Performance Improvement & Quality Metrics Flashcards

A Balanced Scorecard evaluates organizational performance from how many distinct perspectives?

Answer: Four (financial, customer, internal processes, and learning & growth)

The Balanced Scorecard, developed by Kaplan and Norton, measures performance across four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business processes, and learning & growth.

Which technique involves teams brainstorming all potential causes of a problem and organizing them into categories such as people, methods, machines, and materials?

Answer: Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram

The fishbone diagram organizes brainstormed potential causes into major categories (the 4Ms: Man, Method, Machine, Material) to systematically explore all possible root causes.

A run chart is most useful for:

Answer: Displaying data over time to detect trends, shifts, or patterns in a process

A run chart plots data points over time in sequence, allowing teams to visually detect non-random patterns such as trends, cycles, or shifts that may indicate process changes.

Which internationally recognized quality management standard is most commonly implemented in healthcare organizations to demonstrate commitment to quality?

Answer: ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is the internationally recognized standard for quality management systems, widely adopted in healthcare to ensure consistent quality of products and services and drive continuous improvement.

In performance management, 'throughput' is best defined as:

Answer: The rate at which a system produces its intended output over a specific time period

Throughput measures the rate at which a system processes or produces outputs over a given time period, and is a key metric for evaluating process capacity and efficiency.

A gap analysis in performance improvement is used to:

Answer: Compare current performance against desired performance to identify areas needing improvement

A gap analysis compares the current state against the desired state to identify the 'gap' and develop strategies to close it.

The Kaizen approach to quality improvement is best characterized by:

Answer: Continuous, incremental improvements involving all employees at every level

Kaizen (Japanese for 'change for better') is a philosophy of continuous improvement through small, incremental changes made consistently over time, with involvement from all levels of the organization.