Chapter 3 — Quality, systems and suppliers

Chapter 3 — Quality, systems and suppliers

Lesson map

Lesson 03 published. Map, example, EX055.

flowchart TD
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["3.1 Quality in plain words"]
  N2["3.2 Where data live"]
  N3["3.3 Suppliers"]
  N4["3.4 Payments and invoices"]
  N5["3.5 Simple checks"]
  N6["Concepts — quality, place, and the other organisatio"]
  N7["Data — where the data sit after the map"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> N6 --> N7
  N7 --> EX["Worked example"]
  EX --> Q["Exercise EX055"]

Logical drawing

flowchart LR
  N0["Learning outcomes"]
  N1["3.1 Quality in plain words"]
  N2["3.2 Where data live"]
  N3["3.3 Suppliers"]
  N4["3.4 Payments and invoices"]
  N5["3.5 Simple checks"]
  N6["Concepts — quality, place, and the other organisatio"]
  N7["Data — where the data sit after the map"]
  N0 --> N1 --> N2 --> N3 --> N4 --> N5 --> N6 --> N7 --> Q["EX055"]

[Learning outcomes]
    |
    v
[3.1 Quality in plain words]
    |
    v
[3.2 Where data live]
    |
    v
[3.3 Suppliers]
    |
    v
[3.4 Payments and invoices]
    |
    v
[3.5 Simple checks]
    |
    v
[Concepts — quality, place, and the other organisatio]
    |
    v
[Data — where the data sit after the map]
    |
    v
[Worked example] --> [Exercise EX055]

Learning outcomes

You will (1) check data quality in a small business; (2) map where data are stored; (3) check suppliers who handle the café's data.

3.1 Quality in plain words

Ms. Fischer explains quality with three questions: is the data complete, is it valid and is it accurate? For the newsletter list, complete means every row has an email, valid means each email looks like a real address and accurate means it belongs to the person who signed up. Kwame adds a fourth question for duplicates: does the same person appear twice? He notes that poor quality wastes effort and annoys customers who receive two copies of every email. Kwame writes all four down.

3.2 Where data live

Kwame draws a simple map of where Copperleaf's data are stored: the paper sign-up sheet, the newsletter service, the till provider's system, the staff messaging group, a shared folder for invoices and the locked allergy folder. For each place he notes who can see it and whether it is protected. He finds an old spreadsheet of customer emails on the café laptop that nobody uses. Mrs. Adeyemi agrees he should delete it after checking it holds nothing needed. He keeps the map with the rules.

3.3 Suppliers

Three suppliers handle Copperleaf's data: the newsletter service, the till and card payment provider and the messaging app. Kwame checks each one's terms for data protection commitments, such as keeping data secure, using it only for Copperleaf and deleting it when the contract ends. The newsletter service and till provider include these terms. The messaging app is a free personal version without business terms, so Mrs. Adeyemi switches to its paid business version. Kwame keeps a copy of each supplier's terms in the shared folder.

3.4 Payments and invoices

Kwame looks at invoices and finds two copies of the same supplier invoice, one emailed and one paper, with slightly different dates. The café nearly paid twice. He suggests that invoices be entered once, from the emailed copy, with the paper copy marked as received. Mrs. Adeyemi agrees. Ms. Fischer notes that duplicate records are a quality problem in money data too, and that a single entry point prevents most of them. The accountant also welcomes the change, because it makes the monthly records easier to check.

3.5 Simple checks

Kwame sets three monthly checks: look for duplicate or malformed emails in the newsletter list, confirm that only current staff are in the messaging group and compare invoices entered with payments made. Each check takes a few minutes. He records the date and anything found in a notebook kept with the rules. Ms. Fischer explains that short, regular checks catch problems early and show that the rules are being followed. After the first month, the notebook already shows one duplicate email removed and one former staff member taken out of the group.

Worked example

Kwame defines quality with completeness, validity, accuracy and duplicates, maps where data live and deletes an unused email spreadsheet, moves staff messaging to a business version, stops duplicate invoices at entry and sets three monthly checks.

