How the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) brought its core data processing pipeline into the 21st century.

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2. Contents
1 Origins Winter
2002-03
Background • A World of Change • Coping • Embracing Change
2 Mapping the Process Spring
2003
Goals • Example • Notation • Steps • Results • Gallery • Criteria
3 Designing the Future Summer
2003
The Process Improvement Committee • Initial Idea Generation •
Evolution and Revolution • Ideal • Principles • Reports • Communication
4 Getting External Feedback Fall
2003
The External Review Committee • Formation • Steps • Recommendations
5 Implementing Change Winter
2003-04
Collecting Suggestions • Planning Projects • Themes • Stages •
Progress So Far • Timeframes • Timelines
6 Designing the Metaprocess Spring
2004
The Action Cycle • The Data Model • Criteria
7 Looking Ahead Summer
2004
Delivery • Evaluation • Anticipated Challenges • Reflections
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3. 1.
Origins Background
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4. 1.
Origins A World of Change
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5. Data exploration, subsetting
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6. 1.
Origins Embracing Change
2 3 4
Description
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9. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Notation
Circles Arrows Dashed arrows
depict tasks: show sequences of tasks: show input/output
between tasks and
repositories:
Task
Owner
Details, details,
details ...
Arrows normally flow left
Each task has a to right; error corrections
• name loop back right to left.
• owner
Arrows can be labelled
• description
with text and icons to
depict data being passed
from one task to the next.
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11. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Results
Process diagrams + Reference diagrams
with progressive levels of detail: to assist the reader:
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12. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Outsider’s View
• Shows ICPSR as an opaque box in its “outside world” context
• Shows what goes in and what comes out
• Fits on one page!
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13. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Insider’s View
• Shows major steps and who’s responsible for each
• Fits on one page!
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15. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Who’s Who
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16. 2.
Mapping
the Process
Visual Dictionary
1. Basic Building Blocks
Tasks • Sequences • Milestones
2. Aggregation
Areas • References • Summaries
3. Data Flow
Between Tasks • Between Tasks
and Repositories
4. Branching
Conditional Tasks • Alternate Paths
• Decision Points • Multiple
Scenarios
5. Looping
Recurring Tasks • Iterating Tasks •
Error Correction Loops
6. Task Decorations
Time • Automation • Mystery
7. Annotations
Notes • Questions • Wishes •
Suggestions • Predictions
8. Documents
Generic • Physical • Electronic
9. Media
Transmission • Portable Electronic
• Storage
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17. Executable One can trace the entire path of a typical (or, better,
any) job through the pipeline, without apology,
handwaving, or falling off the map.
Multilevel The diagram should make sense at multiple levels of
detail — from far away and close up.
Recognizable Pipeline staff can identify themselves and their work
in the diagram.
Accurate Pipeline staff attest to its correctness; and it correctly
predicts the path of actual jobs.
Illuminating Staff mention helpful insights they get from
examining the diagram.
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18. Charge • Clarify the process
• Simplify the process to omit redundant or unnecessary tasks
• Reorder tasks within the overall process
• Minimize or ease hand-offs between groups
• Automate
– tasks that require little human intelligence or judgment
– tasks where there may be an advantage in encoding
policies and practices within software systems
• Reassign tasks from one group to another, to simplify
processing or reduce hand-offs
• Eliminate steps that produce physical paper products; replace
these products with electronic data, forms, or images
• Generate or process new types of files for dissemination
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19. 3.
Designing
the Future
Initial Idea Generation
Teams and Themes
• Hand-offs between groups and/or
people
• Generation of paper/documents
• Automation
• Centralized vs. distributed
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20. 3.
Designing
the Future
Evolution and Revolution
• “Evolutionary” ideas
– Initial focus on incremental improvements to
current process
• Now what?
• “Revolutionary” ideas
– Focus shifted to designing a new process
– Ideas that would require an org chart change
or a nontrivial technology investment
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21. 3.
