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PQASSO

PQASSO is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PQASSO rather than just read about it. In short: PQASSO, the Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations, is a performance evaluation system and quality mark for charitable organizations in the UK. Evaluations use a system of peer review between small charities.

PQASSO — main illustration
PQASSO — illustration

Key takeaways

  • PQASSO belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect PQASSO to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of PQASSO from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PQASSO, the Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations, is a performance evaluation system and quality mark for charitable organizations in the UK. Evaluations use a system of peer review between small charities. The system was created by Charities Evaluation Services, itself a registered UK charity. Organizations being assessed as meeting a level of compliance with level 2 or above are eligible to carry an official stamp of endorsement by the UK Charity Commission demonstrating that the charity is well managed. PQASSO was re-endorsed by the Charity Commission in 2014. There are 3 incremental levels of organizational maturity recognized by PQASSO (levels 1 to 3) and defined by a series of management indicators. Over 100 UK charities currently have a published quality mark under the scheme. The Improving Quality (IQ) scheme is a successor to the PQASSO scheme, developed by some of those originally involved in PQASSO and maintaining the same approach to quality evaluation.

References

Sources Matthews, Sam; Services, Charities Evaluation (2008), PQASSO: Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations (3 ed.), Charities Evaluation Services, ISBN 978-0-9555404-1-7

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PQASSO

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PQASSO claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PQASSO before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PQASSO ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PQASSO

In research
PQASSO appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses PQASSO in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
PQASSO is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Charities based in London, Quality management, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for PQASSO outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PQASSO in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what PQASSO means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain PQASSO out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PQASSO in simple terms?

PQASSO, the Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations, is a performance evaluation system and quality mark for charitable organizations in the UK. Evaluations use a system of peer review between small charities.

Why does PQASSO matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PQASSO?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PQASSO.

Tags

  • Charities based in London
  • Quality management

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