The Scanning Backlog
The Harlow records team of six officers digitises paper case files. On 1 March the backlog stood at 4,800 files. An officer working a full day completes 40 files, and the team works five days a week. One officer is on leave for the first two weeks of March, and every officer loses one day that month to mandatory training. Since January a new quality check has returned 12% of completed files for rework, and a returned file is not counted as complete until it is redone. In February the team recorded 4,100 completions, yet the backlog fell by only 3,600. The team leader cites February as evidence that the quality check is working well.
1. Using the February figures, explain what 'completions' must mean in this team's records, and what that means for any forecast built on completion figures.
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The two figures do not match, so work out the gap:
- Recorded completions: 4,100
- Actual fall in the backlog: 3,600
- Gap: 500 files
500 as a share of 4,100 is about 12.2%, which matches the stated 12% rework rate. So 'completions' must count files an officer finishes at the point of scanning, including those the quality check later returns. A returned file goes back into the backlog and has to be redone.
The consequence is that completion figures overstate progress by roughly one file in eight. A forecast or report that treats completions as cleared work will predict the backlog falling about 12% faster than it can.
2. The team leader says February proves the quality check 'is working well'. Identify the assumption behind that claim and say whether the figures support it.
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Start by separating the claim from the evidence. The figures show only two things: a 12% return rate, and 500 files requiring second attempts.
The claim assumes:
- Returned files contain real errors that would otherwise have entered the digital record.
- Catching them is worth the cost of redoing them.
The figures support neither point. Nothing in the numbers describes error severity, whether the errors were corrected, or how often a file is returned more than once. The 500 returns also consumed capacity equal to roughly three-fifths of an officer-month, delaying the backlog itself.
At most, the figures are consistent with the check operating as designed. 'Working well' is an evaluative judgement that needs evidence the team does not yet hold.
3. What does the word 'only' in 'fell by only 3,600' tell you about the writer, and why does this matter for reading the passage critically?
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'Only' is an evaluative word, not a neutral one. It signals that the writer expected a larger fall and treats 3,600 as a disappointment.
That matters because the same facts could be reported neutrally ('the backlog fell by 3,600') or positively ('the team still cleared 3,600 net files while absorbing a new check and a training day'). The word choice quietly prepares the reader to accept an argument that something is going wrong.
A careful reader notes the framing, then returns to the numbers, which on their own do not show whether the outcome is good or bad. They show only net clearance.