The Decennial Data Collection Environment… What It’s Really Like

1. The Decennial Data Collection Environment…What It’s Really Like Field Data Collection Automation Symposium Field Division Breakout Session February 28, 2005

2. The Decennial Census Experience • Including First-Hand Perspectives from: • Census Headquarters • Regional Census Center • Local Census Office • Crew Leader • Enumerator NOTE: This briefing describes the decennial census experience from a field data collection perspective during Census 2000. FDCA requirements related to the 2010 Census are not addressed in this presentation. Presentation Overview by Tim Olson Census 2000 Assistant Regional Census Manager, Seattle Region Decennial Management Training, Oversight, and Recruiting Branch, Census Bureau Headquarters (current)

3. HQ The Census Field Data Collection Structure during Census 2000 • Headquarters • Regional Census Centers (12) • Local Census Offices (520)

4. Collecting Data from Millions of Non-Responding Households • Mailback / Internet Non-responding Households make up the vast majority of housing unit workload at the local level • Update / Enumerate targets communities with special enumeration needs, such as American Indian reservations • Remote Alaska is unique and challenging • Puerto Rico enumeration presents unique challenges

5. The Decennial Census is one of our Nation’s Largest Efforts • During Census 2000 we . . . • Recruited 3.7 million job applicants • Hired 500,000 temporary field workers over 3-week period • Provided enumerator training at 31,200 donated training sites during one-week time period • Opened 520 temporary census offices for one or two year period • Completed interviews with more than 44 million households during 8-week period • Conducted quality assurance interviews with more than 2.5 million households

6. HEADQUARTERS FIELD DECENNIAL MANAGEMENT…A DAY IN THE LIFEPresented by Gail LeithauserAssistant Division Chief for Data Collection Operations, Field DivisionCensus Bureau Headquarters

7. Headquarters Field Decennial Management - A Day in the Life • Need to be ready to “hit the field” on time • Headquarters trains regional management staff and communicates via teleconferences and videoconferences • Headquarters sets performance goals for regions by operation, date, and percent complete

8. Headquarters Field Decennial Management (cont’d) • Some operations must be completed before another can begin. • Headquarters oversees cost and progress data on a daily basis and needs accurate, timely reports • Quality and quantity – both are critical to success

9. Headquarters Field Decennial Management (cont’d) • Time critical dates for 2010 • April 1, 2010 Census Day • December 31, 2010 Population Counts to President

10. REGIONAL MANAGEMENT…A DAY IN THE LIFE DURING CENSUS 2000Presented by James F. HolmesRegional DirectorAtlanta Regional Office

11. Regional Management . . . A Day in the Life • Open Regional Census Center • Recruit and hire temporary professional staff in the Regional Census Center • Open and staff each Local Census Office with Managers

12. Regional Management (cont’d) • Implement cascaded training concept • Monitor data collection cost and progress on daily basis • Keep recruitment, hiring, training, and data collection operations on schedule • Solve critical field and office problems on a daily or hourly basis

13. Regional Management (cont’d) • Automation either helps or gets in the way of data collection • The Regional Census Center is in the “Eye of the Storm” during data collection operations. Critical oversight from state and local officials, the media, community organizations, and Congressional offices.

14. LOCAL CENSUS OFFICE MANAGEMENT…A DAY IN THE LIFE DURING CENSUS 2000 Presented by Gabriel SanchezCensus 2000 Local Census Office Manager in Colorado Team Leader, Decennial Recruiting and Oversight, Census Bureau Headquarters (current)

15. Local Census Office Management • Operations were often concurrent • The Census Train • Shifting and managing resources • Logistics and office management • There were many support operations in the LCO before during and after field work

16. Local Census Office Management (cont’d) • Recruiting and hiring temporary Census Workers • Community-based recruiting and hiring • Temporary, part-time workforce with basic skills • Training office and field staff through cascaded training method; large scale, many options • Why training is cascaded and structured including verbatim • Sometimes vast distance between work and support systems

17. Local Census Office Management (cont’d) • Processing work daily from field staff • Our mantra is Production with Quality • Monitoring progress daily • Fixing problems to keep things rolling • Support from the chain of command • Quality assurance operations • Concurrent with data collection operations • Separate from data collection operations

18. Local Census Office Management (cont’d) • Daily production reports • Cascade analysis and action – Leveled reports • Pressure flows down the chain • The focus point of the pressure is the Crew Leader • Providing leadership to dispersed temporary staff of 1,000 persons • Human beings and production • Total focus of all activities: supporting the enumerator who knocks on the door

19. CENSUS CREW LEADER …A DAY IN THE LIFE DURING CENSUS 2000Presented by Linda ClarkCensus 2000 Area Manager in the Bay Area, CaliforniaDecennial Management Training, Census Headquarters (current)

20. Census Crew Leader...A Day in the Life • Crew Leader training • I was hired and trained about 2 weeks before I trained my enumerators • I had little or no prior census experience • Enumerator training • Donated space - wherever you can find it • Enumerator crew - “the faces of the neighborhood” • Training includes everything they need to do their job • Daily meetings with crew - Importance of Communication • Meeting in field - not in Local Census Office • Review of work and daily payroll • Answer questions - Ask questions

21. Census Crew Leader (cont’d) • Production - Sense of Urgency • Management Reports identify problems quickly • Solutions must be implemented daily • Work must sometimes be reassigned or reworked • Close out = completed questionnaire for every housing unit

22. Census Crew Leader (cont’d) • Quality control: • Review > Retrain > Release • Assess skills during training • Perform quality control checks • Provide on-the-job training (OJT) • Release enumerators for unacceptable work

23. Census Crew Leader (cont’d) •  Human resources issues Support enumerators Terminate for documented cause, performance or conduct Conduct replacement enumerator training early

24. Census Crew Leader (cont’d) • Mantras for the Census Environment Cut bait Trust, but verify Plan ahead, or the bears will get you Someone is checking your work every day This moving train will leave some people behind

25. CENSUS ENUMERATOR…A DAY IN THE LIFE DURING CENSUS 2000Presented by Richard EdwardsCensus 2000 Enumerator in the Philadelphia RegionCensus Field Representative in Maryland (current)

26. Census Enumerator…A Day in the Life • I have little or no prior census experience • I am trained with 20 other people • I receive verbatim training for 3 – 5 days • I am self-sufficient • I have one point of contact, the next level up the chain (my crew leader) • I meet with my crew leader every day to review my work and turn in daily payroll forms

27. Census Enumerator (cont’d) • I meet with my crew leader in public locations, such as 7-11 parking lots, Burger Kings, and public libraries • I work from my home, and do not report to the local census office • The data I collect is confidential • I plan my own route of travel within my assigned area • I do the work I have to do around my own schedule and when people will be home

28. Census Enumerator (cont’d) • I use my car or public transportation to complete my assignments • I carry large amounts of material • I often encounter access and language issues, as well as hostility while knocking on doors • I make multiple attempts to complete interviews, sometimes visiting a single household up to 6 times • When I knock on a door, I am holding the address register, a questionnaire, a census map, a language flash card, a privacy act notice, and both a black and red pencil

29. QUESTIONS & ANSWERSABOUT DECENNIALFIELD OPERATIONS