5. Census Testing and Pilots
Recommendations
Based on the selected country experiences and the lessons learned during implementation of a digital pilot census, the following recommendations are made to inform future PHCs:
-
Adequate budgeting and resourcing for a pilot census and other testing activities should be taken into consideration to avoid budgetary constraints as was the case in Kenya that budgeted for one pilot exercise. There is a need to provide adequate resources to undertake the pilot census, questionnaire pretests and the subsequent post pilot testing exercises. Effective planning and resourcing for the pilot and pretests needs to be carefully done as this is normally overlooked during the planning process. See more on budgeting.
-
A comprehensive proposal on census testing implementation should be developed. This should include all aspects to be tested at each stage - before, during and after the pilot. For each aspect to be tested, the methodology for testing, the measurement and use of the testing, the budget, and the workplan should all be described.
-
The purposively selected EAs for the pilot census should be exhaustive within the country’s context including EAs which are challenging in terms of internet connectivity. This will enable testing of contingency plans for when the internet fails.
-
Prior to the census pilot implementation, all digital data collection tools including all application menus should be tested and the data generated should be used to make reviews such as on the batch editing program, the monitoring dashboard etc. Avoid conducting a pilot census when all is not set, including the questionnaire content.
-
It is important to ensure that all the aspects of the digital PHC are tested before the actual census. After each modification, a test should be done to ensure that the updated data capture and monitoring system is working properly.
-
Staff recruitment and training procedures should be prepared in advance and be part of the pilot census test, they should also take language issues and renumeration into account. It is ideal to recruit enumerators from within or around the EAs to avoid the experience of Ethiopia. However, the pilot experience enabled strict adherence to the recruitment guidelines for the main PHC to ensure appropriate personnel are recruited. It is important to place the advert for fieldworkers in media communications at least 2 to 3 months prior to the recruitment period, to allow enough time for the verification process i.e. whether field staff meet the necessary requirements for recruitment etc. (Namibia). Countries also recommended that an independent e-recruitment system customised to the recruitment needs of the agency may be used. See more on recruitment.