SALFORD CITY COUNCIL
DATA QUALITY STANDARDS
Introduction
1. Salford City Council recognises the importance of reliable information to the delivery of
excellent services to its customers. Data quality is crucial and the availability of complete,
accurate and timely data is important in supporting customer care, corporate governance,
management, service planning, accountability and adherence with audit/inspection processes.
The Council is therefore committed to ensuring it maintains the highest standards of data
quality and, as a result, gets its performance information right first time.
2. Significant improvements to data quality have been secured within the council over the last
few years both at a strategic and operational level. Integrating data quality into the Council’s
corporate performance management framework is an acknowledgement of the commitment
required to manage data quality effectively.
3. There are already a range of activities undertaken to ensure data collected,
recorded, analysed and reported is accurate, reliable and consistent.
The following are examples of work which has been undertaken to date in respect of
Salford's data quality assurance arrangements:* Production and approval of a corporate Data Quality Policy and a Data Quality delivery plan.
* Designation of Cllr Joe Murphy as the Lead Member for Data Quality and Martin Vickers
(Director of Change) as the Lead Director for Data Quality.
* Development and enhancement of a corporate performance indicator proforma and good
practice evidence file;
* Identification of Directorate PI Co-ordinators and individual PI Lead Officers for each
performance indicator (PI);
* Inclusion of data quality role in the job descriptions for all PI Co-ordinators and Pi Lead
Officers;
* Incorporation of data quality issues within published performance indicator guidance
documents;
* Annual assessment by Internal Audit of a sample of PIs incorporating a data quality element;
* Establishment of PIs Peer Group to consider, develop and share good practice across all
Directorates and externally in respect of data quality;
* Importance of data quality emphasised in performance management briefings/'Roadshows'
and published briefing document.
* Emphasis on data quality incorporated within performance management web pages for
access by all staff and externally.
Data Quality standards- What makes good quality data?
4. To assist in embedding data quality throughout the Council, the following standards have
been developed which are being communicated to staff and elected members to confirm the
expectations which the Council has as regards the quality of data produced and used within the
authority. The following standards have also been issued to external providers of data so that
they are fully aware of the data quality expectations of the Council.
Characteristic
Completeness
Requirements
Data quality systems should include monitoring to ensure the
completeness of the data being provided. Monitoring should take
place to assess:Is any data missing?
Is the data incomplete?
Have invalid records been included?
Accuracy
Data should be sufficiently accurate for its intended purposes.
Accuracy is most likely secured if data is captured as close to the
point of activity as possible.
The need for accuracy must be balanced with the importance of
the uses for the data and the costs and effort of collection. For
example, it may be appropriate to accept some degree of
inaccuracy where timeliness is important. Where compromises
have to be made on accuracy, then this needs to be made clear to
the recipients of the data.
Validity
Data should be recorded and used in compliance with relevant
requirements, including the correct application of any rules or
definitions eg: any definitions specified by a Government
body/Audit Commission. Any changes in definitions/requirements
should be made clear to the recipients of the data. This will ensure
consistency between periods and with comparisons with other
organisations using similar data.
Where proxy data is used to compensate for an absence of actual
data, this must be made clear to the recipients of the data so that
consideration can be given as to how well the proxy data satisfies
the intended purpose.
Characteristic
Reliability
Requirements
Data should reflect stable and consistent data collection processes
across collection points and over time, whether using manual or
computer-based systems.
Reliability can be ensured by having data controls in place such
as:Sample checks on data output from a system
Sample checks on data input into a system
Are the correct timeframes being used?
Are definitions/other specified requirements being adhered to?
Can ‘peer challenge’ be introduced within the process? ie: external
checks/ audits on the systems in place.
Timeliness
Data should be captured as soon as possible after the event or
activity and must be available to the recipients for the intended use
within a reasonable and agreed timeframe. Data must be available
quickly and frequently enough to support information needs and to
influence the appropriate level of service or management
decisions.
Relevance
Data captured should be relevant to the purposes for which it is
used. This should involve periodic reviews with the recipient of
requirements to reflect changing needs.
Contact Officer:
Should you have any queries in respect of data quality or wish to find out further information,
please contact Neil Watts, Policy & Improvement Team, Chief Executive Directorate.
Tel: 0161 793 3446
Neil.watts@salford.gov.uk
Date produced: 10th May, 2007