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MFA eSubmissions
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore
Singapore

The Problem

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore (MFA) shares similar organisational challenges faced by other Foreign Services, multi-national companies, etc. in that its key decision makers travel frequently and are unavailable for direct consultation. As such, this slows down the process by which formal approval and decisions can be sought from the Executive and Senior Management on critical issues.

2 In the past, this was done by circulating papers, i.e. “submissions” in physical files, which is only practical if the decision makers are in the office and a strictly manual process that is not only time consuming but susceptible to delays. With the advent of e-mail, these “submissions” can be put up electronically for approval/decision. However there are shortcomings in using e-mail for this purpose as it is primarily a messaging tool and not the ideal platform for managing the systematic processing and archival of submissions. There is no intrinsic workflow in e-mail exchanges and this creates problems when submissions need to be cleared in via particular order/approval hierarchy. It is also difficult for the author to monitor the status of submissions put up through e-mail; consolidation of multiple e-mail threads, resulting from officers’ various replies, forwarding of comments, etc. can also be difficult for proper archival.

3 MFA has developed and implemented an “eSubmission” system that overcomes the shortcomings of the paper/file and e-mail methods of putting up submissions. It was conceived due to the lack of suitable off-the-shelf solutions and can potentially be used by other organisations (i.e. other Foreign Services and multi-national companies) to enhance their decision-making process. The following are some of its powerful features:

(a) Automatic routing and forwarding

The system automatically routes the submission to different decision makers for their comments. If there is no response from a particular officer within a set time frame, the system automatically forwards the submission to the decision making officer to expedite the process and avoid any delays in clearance.

(b) Capture of all comments/inputs

The system captures the comments of decision makers in a systematic manner that mirrors the intuitiveness and simplicity of paper submissions, i.e. they can append their remarks directly to the eSubmission as they would with with paper submissions.

(b) Editing of draft documents (multiple versions)

The system enables the decision makers to amend the text of a “draft document” (e.g. letter, treaty, etc.) embedded within the submission itself; the author’s original draft and other amended versions by the decision makers are all separately preserved for future reference.

(d) Enables travelling officers to clear submissions

The system will send the decision makers who are “out-of-office”, i.e. travelling, the submission by secure (encrypted) e-mail for their comments. When these officers reply, the author will be alerted to incorporate their comments back into the system. A planned future enhancement will allow these travelling decision makers to access the system directly.

(e) e-mail alerts/prompts

The system makes extensive use of e-mail alerts to prompt officers for required action/response to prevent any delay in the submission clearance process.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
4 The MFA eSubmission system was implemented in September 2002. It was presented to the Committee of Permanent Secretaries in February 2003 to share with them the concept of processing submissions electronically and MFA’s experience in implementing this new way of working. Following this, a more detailed briefing and demonstration of the system was given to several Ministries and government agencies and the source codes and documentation of the system were also given to them at their request. To date, the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MICA), the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MYCS), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) have implemented their own versions of the eSubmission system based on the MFA’s model.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
5 Submissions are papers or proposals on a wide range of issues (e.g. foreign policy, official visits, budget matters, etc.) put up by MFA officers to seek formal approval/decision from the MFA Executive and Senior Management, e.g. Permanent Secretary, Directors, etc. In the “traditional” way of putting up submissions, physical files and folders were circulated from one officer to the next through the approval hierarchy. As the submission moved through the approval hierarchy, each Clearing/Approving Officer would add his remarks to the document before forwarding it to the next. In this fashion, the submission eventually reaches the final Approving Officer, who would indicate his comments/decision and return the document to the author of the submission for follow-up action.

6 There are several disadvantages with this manual process. First, as it involves the movement of physical files from one officer to another, it is typically slow and susceptible to delay. Second, it is also difficult for the author to monitor the progress of the submissions as they move up the clearing levels. Typically, the author has to call the Personal Assistants of the various decision-making officers to check if their principals had seen the documents. Third, once a decision had been made, it would take some time before the result could be disseminated to all relevant parties as the file would have to be re-circulated again after the author had received it. Fourth, at the end of the submission cycle, the proper archival of the documents would depend on whether the author had remembered to file all relevant papers correctly (especially if temporary folders were used for the submission).

7 With the advent of electronic messaging, the use of e-mail for putting up and processing submissions became another alternative channel. However, there are disadvantages in using e-mail for such purposes as it is primarily a messaging tool and not the ideal platform for facilitating the systematic processing and archival of submissions. As there is no intrinsic workflow in e-mail exchanges, this creates potential difficulties for maintaining the sequential order necessary for the proper clearance of these documents. Multiple e-mail threads, resulting from officers’ various replies, forwarding of comments, etc. also create problems for the proper archival of submissions that are put up and processed by e-mail.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
8 What was needed was a system that allowed officers to put up their proposals/submissions with the speed and efficiency of an e-mail/IT system and yet retaining the intuitiveness and systematic process of the manual paper/file submission method.

