Page 59 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 1

IPS57 Eric Rancourt
3. Hypotheses: Hypotheses are formulated and/or a design is elaborated
with a view to test;
4. Check point: Once hypotheses and a design are developed, a pause
is made to ensure risks, sensitivity, ethics, legal or other
considerations are adequately taken into account;
5. Test / Do: A test is conducted on the first and possibly in more than
one iteration, and then the approach is implemented;
6. Analysis: Results are studied and conclusions are drawn;
7. Communication: Findings are communicated to peers and open for
constructive criticism;
8. Iteration: The process is iterated after the test for subsequent tests or
for implementation.

Needs  Observation  Hypotheses  Check point  Test/Do  Communication

Finally, progress is/should not only be communicated at the end of the cycle,
but throughout the cycle.

3.3 Materialization of the approach in the Methodology Branch
At Statistics Canada, methodology services are centralized in the
Methodology Branch where expert resources are assigned to support projects.
This enables the development of consistent methods in surveys and facilitates
knowledge exchange between methodologists working on different
programs. Still in this structure, there are numerous interactions between
methodologists and subject matter and other specialists. The Methodology
Branch is centralized, but does not work in isolation.
Whether the work is oriented towards research, development or
production, in all cases the scientific approach is followed. This approach has
traditionally been implicitly imbedded into the methodological practices, but
substantial efforts are deployed to make the approach even more explicit. The
aim is not only to increase transparency but also to actively promote rigour
through a consistent principled-based approach. Concretely, the scientific
approach materializes itself as follows:
1. Needs. A proactive approach, centered on users and focusing on
prospective work to identify needs sooner than before, has been
increasingly adopted in the wake of Statistics Canada’s modernization
and Methodology’s new vision. This allows methodologists to gain a
head start in the application of the scientific approach.
2. Observation. In Methodology, this often takes the form of a literature
review, accompanied by research on what was done in the past for the

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