Delivering on this strategy will require strong collaboration across CSO, government, public bodies, and external stakeholders. Clear governance, shared investment, and a commitment to ethical and responsible data use will underpin its success. By working together to implement the five strategic pillars, CSO can continue to meet its mandate on Official Statistics, strengthen the national data infrastructure, maintain public trust, and unlock the full potential of data to improve lives, shape policy, and drive sustainable innovation for the future.
The successful delivery of this strategy will be guided by a detailed, metrics driven implementation plan that translates each pillar into concrete actions, timelines, and responsibilities. This plan will identify key milestones, critical success factors, assign responsibilities and supporting resources and set out performance measures to monitor progress. The plan will also align the metrics and strategic actions with the National Data Development Stages so that progress through the Stages is clearly visible. Implementation will be guided by a programme board with leadership from CSO business areas to ensure that the strategy is aligned with business needs and our mandate to produce cost-effective and sustainable Official Statistics. The upcoming CSO Technology and ‘Le Cheile’ People strategies will support the data strategy implementation plan, ensuring that all the resources of CSO are focused on delivering value to our customers.
Implementation will also require investment in infrastructure, human resources, and data governance, managed within the CSO’s existing governance structures to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficient use of resources. Funding for implementation will be distributed across all the business and service divisions involved in implementation. Detailed plans for costs and resource requirements will be developed, documented and tracked in the implementation plan, ensuring effective oversight and informed decision-making.
There are a number of actions that are already committed to that will support the rapid implementation of the strategy in 2026 including:
By combining a clear strategic vision with a structured implementation approach, this strategy will ensure that the planned, ambitious strategic initiatives are turned into measurable outcomes at CSO Directorate and Divisional levels. This strategy will play a key role in the delivery of the overarching CSO Statement of Strategy which reaffirms our mission to describe Ireland, its people, society, economy, and environment through trusted, independent, and insightful data. It will also enable the ongoing development of CSO’s data leadership role in building a trusted, innovative, and effective national data ecosystem that maximises the value of data for all.