How Quality Inspection scoring works
During a Quality Inspection, each criterion can be scored from 1 to 5. The score represents the result for that individual criterion.
A criterion can also be left unscored when it is not applicable or does not need to be assessed. An unscored criterion is not included in the overall site score.
How the overall site score is calculated
One Big Green calculates the overall site score as the average of all scored criteria.
The calculation is straightforward:
Overall site score = Sum of scored criteria ÷ Number of scored criteria
Only criteria that have a score are included. Criteria that are left unscored are excluded completely from the calculation.
Example: all criteria are scored
Imagine an inspection with five criteria, with the following scores:
Criterion 1: 5
Criterion 2: 4
Criterion 3: 4
Criterion 4: 3
Criterion 5: 4
The overall score is: (5 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 4) ÷ 5 = 4.0
The overall site score is therefore 4.0.
Example: one criterion is unscored
Now imagine the same inspection has five criteria, but the fifth criterion is not applicable and is left unscored:
Criterion 1: 5
Criterion 2: 4
Criterion 3: 4
Criterion 4: 3
Criterion 5: Unscored
The unscored criterion is excluded.
The calculation is therefore: (5 + 4 + 4 + 3) ÷ 4 = 4.0
The overall score is still 4.0.
The unscored criterion does not count as zero and does not lower the result.
Why unscored criteria do not count
Leaving a criterion unscored is different from giving it a low score. If a criterion is not applicable or does not need to be assessed, it should be left unscored rather than assigning it an artificial score.
Scored criterion: included in the calculation.
Unscored criterion: excluded from the calculation.
Score of 1: included in the calculation as a low score.
Score of 5: included in the calculation as a high score.
What the score tells you
The overall site score provides a single numerical view of the results recorded during the inspection. It can make it easier to understand the overall outcome at a glance and identify sites where service quality may deserve closer attention.
The score should be considered together with the individual criterion results and any notes recorded during the inspection. The overall average gives you a summary, while the individual criteria help explain what contributed to that result.
A note about comparing scores
When comparing inspection scores over time, make sure you understand whether the same criteria were assessed. Because unscored criteria are excluded from the calculation, two inspections with different sets of scored criteria may not be directly comparable even if their overall scores look similar.
Practical tips
Leave criteria unscored when they are genuinely not applicable. Do not use a low score or zero simply to represent "not applicable".
Look beyond the overall score. Review the individual criteria and notes to understand what is driving the result.
Be consistent when comparing inspections. Using the same criteria where possible makes changes in scores more meaningful over time.