Synthetic case. Systems and suppliers are synthetic.

Errors and limits

Free personal apps used for business data often lack the terms a business needs.

Concepts — quality, place, and the other organisation

Four quality questions, then a place, then a supplier. Copperleaf does not treat a convenient app as a supplier until its terms match the café's rules.

The free personal messaging app failed the terms test. The paid business version replaced it. Kwame files the paid-app contract beside the newsletter and till terms, so the three commitments can be reread without opening each vendor site.

Data — where the data sit after the map

Decision flow — a supplier or a second copy

flowchart TD
  A["A supplier or a second copy of a record"] --> B{"Do the terms promise security, use only for Copperleaf, and deletion when the contract ends?"}
  B -->|No| C["Do not put customer or staff data there"]
  B -->|Yes| D{"Is this a second copy of an invoice or a customer list?"}
  D -->|Yes| E["Enter once. Mark the other copy as received. Do not pay it again"]
  D -->|No| F{"Is the place on Kwame's map, with a person who can see it?"}
  F -->|No| G["Add it to the map or do not use it"]
  F -->|Yes| H["Keep the terms in the shared folder"]
  C --> I["Record the date and the finding in the notebook"]
  E --> I
  H --> I

Worked example — a cheaper till that wants the newsletter

A new till provider offers a lower rate if it may email Copperleaf's customers with its own offers. Kwame refuses. The terms would use café data for the provider, not only for Copperleaf. A lower card rate does not excuse skipping security, Copperleaf-only use, or deletion at the end of the contract. The rate is not a reason to skip the three commitments. He writes the refusal in the notebook and leaves the current till provider in place.

Synthetic case. The cheaper till offer is invented.

Apply

• EX055 — Cheaper till. Which commitment fails, and what is written in the notebook? Rubric: 3 = the provider would use the data for its own offers, not only for Copperleaf; the refusal and the date;; 2 = the use limit only;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX056 — Second paper invoice. An emailed invoice is already entered. The paper copy arrives with a slightly different date. What is entered, what is marked, and what is not paid? Rubric: 3 = enter the emailed copy once; mark the paper copy received; do not pay the paper copy as a second bill;; 2 = do not pay twice;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.

Exercises

• EX027 — Quality questions. What three quality questions does Ms. Fischer use? Rubric: 3 = complete, valid, accurate;; 2 = all;; 1 = some;; 0 = none.
• EX028 — Added question. What fourth question did Kwame add? Rubric: 3 = whether the same person appears twice;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX029 — Forgotten spreadsheet. What forgotten file was on the café laptop? Rubric: 3 = an old spreadsheet of customer emails;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX030 — Deletion condition. What was checked before deleting it? Rubric: 3 = that it held nothing needed;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX031 — Supplier count. How many suppliers handle Copperleaf's data? Rubric: 3 = three;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = wrong;; 0 = none.
• EX032 — Supplier terms. What should supplier terms commit to? Rubric: 3 = security, use only for Copperleaf, deletion at end;; 2 = most;; 1 = few;; 0 = none.
• EX033 — Messaging fix. What changed for the messaging app? Rubric: 3 = switched to the paid business version;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX034 — Invoice duplicate. Why did the café nearly pay twice? Rubric: 3 = emailed and paper copies of one invoice;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX035 — Invoice entry rule. Which invoice copy is entered? Rubric: 3 = the emailed copy;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = paper;; 0 = none.
• EX036 — Messaging check. What does the messaging group check confirm? Rubric: 3 = only current staff are members;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX037 — Check record. Where are check results recorded? Rubric: 3 = a notebook kept with the rules;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = vague;; 0 = none.
• EX038 — Check time. How long does each monthly check take? Rubric: 3 = a few minutes;; 2 = partly correct;; 1 = wrong;; 0 = none.

Continue studying — lesson 03 (chapter 03 of 04)

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