Data Audit of Ofsted Data Teams' Process Documentation
Infonomics worked with Oakleigh consulting to review the processes relating to statistical advice, data and information that are in place to support inspection activity.
We were asked to consider the existing processes and documentation with regard to two quality standards:
- ISO9001:2008 that provides a standard for how an organisation develops, documents, manages, measures, monitors, reviews and improves its management system; and
- UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice that sets out common standards for official statistics based on the following core principles: meeting user needs; impartiality and objectivity; integrity; sound methods and quality assurance; confidentiality, proportionate burden; sufficiently resourced; frankness and accessibility.
The review included:
- the development of process maps for each analytical output produced by Ofsted's data teams.
- consideration of the existing documentation: desk instructions and quality assurance processes, and monitoring procedures
- consultation with managers on staff about how the processes are carried out in practice
Our final report provided Ofsted with recommendations on how to change documentation and processes in order to improve the quality assurance process (including techniques such as version management of documents, diagnostic testing with seed data, and meta-data analysis).