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Armenia: Development and implementation of Management Information Systems for Municipalities and Ci
Information Systems Development and Tgaining Center
Armenia

The Problem

Based on the RA Law on “Local Self-Government” passed in 1996 and following elections, local self-government bodies were formed in 926 communities which were established in accordance with the RA Law on “Administrative-Territorial Division”. 48 out 926 communities were urban communities, 12 in districts of Yerevan and 866 were rural communities.
The economic and political reforms implemented in the country prioritize efficiency and increase of quality of activities performed by local self-government bodies (LSGB). Under conditions of democratization of the society these processes should be accompanied with creation of relevant conditions and mechanisms of involvement of population in decision-making process. One of the most important, modern and productive routes of reaching these goals is informatization of local self-government bodies which is accompanied with formation and development of information society.
Broad application of Information Technologies (IT) creates favorable conditions for improving the sphere of local self-government, increasing of productivity and quality of activities of LSGB-s, ensuring of transparency, increasing of quality of their services provided to citizens and organizations, making the services more accessible, increasing of efficiency of administration of community budgets and property, controlling of LSGB activity by citizens and decreasing of corruption risks.
Elaboration, introduction and maintenance of advanced information systems require considerable means. Only some communities were able to allocate withdrawals from their budgets for application and development of Information Technologies. However, these withdrawals were not suffice and were mainly serving for acquiring some technical means. Each municipality was performing informatization activities independently whenever investments for IT were made. Lack of a uniform methodology led to insufficient spending of resources.
The implemented projects on informatization of LSGB-s were not coordinated, often they replicated each other, and after completion of projects, due to serious lack of financial and professional opportunities, a few chiefs of communities were able to develop, maintain, and operate the IT installed. Basically these projects had local nature, solving some narrow problems or they were targeted at a few communities. As a result, there occurred the so-called “digital divide” between both different community offices and different divisions within the same community office.
Projects were implemented through different organizations and entities employing different technologies and standards. As a result, the integration of installed systems and creation of a uniform information system was impossible.
Application software developed for community offices were not many yet. They were sufficient only for solution of some problems. But productive activity of LSBG-s and implementation of their powers require a developed and efficiently operating Management Information System with its subsystems according to the sectors.
Almost no internet connections were used in the sphere and communities have no web-sites.
Territorial Offices of Civil Status Acts Registration Office (CSARO) implemented their functions just like before many years ago, without using any information technologies.
As a result a very important sphere of the public sector like local self-government system was developing at a slow speed due to insufficient level of use of information technology and failed to meet demands of the society in current conditions.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
• All 217 communities (48 urban, 12 districts of Yerevan, 157 major rural) and 54 territorial offices of CSARO of Armenia were provided with computers and devices, licensed software and network connection devices;
• Municipal Management Information System (MMIS) was created for local self-government bodies (MMIS is a complex of automated systems (sub-systems) and web pages operating in Intranet/Internet environment. The idea underlying the system is the uniformity of processing, receipt and transfer of information and dissemination of uniform information. Main components of MMIS include “Budget Control System”, “Human Resources Management System”, “Document Flow Management System”, “Asset Management System”, “Population Registry”, “Enterprises Registry”, “Community Councilors’ Activity Management System”, “Mayors’ Activity Management System”, etc.)
• MMIS was installed and launched in 225 communities of the RA;
• Citizen Servicing Offices were established in 5 urban communities (these offices are located in large halls on first floors of municipalities. The offices offer various services to citizens);
• Local area networks were created in 90 municipalities;
• Electronic Management System (CSARO EMS) was created for CSARO territorial offices;
• CSARO EMS was installed and launched in all 54 CSARO territorial offices of Armenia;
• Local area networks were created in 48 CSARO territorial offices;
• Local networks of CSARO territorial offices were integrated into local networks of relevant municipalities;
• In general, approximately 1,000 specialists were trained for operating of the created information management systems.

The implementation of the project promoted in the following qualitative changes and achievement of results:

• Increase of quality of services provided to citizens by LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices;
• Increase of efficiency of LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices through introduction of information processing electronic means;
• Ensuring of transparency, accountability of LSGB activity by having access through MMIS to the community budget, decisions, orders of chief of community, staff of community, members of community council;
• Increase of quality of provided services and servicing of citizens by LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices. Unnecessary documentation is eliminated, clear procedures are elaborated and citizens can send application-letters to officials electronically through MMIS, follow the status of their letters as well as learn about their tax obligations;
• Introduction of MMIS enabled involvement of citizens in decision-making process at community level through forums, voting, introduction of electronic letter system;
• Ensuring of public awareness of LSGB activity. MMIS provided opportunity to access decisions of the chief of community and community council. News section enables citizens to learn about the most important events in life of community;
• Introduction of citizen-official electronic communication methods, application of standardized procedures in the form of frequently asked Q&A-s, transparent, public style of the work through MMIS promote reduction of corruption risks.

