New ways of working at Statistics Sweden – a description with emphasis … on preparatory sub-processes Eva Elvers Statistics Sweden

Outline of the presentation Work during 2007, the Lotta-project New and renewed departments 2008 The statistical production process The preparatory sub-processes Some concluding remarks

Work during 2007 – structure The so-called Lotta-project Standardisation: processes and tools Quality assurance Competence development and management issues Communication and involvement

Work during 2007 – some areas SOA, Service Oriented Architecture Structured data warehouses Data collection, coding Questionnaires: design, construction, … Editing: several studies Communication of quality with users Process data and metadata

New organisation 2008 New and renewed departments: A new Process Department Dep. Research and Development changed –IT and methodological architecture –Quality –Projects Other changes, e.g. –Communication –National Accounts

Process department Management Process owners and ‘assistants’ five broad process areas Maintenance and test, models Process implementation Centralised Methodology Centralised IT

How-to-do and support Standard methods and tools – successively decisions Checklists – tool and assistance ‘Business Operation Support System’ (BOSS) initiated; general texts and checklists first Networks Respond to questions, suggestions, … Implementation order? Develop

Plan and design 2 Build and test 3 Collect 4 Process 5 Analyse 6 Publish and communicate 7 The statistics production process Support and infrastructure Evaluate and feed back 8 Establish user needs 1 SCB Here emphasis on processes 2-3

2. Plan and design - process Design a new survey (production process) Re-design an existing survey Continuous improvements; adjustments for a new production round/year

Choose, allocate, and plan Choose methods and tools within each process based on recommendations, and also so that they fit together, for the whole production process Allocate resources between processes – how? Plan production flow, staff and times

Knowledge needed … for choices and for improvements Process data (paradata) Quality – indicators Costs Study Q/C - relationship Q: value added – measure?! Influence on quality components, e.g. accuracy

3. Build … … according to design Questionnaire Production tools: Use or adjust existing tool or develop tool, if needed Communication between tools, so production flow

… and test – what? Questionnaires Production tools Production flow Pilot test/study

Test – in what senses? Different methods and competences: Statistical methods Qualitative methods IT Exchange between these three: how-to-think methodology concepts

Concluding remarks Great and important changes Communication vital, ‘all’ directions Development continues Implementation Preparatory sub-processes started and on their way