Business Group (2.0)

Assessment

Business

result of the analysis of the quality and effectiveness of any activity undertaken by a statistical organisation and recommendations on how these can be improved

An Assessment can be of a variety of types. One example may include a gap analysis, where a current state is determined along with what is needed to reach its target state. Alternatively, an Assessment may compare current processes against a set of requirements, for example a new Statistical Need or change in the operating environment.

An Assessment can use various classes as inputs, whether they are the main classes that the Assessment is about or auxiliary classes that help accomplish the Assessment.

Date Assessed

Date when the Assessment took place

1..*

Date

Issues

Issues identified through the Assessment

0..*

String

Recommendations

Recommendations from the Assessment

0..*

String

Results

Results from the Assessment

0..*

String

Business Case

Business

proposal for a body of work that will deliver outputs designed to achieve outcomes

A Business Case is produced as a result of a detailed consideration of a Change Definition. It sets out a plan for how the change described by the Change Definition can be achieved. A Business Case usually comprises various evaluations. The Business Case will specify the stakeholders that are impacted by the Statistical Need or by the different solutions that are required to implement it.

A Business Case will provide the reasoning for undertaking a Statistical Support Activity to initiate a new Statistical Programme Design for an existing Statistical Programme, or an entirely new Statistical Programme, as well as the details of the change proposed.

Date Approved

Date when the Business Case was approved

0..1

Date

Date Initiated

Date when the Business Case was initiated

0..1

Date

Outcomes (objectives)

Outcomes (objectives) that the proposed work in the Business Case would achieve

1..*

String

Outputs (deliverables)

Outputs (deliverables) that the proposed work in the Business Case would deliver

1..*

String

Type

E.g. new programme, permanent (indefinite) change to existing programme, temporary change to existing programme, cease programme.

1..*

ControlledVocabulary

Business Function

Business

activities undertaken by a statistical organisation to achieve its objectives

A Business Function delivers added value from a business point of view. It is delivered by bringing together people, processes and technology (resources), for a specific business purpose.

Business Functions answer in a generic sense "What business purpose does this Business Service or Process Step serve?" (c.f. Business Process answers the question of “How?”). Through identifying the Business Function associated with each Business Service or Process Step, it increases the documentation of the use of the associated Business Services and Process Steps, to enable future reuse.

A Business Function may be defined directly with descriptive text and/or through reference to an existing catalogue of Business Functions. The phases and sub-processes defined within GSBPM can be used as an internationally agreed basis for cataloguing high-level Business Functions. A catalogue might also include Business Functions defined at a lower level than "sub-process". For example, "Identify and address outliers" might be catalogued as a lower level Business Function with the "Review and validate" function (5.3) defined within GSBPM.

Business Process

Business

structured and repeatable activity that performs one or more Business Functions

For example, a particular Statistical Programme Cycle might include several data acquisition activities, the corresponding editing activities for each acquisition and the production and dissemination of final outputs. Each of these may be considered separate Business Processes for the Statistical Programme Cycle.

Business Service

Business

means of performing a Business Function

A Business Service may provide one means of accessing a particular Business Function. The operation of a Business Service will perform one or more Business Processes.

The explicitly defined interface of a Business Service can be seen as representing a "service contract". If particular inputs are provided then the service will deliver particular outputs in compliance within specific parameters (for example, within a particular period of time).

Note: The interface of a Business Service is not necessarily IT based. For example, a typical postal service will have a number of service interfaces:

• Public letter box for posting letters
• Counter at post office for interacting with postal workers

Service Interface

Specifies how to communicate with the service.

0..*

String

Change Definition

Business

structured, well-defined specification for a proposed change

A related class - the Statistical Need - is a change expression as it has been received by an organisation. A Statistical Need is a raw expression of a proposed change, and is not necessarily well-defined. A Change Definition is created when a Statistical Need is analysed by an organisation, and expresses the raw need in well-defined, structured terms.

A Change Definition does not assess the feasibility of the change or propose solutions to deliver the change - this role is satisfied by the Business Case class. The precise structure or organisation of a Change Definition can be further specified by rules or standards local to a given organisation. It also includes the specific Concepts to be measured and the Population that is under consideration.

Once a Statistical Need has been received, the first step is to do the conceptual work to establish what it is we are trying to measure. The final output of this conceptual work is the Change Definition.

