ESeC – Workplan

The Workplan for the duration of the ESeC project consists of a series of Work packages each of which are associated with one of the following activities:

  • Research and technological development / innovation-related activities
  • Demonstration activities
  • Project Management Activities

The table below indicates how the Work packages are distributed amongst the three types of activity.

WP1234567891011121314
RTD/InnovationXXXXXXXXXXXX
DemonstrationX
Project managementX

Work package 1 is concerned with Project Management activities for the project. Work packages 2-13 consist of research activities and Work package 14 involves demonstration activities.

The following sections contain detailed information about the Workplan.

Implementation plan introduction – description and milestones

The work of the project is divided into fourteen packages designed so as to achieve the ultimate objective of a conceptually clear and validated ESeC. The design of the workplan will ensure that the ESeC passes through a number of iterations before being finalised. These iterations each include key milestones. At the first of these, the partners will discuss the prototype ESeC defined by the Eurostat Expert Group and will resolve a number of outstanding theoretical and practical issues previously considered by the group. The outcome resulting from this discussion will lead to the creation of derivation matrices for the initial version of ESeC. The next significant phase will involve using the ESeC for the first time with relevant European datasets. The results of this exercise will provide evidence of variation in major social indicators by ESeC categories enabling partners to discuss at a workshop how the prototype can be further refined, and how partners should then implement validation studies. The conference following the studies marks a vital stage in the development of the ESeC as it is at this point that partners, using the results of the validation studies, will agree any changes to the prototype and produce a final version of the ESeC. Finally, the creation of an operational guide and a workshop to assist all EU member states and new member states in using the ESeC will both be influential in highlighting how the project has progressed and what have been its achievements. The workshop will allow new member states to consider the advantages of using the ESeC and it is hoped that this will lead to the successful adoption of the ESeC by NSIs and Eurostat.

The workplan is designed so that the sequence of work will ensure that partners have the necessary information required in order to reach their individual objectives. Through the Work packages, each partner will be fully involved in all aspects of the project, aware of their role and responsibilities within it and when their deliverables are required. The four planned workshops and conferences will assist both in the necessary exchange of ideas and presentation of results, as well as in the dissemination of information beyond the partners about the project.

In terms of the plan methodology, ONS, as the partner responsible for WP 1, will implement the various components of the project management framework such as common standards, quality monitoring, and control procedures throughout the project.

Workplanning and timetable

The project is made up of fourteen work packages. Most of the work packages follow on from each other therefore the project has not been split into phases. The duration of the project is 24 months with month 1 indicating the start of the project.

This is the timetable and the timing of each work package for the whole duration of the project beginning from October 2004.

The structure of the workplan and the interdependency between work packages (WP1-14) is illustrated here. The partner best qualified to coordinate the tasks involved will take the lead for each work package.

Interdependencies and overlaps

The various links between the WPs may be explained as follows:

  • WP1 will be implemented throughout the project to ensure that all the monitoring, control, communications and reporting mechanisms of the project operate smoothly and effectively. All other WPs are dependent on links with WP1 for project support and communication;
  • WP2 involves producing the ESeC prototype. Consequently, there is a critical dependency of its creation on the application of the ESeC to various data sources. It will act as a basis from which efforts are made to apply and modify the derivation matrices in WPs 3 and 4;
  • WP3 and WP4 are each necessary to examine how well the derivation matrices developed in WP2 may be applied to data sources and how the prototype might require refinement before validation of the ESeC in WPs 5-11;
  • The success of the conference in WP 12 to discuss validation results is dependent on the evidence provided by partners in WPs 5-11. Any final changes made to the ESeC prototype at the conference will also be in light of the results from these previous WPs.
  • The web-based operational guide created in WP 13 will be based on the final version of the ESeC derivation matrices. Consequently it has linkages with the final changes made to the ESeC prototype in WP 12.
  • The concluding workshop involves a number of EU new member states applying the ESeC and evaluating its use as a national socio-economic classification. In order to carry out this work, WP14 is dependent on the validated and fully operationalized ESeC being successfully launched as an accessible web-based resource.