Quality management

The data, analyses and syntheses produced by the Institut must meet as fully as possible the needs that users consider most important.

The objective is to have both an overview and a sufficiently detailed description of the situation and trends in the society and economy.

The statistical information generated or used by the Institut must be as accurate as possible.

It must be produced in a way that:

• minimizes the typical errors that normally affect data; and
• maximizes scientific rigour in the interpretations, analyses and syntheses produced on the basis of the data.

The objective is to ensure that the work measures reality as precisely as possible.

Statistical information must be based as much as possible on concepts, classifications, population units, measurement tools, conceptual frameworks, and integration frameworks consistent with international standards, while leaving room for justified particularities or innovations.

The objective is for users to be able to:

• ensure that the statistical information is consistent with that from other sources in the same field or between related fields;
• compare the information in time and space in order to identify trends and changes that arise; and
• examine the situation at various geographic levels or between various jurisdictions, from regional, national and international standpoints.

The statistical information must be produced and disseminated within the shortest possible time frame or with the appropriate frequency so as to minimize the time lag with the period or moment of observation.

The time when it becomes available must be in keeping with the announced or agreed upon deadline.

The explanations required for the adequate interpretation and use of the statistical information must be provided to users in as clear and as adapted a manner as possible.

They must be presented succinctly in layman’s terms or in a more specialized and elaborate manner, depending on the medium and the types of users and their needs.

The conditions under which the statistical information is obtained must be as simple and as user-friendly as possible.

The information that best suits the needs of users must be made available to them in various formats and modes of access at the time it is needed, based on their anticipated use and the technical means they have available.