Quality Assurance & Improvement Flashcards

An athletic director receives conflicting feedback: coaches report high staff morale, but anonymous surveys reveal significant dissatisfaction. What should the AD do FIRST?

Answer: Investigate the discrepancy by conducting follow-up focus groups or interviews

When data sources conflict, further investigation through follow-up methods is needed to understand the true source and nature of the discrepancy.

What is the role of accreditation in athletic program quality assurance?

Answer: It provides external validation that a program meets established quality standards

Accreditation provides external, third-party validation that a program meets or exceeds established quality standards set by a recognized body.

A university athletic department is implementing a quality management system (QMS). Which step should come FIRST?

Answer: Defining the department's mission, goals, and quality standards

Before implementing a QMS, the department must first clearly define its mission, goals, and quality standards to give the system a foundation and direction.

Which statistical tool is used to identify which problems occur most frequently so that improvement efforts can be prioritized?

Answer: Pareto chart

A Pareto chart ranks problems by frequency or impact, helping organizations focus improvement efforts on the issues causing the greatest number of defects or failures.

After implementing a new student-athlete academic support program, how should the athletic director evaluate its effectiveness?

Answer: By tracking pre/post academic performance metrics such as GPA and graduation rates

Program effectiveness is measured by tracking outcome metrics — such as GPA and graduation rates — before and after implementation to determine actual impact.

Which concept describes the gap between current performance and the desired performance standard in a quality improvement context?

Answer: Performance gap

A performance gap is the measurable difference between an organization's current performance and its target or desired performance standard.

A quality improvement team in an athletic department uses a fishbone diagram. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this tool?

Answer: To visually identify potential causes of a specific problem

A fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram is a cause-and-effect tool used to visually explore and display the potential causes contributing to a specific problem.