Welcome to the Training of Trainers for the Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity,
produced by the International Programs Center of the U.S. Census Bureau
By the end of this video, you will understand: the purpose and details of the Tool for
Assessing Statistical Capacity
How to administer it. Challenges and issues to be aware of.
So first, let’s understand - What is the Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity?
But before we understand the tool,
you probably have a question. What is Statistical Capacity?
According to the World Bank - Statistical capacity is a nation’s ability to collect,
analyze and disseminate high quality data about its population and economy.
More information about the World Bank can be found using http://datatopics.worldbank.org/statisticalcapacity/
Why is high quality data important?
Because the effectiveness of evidence-based decisions
made by policy makers, international partners, private sector,
and civil society depend on good quality data.
In most countries, the National Statistical Office—or NSO--is responsible for producing and disseminating these data.
So, the higher their statistical capacity, the better the quality of data produced.
So how do we measure statistical capacity?
Identifying areas of strength and weakness in the preparedness of an NSO
to conduct a census or survey is difficult and subjective.
The TASC addresses this by providing quantitative measures of the capacity
of an NSO to conduct a census or survey.
Before TASC was developed, the U. S. Census Bureau used to send
a team of 3-to-5 experts to do an assessment of the statistical capacity of an NSO.
Often a team composed of a project manager, a cartographer,
a demographer, a software expert, and a statistician, was sent for a period
of two weeks to complete an assessment.
This was expensive, time consuming and sometimes subjective as the team didn’t
have knowledge of all operational areas.
So, the TASC was born.
Experts across operational areas came together to
develop a survey tool that would measure statistical capacity.
Now - the international standards and expertise required for major census operations
reside within the tool.
NSO managers and staff rate their practices against these standards.
Also, since the TASC is participatory in nature, NSOs are more likely to
buy-in to the results of the assessment.
The Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity (TASC)
was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau with the support of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Results from the TASC can be used by NSOs and their stakeholders to:
• Provide a measurable score for statistical capacity, and
• Identify specific areas where the NSO could benefit from further training
The TASC can be conducted at two different points in time to assess improvement
or impact of an assistance program.
Now let’s look at how the TASC is designed.
The TASC measures statistical capacity by assessing the following census operational areas
planning and management, mapping, questionnaire content and testing,
sampling, field operations, data processing, data analysis and
evaluation, data dissemination, and publicity.
Also, the TASC assesses the NSOs institutional capacity
as it is central to the success of all the census and survey operations.
In addition, the TASC has an optional operational module
for assessing an NSOs ability to use and link data from
various administrative records and registers.
This module should only be administered to NSOs
that use administrative registers for statistical purposes.
Here is a sample of one of the Results Chart produced by the TASC
with scores from each operational area.
The scores of each module reflect the capacity
of an NSO in comparison to international standards and best practices.
The TASC helps identify the areas within the NSO that could benefit from training relative to
those operational areas with higher capacity.
To assess the strengths and weaknesses in any operational area,
the TASC measures four factors: an operation’s human and physical capital; an
operation’s methodological soundness and adherence to international standards;
an operation’s quality assurance practices;
and finally, an operation’s written procedures and documentation.
The TASC also assess an NSOs capacity to use mobile data collection instruments.
The mobile data capture score combines questions related to mobile data
capture in the modules onto one sheet.
Thus, the mobile data capture score is
not based on a separate mobile data capture section.
It reflects the cross-disciplinary skills necessary
to implement a mobile data capture census or survey.
Now- let’s look at the TASC!
Here is the first page from the Mapping Module of the TASC.
On the left you have items that measure the human
and physical capacity of the NSO in mapping.
On the right you have possible responses to each of the items that are scored from 0 to 3.
All the scores are precisely defined based on practices of the NSO
in relation to the item being assessed- so that the scoring is NOT subjective.
For every item in the TASC, a score of 3 is the highest and defines the best practice
or adherence to the international standard.
0 is defined as the lowest score on any item.
Not Applicable is an acceptable response only for a few select items.
“Don’t know” or blanks are not allowed for any items.
Since you are an expert, we expect you to know your organizations practices.
You can respond to the TASC either on your computer or on paper.
When you fill the answer sheet-
Open to the module or modules you are an expert on.
Read each statement carefully.
Choose the most appropriate answer by reading the descriptions of the scores
Type or write that answer in the assigned space in the answer sheet
The TASC is filled out in two stages:
First, individually – each participant answers the modules
they are an expert on – participants could be an expert on more than one module.
Second, the participants answer as a group
those who answered the same module, discuss and come to a consensus on the scores.
