ASQ vs IASSC vs COPEX

A Standards-Based Comparison

Purpose of This Comparison

Organizations seeking improvement capability often encounter multiple professional bodies offering certifications, frameworks, or guidance.
This page provides a standards-based comparison between:

ASQ (American Society for Quality)
IASSC (International Association for Six Sigma Certification)
COPEX (The Chamber of Operational Excellence)

The objective is not to rank providers, but to clarify scope, intent, and role within the Operational Excellence ecosystem.

Overview of Each Body

American Society for Quality (ASQ)

ASQ is a long-established professional association focused on quality management. It is best known for:

Defining Bodies of Knowledge
Administering professional certifications
Advancing quality disciplines through education and membership

ASQ plays a significant role in credential standardization within quality and Six Sigma domains.

International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC)

IASSC is an independent certification body focused exclusively on Lean Six Sigma. It is known for:

Standardized, exam-based certification
Vendor-neutral credentialing
Global consistency of testing standards

IASSC focuses on knowledge validation, not organizational application.

The Chamber of Operational Excellence (COPEX)

COPEX is an independent professional body dedicated to:

Operational Excellence system design
Governance and leadership capability
Enterprise-level improvement sustainability

COPEX focuses on system standards, not tool or exam standards.

What Each Body Is Designed to Solve

ASQ Solves For

Professional knowledge consistency
Credential recognition
Quality discipline advancement

ASQ standards answer the question:
“What should a qualified professional know?”

IASSC Solves For

Vendor-neutral Six Sigma certification
Global exam consistency
Knowledge validation without training bias

IASSC standards answer the question:
“Does this individual understand Lean Six Sigma?”

COPEX Solves For

Why improvement stalls after training
Why certified professionals struggle to deliver results
Why performance gains decay over time
How organizations absorb improvement sustainably

COPEX standards answer the question:
“Is the organization designed to make improvement work?”

Relationship Between Standards and Certifications

In mature professions:

Standards define the system
Certifications validate alignment to standards
Training supports standard adoption

ASQ and IASSC primarily operate at the certification layer.
COPEX operates above that layer, defining the system conditions required for certifications and methods to succeed.

COPEX standards do not replace ASQ or IASSC credentials.
They define the environment in which those credentials can produce results.

Methodology Positioning

ASQ and IASSC are method-specific or method-adjacent
COPEX is method-agnostic

COPEX standards apply equally to:

Lean
Six Sigma
Agile
Continuous Improvement
Hybrid operating models

This allows organizations to integrate multiple methods without conflict or suboptimization.

When Each Body Is Most Appropriate

ASQ
When professional credentialing, quality knowledge, and recognized certifications are the primary objective.
IASSC
When standardized, exam-based Lean Six Sigma certification is required.
COPEX
When organizations need to design or repair the system that governs improvement, leadership behavior, and performance sustainability.

Complementary, Not Competitive

These bodies are not mutually exclusive.

A common, effective sequence is:

COPEX system standards establish the operating conditions
ASQ or IASSC certifications build professional knowledge
Training and projects are deployed within a stable system

This sequence maximizes return on training and certification investment.

Closing Clarification

Most improvement failures are not caused by poor tools or unqualified people.
They are caused by systems that are not designed to support improvement.

System standards address that gap.

COPEX exists to define and govern those standards.

Related Standards Pages

Lean Six Sigma vs Operational Excellence
Training vs Capability vs System Design
Operational Excellence Maturity Model