Training and Guidance Customer Satisfaction Survey

EPA Information Collection Request # 1711.05

OMB No 2090-0019

Expires: 8/31/09

The purpose of this survey is to learn how well Quality Staff-produced training and guidance meets customer expectations and to ensure that these products continue to achieve high measured levels of customer satisfaction. We would like you to take approximately eight minutes to answer 20 questions. Question 21 provides an opportunity for additional comments.

Welcome to the EPA Survey

There are 21 questions in this survey.

Demographics & Experience

Please tell us about yourself, generally, so that we can use the information to measure sector-specific trends in customer satisfaction.

1. Where do you work?

Choose only one of the following

• EPA

  • Choose only one of the following

  • National Program Office

  • Office of Research and Development

  • Regional Office

• Other governmental

  • Choose only one of the following

  • State

  • Tribal

  • Local/municipal

• Private sector

  • Choose only one of the following

  • Contractor

  • Grantee

  • Other

• Academia

2. What is your primary area of responsibility?

Check any that apply

• Quality Assurance Manager/Director/Coordinator

• Project Manager/Principal Investigator/Project Officer

• Technical Staff (e.g., scientists, information technology personnel)

• Administrative Staff

• Supervisor/Manager

• Other

3. How long have you participated in Quality Assurance activities?

Check any that apply

• Less than 1 year

• 1 to 5 years

• 6 to 10 years

• More than 10 years

4. What is your role in Quality Assurance activities?

Choose only one of the following

• Participate in project planning or design

• Prepare, review, and/or approve QA Project Plans

• Prepare, review, and/or approve Quality Management Plans

• Prepare, review, and/or approve Standard Procedures

• Perform oversight assessments (technical, management system, etc.) of work/projects

• Conduct data review/data validation/data assessment/peer review

• Issue/disseminate information or data (e.g., issue reports, post information on a Web site)

• All of the above

• None of the above

Guidance and Training Materials on EPA Quality System Web Site

Accessibility of Guidance and Training materials on the EPA Quality System Web site http://www.epa.gov/quality

5. How satisfied are you with the ease of locating Quality System guidance and training information on the Quality System Web site?

Choose only one of the following

• Satisfied

• Dissatisfied

• Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

• I have not visited the Quality System Web site

6. How satisfied are you with the feedback mechanisms (e.g., e-mail links, contact information) available on the Quality System Web site?

Choose only one of the following

• Satisfied

• Dissatisfied

• Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

• I have not visited the Quality System Web site

Guidance Documents

This component of the survey asks about your satisfaction with EPA Quality System guidance documents.

7. How often do you refer to Quality System guidance documents and training materials?

Choose only one of the following

• Frequently (more than three times per year)

• Somewhat (one to two times per year)

• Rarely (less than once per year)

• Never

• I did not know that guidance and training materials were available.

8. How satisfied are you with the use of "plain English" writing style in EPA Quality System guidance documents?

Choose only one of the following

• Satisfied

• Dissatisfied

• Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

• I have not read and of the EPA Quality System guidance documents

9. Which document style would best satisfy your Quality System guidance needs?

Choose only one of the following

• In depth guidance documents with examples and case studies (more than 25 pages in length)

• In depth guidance documents with examples and case studies supplemented with training

• Brief overview documents (less than 25 pages in length)

• Brief overview documents supplemented with case studies and training

• Guidance Documents with multi-media (eg. video, audio, picture, integration) presentation of case studies and training

• No preference

10. Which delivery method(s) enhances your satisfaction with the EPA Quality System guidance documents?

Choose only one of the following

• Posted on the Quality System Web site in Adobe Acrobat format (PDF) for download

• Available as a Web page (HTML) with links (printable by chapter or topic)

• Both

• Neither

Questions 11, 12 and 13 will assist the Quality Staff prioritize and allocate resources to the products most likely to increase customer satisfaction.

11. Which of the following EPA Quality System guidance documents have you used? Check any that apply

• EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans (QA/R-2)

• EPA Requirements for QA Project Plans (QA/R-5)

• Overview of the EPA Quality System for Environmental Data and Technology

• Guidance for Developing Quality Systems for Environmental Programs (QA/G-1)

• Guidance on Assessing Quality Systems (QA/G-3)

• Guidance on Systematic Planning using the Data Quality Objectives Process (QA/G-4)

• Systematic Planning: A Case Study for Hazardous Waste Site Investigations.

• Decision Error Feasibility Trials (DEFT) Software (QA/G-4D)

• Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans (QA/G-5)

• Guidance for Geospatial Data Quality Assurance Project Plans (QA/G-5G)

• Guidance on Choosing a Sampling Design for Environmental Data Collection (QA/G-5S)

• Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Modeling (QA/G-5M)

• Guidance for Preparing Standard Operating Procedures (QA/G-6)

• Guidance on Technical Audits and Related Assessments for Environmental Data Operations (QA/G-7)

• Guidance on Environmental Data Verification and Data Validation (QA/G-8)

• Data Quality Assessment: A Reviewer’s Guide (QA/G-9R)

• Data Quality Assessment: Statistical Tools for Practitioners (QA/G-9S)

• Guidance for Developing a Training Program for Quality Systems (QA/G-10)

• Guidance on Quality Assurance for Environmental Technology Design, Construction and Operation (QA/G-11)

• All of the above

• None

12. Do you use quality system guidance documents on a regular basis?

Choose only one of the following

• Yes

• No

13. Which of the following do you use on a regular basis:

Check any that apply

• EPA-wide Quality System guidance documents

• EPA program specific guidance (Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Water (OW), etc.)

• Your organization's standard procedures

• Other published guidance

Training Program

These questions will benchmark current training practices for future reference, permitting comparison of customer practices over time which will help the EPA Quality Staff increase customer satisfaction of Quality System products.

14. What types of training would best satisfy your Quality System training needs?

Check any that apply

• Basic, introductory courses (overviews, general quality systems concepts and tools)

• Specialized, advanced training (data assessment, data validation, statistical concepts and tools)

• None

15. How does your organization satisfy its Quality System training needs?

Check any that apply

• In-house training courses

• Training provided by U.S. EPA

• Training provided by other organizations

• On-the-job training

• Other

16. Which of the following regarding the EPA Quality System training program would best satisfy your needs?

Choose only one of the following

• No changes – existing training tools and events are adequate

• More instructor-led training events

• Training available via the internet

• Live Web-hosted training events

• Training courses available on CD

17. Which adult learning presentation strategy or combination of strategies will best satisfy your learning preferences?

(Choose up to 2 of the options below)

• Auditory: Learn best through hearing, using their ears and voices.

• Visual: Learn best through seeing.

• Kinesthetic: Learn best through doing, touching

18. Given varying degrees of content/complexity, the ideal length for you to complete a computer-based training course at your workstation is:

Choose only one of the following

• 1-2 hours

• 3-4 hours

• 5 or more hours

19. How important to you is the ability to receive a certificate upon completion of training?

Choose only one of the following

• Yes, receiving a training certificate is required upon completion of training?

• No, receiving a training certificate is not important

• Receiving a certificate is nice, but is not required by my organization.

20. The U.S. EPA Quality Staff offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for some quality system training courses presented at training events. Does the ability to receive CEUs for training increase your satisfaction with the training?

Choose only one of the following

• Yes, CEUs are an important aspect of training

• No, CEUs make no difference in choosing training events.

• Neither yes or no, CEUs are nice, but not critical to me

21. If you could offer a one sentence suggestion for how Quality System guidance and training could be improved, what would you write?

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