Quality Management: A Pragmatic Approach – Experiences and Results

As a National Statistical Institute, Statistics Austria has to provide high-quality statistical pro- ducts and information services. To fulfil this obligation in particular in times of substantial challen- ges by the environment and by user demands, Statistics Austria bases its strategic management on the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM). The Federal Statistics Act, being in force since 2000, has set a new and modern framework for the statistical work including concrete TQM features. On this basis, a TQM concept has been developed in the recent years which comprehensively covers the quality aspects of the whole institution: Apart from the quality of the products, it comprises the quality of the process, its efficiency, the qualification and motivation of the staff members, and the quality of the services provided to clients. The focus of the TQM concept is on the dimensions pro- duct quality, customer satisfaction, reduction of respondent’s burden, efficiency and staff orientation.
Implementing this TQM concept, various projects have been carried out that help to achieve pro- gress in each of these areas. These projects include writing standard quality reports for each of the statistical products, arranging feedback talks in order to get advice for improvements for the statisti- cal products, establishing a comprehensive training program for the staff, implementing a tool for measuring the response burden, redefining the dissemination policy and others. Designing a TQM project includes the definition of one or several goals; such goals are the basis for measuring the effects of measures taken within the project. Increase of actuality of statistical products is a rather obvious effect, measured by the extent of compliance with the release calendar. Reduction of the response burden on enterprises needs the implementation of a suitable device such as the response burden barometer of Statistics Austria.