The next step is to assess how we are going to make the measurements - to design a solution and put forward a proposal for a body of work that will deliver on the requirements of the original Statistical Need.

Core Input

Business

essential input for the Process Step Instance

Core Input is a sub-type of Process Input. Producers of official statistics often conceptualise data (and sometimes metadata) flowing through the statistical Business Process, having statistical value added by each Process Step.

The concept of Core Input allows this notional flow of information through the production process to be traced, without confusing these inputs with other inputs - such as Parameter Inputs and Process Support Inputs that are controlling or influencing a particular Process Step but do not "flow through the Business Process" in the same sense. Typical Core Inputs are Data Sets and structural metadata. 

Core Output

Business

key output of the Process Step Instance

A Core Output is a sub-type of Process Output. Typically a Core Output is either a Process Input to a subsequent Process Step or it represents the final product from a statistical Business Process.

In many cases a Core Output may be readily identified as an updated ("value added") version of one or more CoreInputs supplied to the Process Step Instance.

Environment Change

Business

requirement for change  that originates from a change in the operating environment of the statistical organisation

An Environment Change reflects change in the context in which a statistical organisation operates. Environment Changes can be of different origins and also take different forms. They can result from a precise event (budget cut, new legislation enforced) or from a progressive process (technical or methodological progress, application or tool obsolescence). Other examples of Environment Changes include the availability of a new Information Resource, the opportunity for new collaboration between organisations, etc.

Change Origin

Origin of the Environment Change (e.g. external, internal)

1..1

String

Type

Type of the Environment Change (e.g. legal, method, software)

1..*

ControlledVocabulary

Information Request

Business

Statistical Need that is a request for new information for a particular purpose

An Information Request is a special case of Statistical Need that may come in an organised form, for example by specifying on which Subject Field the information is required. It may also be a more general request and require refinement by the statistical agency and formalised in a Change Definition.

Coverage of Information Required

Coverage of the information required

1..1

String

Date Information Required

Date when the information is required

0..1

Date

Parameter Input

Business

Process Input that specifies the run-time configuration used in a parameterised Process Step Instance

Parameter Inputs may be provided where Rules and/or Business Service interfaces associated with a particular Process Step have been designed to be configurable based on Process Input Specification. Parameter Inputs are passed into the Process Step Instance.

Data Type

The data type of the Parameter Input.

1..1

ControlledVocabulary

Parameter Role

Used to convey the role of this parameter. For example - weight, upper threshold, agreement level. This will likely become a controlled vocabulary (maybe external to allow more timely maintenance).

0..*

String

Parameter Value

The content of the parameter.

1..1

String

Process Control

Business

set of decision points which determine the flow between the Process Steps used to perform a Business Process

The typical use of Process Control is to determine what happens after a Process Step is executed. The possible paths, and the decision criteria, associated with a Process Control are specified as part of designing a production process, captured in a Process Control Design. There is typically a very close relationship between the design of a process and the design of a Process Control.

Process Control Design

Business

specification of the decision points required during the execution of a Business Process

The design of a Process Control typically takes place as part of the design of the process itself. This involves determining the conditional routing between the various sub-processes and services used by the executing process associated with the Process Control and specified by the Process Control Design.

It is possible to define a Process Control where the next step in the Process Step that will be executed is a fixed value rather than a "choice" between two or more possibilities. Where such a design would be appropriate, this feature allows, for example, initiation of a step in the  Process Step representing the GSBPM Process Phase (5) to always lead to initiation of GSBPM sub-process Integrate Data (5.1) as the next step.

This allows a process designer to divide a Business Process into logical steps (for example, where each step performs a specific Business Function through re-use of a Business Service) even if these Process Steps will always follow each other in the same order. In all cases, the Process Control Design defines and the Process Control manages the flow between Process Steps, even where the flow is "trivial". Process Design is left to focus entirely on the design of the process itself, not sequencing between steps.