Main Beneficiaries of the Project are:
Chiefs, councils, staff of chiefs of communities of 225 communities (approximately 4,050 persons), 54 territorial offices of Civil Status Acts Registration Office (approximately 140 persons), citizens and organizations of these communities.
Results were assessed through surveys and monitoring.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The initiator of the project was the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration. It is one of the components of Public Sector Modernization Program implemented in the Republic of Armenia.

The project was fully elaborated and implemented by “Information Systems Development and Training Center” NGO, which Head (Grisha Khachatryan) and staff have extensive and rich experience in creation and introduction of municipal management information systems.

(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.
Main Goals of the Project are as follows:

 Increase of efficiency of LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices;
 Ensuring of transparency, accountability of LSGB activity;
 Increase of quality of services provided to citizens;
 Involvement of citizens in decision-makings at community level;
 Ensuring of awareness about LSGB activities to community population;
 Reduction of corruption risks, etc.

Strategy:

 Study and assessment of informatization of the RA communities, determination of targeted communities;
 Elaboration of a model of information system of municipalities;
 Creation of Municipal Management Information System (MMIS);
 Creation of Electronic Management System of CSARO territorial offices (CSARO EMS);
 Training of MMIS and CSARO EMS operating specialists;
 Design, creation, integration of local area networks in municipalities and CSARO;
 Introduction and operation of MMIS and CSARO in Intranet environment;
 Ensuring of MMIS accessibility in Internet;
 Servicing of systems installed;
 Creation of users manual for operators of systems;
 Organization of a National Conference on “INTRODUCTION AND PERSPECTIVES OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES” topic.

The project was implemented by “Information Systems Development and Training Center” NGO.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
Main Directions of Development:
• Studies and analyses of application of ITin the sphere and its technical saturation. Defining of communities to be included in the project;
• Creation of Management Information Systems;
• Acquisition of computers and devices, network equipment and their distribution to communities;
• Design of Local Area Networks in municipalities and CSARO territorial offices;
• Training of specialists operating (using) Management Information Systems;
• Installation and launching of the developed Management Information Systems in municipalities and CSARO territorial offices;
• Improvement and development of the developed systems;
• Servicing of the installed systems, technical means, local area networks and provision of counseling services to specialists.

Project Implementation Phases and Deadlines

Implementation of the project took 3 years (36 months), covering the period of 01.10.2006 – 01.10.2009.
Project implementation phases are as follows:
I. Study of application of information technologies and technical saturation in all 926 communities and 54 CSARO territorial offices in the Republic of Armenia. Submission of the study results to the RA Ministry of Territorial Administration (03.10.2006-31.12.2006).
II. Creation of Municipal Management Information System and Electronic Management System of CSARO territorial offices (03.10.2006-31.08.2007).
III. Creation of computer networks in all 12 district communities of Yerevan, all 48 urban and 24 major rural communities of Armenia. Organization of training courses. Pilot installation of MMIS in 3 urban communities of Armenia (01.09.2007-10.06.2008).
IV. Training of staff of CSARO territorial offices. Pilot launching of the system in #1 CSARO territorial office. Improvement and perfection of the system. Training of specialists from the staff of chiefs of medium-size and small rural communities of Armenia (10.10.2007-10.10.2008).
V. Installation and launching of the full package of MMIS in 12 district communities of Yerevan, 30 urban and 20 major rural communities of Armenia. Installation of the full package of MMIS in the computers of 133 medium-size and small rural communities of Armenia (10.06.2008-10.04.2009).
VI. Installation and launching of the full package of MMIS in the remaining 15 urban and 4 major rural communities of Armenia. Organization of additional training courses for specialists of CSARO territorial offices. Installation of the computer software developed for CSARO territorial offices in all 54 territorial offices (10.04.2009-30.09.2009).
VII. Provision of a high-quality service to the networks and installed computers (01.11.2009-30.09.2009).

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
There were certain obstacles in the course of the project implementation:

Obstacles:

1. Delay in providing of computers and devices to municipalities and CSARO territorial offices.
2. Insufficient computer literacy of some employees of LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices.
3. In some municipalities the trained employees were replaced.
4. Changes of TOR or procedures or legal acts adopted by the state in the course of processing of the project means.
5. Lack of recognition of the role and significance of information technologies, consistency and will in installation of the system by chiefs of some communities.
6. Insufficient quantity of computers in LSGB-s and CSARO territorial offices (not all employees had computers).
7. In some municipalities local networks were either dissembled or damaged due to renovation works.
8. Current problems related to the Internet availability and accessibility in Armenia; in particular low level of the Internet, high price.

