Sponsorship on Quality The final report

Sponsorship on QualityThe final report

Zsuzsanna Kovács

Expert Group Meeting on National Quality Assurance Frameworks

UNSD, New York, 28-30 September 2011

Introduction

• Created in 2009 under the co-chairmanship of Statistics Norway and Eurostat

• 3 working areas

– Theme I. Quality framework and the Code of Practice

– Theme II. Quality assurance framework

– Theme III. Communicating quality

• Final report presented at the meeting of the European Statistical System Committee on 28 September 2011 by Hans Viggo Sæbø, Director of Planning and Finance, Statistics Norway

Major European quality initiatives

• Working Group on Quality set up in 1998

• Leadership Group (LEG) on Quality -> 2004

• The European Conferences on Quality 2001 – 2012 ->

• European Statistics Code of Practice 2005 ->

– Self assessments 2005

– Peer reviews 2007 – 2008

– Annual follow up by Eurostat and ESGAB

• New European Statistical Law 2009

• Sponsorship on Quality 2009 – 2011

• Communication 211 “Towards robust quality management for European Statistics” in 2011, planned revision of the Law

ESS Sponsorship on Quality

Mandate• To promote a common view and understanding of ESS quality management

• To recommend possible modifications of the Code of Practice

• To provide recommendations on how to proceed with quality work in ESS

Work programme

Meetings with ECB, ESAC and ESGAB. Discussions in ESSC January

and May 2011

1. half 20112. half 20101. half 20102. half 2009

Concepts, quality framework, Code of Practice and ESS Quality Declaration

Implementation: Quality Assurance Framework

Communication with users and other stakeholders

Fin

al rep

ort

Theme I. Quality framework and the Code of Practice (CoP)• Some modifications to CoP – but changes are limited• New quality declaration as a preamble to CoP

Theme II. Quality assurance framework (QAF – draft working doc.)• Recommended methods/tools to implement the CoP

indicators 4 and 7 - 15 • Reference documentation

Theme III. Communicating quality• Review of ESS recommendations and requirements on quality reporting• Review of the content of quality reports, including quality indicators (separate task

force)• Implementation of websites declaring compliance with the CoP

New peer reviews have been considered, possiblyfrom 2013, focusing on major statistical authorities andall principles in selected domains at an institutional level

Main conclusions

Theme I. Proposed CoP modifications

• Quality declaration as a preamble: Vision, mission and reference to general quality management principles

• Better distinction between Eurostat, NSIs and other producers of statistics if applicable

• Alignment with Reg. 223/2009

• Alignment with the ECB Statistical Quality Framework (separate Task Force)

• Quality commitment: Principle 4 and its indicators

• A few more indicators, in particular to reinforce professional independence, better cover statistics based on administrative data, to promote standardisation and communication of quality

• Some editorial changes

• New input from ESSC, ESAC and ESGAB since May 2011

Theme III. Communicating quality

Main recommendations:

• Distinction of producer and user oriented quality reports

• Single metadata structure to be used to derive both

• Methodological Manual to be prepared to support the structure and the template

• Use of common ESS IT tools

• User oriented reports to be disseminated to the wide audience while producer oriented ones to the producers

• Regular interaction with the target groups

• Compliance with the CoP should be widely communicated via specific web pages

Next steps

• The European Statistical System Committee will discuss the

Sponsorship on Quality Report and its recommendations.

• The ESSC is invited to adopt the revised CoP and to give guidance

on how the QAF and recommendations in the Report should be

followed up

• Once the revised CoP has been adopted, it will set the standard for

future statistical development, including the planned revision of the

Statistical Law and the development of Commitments on

Confidence in Statistics with Member States