Online Census platform a triumph for Stats NZ and SilverStripe. Case study of the 2018 digital Census

Transcription

1 Online Census platform a triumph for Stats NZ and SilverStripe Case study of the 2018 digital Census Census 2018

2 For the more than three million people who completed it online, New Zealand s 2018 Census was a success, due largely to an agile relationship between SilverStripe and Stats NZ. Project background Stats NZ is the lead agency for government-held data. Their role is to collect information and data from people and organisations. This information is used to publish insights and data about New Zealand, and support others to use the data collected. While a digital census isn t unique, New Zealand s decision to make it digital first was world leading. The 2018 Census moved away from paper and set a target for 70% of respondents to complete their census forms online. There were a range of challenges involved, from project complexity and duration to rigorous load testing, accessibility, and security. Stats NZ also learnt from their colleagues in Australia and the experience of their 2016 Census, which helped identify critical factors for the planning and delivery of an online platform.

3 SilverStripe designed and built the Internet Collection System (ICS). It was hosted on SilverStripe s Common Web Platform. The 2018 online platform was a success, with approximately three million people completing their forms online by census day. This meant that Stats NZ exceeded their 70% target for online completion, with over 82% of responses coming in online by the end of the collection phase. Stats NZ said that online data is highquality data. The online platform was easy for people to use, and ensured accessibility across a range of devices smartphones, tablets and screen readers for the vision impaired. The system was also designed to enable the user to toggle the language of the questions between te reo Māori and English. The all of government common web platform The CWP is a Platform as a Service offering for New Zealand Government websites. SilverStripe is contracted by the Department of Internal Affairs to provide the platform. It is a bundle of technology and services that enable government agencies to quickly, cost-effectively, and safely build highly functional websites to service their stakeholders.

4 A digital first for New Zealand the journey to 2018 Although not at the forefront of online censuses, New Zealand lead in terms of using online technology to collect census data. Having completed an online pilot in 2006, it was clear that in terms of ease of use, stability, costs and data quality, moving away from paper to an online form was the way forward. There were going to be a number of technological challenges to meet, the largest of which was the online form itself. It needed to be easy to use, stable and provide high quality data. There would be no room for it to fall over because of any inability to handle the load. There was enormous pressure on Stats NZ to deliver an online Census that would withstand the load, and provide a positive online experience for all respondents. Moving the census online and minimising the use of the paper option would, hopefully, encourage most respondents to get behind the 2018 Census and complete it on or before 6 March.

5 The Agile SilverStripe connection When the search began for development partners to design and build the kind of online questionnaire that would be critical to the success of the project, SilverStripe were known to Stats NZ, having built an agricultural survey for Stats NZ in Given the size and scale of the project, Stats NZ ran a full tender and selection process, generating interest from a number of suppliers. Stats NZ cite the fact that SilverStripe are Agile developers as key in their decision-making process. They were specifically looking for an Agile partner, and they needed someone who would work with them as the model was developed and tested. Because of the multiple testing phases, Stats NZ didn t want to specify requirements up front; they needed a partner who could be part of the journey without needing to know all the stops along the way. TEST & FEEDBACK What is Agile? Agile methodologies emerged from REVIEW REPEAT BUILD software development processes. It uses iterative cycles in which solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organising cross-functional teams. Agile focuses on people, communication, usable outputs, and continuous learning. When using Agile, teams incrementally deliver working software in short PLAN Product backlog of work RELEASE Working increment of the backlog time-boxed iterations. Activities, including feature prioritisation, coding, and testing, happen in parallel. Each iteration builds upon its predecessor until the project is feature-complete. AGILE PROCESS See more at silverstripe.com

6 Load ability and performance the critical challenges With millions of people completing the census online in a short period of time, it was essential that Stats NZ had confidence in the solution s ability to handle extreme load levels and still perform. Between them, Stats NZ, SilverStripe and an independent company ran a series of performance and security tests to make sure that the system would not only meet, but surpass the anticipated load levels which would change during each day, with different peak times. SilverStripe s challenge was to design and build an Internet Collection System (ICS the digital online questionnaire) that would not just live up to, but exceed expectations. It was a complex task that involved the entire development team to work through issues and complications presented throughout the development phases. How the forms connected and worked with each other involved complications that were largely in the backend, and SilverStripe s developers were able to resolve them. They also led the performance and security testing, with the help of Stats NZ testers who would check and analyse the results. A key factor in designing and building the ICS was accessibility. It needed to perform not just on computers, but on smartphones, tablets, and on screen readers for people with vision impairments. It was also required to toggle between English and te reo. The scale and complexity of these requirements, coupled with the desire to make the online form as clean and simple as possible, presented layers of challenges that the combined team of Stats NZ and SilverStripe were able to resolve.

7 Smooth sailing and visibility When the Census went live, Stats NZ staff worked with SilverStripe to watch as the ICS went into production and the data started coming in. Stats NZ cites SilverStripe s metrics and dashboards as key, as visibility was straightforward and easy. It was amazingly uneventful for such a complicated system. At the heart of the higher than expected online response rate was SilverStripe s ICS, which, as Stats NZ says, was the cornerstone of the whole project. The calibre of SilverStripe s staff was very high as Stats NZ point out, they re not just skilled, they were also very motivated, committed, and responsive. A win-win outcome Taking the census online has resulted in a number of benefits such as lowering costs of conducting census in the future and providing high quality data. For people completing the census, the online version is quick and efficient. Software developers have commented on how clean the online form was, understanding the work that had gone in behind the scenes to achieve this. Stats NZ emphasise how critical SilverStripe were to the success of the project there was no room for error. It was simply not allowed to fall over, and SilverStripe met the challenges, dealt with the pressure, and delivered. The calibre of SilverStripe s staff was very high they re not just skilled, they were also very motivated, committed, and responsive.

8 About SilverStripe SilverStripe are passionate about the limitless possibilities of the web. Strong advocates of open source software, their core products SilverStripe CMS and Framework are both open source. SilverStripe solve complex organisational problems through innovative solutions that help people work together better. As well as supporting the community that helps grow their open source project, SilverStripe work with a number of clients across government, banking, utilities, and telecommunications. SilverStripe Platform is their managed platform offering that helps organisations start fast and stay fast by delivering 24/7 support, site maintenance, security, and hosting. SilverStripe use Agile as a way of running projects that place an emphasis on people, communication, working software, and responding to change. Their use of Agile extends beyond processes alone, influencing everything they do. They ve seen firsthand how Agile empowers happier, more productive teams while delivering the best results for clients. Looking to digitally transform your current practices to become more cohesive and integrated? Talk to the expert team at SilverStripe today. solutions@silverstripe.com