Introduction

A population and housing census (PHC) undertaking involves complex, complicated, and interrelated processes that require proper and timely planning. Census planning should therefore aim to:

1. Explain the linkages and interdependencies between the various components of the census cycle.
2. Ensure each phase has proper technical, logistical, and administrative resources.
3. Ensure that the output of each phase is a valuable input for all subsequent phases.

A population and housing census undertaking is usually the largest and costliest statistical activity that governments and their national statistical offices (NSOs) undertake. It is recommended that all census operations, including planning, cartography, enumeration, processing, analysis, and dissemination, be budgeted from the beginning, and efforts be made to mobilise the required funds. The budget development process begins during development of the census project proposal.

Given the magnitude and diversity of a digital census undertaking, it is ideal to have several formal mechanisms to strengthen coordination such as multisectoral advisory committees to utilise and gain access to levels of expertise and experience. Some of the recommended practices include establishing a census secretariat with a designated national census coordinator, forming committees at the national and sub-national level, and setting up a steering and technical committee (which should have more specific sub committees).

The quality and timeliness of the census data are highly influenced by the planning process. Therefore, sound technical considerations should guide the census planning, which includes development of proposals, budgets, work plans, establishment of committees, mobilizing resources and putting all the legal and logistical processes in place.

Census planning should be guided by UN P&R, Rev 4, and the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, as well as the national statistical legislation and national statistical code of ethics.

Census planning and management during the non-digital vs digital era

The evolution from a non-digital to digital era fundamentally reshaped every facet of census planning and management, transforming a slow, cumbersome exercise into a dynamic, data-rich national endeavor. In the non-digital era, census planning was long-term, rigid and focused on paper logistics; while in the digital era, it is more agile, and focused on technology, software, and data security.

Census planning in the non-digital era did not consider a lot of detail on technological aspects and therefore had different risks during data collection. The digital era introduces unique technical risks such as cybersecurity and software failure (see UN P&R, Rev 4, para. 2,99). Undertaking a digital census requires more thought into technology requirements and subsequent procurement plans. In a digital census, it is critical to plan early enough for activities associated with digital data collection; such as training, application development, technology specification, testing and procurement, which are often required earlier in the census cycle.

One of the challenges in the non-digital era was high recurring costs on paper, data entry errors, long delays, lost forms among others while the digital era is faced with high upfront technology related costs, need for information technology skills, connectivity issues, and data security.

Considerations for census planning in the digital era

During planning for each phase of a digital census, the following issues should be taken into consideration. These form the prerequisites/conditions for implementation of the e-census/digital census:

• Legal framework - There should be sound institutional arrangements to ensure good data quality, such as the degree to which statistical legislation is enacted in accordance with the fundamental principles of official statistics. The PHC needs to be legally authorised, and the implementing agency must be assigned the legal authority (e.g., through an act) for planning, organisation, and implementation of census operations. The process for implementing the legal framework needs to be clearly understood and incorporated into census planning. The NSO should operationalise long-term planning of statistical operations that include a census undertaking.
• Funds commitment – there should be sound institutional systems to ensure statistical systems are properly funded and staffed. Government commitment to the level of funding should be sought early enough in the cycle so that the other aspects of the census plan can proceed smoothly. These commitments should be monitored to confirm availability at the time when it is needed, especially for the most expensive phases of mapping and enumeration.
• Logistical support – the plan should seek availability of existing support structures from both government, private sector, and development partners to inform the planning process. Services may be provided in kind or at a subsidised rate and this should be known early.
• Stakeholder analysis - Identifying stakeholders is a critical starting point for determining dependencies when planning the census. Stakeholders at the planning stage should be identified from: within the census programme, within the statistical agency, external stakeholders within the country, stakeholders outside the country, and the community at large. There should be sound institutional arrangements to ensure the available support and coordination among census stakeholders and the NSO.
• User needs and quality - The development process entails engagement with key users to ensure the needs of data users are carefully considered in terms of the content of the census questionnaire, how the data will be used (for defining the outputs) and quality of the information required. This should inform the prioritisation of user needs (note that not all needs can be met) and a quality management plan for the census is completed, carefully considering the needs of data users.
• The identification of administrative and geographic areas for which census data will be reported and disseminated is one of the first decisions in census planning because it has time and cost implications. When data are not required at the lowest level of detail, other more cost-effective statistical sources/methodologies should be adopted.
• Components of the Plan – For each phase of the plan, the following must be well thought out and documented: objectives, activities, tasks, milestones, and a risk management plan. There should also be a quality management plan to ensure the final data is fit for purpose.
• Monitoring plan – a plan to monitor the census project plans and management of information flows is an important part of census planning. It is advisable to develop a Gantt chart of integrated schedules, key milestones, and production operations. There should be a feedback loop that compares actual results with the plan and assesses the impact of any deviations from target dates and costs. The most important components to track are: the calendar time for completing a task, resource usage per task, cost per task, and milestones met. The plan should highlight what to review and the reporting mechanisms.
• Capacity building - any training required at any phase should be completed early enough so that those benefiting from the training can play an active role in census planning and operations. Different skills and resources are required for a digital census compared to a traditional paper-based census. This should also include peer-to-peer learning and collaboration between NSOs.
• Use of technology – all technological specifications to be used should be agreed in principle because they affect all phases of the census plan and should be integral to the planning process.
• Contracting out – the need to contract out some services should be an integral part of the plan, and the decisions on contracting out should inform the plan.

In establishing implementation committees, the following considerations should be made:

• The committees should have clear responsibilities and roles of providing advice on strategic or technical issues and will not only be involved in the planning and preparatory phases but also in the operational phases.
• The membership should have sufficient technical expertise and understanding of digital technologies to inform technological decisions.
• They should be created early enough to provide advice at the relevant time.
• As well as national committees, consideration should be given to regional committees which could assist with implementation activities and utilizing local knowledge and networks.