Process Design

Business

specification of each Process Step and description of their arrangement in a Business Process needed to perform a Business Function

A Process Design is the design time specification of a Process Step that is performed as part of a run-time Business Service. A Process Step can be as big or small as the designer of a particular Business Service chooses. From a design perspective, one Process Step can contain "sub-steps", each of which is conceptualised as a (smaller) Process Step in its own right. Each of those "sub-steps" may contain "sub-steps" within them and so on. It is a decision for the process designer to what extent to subdivide steps. At some level it will be appropriate to consider a Process Step to be a discrete task without warranting further subdivision. At that level the Process Step is designed to process particular Process Inputs, according to a particular Process Method, to produce particular Process Outputs. The flow between a Process Step and any sub steps is managed via Process Control.

Process Execution Log

Business

Process Output listing events generated by a Process Step Instance

It may include data that was recorded during the real-time execution of the Process Step.

End Time

The time the Process Step Instance ended.

0..1

Date

Log Code

The identifier for the event that occurred during the process execution.

0..1

String

Log Message

The human readable message for the event that occurred during the process execution.

0..1

String

Log Severity

The severity for the event that occurred during the process execution.

0..1

String

Log Type

The type of event that occurred during process execution (for example, an error).

0..1

ControlledVocabulary

Start Time

The time the Process Step started.

0..1

Date

Process Input

Business

instance of an information class supplied to a Process Step Instance

Process Input might include information that is used to produce outputs  (e.g. a Data Set), to control specific parameters of the process , and as reference to guide the process (e.g. a Code List).

Process Input Specification

Business

set of information classes that function as inputs to a Process Design

The Process Input Specification enumerates the Process Inputs required at the time a Process Design is executed. For example, if five different Process Inputs are required, the Process Input Specification will describe each of the five inputs. For each required Process Input the Process Input Specification will record the type of information class (based on GSIM) which will be used as the Process Input (example types might be a Data Set or a Statistical Classification).

The Process Input to be provided at the time of Process Step execution will then be a specific instance of the type of information classspecified by the Process Input Specification. For example, if a Process Input Specification requires a Data Set then the corresponding Process Input provided at the time of Process Step execution will be a particular Data Set.

Process Input Type

E.g., Parameter Input, Process Support Input, CoreInput.

1..*

ControlledVocabulary

Process Method

Business

specification of the methodology which will be used to perform the work

The methodology specified by a Process Method is independent from any choice of technologies and/or other tools which will be used to apply that technique in a particular instance. The definition of the methodology may, however, intrinsically require the application of specific Rules (for example, mathematical or logical formulas). 

A Process Method describes a particular method for performing a Process Step.

Process Metric

Business

Process Output summarising some aspect or property of the execution

A Process Metric is a sub-type of Process Output which records information about the execution of a Process Step. For example, how long it took to complete execution of the Process Step and what percentage of records in the Core Input was updated by the Process Step to produce the CoreOutput.

One purpose for a Process Metric may be to provide a quality measure related to the Core Output. For example, a Process Step with the Business Function of imputing missing values is likely to result, as its CoreOutput, in a Data Set where values that were missing previously have been imputed. Statistical quality measures, captured as Process Metrics for that Process Step may include a measure of how many records were imputed, and a measure of how much difference, statistically, the imputed values make to the dataset overall which can be also used as a part of a quality report associated with the Data Set produced. Another purpose for a Process Metric may be to measure an aspect of the Process Step which is not directly related to the CoreOutput it produced. For example, a Process Metric may record the time taken to complete the Process Step or other forms of resource utilisation (for example, human and/or IT).

Often these two kinds of Process Metrics will be used in combination when seeking to, for example, monitor and tune a statistical Business Process so its statistical outputs achieve the highest level of quality possible based on the time, staff and/or IT resources that are available.

Process Output

Business

instance of an information class produced by a Process Step Instance

Process Output Specification

Business

set of information classes that function as outputs of a Process Design

The Process Output Specification enumerates the Process Outputs that are expected to be produced at the time a Process Design is executed. For example, if five different Process Outputs are expected, the Process Output Specification will describe each of the five outputs. For each expected Process Output the Process Output Specification will record the type of information class (based on GSIM) which will be used as the Process Output (Example types might be a Data Set or a Statistical Classification).

The Process Output to be provided at the time of Process Step execution will then be a specific instance of the type of information class specified by the Process Output Specification. For example, if a Process Output Specification expects a Data Set then the corresponding Process Output provided at the time of Process Step execution will be a particular Data Set.

