Beyond Compliance: Principles for Turning Quality into an Advantage

In less mature organizations, quality is often treated as a compliance exercise - focused on meeting standards, passing audits, or checking boxes. But true excellence emerges when quality principles are embedded into the DNA of strategy, leadership, and culture. This session will explore how organizations can move beyond compliance and apply proven quality frameworks (Baldrige, Lean, Agile, and PMI value delivery principles) to achieve sustained business impact.

Drawing from real-world transformation initiatives, we will discuss how quality can be leveraged not just to improve processes, but to drive customer loyalty, enable digital transformation, and create competitive differentiation. Attendees will gain practical insights on turning quality into a strategic advantage that accelerates innovation, resilience, and long-term value.

Learning Objectives:
1. Differentiate between compliance-driven quality and strategy-driven quality.
2. Apply quality principles (Baldrige criteria, continuous improvement, Agile, Lean, PMI frameworks) to help less mature organizations advance toward excellence.
3. Identify opportunities where quality can drive competitive advantage, customer satisfaction, and innovation.
4. Translate quality into business outcomes by connecting governance, culture, and performance measurement.
5. Develop actionable steps to embed quality as a core driver of organizational resilience and transformation.

Prachi Verma is a seasoned IT executive and transformation leader with over 17 years of global experience leading enterprise portfolios and delivering mega programs across financial services - including capital markets, investment banking, commercial banking, and insurance - as well as utilities and public infrastructure. With a background in computer engineering and dual postgraduate credentials in Project Management and Data Analytics for Business Decision Making, she excels at bridging business strategy and value-driven execution through modern delivery practices, strategic portfolio oversight, scalable governance, and innovation.

Prachi has successfully led multi-billion-dollar technology portfolios and built high-performing, cross-functional teams. She has held leadership roles at organizations including ONxpress Operations Inc., UBS, and Axis Bank, where she oversaw enterprise portfolios and contributed to large-scale digital transformation and data initiatives. Her work has spanned shared services leadership in public-private partnership models, digital transformation, regulatory compliance, and enterprise platform convergence across North America, APAC, and EMEA - supporting strategic delivery in highly regulated, global environments. She is recognized for driving strategic alignment of project portfolios, consistently delivering measurable business outcomes, and cultivating strong, trust-based stakeholder relationships that enable successful collaboration and change.

Currently serving as Vice President II on the Executive Committee of the Durham College Alumni Association Board of Directors, Prachi is also an engaged member of the PMI-Durham Highlands Chapter. Certified as a PMP, CSM, and Microsoft Certified Azure Developer, Prachi brings deep insights into strategy execution, agile governance, and stakeholder engagement - grounded in both PMI principles and real-world leadership experience. She is passionate about bridging the gap between strategic intent and delivery excellence.

Direct Zoom links will be emialed to registrants prior to the event.

Zoom waiting room opens at 7:15am MST; the event will begin at 7:30 am MST