The Big Aqua Book of Beginner Books (Beginner Books(r))

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This publication will help analysts and users of analysis understand why reproducibility is important and how to deliver it. Our vision for analysis Managers will build in time to allow analysts to develop their capability. From our work with teams, we believe most analysts can learn to do RAP if they work at least one day per week on a RAP project with a mentor for three months. The Code of Practice for Statistics sets the standards that producers of official statistics should commit to. The Office for Statistics Regulation endorses RAP as a method which helps analysts to follow the Code. Analysts carry out analysis in line with the Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) principles by default. Leaders give them the time to do so. Leaders expect analysis to be conducted using RAP principles where appropriate, and users see the benefits of this approach. Why it matters to achieve the right culture All values in the economic dimension are expressed in real prices relating to the first year of the proposal. This means that the average inflation rate is removed. Discounting is based on the concept of time preference, which is that generally people prefer value now rather than later. This has nothing to do with inflation, because it is true even at constant prices. Discounting converts costs and benefits into present values by allowing for society’s preference for now compared with the future. It is used to allow comparison of future values in terms of their value in the present which is always assumed to be the base year of the proposal. For example if Projects A and B have identical costs and benefits but Project B delivers a year earlier, time preference gives Project B, a higher present value because it is discounted by a year less than project A.

All other analysis that does not feed into a GSS business critical model or statistical output should follow the top tips. Use common sense and professional judgement to decide how much detail you need. If the analysis is a simple data extraction or presentation of simple analyses, you may not need to undertake all the steps. Analytical leaders will promote a “RAP by default” approach so that we encourage more analysts to gain the capability to implement RAP. Having more analysts in the public sector with these skills will make it easier for organisations to recruit analysts who are familiar with this way of working. It will make it easier for other analysts to gain those skills through mentoring and peer review. This guidance supports statistics producers in meeting the quality requirements of the UK Code of Practice for Statistics and understanding of Eurostat’s European Statistics Code of Practice, which sets out five dimensions for measuring the quality of statistical outputs. Programmes are usually more complex and provide an umbrella under which their enabling projects can be coordinated and delivered.

Introduction

It is necessary to set out clearly the purpose of the intervention. This is known as the rationale, and in central government overall policy objectives are determined by ministers or other decision makers. Officials should identify and design alternative options to achieve these stated objectives. Advice must be based on objective analysis and real options.

Producers of statistics and data should explain clearly how they assure themselves that statistics and data are accurate, reliable, coherent and timely. A Project is a temporary organisation designed to produce a specific predefined output at a specified time using predetermined resources. The strategy proposes actions to get the right tools, develop the right capability, and build the right culture for RAP. Some organisations have already achieved some of the proposed actions. Some actions may not be relevant to all organisations.

Contents

Analyst teams will be multidisciplinary and will work with digital teams so that they can deliver high quality and valuable analysis products through application programmable interfaces (APIs), interactive visualisations and regularly updating dashboards. Strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve an overall aim or objective. Derived originally from the art of planning and directing overall military operations and movements in a war or battle. In government appraisal costs and benefits are discounted using the social time preference rate as explained in Chapter 5 and paragraphs 5.32 to 5.39 as well as Annex 5. The reason for social discounting is to allow proposals of different lengths and with different profiles of net costs and benefits over time to be compared on a common basis. For reasons explained in Chapter 5 it does not need to be concerned with the cost of capital which is dealt with elsewhere by other means. Selecting the preferred option and public value for money Q3.4 Scheduled revisions, or unscheduled corrections that result from errors, should be explained alongside the statistics, being clear on the scale, nature, cause and impact.