ASQ Specialized Credentials Focused credentials in specialty areas including Root Cause Analysis, Data Quality, Risk Management, and Lean, designed for professionals seeking narrow, targeted expertise beyond the core certifications.
• ASQ Individual Membership An annual membership subscription for individual quality professionals priced in tiers (Student, Professional $185/year, Advanced) that provides training discounts, publication access, myASQ community access, and Quincy AI usage.
• ASQ Organizational Membership (ASQE) An annual membership for organizations, sold in three tiers (Leader, Ambassador, Partner) that includes linked individual memberships for staff, training discounts, and access to the Insights on Excellence benchmarking tool.
• Insights on Excellence (IoE) Benchmarking Tool A proprietary organizational benchmarking tool exclusive to ASQE organizational members that compares a company's quality and operational KPIs against industry-specific peer benchmarks.
• ASQ Training Courses A catalog of nearly 300 instructor-led, virtual, e-learning, and on-site corporate training courses covering quality tools, Six Sigma, auditing, lean, risk management, and other quality disciplines.
• ASQ Learning Library An on-demand, Netflix-style e-learning platform launched in 2024 that provides practice exams, study resources, and unlimited access to self-paced courses for a subscription fee.
• Quincy AI Assistant A member-benefit AI assistant launched in 2025 that uses a large language model with retrieval-augmented generation over ASQ's quality content to answer member questions across the myASQ community, the ASQ website, and LinkedIn.
• Quincy Study Assistant for CSSGB A free AI-powered study preparation tool aligned to the Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) body of knowledge to help candidates prepare for the certification exam.
• ASQConnEx Expert Network An expert-matching platform that vets and designates ASQ-authorized quality subject matter experts and connects them with organizations seeking training and consulting services.
• World Conference on Quality and Improvement (WCQI) ASQ's flagship annual conference bringing together quality professionals worldwide for keynote sessions, workshops, and networking, with revenue from registrations plus sponsorships and exhibitor fees.
• Quality Progress Magazine ASQ's flagship monthly quality management magazine published in print and digital editions and distributed to members and digital subscribers.
• Quality Press Books and Standards Publications The Quality Press catalog of books, standards, and technical publications on quality management and related disciplines, sold directly through the ASQ Online Store.
• Corporate Training Programs Customized on-site and virtual training programs delivered to organizations covering leadership development, operational excellence, Six Sigma, and other quality curricula, sold as enterprise contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 550,000+ certifications issued worldwide since 1968
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Project Management Institute (PMI): PMI is the closest comparable: a global professional association offering certifications (PMP, CAPM), training, and membership to project professionals. Same nonprofit professional-association model, similar certification-driven revenue mix, similar community-led GTM.
• APICS / Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM): ASCM (formerly APICS) is a peer professional association delivering supply chain and operations management certifications (CPIM, CSCP) and training. Highly comparable in scope: certifications, training, chapters, and conferences targeting operations/quality professionals.
• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): SHRM operates the same membership + certification + training + conference model as ASQ, but in HR. Comparable scale and operating mechanics: individual/organizational memberships, certification (SHRM-CP/SCP), annual conference, and content library.
• International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA): IIBA is a professional association offering business analysis certifications (CBAP, ECBA), training, and chapter-based community—operating under the same membership-association playbook as ASQ but in a different professional discipline.

Broad incumbents

• IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): IEEE is a much larger professional association offering memberships, certifications, publications, standards, and conferences for engineering professionals. Overlaps with ASQ on certification and standards publishing, especially relevant for ASQ's quality engineering credentials.
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization): ISO is the global standards body whose standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001) ASQ sells and teaches. Adjacent rather than competing—ASQ monetizes training and certifications around ISO standards that ISO itself publishes.
• BSI (British Standards Institution): BSI is a standards body and certification/auditing firm that competes with ASQ on training and certification in quality management systems. Overlaps with ASQ's quality audit and ISO-related training offerings.

Emerging players

• Coursera: Coursera competes with ASQ's Learning and Learning Library on online quality/Six Sigma courses at much lower price points. A different business model (B2C/B2B platform vs. association) but increasingly overlapping in content and credentialing.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers on-demand professional courses bundled into enterprise subscriptions. Competes with ASQ's training catalog for corporate training budgets and individual learners seeking more flexible, lower-cost quality content.
• Six Sigma Global Institute (SSGI): SSGI offers Lean Six Sigma certifications and training at lower price points than ASQ, targeting the same quality professional segment with a fully online, faster-certification model. Represents the lower-cost competitive threat to ASQ's certification and training revenue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ASQ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ASQhq
• Facebookfacebook.com/timeline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groups

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASQ (American Society for Quality)