B. COLLECTIONS OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
Describe (including a numerical estimate) the potential respondent universe and any sampling or other respondent selection method to be used. Data on the number of entities (e.g. establishments, State and local governmental units, households, or persons) in the universe and the corresponding sample are to be provided in tabular form. The tabulation must also include expected response rates for the collection as a whole. If the collection has been conducted before, provide the actual response rate achieved.
The respondent universe is all volunteer Baldrige examiners during the Consensus Review, because, with few exceptions, all Baldrige examiners must complete a Consensus Review of a Baldrige application in order to be recognized as a member of the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners. The total number of examiners selected may vary per year, based on the number of applications received [the Baldrige Program chooses the number of examiners based on the number of applications received each year]; 400 is the average number of examiners per year who would be asked to complete the survey. The respondent universe during Site Visit Review is all volunteer Baldrige examiners who serve on a Site Visit Team; again that number may vary depending on how many applications are received, but the expected survey number is 80.
The Baldrige Program intends to email the survey using Survey Monkey. Expected response rate is 90% for the Consensus survey and 100% for the Site Visit survey. Through training and ongoing communications, Baldrige examiners understand that completing the surveys are part of their responsibility as examiners.
The Baldrige Program will not make estimates for examiners who do not complete the survey. As examiners are the external workforce of the Baldrige Program, examiners who do not complete the survey will be sent a reminder. If a Site Visit examiner (only about 25% of examiners are selected to travel to a site visit) does not complete the survey, he/she will be called personally by a Baldrige Program staff member.
2. Describe the procedures for the collection, including: the statistical methodology for stratification and sample selection; the estimation procedure; the degree of accuracy needed for the purpose described in the justification; any unusual problems requiring specialized sampling procedures; and any use of periodic (less frequent than annual) data collection cycles to reduce burden.
The surveys will be administered to the voluntary Board of Examiners for that year. The Baldrige Program expects most of the potential respondents to respond to the survey in a timely basis, because the survey is part of the work they volunteered for as part of the Baldrige Board of Examiners. They understand that the survey provides meaningful information to the Baldrige Program that will be used in administering many processes of the program. Estimates will not be used as the survey is operational, and the data are used in running program processes. No unusual problems have been identified that would require the use of specialized sampling procedures.
The list of respondents is derived from the public record of people selected to be Baldrige examiners. The proposed survey would be conducted one time per year to support the administration of Public Law 100-107—the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
3. Describe the methods used to maximize response rates and to deal with nonresponse. The accuracy and reliability of the information collected must be shown to be adequate for the intended uses. For collections based on sampling, a special justification must be provided if they will not yield "reliable" data that can be generalized to the universe studied.
As Baldrige examiners are the external workforce of the Baldrige Program, communications with them are the same as communications with a company’s staff members. They expect to provide their feedback so that processes of the program can run smoothly. Nonrespondents will receive a reminder email or a personal phone call; an examiner not responding at all may be removed from the Board of Examiners are not chosen the next year, as he/she would not have fulfilled his/her work assignment. No sampling is used.
4. Describe any tests of procedures or methods to be undertaken. Tests are encouraged as effective means to refine collections, but if ten or more test respondents are involved OMB must give prior approval.
No tests are conducted; however, an informal survey of this type—where the Baldrige Program must seek feedback and improvement suggestions from its workforce—have been conducted for almost 30 years because the Baldrige examiners are the external workforce of the Baldrige Program. Communication with them is always ongoing during the year in which they are selected to serve. Ongoing communication includes discussions during annual training and one-on-one training that the required data serve their intended purpose, that the survey instructions are clear, and that unreasonable burdens are not imposed.
5. Provide the name and telephone number of individuals consulted on the statistical aspects of the design, and the name of the agency unit, contractor(s), grantee(s), or other person(s) who will actually collect and/or analyze the information for the agency.
The survey is designed and conducted within the Baldrige Program by the Education Team. For further information, contact Dawn Bailey via email at dawn.bailey@nist.gov or phone at 301-975-3074.
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | Ami Carbaugh |
| Last Modified By | Yonder, Darla (Fed) |
| File Modified | 2016-09-14 |
| File Created | 2016-09-14 |