The Iowa Quality Center (IQC) is your source for all things Performance Excellence. Our team facilitates organizational, individual and community excellence using the Baldrige framework. We serve individuals and organizations who want to use an integrated performance excellence approach to improve.

IQC is proud to partner with performance excellence professionals across Iowa as well as with the Performance Excellence Network (PEN) and the Baldrige Alliance for Performance Excellence. Our extensive network of partners means that whatever expertise you need—we have it! 

The region’s largest, most powerful conference focused on continuous improvement and organizational excellence! April 10-11, Mystic Lake Conference Center, Prior Lake MN (& post-conference on demand)! Full details and registration at www.performanceexcellencenetwork.org/igniteex-2025/

What is the Baldrige Framework? Baldrige is the national public-private partnership developed to promote and recognize performance excellence across the U.S. The Baldrige framework is designed to improve your organization's performance and get sustainable results by focusing on 5 key areas:

Baldrige is the foundation of our improvement philosophy because it is a non-prescriptive management system that is diagnostic, scalable and facilitates continuous improvement and innovation. Baldrige complements other improvement methods you may already be employing such as Lean, Six Sigma and ISO. Organizations do not have to be on a path to a Baldrige-based award to take advantage of the framework and it complements organizations of all sizes.

Find out more about the Baldrige framework through the NIST Baldrige Performance Excellence Program website.

The Iowa Recognition for Performance Excellence (IRPE) Award is Iowa’s National Baldrige-based process designed to recognize role model organizations in all industries across the state. Our 20+ year-old award process is one of the most comprehensive ways an organization can assess and improve their systems and operations. 

With criteria books geared towards healthcare, education and business/nonprofit, any organization can get involved and apply for an IRPE award.

We also welcome individuals from ANY organization to join our Board of Examiners. Regardless of whether or not their organization is on a Baldrige journey, the examiner experience is a rewarding process that cannot be matched by any other training program. Read first-hand accounts of the examiner process on our Board of Examiners page.