RAP expectations

Expectations for analysts and senior colleagues around RAP

RAP Expectations

As government analysts working with statistics, we are required to ensure that our analysis is reproducible, transparent, and robust, using coding and code management best practices (source GSG competency framework). Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) are a cross-government requirement to help analysts adopt best practices.

We expect any analyst to know and be able to implement RAP principles, using the recommended tools to meet at least good and great practice. You can see examples of good, great, and best practice on our RAP in statistics guidance page.

We expect managers of analysts working in statistics production to support and prioritise the development required to build the skills needed to implement RAP using the recommended tools. Managers should ensure that the processes for any publications they own meet at least good and great practice.

Although RAP is often discussed in the context of statistics production, RAP principles can also be applied to other analysis work. The cross-government RAP strategy states a number of explicit expectations for analysts involved in the process, which are detailed in the following sections: analyst leaders, analyst managers and analysts.

Analyst leaders

Those giving senior sign off on publications and running analytical functions, usually G6 and SCS, analyst leaders will:

  • ensure their analysts build RAP learning and development time into work plans
  • help their teams to work with DDaT professionals to share knowledge
  • promote a “RAP by default” approach for all appropriate analysis
  • write and implement strategic plans to develop new analyses with RAP principles, and to redevelop existing products with RAP principles
  • lead their RAP champions to advise analysis teams on how to implement RAP
  • help teams to incorporate RAP development into workplans
  • identify the most valuable projects by looking at how much capability the team already has and how risky and time-consuming the existing process is
  • communicate the benefits of RAP to analysts, managers, and users

Analyst managers

Roughly equivalent to Team Leaders and G7, analyst managers will:

  • work with security and IT teams to give analysts access to the right tools
  • work with security and IT teams to develop platforms that are easy for analysts to access, flexible and responsive to the needs of analysts
  • work with security, IT, and data teams to make sure that the tools data analysts need are available in the right place and are easy to access
  • build extra time into projects to adopt new skills and practices where appropriate
  • learn the skills they need to manage software
  • evaluate RAP projects within organisations to understand and demonstrate the benefits of RAP
  • mandate their teams use RAP principles whenever possible

Analysts

Analysts working on analysis in government will:

  • use open-source tools wherever whenever appropriate
  • open source their code
  • work with data engineers and architects to make sure that source data are versioned and stored so that analysis can be reproduced
  • learn the skills they need to implement RAP principles
  • engage with users of their analysis to demonstrate the value of RAP principles and build motivation for development
  • deliver their analysis using RAP
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