Tools

Stage A: Preliminary Stage B: Design Stage C: Deployment

Stage A: Preliminary Stage

  • Phase 1: Engaging the stakeholders
    • Step 1.1. Develop policy document
      • Stakeholder analysis
        • a process of systematically gathering and analyzing qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account when developing and/or implementing a policy or program.  
        • a process of identifying these people before the project begins; grouping them according to their levels of participation, interest, and influence in the project; and determining how best to involve and communicate each of these stakeholder groups throughout.  
    • Step 1.2. Design and prepare the NSDS roadmap.
      • See NSDS Related Guidelines.
    • Step 1.3. Develop the NSDS advocacy toolkit.
      • Advocacy booklets
        • a recommended tool for statistical advocacy, including the NSDS; designed to highlight major statistical themes using relevant reference sheets.  
  • Phase 2: Preparing the institutional framework
    • Step 2.1. Appoint the NSDS coordination team; organize the NSDS steering committee, and technical working groups as may be necessary.
      • Organizational directive or any equivalent document
        • “an official or authoritative instruction.” (Oxford Languages and Google) issued by the highest statistical authority, the highest statistical body, or the head of the national statistical office forming the NSDS country team, steering committee, and technical working groups.
    • Step 2.2. Officially launch the NSDS preparation process.
      • NSDS Launching Forum
        • usually a one-day activity where the highest statistical authority or highest statistical body officialy declares the preparation of a new or updating of the NSDS
        • explains the policy reference (e.g., national development plan, SDGs, etc.), discusses the key statitistical issues and challenges that need to be addressed, and describes the method and outputs of the process.
        • involves the key stakeholders of statistics in the government (ministries and agencies), priate sector, academic and research community, civil society, and international development community.
    • Step 2.3. Conduct NSDS training-workshop for key stakeholders
      • NSDS training-workshop
        • a quick, basic training on results-based management focusing on:
          • basic concepts, approaches, and tools for strategic planning (e.g., assessment and problem analysis, theory of change and logical framework analysis, visioning, results framework, etc.), monitoring and evaluation (e.g. M&E framework, indicators, targeting, etc.), and action planning,
          • NSDS concepts and the NSDS lifecycle;
          • Emerging key developments and concerns for consideration in the NSDS, e.g., administrative data, subnational statistics, integrating open data and data revolution, innovation in statistics, data dissemination, financing statistics, capacity development framework (CD4.0), small island developing states, and selected priority development sectors and subject-matter areas (agriculture, health, disability, education, gender, climate change, etc.)
        • a strategic planning workshop with expected output the draft strategic framework for the NSDS; includes
          • discussion of policy basis for the NSDS, e.g., national development plan and sustainable development goals, and other relevant data demand, 
          • quick assessment, and problem analysis using SWOT and/or theory of change/logical framework analysis and ADAPT,
          • visioning exercise to draft the NSDS strategic framework, and
          • integrating emerging key developments and concerns.  

