Catalogue no. 11-634-X ISBN 978-0-660-05813-9 Compendium of Management Practices for Statistical Organizations from Statistics Canada’s International Statistical Fellowship Program Release date: July 6, 2016 How to obtain more information For information about this product or the wide range of services and data available from Statistics Canada, visit our website, www.statcan.gc.ca. You can also contact us by email at [email protected] telephone, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the following toll-free numbers: • Statistical Information Service 1-800-263-1136 • National telecommunications device for the hearing impaired 1-800-363-7629 • Fax line 1-877-287-4369 Depository Services Program • Inquiries line 1-800-635-7943 • Fax line 1-800-565-7757 Standards of service to the public Standard table symbols Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, The following symbols are used in Statistics Canada reliable and courteous manner. 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Table of Contents Compendium of Management Practices for Statistical Organizations From Statistics Canada’s International Statistical Fellowship Program Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................. 8 Section 1 – Characteristics of an effective national statistical system ....................... 9 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 1.1 – Leadership and coordination of the national statistical system ...................................... 11 Chapter 1.2 – The United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics ................................... 21 Chapter 1.3 – Following international standards .................................................................................... 31 Chapter 1.4 – Understanding users’ needs and maintaining relationships ............................................ 41 Chapter 1.5 – Quality Management ....................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 1.6 - Partnerships on a cost-recovery basis ............................................................................ 61 Section 2 – Core management practices............................................................................... 69 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 69 Chapter 2.1 – Organizational structure and matrix management .......................................................... 71 Chapter 2.2 – Integrated Strategic Planning .......................................................................................... 81 Chapter 2.3 – Financial Management .................................................................................................... 93 Chapter 2.4 – Project Management Framework .................................................................................... 99 Chapter 2.5 – Human resources planning and management ............................................................... 107 Chapter 2.6 – Internal communications ............................................................................................... 121 Chapter 2.7 – Information Management .............................................................................................. 127 Chapter 2.8 – Program Evaluation ....................................................................................................... 133 Chapter 2.9 – Internal audit .................................................................................................................. 139 Section 3 – Improving, modernizing and finding efficiencies ...................................... 143 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 143 Chapter 3.1 – Corporate Business Architecture ................................................................................... 145 Chapter 3.2 – Modernization of Information Technology and Informatics Services ............................ 155 Chapter 3.3 – Enhancing how surveys are conducted......................................................................... 175 Chapter 3.4 – Data collection planning and management ................................................................... 187 Chapter 3.5 – Acquisition, use and management of administrative data and alternative data ............ 197 Chapter 3.6 – Gender Statistics ........................................................................................................... 205 Statistics Canada – Catalogue no. 11-634-X 3 Compendium of Management Practices for Statistical Organizations From Statistics Canada’s International Statistical Fellowship Program Section 4 – Communicating with key stakeholders ........................................................ 213 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 213 Chapter 4.1 – Disseminating data through the website ....................................................................... 215 Chapter 4.2 – External communications and outreach ........................................................................ 223 Chapter 4.3 – Management of, and access to, metadata .................................................................... 233 Chapter 4.4 – Access to microdata ...................................................................................................... 237 Chapter 4.5 – Relations with survey participants ................................................................................. 243 Chapter 4.6 – Respecting privacy and protecting confidentiality ........................................................ 249 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 257 4 Statistics Canada – Catalogue no. 11-634-X Foreword Foreword by Johannes Jütting, Manager, Secretariat of the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) The year 2015 marked a milestone for the relevance of data and statistics in the world of development. The international community agreed to commit to a new development agenda that sets goals and targets that will challenge, and also to give prominence to statistical systems in both developing and developed countries alike. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) create an unprecedented demand for data in a broad range of policy fields, triggering new momentum for engagement in statistical capacity building while drawing attention to the importance of data for sustainable development. The discussions around the complex SDG indicator framework, recently endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission in New York, have accelerated this process. Governments from around the world will need timely, accurate and comprehensive data in order to make the right decisions to implement their national SDG action plans and effectively contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet, policy makers will be faced with a very diverse set of challenges in order to access this information. The Millennium Development Goals, which focussed primarily on traditional development topics, have shown the difficult nature - especially for least developed countries - of measuring progress even in the most basic areas such as poverty reduction or maternal mortality. This is primarily a consequence of inadequate human, technical