Stronger characteristics
|
International guidelines or standard scientific method |
No specialist knowledge required |
Hours |
Well established, coherent basis for all aspects |
Judgement used only to choose method of analysis |
Calculation based on appropriate theory |
Different types of uncertainty & variability quantified separately |
Range and probability of possible answers |
All aspects of process and reasoning fully documented |
All aspects fully understandable |
EU level guidelines or widespread in practice |
Can be used with guidelines or literature |
Days |
Most but not all aspects supported by theory |
Combination of data and expert judgement |
Formal expert judgement |
Uncertainty & variability quantified separately |
Range and relative possibility of answers |
Most aspects of process and reasoning well documented |
Outputs and most of process understandable |
National guidelines, or well established in practice or literature |
Training course needed |
Weeks |
Some aspects supported by theory |
Expert judgement on defined quantitative scales |
Informal expert judgement |
Uncertainty & variability distinguished qualitatively |
Range of answers but no weighting |
Process well documented but limited explanation of reasoning |
Outputs and principles of process understandable |
Some publications and/or regulatory practice |
Substantial expertise or experience needed |
A few months |
Limited theoretical basis |
Expert judgement on defined ordinal scales |
Calculation or matrices without theoretical basis |
|
Quantitative measure of degree of uncertainty |
Limited explanation of process and/or basis for conclusions |
Outputs understandable but not process |
Weaker characteristics |
Newly developed |
Professional statistician needed |
Many months |
Pragmatic approach without theoretical basis |
Verbal description, no defined scale |
No propagation |
No distinction between uncertainty & variability |
Ordinal scale or narrative description for degree of uncertainty |
No explanation of process or basis for conclusions |
Process and outputs only understandable for specialists |