9 With this in mind, the MFA eSubmission system was developed on the Lotus Notes software platform and implemented in September 2002. It was intended to replace the use of e-mail for electronic submissions and was designed to combine the speed and efficiency of an IT-enabled workflow system with the ease of use and intuitiveness of manual paper/file submissions. In other words, the system allows officers to put up and process electronic submissions in a systematic manner that at the same time captures the spirit of “traditional” paper/file submissions.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
10 To circumvent the delays and disadvantages of the manual paper/file submission process, the MFA eSubmission system enables officers to create and process their submissions electronically. Once the author has defined the routing profile/approval hierarchy for his submission, the system automatically forwards the submission to each Clearing/Approving Officer in turn for his comments/input. If there is no response from a particular Clearing/Approving Officer within a specified time frame (72 working hours), the system automatically forwards the submission to the next level to avoid any delay to the clearance/approval process.

11 Other than facilitating the submission process, the system is also a tool for collaboration, as it allows Clearing/Approving Officers to seek comments/inputs from other officers (not on the routing profile/approval hierarchy). Through the capture and codification of such tacit knowledge via the system, it enhances the completeness of information for better decision-making.

12 E-mail alerts are also used extensively in the system to prompt officers for appropriate action at each stage of the submission life-cycle. For example, when a submission is forwarded to an officer (on the approval hierarchy) for his attention, the system sends an e-mail alert to that officer to inform him, with a direct link to view and process the submission. This helps to ensure that the officers know what action/response is expected of them and that they do not overlook the submission. When a submission is closed, all officers on the routing profile (including the author) receive an e-mail alert with a direct link for them to view the final decision/result of the proposal concurrently. This ensures that time-sensitive information is disseminated without delay and any follow-up action required may then be taken expeditiously.

13 The system also gives the author an overview of all his submissions from a single, consolidated interface, enabling him to easily monitor the status of his submissions. As such, he can tell which submissions have been closed and which are still pending, and the Clearing/Approving Officers that are currently processing at his submissions. This allows the MFA officer to better manage and plan his work and in turn, makes him more effective.

14 When the submissions are archived, they form an invaluable electronic resource of policy deliberations and decisions that may be easily and quickly accessed by officers for future reference. Quick search and retrieval of the electronic documents across a wide range of different topics may be done from the convenience of the officer’s desktop PC, without having to plough through paper files in the Registry in an otherwise time-consuming process.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
15 As a result of implementing the eSubmission system, the overall submission process is faster and more efficient; collaborative work has been facilitated and decision-making enhanced. Decisions by the MFA Executive and Senior Management may be established, disseminated and implemented quickly. This in turn allows any required follow-up action to be taken expeditiously. By making the submission process quicker and more efficient, officers have more time to focus on other areas of their work and hence can be more productive. This has enabled the Ministry to deal with more issues with greater responsiveness and fewer resources that would otherwise be possible, thereby enhancing the Ministry’s operational effectiveness and its role in managing Singapore’s foreign policy.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
16 The system enables 600 MFA officers based at the Ministry Headquarters, who regularly put up papers and submissions for approval, to work more efficiently and productively. Although this phase of the system’s implementation only involves officers at MFA-HQ, it potentially allows the other 500 officers based in Singapore’s Overseas Missions around the world to be part of the collaborative work process.

17 As the submission process is a standard workflow in the Singapore Civil Service, the MFA eSubmission system can also be used by other Ministries and Government agencies. In addition, the system is based on Lotus Notes, which is standard software used by the Singapore Civil Service; as such, the MFA eSubmission system may be replicated across other Ministries without major difficulties.

18 After its successful implementation, the MFA eSubmission system was presented to the Committee of Permanent Secretaries in February 2003 to share with them the concept of processing submissions electronically and MFA’s experience in implementing this new way of working. Following this, a more detailed briefing and demonstration of the system was given to several Ministries and government agencies and the source codes and documentation of the system were also given to them at their request. To date, the Ministry of Information, Communications and The Arts (MICA), the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MYCS), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) have implemented their own versions of the eSubmission system based on the MFA’s model.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
19 One of the greatest challenges in developing and implementing a system that radically changes a well established way of working such as the “traditional” submission process involves not so much the technological perspective but instead the “people factor”, i.e. the key stakeholders (MFA Executive/Senior Management) and end-users (MFA officers). Hence, proper change management and and buy-in from the stakeholders and end-users are essential for success. To this end, it is important to put the value proposition clearly across to the key stakeholders and end-users, making them see how much they can personally benefit from the system and how their work process can be improved by using it. In addition, ease of use and intuitiveness were key principles that were observed when designing the system and building its features. Top management endorsement and support was another critical success factor: the MFA Executive and Senior Management were involved from day one, even during the trial implementation. By having the key stakeholders set the example, the other end-users were highly incentivized to adopt and use the system. In this regard, user training sessions were indispensable to further encourage use and promote system adoption. Regular training sessions for new hires and returning officers (from overseas postings) continues to be an important factor contributing to the success and sustainability of the system over the long run.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Raymond Siah
Title:   Deputy Director/Information Services  
Telephone/ Fax:   +65 63798000
Institution's / Project's Website:   64715306
E-mail:   raymond_siah@mfa.gov.sg  
Address:   Tanglin
Postal Code:   248163
City:   Singapore
State/Province:   Singapore
Country:   Singapore

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