Why Become an Examiner?

Alabama Performance Excellence Award

The Award is modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and recognizes and honors organizations that are using effective productivity and quality improvement strategies, techniques or practices that could be shared with other organizations with the expectation that they will be replicated and contribute to state and national productivity and quality improvement.

Background

The Board of Examiners is comprised of business leaders and quality professionals. The appointment is for a one-year term. Examiners must take part in a three-day preparation course covering the Award’s criteria, the scoring system and the examination process. Examiners must have time available during the period of June to November/December to attend the preparation course, conduct reviews and site visits.

Examiner Selection Criteria

knowledge of quality and business
length, breadth and type of experience
communication skills
education and training
achievements and recognition

Terms and Conditions of Appointment

The duties, responsibilities, and conditions of involvement for members of the Board of Examiners are summarized below.

(1) Completion of Application – Prospective Board members must submit a 2020 Board of Examiners Application postmarked no later than March 27, 2020. Examiner applications and references may be sent by via email. All Board of Examiner candidates must reapply annually. Applicants will be informed of their status by April 3, 2020.

(2) Term – The term of the Board of Examiners is from the time of completion of the preparation course through the Award ceremony and distribution of feedback reports.

(3) Time Commitment – Applicants for the Board of Examiners should give careful consideration to the time commitment required to meet the Award review schedule. The actual commitment will depend on the number of applications reviewed and whether the Examiner participates in site visits. Although the Program seeks to accommodate varying schedules, Board members must be able to accommodate the Program’s critical review periods detailed in the Award calendar. A person who is considering applying to become a member of the Alabama Performance Excellence Award Board of Examiners should be aware that time to attend the three-day training session, review applications (the number will depend on the total number of applications received and the number of examiners), one day for a consensus meeting and two to three days to participate in site visits will be required to fulfill the commitment between June – November, 2020 with a peak workload from July – October. Review of written Award applications is carried out at the Examiner’s work location or home. Business is also conducted by mail and telephone. Travel is necessary only for the training session, consensus meeting and site visits.

(4) Preparation Courses – Participation by Board members in a preparation course is critical to the Award Program’s success, as this course includes a detailed review of the criteria, scoring system, evaluation process, consensus development, site visit requirements, and Code of Ethical Standards. All Board of Examiner members must attend the three-day preparation class scheduled June 23-25, 2020, and must complete a case study evaluation prior to class.

(5) Ethical Standards of Conduct – Board members are expected to carry out their duties and responsibilities in the Award Program in accordance with the Code of Ethical Standards on page 4.

(6) Disclosure of Conflict of Interest – Those selected to serve on the Board must provide information regarding conflicts of interest with respect to the Award applicants. Disclosure includes employers, significant ownership, and client relationships. Such information will be used only for purposes of Board assignments and will otherwise be kept confidential.

(7) Adherence to Award Process – Board members are expected to meet all requirements associated with a fair and competent evaluation including use of the Award criteria and scoring system and meeting site visit requirements. Good documentation and written communication are essential parts of the overall review process.

(8) Assignment of Board Members – The Award Program seeks to provide the fairest, most competent evaluation of each application. Accordingly, Board members are assigned to applications on the basis of their knowledge and experience, consistent with the requirements to avoid conflicts of interest, to apportion the application load equitably, and to adhere to agreed-upon schedules.

(9) Cost of Training – All first year examiners will be required to pay a fee of $400 for the training; all second year examiners will be required to pay a fee of $200 for the training. All examiners with three plus years of service will not be required to pay a training fee. ALL individuals that want to take the training for their professional development may do so by paying a fee of $799 for the three days of training. All checks should be made payable to the Alabama Performance Excellence Award and returned with your application.

(10) Compensation and Reimbursements – The Award is administered by the Alabama Performance Excellence Program. The application fees are kept to a minimum to encourage broad participation. Therefore, the Award Program needs to operate with maximum voluntary support and does not pay honoraria. Breakfast and lunch will be provided during the three days of training. Recognizing it is necessary for examiners to travel out of town to participate in the site visits, overnight accommodations and meals for the site visits are handled by the applicant organizations. If an examiner participates in the examiner training and then drops out and does not complete their commitment to the process, they will be expected to reimburse The Alabama Performance Excellence Program the $695 for the cost of training.

(11) Reference – Please have a professional reference submit a letter of reference, to Linda Vincent, Executive Director, Alabama Performance Excellence Program by March 27, 2020. References may be emailed to lvincent@alabamaexcellence.org.

Schedule for 2020 Award Process

December 2019 / March 2020 – Criteria Distribution

March – Workshops Conducted on Understanding the Criteria

March 27 – Examiner Applications Due

April 30 – Pre-Applications/Eligibility Forms Due for All Tiers

June 5 – Applications Due for All Tiers

June 23-25 – Examiner Training

July 1 – Screening of Applications

July 27 – Team Showcase Pre-Applications Due

August/September – Consensus Review

September/October – Site Visits Conducted

September 7 – Team Showcase Applications Due