The award is one of the most exacting measures of performance in contemporary American business. Ford confers Q1 status on vendors who have achieved a sustained level of excellence in customer satisfaction while meeting systems and results requirements in quality, delivery/materials management and engineering.
Compuware qualified for Q1 status after having met the requirements of both the Quality Operating System and Quality Systems Assessment for Service Organizations, which includes elements of the worldwide standard known as ISO 9000.
In accepting the Q1 flag from Ford Quality Engineer Laura Lycette and Buyer Bernadette Rodriguez Wednesday at Compuware headquarters in Farmington Hills, Compuware President and Chief Operating Officer Joseph A. Nathan emphasized that the pursuit of excellence never ends.
"At Compuware, quality is a continuous process, with a primary focus on customer satisfaction," Nathan said. "Achieving Q1 is critical to attaining our goal of exceeding our customers' expectations."
John N. Shevillo, senior vice president, professional services, said the honor is evidence of Compuware's aim of being the world's best provider of technical expertise.
"Achieving Ford's prestigious Q1 award is a significant milestone in our quality program," Shevillo said. "It is evidence of Compuware's commitment to improving the way we do business, both internally and with our customers."
Compuware has been providing professional services, software products and training to Ford for over 23 years. More than 400 members of the Professional Services Division are supporting various projects there.
Compuware is a leading worldwide provider of software products and professional services that help information technology professionals efficiently develop, implement and support the applications that run their businesses.
Founded in 1973, Compuware today has revenues approaching three-quarters of a billion dollars. Compuware ranks as one of the 15 largest independent software vendors in the world, and its Professional Services organization numbers more than 3,000. Compuware is the world leader in client/server development technology. More than 8,800 companies have licensed Compuware's products.