Designing
the Future
“Ideal” Pipeline Process
5 16
Archive Archive
Acquired Processed
Study Study
Archival Archival
Operations Operations
1 2 3 4 6-14 15 17 18
Conduct Conduct
Submit Acquire Acquisition Central Release Announce
Initiate a Study the Study Processing the Study the Study
Review Quality
Review
Submitter Submitter Acquisitions Acquisitions Processor User Support User Support
or Central
Quality
ICPSR Reviewer
7
Build
Data
Set
Processor
8
6 Build 10 11 12 13 14
Plan Metadata Conduct Produce Produce Complete Conduct
the Set Integration Core Data Full Data Document Unit
Processing Processor Check Suite Suite Set Quality
Processor Editor Another Processor Processor Processor Review
Processor Another
Librarian Processor
9
Build
Document
Set
EDC
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22. 3.
Designing
the Future
Guiding Principles
• Automation
• Standardization
• Centralization
• Quality Control
• Version Control
• Focus on the User
• Electronic Collection Management
• Staff Development and Career Path Expansion
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24. 3.
Designing
the Future
Communication with Staff
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25. 3.
Designing
the Future
Reflections
• Enlightening experience
• Helps us better see the forest and the trees
• Unique opportunity for collaboration
• Optimistic about future as implementation of
process improvement unfolds
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26. Steps
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27. 4.
Getting
External Feedback
Recommendations
Key Recommendations from External Review Committee Report
Based on the Reports:
• Implement the evolutionary recommendations outlined in the Report on the Pipeline
Process now; don’t wait for the “Ideal Future” to be finalized.
• Assign an implementation project manager who is responsible for assuring completion
of these goals.
• Create a redesign implementation committee to refine and operationalize the “Ideal
Future” Process considered in the Second Report.
Beyond the Reports but fundamental to ICPSR’s mission and reputation:
• Undertake an internal review of data security practices and procedures culminating in
an outside review by a responsible agency.
• Create a high-level acquisitions strategy committee to coordinate an overarching ICPSR
acquisition policy and strategy.
• Articulate a preservation policy that encompasses the multitude of current and
increasingly varied data types that result from social science research.
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28. 5.
Implementing
Change
Collecting Suggestions
Staff suggestions are posted on the ICPSR Intranet:
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29. 5.
Implementing
Change
Planning Projects
Some suggestions lead to structured project plans, also posted
on the Intranet:
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30. To help make sense of a long list of projects, each one is
assigned a primary “theme”:
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31. 5.
Implementing
Change
Project Stages
Awaiting
Awaiting resource
In proposal management In project commitment Under
development approval planning and scheduling construction
1 2 3 4 6 7
Proposal Approval Planning Scheduling Implementation Done
5
Holding
Awaiting another
project completion
or other event
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32. 5.
Implementing
Change
Progress So Far
34 projects total in the queue for consideration or implementation:
18 from the original set of PIC recommendations
16 added since then
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33. 5.
Implementing
Change
Project Timeframes
Timeframe "Quick and "Small and "Automation” "Research
category
Easy” Straightforward” First”
Actual or
Expected 2003 Q4 2004 Q1 2004 Q2 2004 Q2
Completion √ √ and beyond and beyond
Example
Project P0003 P0008 P0006 P0010
Study Numbers Tool Repository Study Tracking File Naming
Accelerate Create a shared System Standardize the
generation of server directory of Create an naming of study
Study Numbers supported software automated system files across the
tools to track the pipeline
progress of studies
through the ICPSR
pipeline
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34. 5.
Implementing
Change
Project Timelines
• A visual overview of expected calendar time for all projects
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35. 6.
Designing the
Metaprocess
The Action Cycle
A map of the
process
of
process
improvement
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36. 6.
Designing the
Metaprocess
The Data Model
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37. Learns from every cycle; self-modifies as necessary
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38. PIC Update • PIC altered from ad hoc to standing committee
with rotating membership
• PIC membership was refreshed May 2004:
6 new members, 6 continuing
• Link Fine Details with Big Picture
• Understand, then Change
• First, Do No Harm but Keep Moving Forward
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39. Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
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