Quality Squad DIY Quality Health Check Workbook

1. DIY Quality Health Check Workbook
Why Use This Workbook?
It is a time-saving, reliable way to check on how you are doing with managing quality - as a starting point for planning and
gaining support for your ideas.
How to Use This Workbook
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Keep a master copy and create a working copy that you can edit
For a quick check: take some time to think through your quality activity and needs - an hour should be enough
Fill in your answers (some sample answers are shown in grey text to prompt you)
Or you can take a little more time and involve others to think with you - on a regular basis if you wish
Skip any sections that are not helpful or relevant - but don’t avoid difficult issues raised by the prompts
Focus on finding out how you are doing now and what you need to do next to achieve improvement
Identify any help you might need to make progress with quality activities and make plans
Edit this workbook to make a slide presentation if you want to present your findings and plans
Add a completed workbook as an appendix to a Business Case - as evidence of background thinking
Submit a completed workbook as evidence for quality review and accreditation if you wish
If you have any queries or you would like some help with using the workbook feel free to contact Quality Squad
www.qualitysquad.org.uk

2. Our main quality systems, frameworks and activities
• SP QAF, Hallmarks of an Effective Charity, Mind Quality Mark, Visible, PQASSO, Matrix, etc.
• Monthly check and update - 1 standard(s) per month
• Annual and quarterly monitoring and 3-yearly independent reviews
Our main quality stakeholders - people/organisations who expect us to work on quality
• Our commissioners: Local Authority/NHS
• Our funders: Big Lottery
• Our regulators: Charity Commission, CQC
• Our service users
Why we work on quality - the benefits it offers
• Ensures efficiency and effectiveness
• Reduces risk and improves robustness
• Records improvement, good practice, excellence and innovation
• Demonstrates compliance
• Facilitates review
• Promotes good PR
• Maintains brand integrity
• Enables network membership
• Assists marketing
• Supports current business contracts, new business development, other fundraising and sustainability in general

3. Our Current Quality Performance - Scoresheet
(Scoring each bullet point 1-5 to indicate 1 = Weak 5 - Strong)
1 Leadership & Planning re Quality
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We are clear about what we do and why
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We have agreed our quality priorities
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We have set our quality objectives
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We communicate effectively about quality
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We monitor our activity and progress
SECTION TOTAL
2 Frameworks & Standards
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We are familiar with relevant requirements
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We understand what is expected of us
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We can meet the relevant indicators
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We know how to avoid duplication of effort
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We are able to use cross-referencing
SECTION TOTAL
3 Preparation & Review
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We understand how to succeed in review
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We are able to undertake self-assessment
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We can deal with gaps in our compliance
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We keep our self-assessment up to date
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We know how to present ourselves
SECTION TOTAL
4 Evidence
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We know what evidence we need
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We collect and collate evidence well
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We use all our information effectively
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We can retrieve our evidence easily
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We can link evidence to requirements
SECTION TOTAL
5 Resources & Management
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We have time to manage quality
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We have the all skills we need
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We are able to cope with associated stress
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We have funds to cover our quality costs
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We can outsource if appropriate
SECTION TOTAL
6 Opportunities
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Our organisational culture promotes quality
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We are ready for an award/to go up a level
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Quality helps our business development
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Quality enhances our fundraising
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Quality improves our profile/reputation
SECTION TOTAL
TOTAL (out of a possible 150)

4. Our Current Quality Performance - Score Profile Chart
(Subtotal scores from each section of the Scoresheet)
25
20
15
10
5
Leadership & Planning
Frameworks & Standards
Preparation & Review
Evidence
Resources & Management
Opportunities

5. Our Strengths
Our Problems or Areas of Weakness
Our Most Important Gaps
Our Main Ideas/Plans

6. Quality-Related
Activity/Resource
(Current or potential)
What it Costs
What it Achieves
Value For Money
Score 1-5
1=Poor
5=Excellent
Action Needed?

7. What to do differently following this Quality Health Check
Start doing
Stop doing
Do more
Do less

8. DIY Quality Health Check Workbook
Quality Squad
Supporting Quality Accreditation and Development
Our vision: quality without tears!
We want to help not-for-profit organisations to prove how worthwhile they are and increase their income. We have unique
insight into quality systems: we want to use our practical expertise to help organisations gain the recognition they need easily
and quickly - saving time and money. A key part of our contribution is supporting organisations through quality review
processes: helping them demonstrate compliance.
Find out more and subscribe to our newsletter here:
www.qualitysquad.org.uk
Contact us via our website or:
squad@qualitysquad.org.uk