A Framework for SBR Development:
Strategic Planning for SBR Enhancement
UN ESCAP and ADB
Outline
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Statistical business registers: fundamentals
Statistical business registers: uses
Basic requirements: policy framework
Basic requirements: administrative framework
Basic requirements: Information
Basic requirements: technology
Basic requirements: resources
Quality dimension: accuracy
Quality dimension: timeliness
Enabling and supporting factor: initiative
Enabling and supporting factor: leadership
Enabling and supporting factor: organization
Enabling and supporting factor: continuity
Enabling and supporting factor: sustainability
Summary
1. Statistical business registers: fundamentals
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What is an SBR?
The necessity of an SBR in a statistical system
Origins of SBRs
Essential features of an SBR
What is required to establish a viable SBR?
Relevance of SBRs in the age of big data and instant information
2. Statistical business registers: uses
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Survey frames
Business demographic statistics.
Digitization of business information
Alignment with government-wide digitization strategies
3. Basic requirements: policy framework
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Policy foundation: Evidence based
Policy priority: relevant, accurate and timely information
Policy direction: viable and credible statistical system
Policy enforcement: legislations and regulations
Under what authority does the national statistical office of your
country collection information?
• What are the defining features of the statistical laws of your
country?
• What are the limits to the legal authority to collect, compile, link,
analyze and disseminate information?
4. Basic requirements: administrative framework
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Mandate of the SBR unit
Relative centrality of the unit in the NSO
Unit’s position in the NSO organizational hierarchy
Cross cutting specialties and matrix management
Resource allocation and resource sharing arrangements
Data sharing arrangements: internal
Data sharing arrangements: external
5a. Basic requirement: information
• Data Collection Requirements
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Contact details
Quantitative variables (employment / turnover / other).
Industries, Products and Other Classifications
Address / location data.
Type of Unit
Alive status of Unit
5b. Basic requirement: information
• Sources
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Economic census
Sector or economic activity specific surveys
Administrative data
Published information
Direct inquiries
• System Requirements
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Unique identifier
Time-series
Records linked over periods
Inter-record linkages
6. Basic requirement: technology
• The importance of a technology ecosystem
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Need to properly resource
The foundation of an SBR
Well built technology saves money and time
Create links with data providers
• The system
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Computing power and capacity
Compatible networks and systems
Connectivity and access
Centralized or distributed computing
Backup and security
Maintenance and upgrading
7. Basic requirements: Resources
• Human resources
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Critical mass
Core strength
Unit structure
Division of responsibilities: managerial, technical and technological
• Financial resources
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Seed funding
Operational funding
Contingency funding
Developmental funding
• External support
– Government and local institutions
– Foreign institutions
– Multilateral institutions
8. Quality dimension: accuracy
• SBR is a repository of selected information drawn from various
authoritative sources
• Information can be formatted to fit the SBR structure
• This is where we face a problem: best practice vs reality
• Best Practice: Check Data, Feedback to Source and Source
updates.
• Reality: check data, feedback to source and amend if necessary.
• What do you do?
9. Quality dimension: timeliness
• Timely and streamlined access to the latest source information
• Efficient and time-bound data processing, cleaning and
transformation
• Automatic error or exception reporting and time-bound
resolution
• Standard and periodic analytical reports
• Deadlines for processes and persons
• Ready and standardized, but qualified and restricted, access to
SBR based information by stakeholders
• Time-bound responses to stakeholder queries
• Multi-level advocacy strategy to prioritize timely production and
release of more current source data
10. Enabling and supporting factor: initiative
• Hierarchy of initiatives required for the SBR project to succeed
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Individual
Team
Organizational
System-wide
• Big changes are needed but we need to start with small steps
• We need to show that it can be done by
– Delivering and demonstrating tangible cost effective results
– Demonstrating the utility of the project
– Deliver a high quality product as planned on time
• The project requires buy-in from stakeholders
• External support has limits: NSOs needs to find internal and local
resources
11. Enabling and supporting factor: leadership
• Instituting an SBR is beyond routine monitoring and marginal
decisions
• Multiple and diverse resources need to be marshalled
• Many potential stakeholders need to be engaged and actively
involved
• The right team needs to be constituted, developed and
supported
• The right manager(s) should be appointed
• The right and adequate resources should be provided
• Project progress must be closely monitored, issues followed-up
and, where necessary, timely corrective actions taken
• Responsibilities, ownership and rewards should be correctly
distributed
• Leadership must take full ownership and ultimate responsibility
12. Enabling and supporting factor: organization
• SBR should be in the vision, constitution or mandate for the
organization
• SBR should be a central part of the statistical system with clear
and direct links to the IT infrastructure of the NSO
• A dedicated SBR unit should be
– Established with adequate resources
– Led by a director level official with access to senior leadership
– Staffed by statisticians and IT professionals
• Internal data transfers to the SBR unit from the supplier units
within the NSO should established as routine business processes
• Data transfers to the SBR unit from other entities should be
effected as routine but essential business processes through
MOUs and protocols
• Periodic meetings should be held with internal and external
stakeholders to discuss the current and emerging needs, set
priorities, and resolve issues
13. Enabling and supporting factor: sustainability
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Include SBR operations in standard NSO business processes
Annual budget allocation for SBR maintenance and development
Staff the unit to full strength with the right professionals
The unit should have ready access to expert resources
SBR is a synthesis of information and technology both of which
are in a constant state of change: sustainability requires
innovation, adaptability and resilience
• What is the NSO’s strategy to stay relevant in a fast evolving
business environment?
14. Enabling and supporting factor: continuity
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Continuous learning
Periodic training
Professional mentoring
Well established processes
Proper documentation
Formal transfer
SBR should be process dependent, not person dependent
15. Summary
 Challenge is to measure economic phenomena in an operating
space characterized by
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Fast evolving local and global economies
Increasingly complex business environment
Exploding volume of transactions
Shrinking time and space barriers
 Objective should be to provide relevant, accurate and timely data
to stakeholders of the information age and information
generation
• Questions and comments