19.2. Proper quality management and high-quality reporting on data compiled in such a wide domain as statistics on the international supply of services are especially important. Therefore, it is good practice for compilers responsible for statistics on services transactions between residents and non-residents, FATS and additional indicators on the international supply of services to maintain high, clearly defined and measurable quality standards, and to regularly disseminate information on their implementation in order to gain the trust and confidence of their users and data suppliers and to aid users in better understanding and appropriately analyzing the disseminated statistics. This will ultimately raise the visibility and reputation of the compiling agencies. The implementation of quality standards should include the application of a formalized system that documents the structure, responsibilities and procedures put in place for satisfying users, while continuing to improve the data production and dissemination process.
19.3. Compilers are advised to develop their own quality assessment frameworks on the basis of the NQAF, which is endorsed by the Statistical Commission, and the quality assessment frameworks developed by international, supranational and regional organizations. They should consider that the template for an NQAF is intended to be voluntary, and not meant to be prescriptive or viewed as a replacement for other quality frameworks already adopted or in use by a country’s national statistical office. In that context, examples of common quality dimensions or components include relevance, accuracy, reliability, timeliness, punctuality, accessibility, clarity, interpretability, coherence, comparability, credibility, integrity, methodological soundness and serviceability.
19.4. To ensure the quality of statistics on the international supply of services, compilers are advised to use sound statistical methodologies based on the internationally agreed recommendations contained in MSITS 2010, while proactively managing the respondent burden. It is good practice for countries develop a standard for quality reports that include quantitative and qualitative indicators covering the full range of statistical processes (i.e., data collection, processing and dissemination) and their outputs on the basis of the quality dimensions listed in the present chapter and that are issued regularly (e.g., at least every five years or when significant methodological changes occur). For monitoring the quality of the processes and the effectiveness of quality-improvement actions, reviews should be conducted more frequently.
19.5. Compilers are encouraged to facilitate continuous quality improvement. In particular, when adopting new methods, compilers should assess the impact on the statistical series of adopting the new methodology and subject the proposed methodology to peer review.
Next: B. Quality management: an overview of basic concepts