These are the high-level strategic activities that enable statistical organisations to deliver the products and services needed by governments and communities nationally and internationally. The activities influence, shape and drive future directions and investments through the development and consideration of high-level strategies to develop organisational capabilities and the statistical product and service portfolio. The over-arching GSBPM processes also need to be considered in this activity. The framework suggested here accounts for the specifics of each over-arching process.


Figures 5 The Strategy and leadership activity area of the GAMSO  

The Strategy and leadership activity area is broken down into 3 sub-activities. These sub-activities are:

  • Define vision
  • Govern and lead
  • Manage strategic collaboration and cooperation

Define vision

These activities ensure that statistical organisations understand the environment in which they operate and the emerging issues they are confronted with, so that it is clear where they can provide independent, evidence-based information, as well as statistical standards and infrastructure, for use by governments and the broader community. Based on this, statistical organisations determine their high-level goals and directions, including the values which will guide them, so they set their statistical programmes accordingly. This also includes communicating the mission, values and expectations internally and externally, to lead and inspire staff and to increase government and community trust and confidence in the organisation and in official statistics in general. These include:

  • Understand national and international directions and factors
  • Determine vision, mission and strategic goals
  • Determine organizational value proposition
  • Determine and communicate values and expectations
  • Create interest and awareness

Govern and lead

These activities cover the development of strategies to achieve the goals and directions set under Define vision. They include identification and prioritisation of the statistical work programme, prioritisation of the capital investment programme, and the allocation of resources (capital and labour) to implement the agreed programmes defined in the statistical product and service and capability portfolios. Under Govern and lead the need for capability improvements is identified and requested by prioritising the capability portfolio, under Capability development the requested and prioritized capability improvements are planned in more detail, developed, monitored and after their full integration in Production their support is transferred to Corporate Support. Activities under Govern and lead include:

  • Develop strategies for achieving organizational goals
  • Prioritise capability portfolio
  • Prioritise statistical product and service portfolio
  • Define (annual) statistical programme
  • Allocate project and programme portfolio budgets
  • Build and maintain internal statistical and professional excellence
  • Ensure general coordination and alignment
  • Define general organisational policies
  • Publish policies, guidelines and normative documents

Manage strategic collaboration and cooperation

These activities cover collaboration, cooperation and coordination with other statistical organisations and other external stakeholders. They can include coordination within a statistical system, which may be based on a geographical hierarchy of entities (local, regional, national, multi-national), or a functional split of responsibilities between organisations based upon activities. They include activities undertaken to identify new opportunities for data exchange or integration. They provide the statistical community with opportunities to exchange knowledge, to improve statistical infrastructure and practices and to influence statistical standards. These activities contribute to the building and enhancing of shared statistical capabilities managed by partners, leading to increased statistical understanding and improved application and use. They include organisation and coordination of other organisations which produce official statistics as part of a national system. These include:

  • Build and maintain strategic relations, nationally and internationally
  • Build and maintain external statistical excellence
  • Advance inter-agency and international collaborations
  • Secure support for statistical product and service and capability portfolio
  • Coordinate the national statistical system