To visualize how we use Baldrige to make decisions about our school and our School Improvement Plan here are our linkage charts:

EHS Linkage Chart
EHS SIT Team Linkage Chart

Just in case you find these to be a lot of bubbles, arrows, and words here is the explanation of how to decipher a linkage chart!

Here are a few of our favorite quality tools:

How do you read a Baldrige Linkage Chart?

A linkage chart is a series of boxes and arrows. A blank linkage template is pictured here:

The arrows indicate the direction the process can flow from one aspect of the organization to another. For example, resources that are provided for the system are use to manage the process.

Here is an explanation of each of the blocks in the diagram:

Leadership: The leadership of the organization sets the direction for the organization and communicates that information to all the stakeholders. They also identify specific concrete ways to monitor and asses progress towards the goals of the organization and communicate those results to all stakeholders.
Performance Results: The results that indicate whether or goals of the organization are successfully met.
Stakeholder Focus: Stakeholders are all groups who have an interest in the success of the organization or group. It is important for an organization to identify all stakeholders, the needs of the stakeholders, and the satisfaction of the stakeholder with the current programs of the organization.
Strategic Plan: The strategic plans asks, "Can we translate stakeholder needs, expectations, and requirements into goals, measures, and action plans?," and then develops an action plan for the organization.
Resources: The materials and expertise necessary to met the goals of the organization.
Process Management: Checks to make sure the processes in use are working and having a positive impact on the goals of the organization. Also works on continuously improving these processes.
On-going Analyses: The key to continuous improvement is to keep re-evaluating the progress towards the goals of the organization.