The presentation, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is free and open to the public and slanted toward the local information management industry. A reception will be held at 6 p.m.

The presentation is part of an ongoing series, the Technology Management Briefings -- educational outreach programs designed to share expertise on current issues relevant to industry.

The programs are sponsored by the engineering management, information management and telecommunications management postgraduate degree programs, all in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The three programs all offer graduate degree options in engineering and information management.

This presentation will address research results of a study on developing an information system for collecting and reporting on quality-related activities within an organization. A key focus of the information system is improving product and service quality.

The research includes discussions with four organizations: a hospital, a financial services organization, an energy company and a telecommunications corporation. The results led to the identification of 14 preferred practices in developing a quality information system.

These preferred practices were then integrated into an overall quality-planning model. The preferred practices would apply to any information system for which an improvement in operating results is a desired outcome.

Gryna has more than 50 years of experience in the managerial, statistical and technological aspects of product and service quality.

He has taught industrial engineering at Bradley University and management at the University of Tampa. He served as manager of reliability and quality assurance at the Space Systems Division of Martin-Marietta and senior vice president of Juran Institute.

He is a fellow of the American Society for Quality and the Institute of Industrial Engineers and has received the E.L. Grant Award and the Edwards Medal of the American Society for Quality.