QUALITY ASSURANCE
ATR’s multi-layer Quality Assurance system takes advantage of its staffing structure which maintains a strict separation between project staff and quality assurance staff.
ATR’s policy for handling fraudulent data is one of zero tolerance. Data that does not successfully pass quality assurance checks will be automatically discarded and recollected.
ATR maintains strict standard operating procedures to guarantee high-quality outputs. ATR’s multi-layer Quality Assurance system takes advantage of its staffing structure, which maintains a strict separation between project staff and Quality Assurance staff, led by the Quality Assurance Manager.
ATR’s Quality Assurance system relies on the following principles:
§ Establishing reliable communication with clients at an early stage to ensure proper understanding of objectives and to facilitate rapid responses and decisions as necessary
§ Recruiting high-quality field staff with a positive professional and ethical record
§ Properly training field staff on the project objectives, data collection methods and ethical protocols
§ Incorporating technology to increase data collection efficiency and improve the reliability of results, whilst maintaining flexibility on methods of data collection to account for security-related limitations
§ Developing tailored data collection tools that are appropriate for the local context
§ Piloting data collection tools to test their effectiveness
§ Assigning dedicated Quality Assurance staff to monitor the performance of field staff from beginning to end, directly in the field through surprise visits and spot checks, as well as from ATR´s offices
§ Systematically reviewing translations for accuracy and quality
§ Cross-checking all outputs and analysis of quantitative data to guarantee statistical validity and analytical rigor
§ Triangulating findings against data from diverse and trusted third-party sources
§ Peer reviewing all written deliverables for quality and accuracy