Stage B: Design Stage

  • Phase 3: Assessing the NSS
    • Step 3.1 Assess the NSS capacity
      • Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis
        • a common strategic planning technique used to determine and define the strengths and weaknesses of an entity (individual, organization, or system) and the external opportunities and threats that may affect the same entity.  
      • Logical framework approach
        • Problem Tree Analysis
          • a planning tool associated with the Logical Framework Approach that helps to identify a core problem and exhaustively and graphically break down that core problem into smaller, manageable parts based on cause-effect relationship.  
      • Questionnaire-based assessment
        • covers questions about the relevant aspects of the NSS: organizational structure, legal mandate, governance, institutions, resources (human, financial, technological), capacities, and quality of data.
        • administered among stakeholders of statistics in the NSS, including data producers and users and development partners (e.g., government, private sector, civil society organizations, academic and research community, and development partners).
      • Key informant interviews
        • covers selected questions about the relevant aspects of the NSS: organizational structure, legal mandate, governance, institutions, resources (human, financial, technological), capacities, and quality of data.
        • administered among selected stakeholders of statistics in the NSS representing data producers and users, and development partners (e.g., government, private sector, civil society organizations, academic and research community, and development partners).
      • Focus group discussion (FGD)
        • a qualitative research approach to generate perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or ideas through a discussion among people/stakeholders of similar backgrounds or experiences.  
    • Step 3.2 Assess the statistical outputs
      • Metadata analysis
        • multidimensional analysis of data quality; assessment of how well data quality requirements are fulfilled according to generally-recommended quality dimensions: relevance, accuracy, reliability, timeliness (punctuality and periodicity), accessibility comparability and coherence (UN NQAF 2019).
      • Advanced Data Planning Tool (ADAPT). PARIS21.
        • a free, innovative web-based planning tool designed and developed by PARIS21 for national statistical offices, national development/planning agencies, and other data producers to adapt their data production to the priority data needs of policy makers.
        • facilitates comparative analysis of attributes of data demand and supply in the NSS to identify gaps in availability and other generally-recommended quality dimensions (relevance, accuracy, reliability, timeliness (punctuality and periodicity), accessibility comparability and coherence)  
      • Focus group discussion (FGD)
        • a qualitative research approach to generate perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or ideas through a discussion among people/stakeholders of similar backgrounds or experiences.  
    • Step 3.3 Assess user needs and satisfaction
      • Stakeholder analysis
        • a process of systematically gathering and analyzing qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account when developing and/or implementing a policy or program.  
        • a process of identifying these people before the project begins; grouping them according to their levels of participation, interest, and influence in the project; and determining how best to involve and communicate each of these stakeholder groups throughout.  
      • Focus group discussion (FGD)
        • a qualitative research approach to generate perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or ideas through a discussion among people/stakeholders of similar backgrounds or experiences.  
    • Step 3.4 Prepare and validate the NSS assessment report
      • Consultative forum (meeting/workshop)
        • any forum organized by the NSO to present to and validate with stakeholders the assessment findings and recommendations
  • Phase 4: Envisioning and identifying strategic goals
    • Step 4.1 Define the NSS vision, mission, and core value
      • Visioning or Envisioning exercise
        • a common strategic planning technique that gathers and consolidates views and insights of members of an organization/system, e.g., NSO staff, NSS key stakeholders, etc., to define the strategic direction or philosophy --- vision, mission, and core values, of that organization/system.
      • Logical framework approach
        • Objectives tree analysis
          • a strategic planning tool that helps to analyze and graphically break down objectives into smaller and more manageable parts; derived from the parent tool, the problem tree.
      • Theory of change (TOC) analysis
        • explains how activities are understood to produce a series of results that contribute to achieving the final intended impacts; can be developed for any level of intervention – an event, a project, a programme, a policy, a strategy or an organization. 
      • Focus group discussion (FGD)
        • a qualitative research approach to generate perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or ideas through a discussion among people/stakeholders of similar backgrounds or experiences.  
    • Step 4.2 Identify priority strategic goals
      • Logical framework approach
        • Objectives tree analysis
          • a strategic planning tool that helps to analyze and graphically break down objectives into smaller and more manageable parts; derived from the parent tool, the problem tree.
      • Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strength (TOWS) analysis
        • a variant/an extension of a SWOT analysis; involves the identification of an organisation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and matching internal factors to external factors to help identify relevant strategic options that an organisation could pursue. 
        • can help an organisation to see how it can take advantage of opportunities, reduce threats, overcome weaknesses and exploit any strengths.  
    • Step 4.3 Validate the NSDS strategic framework
      • Consultative forum (meeting/workshop)
        • any forum organized by the NSO to present to and validate with stakeholders the proposed NSDS strategic framework.
  • Phase 5: Elaborating the action plan
    • Step 5.1 Prepare the NSDS implementation plan
      • Implementation/Action/Work plan 
        • a set of identifiable steps to produce an output or a group of related outputs that are expected to lead to strategic outcomes over a defined timeline; better organized according to a structured framework of outcomes and outputs and in chronological order to be able to track achievement of results.
        • ideally prepared with costing and institutional arrangement and supported by a financing strategy, monitoring and evaluation plan, and communication plan.
           
