Statistical agencies all over the world are facing increased demands to raise quality, often with fewer resources. At the same time there is a strong pressure to increase understanding among stakeholders of how we deliver our output in an efficient and structured manner.

There are many innovative approaches towards modernising organisations and operations to meet these challenges. The approaches all seem to go in a similar direction, focussing on the processes within the organisation and how they interact in quality management systems. Increased degrees of standardisation and re-use of best practices across surveys and indeed across organisations are key aspects of these approaches. At this conference, experts from across the world represented the current state-of-the-art in this field. 

Topics of the conference

• The role of the customer in statistics production
• Quality assurance systems
• Service-oriented architectures
• Management of processes and resources
• Collection and use of paradata in statistics production
• Innovations in data collection and design
• Optimal use of registers and administrative data
• Generic business models and standardised processes

Program (1,9 MB) (pdf)

Papers from the sessions

The role of the customer in statistics production

Richard Alldritt, Head of Assessment, UK Statistics Authority:

Applying the test of practical utility (pdf)

Steven Keuning, Director-General Statistics, European Central Bank:

A user and producer’s approach to increasing efficiency and effectiveness in statistics production (pdf)

Quality assurance systems

Dr. Brian Harris-Kojetin, Senior Statistician, Statistical and Science Policy Office, U.S. Office of Management and Budget:

Revision and Implementation of Standards for Statistical Surveys for the U.S. Federal Statistical System (pdf)

Daiva Jurelevičienė, Head of Quality Management Subdivision, Methodology and Quality Division, Statistics Lithuania:

Quality Assurance Framework in Statistics Lithuania (pdf)

Anders Norberg, Senior Statistician, Statistics Sweden:

Editing at Statistics Sweden – Yesterday, today and tomorrow (pdf)

Service-oriented architectures

Matjaz Jug, Chief Information Officer, Statistics New Zealand:

Uptake of SOA in Statistical Agencies - Are We Really so Different? (pdf)

Karlis Zeila, Vice President, Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia:

Metadata Driven Integrated Statistical Data Management System (pdf)

Management of processes and resources

Stephen Penneck, Director of Methodology, UK Office for National Statistics:

The ONS Statistical Modernisation Programme: What went right? What did we learn? (pdf)

Colm O’Muircheartaigh, Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, and Senior Fellow, National:

Adapting to the Challenges of Household Survey Data Collection in a Multimode (pdf)

Collection and use of paradata in statistics production

François Laflamme, Senior Methodologist, Statistics Canada:

Data Collection Research using Paradata at Statistics Canada (pdf)

Arthur Kennickell, Branch Chief, US Federal Reserve Board

Edward Mulrow, Senior Statistician

Fritz Scheuren, VP and Senior Fellow, NORC, University of Chicago, U.S:

Paradata or Process Modeling for Inference (pdf)

Innovations in data collection and design

Howard Speizer, Vice President Research Services, RTI International, U.S.

Paul P. Biemer, Distinguished Fellow in Statistics, RTI International and Associate Director for Survey Research, Odum Institute for Research in Social Science, University of North Carolina, U.S:

Establishing a 6-sigma based approach for process improvement in a social and statistical science research consulting organization (pdf)

Optimal use of registers and administrative data

Metka Zaletel, Director of General Methodology and Standards

Irena Križman, Director General, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia:

A way towards optimal use of secondary sources - methodological challenges (pdf)

Eric Schulte Nordholt, Senior Researcher and Project Leader of the Census, Statistics Netherlands:

Data Integration Activities on the Way to the Dutch Virtual Census of 2011 (pdf)

Generic business models and standardised processes

Rune Gloersen, Director of IT and Statistical Methods, Statistics Norway:

Standardisation for improvements in Statistics Norway (pdf)

Barteld Braaksma, Deputy Head of the Department for Process Development and Quality Control, Statistics Netherlands:

Redesigning a statistical institute; The Dutch case (pdf)