Appendix M - SITE VISIT INTERVIEW TOPICS

APPENDIX M

SITE VISIT INTERVIEW TOPICS

Site visit questions for interviews with administrators, staff, contractors, and community organization workers will be semi-structured; most questions will be open-ended, allowing the interview to proceed as a free-flowing conversation while allowing interviewers to collect comprehensive and consistent information in each site. We will develop tailored protocols starting from the preliminary list of questions used for initial telephone interviews with partners and from information obtained through other background data collection efforts. To minimize respondent burden, protocols for the individual and small-group interviews that are conducted on-site will be designed to last approximately 60 minutes each. We expect considerable refinement of key interview topics to occur based on collected background information and input from FNS staff, the key topics will address three of the key study objectives: describe the performance measures and standards in detail; discuss how they are implemented, the results, and how they are used; and assess the pros and cons of applying the measures and standards across states. The table below outlines some sample questions under each of these objectives, and suggests sources for identifying answers to these questions on-site. We anticipate asking most questions of each type of respondent to assess whether the understanding of what is being measured and why is consistent. We expect additions, deletions, and changes to this list of questions as the list is developed into an interview guide for on-site use. While we offer the interview guide here for illustrative purposes, it is a guide rather than a script.

EXAMPLE SITE VISIT Discussion topics

	State Staff*		Local Agency Staff
Discussion Topics, by Site Visit Objective	SNAP Director and Policy Staff	Technology/ Data Experts	Office Administrator and Staff	Technology/ Data Experts	Specialized Supervisors and Staff**	Modernization Partner Staff	Private Contractor Staff
Describe the Performance Measures and Standards in Detail
For each measure identified in the survey and interviews :
Whether measure is used for original purpose	X		X		X	X	X
Unit of analysis	X	X	X	X	X		X
Process for aggregating data to unit of analysis.	X	X	X	X	X		X
Frequency (actual and possible) of calculating measures	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Frequency of reviewing collected data and measures	X		X		X	X	X
Actions taken when measures fall below the standards	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Actions taken to recognize high performance	X		X		X	X	X
Describe How Performance Measures Are Implemented, Results, and How They Are Used
For each measure identified in the survey and interviews:
Data source for performance measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Process for collecting data	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Manual and automated data entry procedures and timing	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Steps to ensure consistent data collection	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Modifications to data management and collection systems to required to implement the measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Reports generated to examine the measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Systems for collecting data and calculating measures	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Reliability of measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Direction and reasons for performance changes over time	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Pros and Cons of Applying the Measures and Standards
For each measure identified in the survey and interviews:
Accuracy of measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Relationship of measure to SNAP program goals	X	X	X	X	X		X
Appropriateness of standards for measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Changes needed to improve the measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Staff burden associated with collecting data for the measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Client burden associated with collecting data for the measure	X		X		X	X	X
Challenges associated with collecting data for or calculating the measure	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Successes realized as a result of using the performance measures	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Potential improvements for collecting data on or measuring performance	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

* If the selected site is not where the state staff are located, interviews with state staff will occur by telephone as part of site visit preparations.

** Specialized supervisors and staff include specialized workforces within a state. These specialized locations are not limited to, but may include as appropriate: call centers, change collection and processing centers, case processors, and intake-only centers.