The Generic Activity Model for Statistical Organizations (GAMSO) describes and defines the activities that take place within a typical statistical organization1. It extends and complements the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) by adding additional activities needed to support statistical production. When the GSBPM was developed, such activities were referred to as over-arching processes, and were listed, but not elaborated in any great detail. Over the years there have been several calls to expand the GSBPM to better cover these activities. The GAMSO was therefore developed to meet these needs.

The following diagram, which is adapted from one in the vision paper of the High-Level Group for the Modernisation of Statistical Production and Services2, shows the position of the GAMSO in relation to the other models and frameworks needed for the modernisation of official statistics.


 

Figure 1 The relationship between GAMSO, GSBPM, GSIM and the Common Statistical Production Architecture

Like the GSBPM, the GAMSO aims to provide a common vocabulary and framework to support international collaboration activities, particularly in the field of modernisation.  While individual collaborations typically focus on modernising a particular aspect of production (as described by the GSBPM), statistical production occurs within a broader context of corporate strategies, capabilities and support.  The GAMSO helps to place collaboration in the wider context.

Some benefits3 and expected uses of the GAMSO are listed below. They show that the target audience for this model will vary according to use from top management to experts:

Benefits

  • Provide a common vocabulary and framework to support international collaboration activities, particularly in the field of modernisation
  • As a basis for resource planning within a statistical organisation
  • To support the development and implementation of enterprise architectures, including components such as capability architectures
  • To support risk management systems

Expected uses

  • As a basis for the measurement of costs of producing official statistics in a way that can be compared between organisations
  • As a tool to help assess the readiness of organisations to implement different aspects of modernisation, in the context of a proposed “Modernisation Maturity Model” 4
  • To help to measure and communicate the value of statistical modernisation activities across an organisation.



  1. Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics http://unstats.un.org/unsd/dnss/gp/fundprinciples.aspx

  2. https://statswiki.unece.org/display/hlgbas/Strategic+vision+of+the+HLG

  3. These benefits were confirmed during the Workshop on Implementing Standards for Statistical Modernisation, Geneva, Steptember 2016

  4. See section VI of the paper from CSO Ireland at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/workshops/2015/NewYork/Session2_paper.pdf