Insights from the Executive Quality Forum

The 2026 Executive Quality Forum brought together 23 senior executives at ASQ's World Conference on Quality & Improvement in Orlando, uniting leaders from Google, Octave, and other top organizations for candid, closed-door dialogue on where quality is headed next.

What emerged from the discussions:

• Quality is going strategic. Leaders are governing quality alongside cybersecurity and finance, not as a compliance function, but as a driver of trust, risk management, and competitive advantage.

• AI adoption is accelerating , unevenly. 47% of quality-driven organizations now use AI, but nearly 80% report a skilled labor shortage, and data quality remains a major bottleneck.

• Supply chains are supply networks now. Half of all product recalls in the last five years trace back to supply chain issues, pushing leaders toward evidence-ready, trust-based supplier ecosystems.
• Google unveiled DCE 9000 — a new industry standard tackling the data center sector's $5.2 trillion growth wave and the fragmented audits slowing suppliers down.
• Workforce succession is a business risk. Knowledge transfer, mentorship, and certification pathways are now board-level priorities, not just HR initiatives.

Get the full picture. Download your complimentary copy of Shaping the Future of Quality to explore the executive perspectives, data, and strategic opportunities shaping quality's next chapter — and start the conversation inside your own organization.