Survey Glossary
Comprehensive definitions for survey research, data analysis, and quality management terms.
A
Abnormalities
Products or processes deviating from standard, measured as unacceptable quality when units fail to meet defined standards.
Absorption Costing
Method calculating product cost by subtracting all direct and indirect costs from revenues to determine per-unit average cost.
Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)
Ratio of conforming units to maximum defective units permissible in a sample lot while maintaining acceptable quality status.
Acceptance Number
Maximum defective or nonconforming units allowed in a sample lot while still considering it acceptable quality.
Acceptance Sampling Plan
Quality-control plan using Control Charts to measure sample lot quality rather than inspecting every individual unit.
Accountability
Responsibility for products, processes, or segments with authority to make decisions and accept consequences for quality failures.
Accuracy
The degree to which a measurement or observation conforms to the correct or true value.
Action Plan
Strategy using specific processes or procedures to reach objectives, often documented in writing.
Activity-Based Costing (ABC)
Cost determination method identifying actual product/process costs and allocating resources based on those actual expenses rather than traditional structures.
Affinity Diagram
Visual tool organizing large data amounts logically by relationships, commonly used in brainstorming with categorized post-it notes.
Algorithm
Procedure or rule set defining steps to solve problems or perform functions, commonly used for computer instructions.
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
Statistical method analyzing experimental data across two or more groups by comparing within-group and between-group variances.
Anomaly
Result deviating from expected outcomes based on previous testing or documentation; sometimes called 'bug,' 'error,' 'exception,' or 'fault.'
Assessment
Evaluative process collecting and interpreting data to measure performance, including audits, reviews, and analyses.
Attribute Data
Binary data used for counting purposes, requiring conversion to variable/discrete data for analysis; divides units into conforming/nonconforming categories.
Audit
Periodic, systematic inspection by independent entities ensuring conformity to quality standards, identifying weaknesses and improvement methods.
B
Balanced Experiment
Experiment where each factor level contains identical unit quantities, simpler than unbalanced versions with varying quantities.
Balanced Scoreboard
Business performance evaluation strategy using four to six strategic indicators measured against business objectives.
Bar Chart
Visual comparison using varying-length bars to contrast groups of data, available in simple or complex formats.
Baseline
Fundamental measurement point for systems, processes, or quality against which subsequent stages are measured.
Batch
Quantity or lot of products produced under uniform conditions using identical processes.
Benchmarking
Measurement system comparing business products, services, or processes to industry standards or leaders evaluating quality.
Best Practice
Method, system, or process recognized in industry as optimal for particular purposes (effectiveness, efficiency, etc.).
Bias
Systematic error in survey design or data collection that skews results in a particular direction.
C
Closed-Ended Question
A survey question that provides respondents with a fixed set of answer choices to select from.
Confidence Interval
A range of values that is likely to contain the true population parameter with a specified level of confidence.
Confidence Level
The probability that a confidence interval contains the true population parameter, typically expressed as a percentage.
Control Chart
A statistical tool used to monitor process variation over time and identify when a process is out of control.
Convenience Sampling
A non-probability sampling method where participants are selected based on their availability and willingness to participate.
Correlation
A statistical measure that describes the degree to which two variables move in relation to each other.
Cross-Tabulation
A method of analyzing the relationship between two or more categorical variables by creating a matrix of their combinations.
D
Data Analysis
The process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and modeling data to discover useful information and support decision-making.
Demographic Questions
Survey questions that collect information about respondents' characteristics such as age, gender, income, or education.
Dependent Variable
The variable being measured or tested in an experiment, whose value depends on changes in other variables.
Descriptive Statistics
Statistics that summarize and describe the main features of a dataset, such as mean, median, and standard deviation.
Double-Barreled Question
A flawed survey question that asks about two different things at once, making it impossible to answer accurately.
E
Employee Satisfaction Survey
A survey designed to measure how content employees are with their jobs, workplace, and organization.
Error Margin
The amount of random sampling error in a survey's results, usually expressed as a plus-or-minus figure.
F
Filter Question
A screening question used to determine if a respondent qualifies to answer subsequent questions in a survey.
Focus Group
A qualitative research method involving a moderated discussion with a small group of participants about a specific topic.
Frequency Distribution
A summary of how often each value or range of values occurs in a dataset.
H
Hypothesis
A proposed explanation or prediction that can be tested through research and data collection.
Hypothesis Testing
A statistical method used to determine whether there is enough evidence to reject a null hypothesis.
L
Leading Question
A biased question that suggests or implies a particular answer, potentially skewing survey results.
Likert Scale
A rating scale commonly used in surveys that measures attitudes or opinions on a symmetric agree-disagree scale.
Longitudinal Study
A research design that collects data from the same subjects repeatedly over an extended period of time.
M
Margin of Error
A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in survey results.
Matrix Question
A survey question format that allows respondents to evaluate multiple items using the same set of response options.
Mean
The arithmetic average of a set of numbers, calculated by dividing the sum of values by the count of values.
Median
The middle value in a sorted list of numbers, representing the point where half the values are above and half are below.
Mode
The value that appears most frequently in a dataset.
Multiple Choice Question
A question type that provides respondents with several predefined answer options to choose from.
N
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A customer loyalty metric that measures how likely customers are to recommend a company to others on a 0-10 scale.
Non-Response Bias
Bias that occurs when respondents who complete a survey differ systematically from those who don't respond.
Null Hypothesis
A statistical hypothesis stating there is no significant difference or relationship between variables being studied.
O
Open-Ended Question
A survey question that allows respondents to answer in their own words without predefined options.
Outlier
A data point that differs significantly from other observations in a dataset.
P
Panel Survey
A longitudinal study that surveys the same group of respondents at multiple points in time.
Pilot Test
A small-scale preliminary study conducted to evaluate the feasibility and identify potential issues before full deployment.
Population
The entire group of individuals or items that a researcher wants to study and draw conclusions about.
Primary Research
Original research conducted directly by the researcher rather than relying on existing data sources.
Q
Qualitative Research
Research focused on gathering non-numerical insights about attitudes, behaviors, and experiences through methods like interviews.
Quantitative Research
Research focused on collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns and test hypotheses.
Questionnaire
A research instrument consisting of a series of questions designed to gather information from respondents.
Quota Sampling
A non-probability sampling method where researchers select participants based on predetermined characteristics.
R
Random Sampling
A probability sampling method where every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected.
Rating Scale
A set of categories designed to elicit information about a quantitative or qualitative attribute.
Reliability
The consistency of a measure, or the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time.
Response Rate
The percentage of people who complete a survey out of those who were invited to participate.
S
Sample
A subset of a population selected to participate in a study or survey.
Sample Size
The number of observations or respondents included in a statistical sample.
Sampling Error
The difference between a sample statistic and the true population parameter it represents.
Satisfaction Survey
A survey designed to measure how satisfied customers or employees are with products, services, or experiences.
Scale Question
A question type that asks respondents to rate something on a numerical or categorical scale.
Skip Logic
Survey logic that directs respondents to different questions based on their previous answers.
Standard Deviation
A measure of the amount of variation or dispersion in a set of values.
Statistical Significance
The likelihood that a relationship between variables is caused by something other than random chance.
Stratified Sampling
A probability sampling method that divides a population into subgroups and samples from each.
Survey
A research method used to collect data from a predefined group of respondents to gain information and insights.
V
Validity
The extent to which a survey or research instrument measures what it is intended to measure.
Variable
Any characteristic, number, or quantity that can be measured or counted in research.
Variance
A statistical measure of the spread between numbers in a dataset.
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