Which term describes the set of defined criteria or expectations used during evaluation or QA?

Which term describes the set of defined criteria or expectations used during evaluation or QA?

• A. Quality
• B. Standards
• C. Norms and expectations
• D. Audit

Answer: (C)

When evaluating or auditing, you need a shared framework that spells out what good performance looks like and what is expected. That framework is captured by norms and expectations—the agreed-upon behaviors, outcomes, and performance levels that evaluators use as benchmarks. These norms provide the baseline against which everything is judged, helping ensure consistency across evaluators and over time. They tell evaluators how tasks should be done, what quality looks like, and what results are acceptable, so assessments can be fair and aligned with what the organization considers acceptable performance. Quality describes the overall level of excellence you’re aiming for, and standards refer to specific criteria or thresholds. The idea of norms and expectations, however, emphasizes the set of benchmarks used during the actual evaluation—what is expected and how performance will be measured—making it the best fit for describing the criteria used in QA. An audit is the process of checking performance against these criteria, not the criteria themselves.

When evaluating or auditing, you need a shared framework that spells out what good performance looks like and what is expected. That framework is captured by norms and expectations—the agreed-upon behaviors, outcomes, and performance levels that evaluators use as benchmarks. These norms provide the baseline against which everything is judged, helping ensure consistency across evaluators and over time. They tell evaluators how tasks should be done, what quality looks like, and what results are acceptable, so assessments can be fair and aligned with what the organization considers acceptable performance.

Quality describes the overall level of excellence you’re aiming for, and standards refer to specific criteria or thresholds. The idea of norms and expectations, however, emphasizes the set of benchmarks used during the actual evaluation—what is expected and how performance will be measured—making it the best fit for describing the criteria used in QA. An audit is the process of checking performance against these criteria, not the criteria themselves.