    • Step 5.2 Cost the action plans and elaborate the financing strategy
      • Government budgeting system/process/tool
        • refers to the existing standard government budgeting system/process/tool 
      • Medium-term expenditure framework
        • ‘..consists of a top-down resource envelope, a bottom-up estimation of the current and medium-term costs of existing policy and, ultimately, the matching of these costs with available resources... in the context of the annual budget process. The "top-down resource envelope" is fundamentally a macroeconomic model that indicates fiscal targets and estimates revenues and expenditures, including government financial obligations and high cost government-wide programs such as civil service reform. To complement the macroeconomic model, the sectors engage in "bottom-up" reviews that begin by scrutinizing sector policies and activities (similar to the zero-based budgeting approach), with an eye toward optimizing intra-sectoral allocations.’  
    • Step 5.3 Evaluate risks and prepare mitigation strategy
      • Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis
        • a common strategic planning technique used to determine and define the strengths and weaknesses of an entity (individual, organization, or system) and the external opportunities and threats that may affect the same entity.  
      • Focus group discussion (FGD)
        • a qualitative research approach to generate perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, or ideas through a discussion among people/stakeholders of similar backgrounds or experiences.  
    • Step 5.4 Prepare and validate the NSDS document
      • Consultative forum (meeting/workshop)
        • any forum organized by the NSO to present to and validate with stakeholders the pre-final NSDS document.

Stage C: Deployment Stage

  • Phase 6: Implementing and monitoring the NSDS
    • Step 6.1 Disseminate and communicate the NSDS document
      • Dissemination tools
        • any or a mix of the following tools to disseminate and communicate the NSDS:
          • Press/news release in print, broadcast, website, or social media
          • Press conference/launching forum
          • Multilateral/bilateral meeting/workshop
          • Official transmittal to implementing ministries and agencies
    • Step 6.2 Mobilise resources to implement the NSDS
      • Multilateral/bilateral meetings/workshops
        • discussion on financing of the NSDS between NSO and finance/budget mnistry/agency, the implementing ministries/agencies, and other development partners (e.g., private sector, academic and research community, civil society, and international development community).
    • Step 6.3 Implement the NSDS action plans
      • Implementation/Action/Work plan 
        • a set of identifiable steps to produce an output or a group of related outputs that are expected to lead to strategic outcomes over a defined timeline; better organized according to a structured framework of outcomes and outputs and in chronological order to be able to track achievement of results. 
        • ideally prepared with costing and institutional arrangement and supported by a financing strategy, monitoring and evaluation plan, and communication plan.
    • Step 6.4 Monitor and report  on progress periodically
      • Periodic monitoring report, overall, by sector/subject-matter, by ministry/agency
        • any periodic (e.g., annual, quarterly) reporting tool that is prepared by the NSO and implementing ministries/agencies to document and analyze the results of implementation of the NSDS work plans, overall, by sector/subject-matter, and ministry/agency.
    • Step 6.5 Update annual work plans
      • Implementation/Action/Work plan 
        • a set of identifiable steps to produce an output or a group of related outputs that are expected to lead to strategic outcomes over a defined timeline; better organized according to a structured framework of outcomes and outputs and in chronological order to be able to track achievement of results.
        • ideally prepared with costing and institutional arrangement and supported by a financing strategy, monitoring and evaluation plan, and communication plan.
    • Step 6.6 Conduct mid-term review and make it publicly available
      • NSDS Self-Assessment Evaluation Tool
        • designed to assess the quality of the NSDS and the extent of implementation and overall impact; not intended for international comparisons or country rankings.
        • developed to help countries and/or development partners identify statistical development areas within the NSDS that require more attention at the country level, in a quick and easy way.  
  • Phase 7: Evaluating
    • Step 7.1 Prepare final evaluation
    • Step 7.2 Conduct the final evaluation    
    • Step 7.3 Validate and disseminate the report
      • NSDS Self-Assessment Evaluation Tool
        • designed to assess the quality of the NSDS and the extent of implementation and overall impact; not intended for international comparisons or country rankings.
        • developed to help countries and/or development partners identify statistical development areas within the NSDS that require more attention at the country level, in a quick and easy way.