establishing e&i capability and best practices at statistics nz vera costa & tracey savage...

Establishing E&I capability and best practices at Statistics NZ

Vera Costa & Tracey Savage

2008 UNECE Work Session on Statistical Data Editing

Overview

• Introduction• E&I Methodology Network• E&I Objectives• E&I Principles• E&I Strategy• The Pacific Island Attachment Programme• Current concerns• Conclusions

Introduction

• E&I as a key issue within Statistics NZ– Context in which editing takes place has changed– Desire to improve the efficiency of data processing– Wider view of the objectives for E&I– Users’ demand for access to metadata

Introduction (cont.)

• Approach used – development of:– E&I Objectives– E&I Principles– E&I Strategy

• Development led by the E&I Methodology Network

E&I Methodology Network

• Established in 2004

• Aims– Establish, document and promote E&I best

practice– Provide information on E&I procedures and the

quality of the data– Coordinate E&I skill development– Understand and research E&I

E&I Methodology Network (cont.)

• Activities of the network– Development of E&I objectives, principles and

strategy– Research into generalised E&I tools– Offering E&I training

E&I Objectives

• Statistics NZ E&I objectives– Provide users with fit for purpose, plausible data

and outputs by the most effective and efficient means

– Ensure all users are better informed about the quality of our data and statistical outputs

– Continuously improve our end-to-end business processes and overall data quality

E&I Principles

• Importance of having E&I principles• Over-arching E&I principle

‘Statistics NZ should maintain, wherever possible, the original data provided by the respondent or data supplier ’

• Example of this principle in action – 2006 Census of Population and Dwellings Quality Management Strategy

E&I Strategy

• Deliverables– E&I Plan template– E&I Standards and Guidelines– E&I Training

E&I Strategy (cont.)

• E&I Plan– Developed for each family of outputs – Why have one?

• raise issues related to prioritisation of different users’ needs

• document the agreed E&I approach• manage users’ expectations about the quality

of the final outputs

E&I Strategy (cont.)

• E&I Plan (cont.)

– How to create one • No ‘one size fits all’• Discussions / workshops involving the Subject

Matter Area(s)

– What to take into account• User needs• Operational constraints• Lessons learnt

E&I Strategy (cont.)

• E&I Standards & Guidelines– Why have them? – to ensure a consistent

approach across similar outputs

– Target areas• E&I processes, methods and tools• E&I metadata

E&I Strategy (cont.)

• E&I Standards & Guidelines (cont.)

– Deliverables• E&I Standards & Guidelines Document• E&I Manual• Presentations to promote the standards• Modular E&I training

Pacific Island Attachment Programme

• What is it?

• Focus of the 2006 / 2007 Programme‘data quality and editing strategies encompassing

both business and household data’

• Participant countries: Palau, Samoa, Tonga

Pacific Island Attachment Programme (cont.)

• Challenges– Cultural differences– Totally different work environment– Heterogeneous range of work experiences

Pacific Island Attachment Programme (cont.)

• Approach used– Providing an overview of E&I, focusing on

• E&I concepts• How the knowledge could be applied back home

– Avoiding mathematical expressions– Interacting with several Subject Matter Areas– Having a balance between

• E&I training• Work on individual projects

Pacific Island Attachment Programme (cont.)

• Relevant topics– E&I objectives and principles– E&I methodology (not too much detail or formulas)– Quality and E&I quality indicators– Documentation

Pacific Island Attachment Programme (cont.)

• Achievements– Participants

• Project completion• Advantages of a different approach when

implementing E&I processes

– Statistics NZ• Pilot for E&I training

Challenges facing Statistics NZ

• Cultural changes

• High staff turnover

• Prioritisation of the work to be done

Conclusions

• Importance of the E&I Network

• Acknowledgements

Contacts

• Vera Costa– Vera.Costa@stats.govt.nz

• Tracey Savage– Tracey.Savage@stats.govt.nz