GSS quality champions

Purpose

The purpose of the quality champions network is to support statistical HoPs in their requirements under the Code of Practice for Statistics to report, maintain and improve the quality of statistics across the GSS.

The network provides important links both across government departments and with the DQHub. Through sharing knowledge and best practice, the network helps to ensure that the GSS produces high quality statistics.

The work of the quality champions network applies across all statistical products, datasets and data tables produced and published across the GSS, either regularly or irregularly.

Roles and responsibilities

As a quality champion, your role will involve supporting your HoP and wider department in managing, improving and reporting on quality under the Code of Practice for Statistics. This involves:

• working with your HoP and departmental colleagues to identify, understand and manage risks to quality as set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics
• supporting your HoP in actions arising from the Statistics for the Public Good strategy
• acting as the main point of contact in your department for advice on quality
• ensuring your HoP and colleagues in your department are kept up to date with any developments relating to quality
• identifying where the network may be able to provide support or work together to create a support package — for example, this could include identifying where there may be gaps in guidance or if any pieces of guidance need to be updated

You will also enable and support a two-way flow of information between the champions network and government departments. This involves:

• enabling a two-way flow of information between your department and the network to learn and support one another with mutual challenges and successes
• sharing relevant resources made available by the network with departmental colleagues
• sharing and showcasing relevant resources and experiences from your department with the network

As a quality champion, you will be an active participant in the Quality Champion network. This involves:

• attending and and actively participating in quarterly champion meetings
• raising suggestions for items of interest to be covered at champion meetings and volunteering to showcase information about work being completed in your own department – this could be work that is finished, in development, or at the ideas stage
• building links with champions in other departments to share knowledge more widely

You should also be active in seeking continuous improvement for the GSS Champions Network by:

• making constructive suggestions for improvement
• communicating the benefits of the GSS Quality Champion group in your department and to your HoP
• identifying and raising hot topics

Membership

To be a quality champion, you need to commit to the role outlined on this page. You may need to get permission from your line manager or HoP to do this.

We encourage each department to have multiple champions, where possible. This allows champions to share responsibilities and gain maximum benefit from participating in the network.

Benefits

The network is for the benefit of the GSS and all users of government statistics.

The main benefit to statistical producers is an increase in compliance with the quality aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics. High quality statistics:

• build trust in our statistics and in us as statistical producers
• inform sound policy decisions for the public good

The quality champions network provides an opportunity for champions to share their experience, learn from others and support the wider analytical community. On a personal level, being a quality champion is a great corporate objective as it is an important contribution to the wider Civil Service and a significant development opportunity.

Scope

In scope

The following activities are in scope for the quality champions network:

• advising and encouraging teams responsible for statistical outputs to follow the quality principles in the Code of Practice for Statistics
• promoting best practice
• facilitating discussion and knowledge sharing
• building links across departments

In addition to statistical outputs, quality champions will need oversight of a variety of products which form part of the statistical process. This includes topics such as data, management information, and modelling.

Out of scope

It is not the intention of the quality champions network to enforce compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Instead, the network aims to promote good practice and offer support and advice to make compliance easier to achieve.

Communication

The primary form of communication between the Data Quality Hub and the quality champions will be through:

• Confluence, which is an online tool for working with colleagues
• quarterly meetings
• monthly informal meetings about quality

There may also be opportunities to hold workshops and events for quality champions.

Charter

The Data Quality Hub have produced a Quality Champions Charter to help quality champions to understand their role. If you would like a copy of the charter, please email the team at DQHub@ons.gov.uk.

You may find the following resources helpful:

• guidance on quality
• training courses on quality in statistics