Process Pattern

Business

recommended set of Process Designs that is highlighted for possible reuse

In a particular Business Process, some Process Steps may be unique to that Business Process while others may be applicable to other Business Processes. A Process Pattern can be seen as a reusable template. It is a means to accelerate design processes and to achieve sharing and reuse of design patterns which have proved effective. Reuse of Process Patterns can indicate the possibility to reuse related Business Services.

By deciding to reuse a Process Pattern, a designer is actually reusing the pattern of Process Designs and Process Control Designs associated with that Process Pattern. They will receive a new instance of the Process Designs and Process Control Designs. If they then tailor their "instance" of the Process Designs and Process Control Designs to better meet their needs they will not change the definition of the reusable Process Pattern.

Process Step

Business

unit of work

A Process Step implements the Process Design specified in order to produce the outputs for which the Process Step was designed. Each Process Step is the use of a Process Design in a particular context (e.g., within a specific Business Process). At the time of execution a Process Step Instance specifies the actual instances of input classes (for example, specific Data Sets, specific Conceptual Variables) to be supplied.

Is Comprehensive

Used to indicate whether this Process Step has sub-Process Steps.

0..1

Boolean

Process Step Instance

Business

executed step in a Business Process specifying the actual inputs to and outputs from an occurrence of a Process Step

Each Process Step is the use of a Process Design in a particular context (e.g. within a specific Business Process). At the time of execution a Process Step Instance specifies the actual instances of input classes (for example, specific Data Sets, specific Conceptual Variables) to be supplied. 

Each Process Step Instance may produce unique results even though the Process Step remains constant.

Even when the inputs remain the same, metrics such as the elapsed time to complete execution of the process step may vary from execution to execution. For this reason, each Process Step Instance details of inputs and outputs for that instance of the implementation of the Process Step.

In this way it is possible to trace the flow of execution of a Business Process through all the Process Steps which were involved.

Process Support Input

Business

Process Input that influences the work performed by the Process Step Instance by providing additional information that affects the way Core Input is used

Process Support Input is a sub-type of Process Input.

• Examples of Process Support Inputs could include:
  A technical or methodological handbook which can be used as a reference to assist the work performed (e.g. data editing, coding and classification)
• An auxiliary Data Set which will influence imputation for, or editing of, a primary Data Set which has been submitted to the Process Step as the Core Input
• A Provision Agreement which can be used as a supporting document
• A repository or inventory of Process Methods or software system / architecture that are approved in the Organisation that could be used as reference

Data Type

The data type of the Process Support Input.

0..1

ControlledVocabulary

Value

The content of the Process Support Input.

0..1

String

Reference Document

Business

document that is used to support, inform and guide the Business Processes

The examples of Reference Documents include: methodological handbooks, standards, legislation, corporate policies/guideline and best practices. Reference Documents are often unstructured and can be translated into Rules (e.g., quality requirements set by legislation can be written as a Rule). Note that documents can be physical (e.g., books) or electronical. The documents can be formal in terms of content (e.g., laws) or in terms of format (e.g., XML).

Rule

Business

mathematical or logical expression which can be evaluated to determine specific behavior

Rules are of several types: they may be derived from methods to determine the control flow of a process when it is being designed and executed (e.g. imputation rules, edit rules); and they may be used to drive the logical flow of a questionnaire. There are many forms of Rules and their purpose, character and expression can vary greatly.

Algorithm

The rule expressed as an algorithm.

0..1

String

Command Code

Structured information used by a system to process the instruction.

0..*

String

Expression

The expression of the rule that is executed.

0..1

String

Is System Executable

Whether the rule is formatted to be executed by a system, or is only documentary.

0..1

Boolean

Rule Type

A type taken from a controlled vocabulary. For example: Input, Comparison, Imputation, Edit, Derivation, Recode

0..1

ControlledVocabulary

Statistical Need

Business

requirement, request or other notification that will be considered by a statistical organisation.

The Statistical Need is a proposed or imposed requirement, request or other notification as it has been received by a statistical organisation. A Statistical Need is an expression of a requirement, and is not necessarily well-defined. A related class - Change Definition - is created when a Statistical Need is analysed by the organisation. Change Definition expresses the raw need in well-defined, structured terms. 
Once a Statistical Need has been received, the first step is to do the conceptual work to establish what it is we are trying to measure. The final output of this conceptual work is the Change Definition. 

In some cases, the Statistical Need can result from the Assessment of the quality, efficiency, etc. of an existing process.

