This memorandum documents changes to the Count Question Resolution (CQR) operation since the publication of the CQR Detailed Operational Plan in 2020.

The CQR operation cannot begin production activities until after the Public Law (P.L.) 94-171 redistricting data products are created and released to the public. The publication of the 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 redistricting data products was delayed by approximately six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the delayed timeline for data collection operations in the 2020 Census resulting from the pandemic, additional time was required for performing quality control checks and resolving any anomalies identified during data post-processing and tabulation. The original start date for the operation was supposed to be June 1, 2021; it has now been changed to January 3, 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted only CQR’s schedule, which appears in the detailed operational plan in section 3.4.1 (Closeout). The other changes noted in this memorandum are because of the detailed operational plan being created early in the operation before all of the details were known. Below we outline the areas where plans were adapted in response to these factors.

Section 2.3.1   High-Level Operational Design
Add: Staff at the National Processing Center (NPC) receive CQR case inquiries from governmental units and log them in the CQR Production Control System before staff in the Decennial Census Management Division can review case information to determine its accuracy and completeness.

Section 2.3.2   CQR Operational Context
Update the Context Diagram for CQR to include NPC and the Census Bureau’s regional offices as sites for this operation and include Feith as a system.

Section 2.3.2.4   CQR Operational Mechanisms
Add: In addition to the headquarters and NPC infrastructure sites, CQR also employs the Census Bureau’s six regional offices. In addition to the two systems previously listed in the systems, CQR also employs the Feith system.

Section 3.4.1   Closeout
“June 2021” changes to “January 2022.”

Cost Factors
Add “Regional offices” to “Sites.”