One of the key concepts that makes FORESIGHT work is a consistent set of terms by which laboratories can communicate and compare their activities. Many laboratories may have a definition for “turn-around-time,” for example, but unless each laboratory uses the same definition, then communication becomes impossible because everyone is talking about something different. The founding FORESIGHT laboratories created this glossary of terms and periodically we update the terms to ensure consistency across laboratories. Consistent definitions helps guide FORESIGHT participants to entering the correct data for benchmarking comparisons.
backlog Open cases that are older than 30 days after submission to the laboratory.
capital expense Purchases of equipment, instruments, etc. with a lifetime longer than three years and a cost above $1,000.
case A request from a crime lab "customer" that includes forensic investigations in one or more investigative areas related to an event, crime, or investigation.
casework All laboratory activities involved in examination of cases.
casework time Total for operational personnel in an investigation area (in hours) subtracted by the hours of R&D and, E&T and support and service given to external partners.
full-time equivalent (FTE) The work input of a full-time employee working for one full year.
investigation area Area limited by item type and methods as they are listed in the ”definitions of investigative areas" tab.
item A single object for examination submitted to the laboratory. Note: one item may be investigated and counted in several investigation areas.
non-reporting manager An individual whose primary responsibilities are in managing and administering a laboratory or a unit thereof and who is not taking part in casework.
operational personnel Personnel in operational units providing casework, research and development (R & D), education and training (E & T) and external support services. Non-reporting unit heads are included.
personnel expense Sum of direct salaries, social expenses (employer contribution to FICA, Medicare, Workers Comp, and Unemployment Comp), retirement (employer contribution only towards pensions, 401K plans, etc.), personnel development and training (internal or external delivery, including travel), and occupational health service expenses (employer contribution only).
report A formal statement of the results of an investigation, or of any matter on which definite information is required, made by some person or body instructed or required to do so.
sample An item of evidence or a portion of an item of evidence that generates a reportable result.
support personnel Forensic laboratory staff providing various internal support services. Management and administration personnel not belonging to the operational units are included.
test An analytical process, including but not limited to visual examination, instrumental analysis, presumptive evaluations, enhancement techniques, extractions, quantifications, microscopic techniques, and comparative examinations. This does not include technical or administrative reviews.
turn-around time The number of days from a request for examination in an investigative area until issuance of a report. (Note that a case may have multiple requests and each new request has a separate turn-around time.)
workload Total time spent on all work related to job, including overtime.
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