A Statistical Need may be of a variety of types including Environment Change or Information Request.

Is Met

Indicator for whether the request was met or unmet

0..1

Boolean

Statistical Programme

Business

set of activities to produce statistics on a given Universe within the context of Subject Fields

The Statistical Programme provides the environmental context in which activities to produce statistics within a statistical organisation are conducted. Statistical Programme will usually correspond to an ongoing activity such as a survey or output series covered by GSBPM phase 4-7. Some examples of Statistical Programme are:

• Labour Force Survey
• Multipurpose Household Survey
• National Accounts
• Demography
• Overseas Arrivals and Departures 

Related to the Statistical Programme class, there are Statistical Programme Design and Statistical Programme Cycle classes that hold the detailed information about the design and conduct of the Business Process. 

A Statistical Programme could take as inputs other Statistical Programmes’ outputs, e.g. national accounts. These activities are all carried out to generate Products.

In the case of the traditional approach, an organisation has received a Statistical Need and produced a Change Definition and an approved Business Case. The Business Case will specify either a change to the design or methodology of an existing Statistical Programme, which will result in a new Statistical Programme Design; or a change to one or more existing Statistical Programmes (for example, to add an additional objective to the Statistical Programme); or result in a new Statistical Programme being created.

This does not include statistical support functions such as metadata management, data management (and other overarching GSBPM processes) and design functions. These activities are conducted as part of Statistical Support Activity.

Budget

Estimate of expenditure

0..1

Number

Date Ended

Date when the Statistical Programme was ended

0..1

Date

Date Initiated

Date when the Statistical Programme was initiated

0..1

Date

Legal Framework

Any legal framework (e.g., legal basis for the statistics to be produced by Statistical Programme)

0..*

String

Legislative Reference

Any legislative materials, (e.g., parliamentary tabling documents)

0..*

String

Source of Funding

Source of funding

0..1

String

Programme Status

The current condition of the programme (e.g., New Proposal, Under Development, Current, Completed, Cancelled, Transferred to Another Organisation)

1..1

ControlledVocabulary

Statistical Programme Cycle

Business

iteration of a Statistical Programme for a given Population

A Statistical Programme Cycle documents the execution of an iteration of a Statistical Programme according to the associated Statistical Programme Design for a given Population (e.g., certain reference period, geography). It identifies the activities that are undertaken as a part of the cycle and the specific resources required and processes used and description of relevant methodological information used in this cycle defined by the Statistical Programme Design.

Reference Period End

End date of the reference period

1..1

Date

Reference Period Start

Start date of the reference period

1..1

Date

Statistical Programme Design

Business

specification of the set of activities undertaken to investigate characteristics of a given Population

The Statistical Programme Design takes into account requirements such as resource, policy and compliance, specifies new processes, the use of existing ones and the description of relevant methodological information about that set of activities. It is a series of classes that provide the operational context in which a set of Business Processes is conducted. 

A simple example is where a Statistical Programme relates to a single survey, for example, the Labour Force Survey. The Statistical Programme will have a series of Statistical Programme Design classes that describe the methodology and design used throughout the life of the survey. When a methodological change is made to the survey, a new Statistical Programme Design is created to record the details of the new design.

Conceptual Framework

Description of the conceptual framework for the Statistical Programme (e.g., SNA).

0..*

String

Status

Extensible redefined list (e.g., New Proposal, Under Development, Current, Completed, Cancelled, Transferred to Another Organisation).

1..1

ControlledVocabulary

Statistical Support Activity

Business

activity that supports statistical production

This type of activity will include such functions as metadata management, data management, methodological research, and design functions. These activities correspond to the overarching processes in the GSBPM, and Corporate Support in GAMSO, as well as activities to create new or change existing Statistical Programmes which are covered by GSBPM phase 1-3, thus creating or updating Statistical Programme Designs.

Date Ended

Date when the Statistical Support Activity was ended.

0..1

Date

Date Initiated

Date when the Statistical Support Activity was initiated.

0..1

Date

Significant Events

A description of the real-world events which lead to the creation of the Statistical Support Activity.

0..1

String

Status

The current condition of the programme (e.g., New Proposal, Under Development, Current, Completed, Cancelled, Transferred to Another Organisation).

1..1

ControlledVocabulary