Remember that accurate answers will help.
Give an organization recognition where it is deserved.
Identify areas for further training and technical assistance.
The next few slides describe what aspects are measured in each module
and who should answer them.
The Institutional Capacity module asks questions concerning:
• The legal background for censuses and surveys
• Data confidentiality practices
• Organizational structure of the NSO
• Human and physical capital of the NSO
• Stakeholder coordination
It should be completed by:
• Census and Survey Managers, and
• Managers of other areas involved in censuses and surveys, for example, IT or field operations
The Planning and Management module asks questions concerning:
• Planning and management of staff, budget, and other resources
• Other aspects of planning and management such as number of people trained,
or software used
It should be completed by managers
The Mapping module asks questions concerning:
• Skill level and software used by mapping personnel
• Characteristics of the maps
• Scope of the mapping program
• Dissemination using maps It should be completed by mappers and cartographers
The Sampling module asks questions concerning:
• Methods for sampling, data adjustments,
calculating sampling error, etc.
• Sampling frames
Should be answered by statisticians
The Questionnaire Content and Testing module asks questions concerning:
• How questionnaire content is chosen and tested
• Balancing international standards with historical continuity and local context
Should be completed by subject matter specialists and demographers
The Field Operations module asks questions concerning:
• Plan for hiring and training enumerators
• Tracking forms in the field
• Pilot testing
• Enumerator manuals
Should be completed by staff involved in field activities
The Data Processing module asks questions concerning:
• Software used for data processing
• Edit and imputation specifications
• Operational control during data processing
• Tabulation plan
Should be completed by IT staff, programmers, and subject matter staff
The Data Analysis and Evaluation module asks questions concerning:
• The skills of staff involved and software used
• The demographic analysis program
• Post Enumeration Survey
• Population projections
Should be completed by statisticians and demographers
The Data Dissemination module asks questions concerning:
• Skills of the staff
• Variety of dissemination formats
• Confidentiality standards
• Publication standards
Should be completed by subject matter, web design, and dissemination staff
The Publicity module asks questions concerning:
• Integrating communication efforts
• Interaction with the public
• Partner outreach
Should be answered by management, publicity, and dissemination staff
If your NSO uses administrative registers and records- then you should answer the
optional module of administrative records
The Administrative Records module asks
questions concerning: • The legal basis for the use of administrative records
• The skills of staff to link records
• The harmonization of concepts
and definitions between the various registers
• Availability and use of metadata in linkages
Should be completed by statisticians and programmers
And now a few notes on administering the TASC
All the materials needed to administer the TASC are available on the U.S. Census Bureau website
Participants need access to two documents -
• Booklet
• Answer Sheet
Administrators need access to three other documents in addition –
• Manual
• Presentation
• Results Calculator
The facilitator should have a good grasp of statistical
operations involved in a survey or census because
participants may have questions.
The facilitator should read the TASC Administration Manual
prior to administration and familiarize themselves with the TASC kit.
For the individual round –
• Assemble all the relevant experts in a room
• Make the TASC presentation included in the kit – customize if required
• Have the participants answer the modules that they are an expert on
Most people answer more than one module depending on their expertise
• Managers should complete AT LEAST Modules 1 and 2, as well as their areas of expertise
• Collect answer sheets
• After the individual round is completed,
experts who responded to the same module should answer the module as a group
• The facilitator should schedule the timing of module groups to accommodate
participation of experts that may have answered multiple modules.
• Facilitator should walk around and listen to the discussions as they answer in groups
• Some cultures are egalitarian and discuss practices
• Other cultures are hierarchical where the managers lead the group
into what the scores should be
• It is recommended that the presentation includes:
• A breakdown of the overall areas of strength and weakness
• Overall group and/or individual results in chart format
• An explanation of the areas of strength and weakness of specific
interest to the stakeholder administrating the TASC
• Areas that would benefit from capacity building
• Overall assessment summary
• In most cases, group scores are more accurate
On the left, there is a sample result slide of group scores across all the modules
On the right, you can see a sample of the TASC operational subsection scores.
Some of the challenges that you may face during the administration of the TASC are:
• Scheduling the TASC meeting –
Often, assembling experienced experts across operational areas
on the same day is difficult
• Robust results depend on the RIGHT participants to fill the TASC
• Assembling ENOUGH participants for each module
• Assigning people to groups and scheduling group administration
• Keeping the individual answer sheets anonymous to ensure realistic outcomes
• Facilitator may not understand the item- ask US Census Bureau
This concludes the Training of Trainers for the Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity,
produced by the International Programs Center of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Thank you!