CA Quality Assurance & Improvement 2

Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

Generic benchmarking

Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

Financial, customer, internal processes, learning and growth

Answer

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

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Evaluating results against expected outcomes

Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

Average time to fulfill a reference request

Answer

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Weakness

Answer

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

(CA) Certified Archivist Certification Practice Test