Quality Assurance & Improvement Flashcards

Which benchmarking approach compares an archives program's practices against those of a leading organization outside the archival profession?

Answer: Generic benchmarking

Generic benchmarking compares processes with best-in-class organizations regardless of industry, borrowing practices from outside the archival field.

A balanced scorecard for an archives program would typically include which four perspectives?

Answer: Financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth

The Kaplan-Norton Balanced Scorecard framework uses financial, customer, internal processes, and learning and growth perspectives.

In a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, what is the primary purpose of the 'Check' phase?

Answer: Evaluating results against expected outcomes

The Check phase compares actual results to the predicted outcomes to determine whether the plan worked as intended.

Which metric would best measure the efficiency of an archives' reference service?

Answer: Average time to fulfill a reference request

Average fulfillment time directly measures how efficiently the reference service delivers responses to researchers.

An archival program conducting a SWOT analysis would categorize aging HVAC equipment as which element?

Answer: Weakness

Aging equipment is an internal deficiency that hinders preservation capacity, making it a Weakness in SWOT analysis.

Which statistical process control tool is used to distinguish common-cause variation from special-cause variation in archival workflows?

Answer: Control chart

Control charts plot process data over time with control limits to identify when variation signals an out-of-control condition.

When developing a logic model for an archival outreach program, 'increased public awareness of local history' would be classified as which component?

Answer: Outcome

Outcomes represent the changes or benefits that result from program activities, such as shifts in awareness, knowledge, or behavior.