How they were overcome:

1. Phases and deadlines of the activities were extended. The activities related to the supply of technique were conducted at earlier phases, and those connected with availability of computers and devices were conducted later.
2. Short-term training courses were conducted for such employees prior to teaching of management information system to fill the gap of computer literacy.
3. Additional training courses were conducted for such (or new) specialists of municipalities.
4. All necessary changes were made. The project means were adapted to the acting legislation and requirements of beneficiates.
5. Meetings and discussions were held with such chiefs of communities; during the conducted seminars applicable opportunities of information technologies, expected results, as well as experience of the best communities were presented to them.
6. The Municipalities and CSARO territorial offices were advised to gradually increase the number of computers. Different donor organizations provided additional computers to communities to promote efficiency of MMIS application (in particular USAID RTI organization provided approximately 30 new computers and equipment in the course of the project implementation; German GTZ company provided 35 computers).
7. The damaged networks were rehabilitated and reconstructed.
8. Serious improvements in this sphere related to availability and accessibility of the Internet in the entire territory of Armenia are currently taking place due to boosting of competition.

(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
Resources Involved in Implementation of the Initiative.
Financial Costs:
Approximately 1,580.000 USD was spent on the project implementation, of which the GOA spent approximately 1 million USD on acquisition of computers and devices, network equipment and licensed software for 217 communities and 54 CSARO territorial offices. Financial means were provided by the GOA from the credit means received from the International Development Agency within the frames of Public Sector Modernization Program.

Human Resources:
The RA Ministry of Territorial Administration established a working group, headed by the first Deputy Minister, for coordination, supervision of the project activities, their assessment according to the phases and acceptance. Among members of the working group was a community chief, Chief of CSARO territorial office, tax officer, representative of the CSARO Agency at the RA Ministry of Justice.

1. The project activities were implemented by the professional staff of “Information Systems Development and Training Center” NGO:
• Project Manager - 1
• Programmers – 9
• Trainers – 2
• Web designers – 1
• Experts for different subsystems – 6
• Network specialists– 4

Greater part of the employees was recruited upon the results of the conducted competition.

Specialists were closely cooperating with different state and local self-government bodies in the course of the project implementation. Relevant working groups were established in each phase of the project implementation to ensure high quality and efficiency.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
The project anticipated installation and launching of MMIS in 217 communities. There are 926 communities in the Republic of Armenia. The project was officially completed on 30 September, 2009. However, the expansion of the system still continues in new communities. In October-November of 2009 MMIS was installed and launched in another 8 communities. In January-March of 2010 MMIS installation and launching activities will be implemented in another 14 new communities. During January-May of 2010 citizens servicing offices will be established in 3 more urban communities which will use the created MMIS as the management information system. Activities of improving MMIS and supplementing it with new functional opportunities is continuing; in particular, aimed at creation of a new MMIS sub-system, called “Local Duties and Payments Management Sub-system”. Activities connected with accessibility of the systems in the Internet are in the process. The system installed in 8 municipalities is already accessible in the Internet; this is an on-going process. The policy of the Government is to ensure sustainability of the implemented project and introduce the system in remaining communities. Municipalities allocate finances for acquisition of computers, expansion of networks and more productive use of management information system. The GOA adopted a policy according to which all state and local self-government bodies should gradually shift to electronic circulation of documents between each other. The management information system installed in municipalities ensures electronic circulation of documents with other systems installed in other levels of the state administration.
Municipalities, through management information system, receive various reports and lists which are provided to other state bodies, are published, etc according to procedures defined by the law. Receipt of these reports and lists was rather difficult and expensive and some cases impossible when there was no MMIS.
The basic guarantee of the project sustainability is its usefulness and many important products received.
After completion of the project, “Information Systems Development and Training Center” NGO constantly continues its activities of servicing of the installed systems, training of staff and provision of consultation.

The RA communities and “Information Systems Development and Training Center” NGO hosted 2 delegations from the neighboring Georgia to study the experience of the created MMIS and citizen servicing offices. It was agreed that the Armenian experience will be shared with Georgian colleagues.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The experience gained in the course of the project implementation and lessons learnt serve as a good ground for future expansion and development of the initiative.

Lessons learnt include:
1. Successful implementation of the project requires a clear policy aimed at development of the sphere and synergized strategy both at state and local levels;
2. Application of management information systems in municipalities is more productive when greater number of employees are involved in the operation process of the system (have computers connected to the general network, can use computers in their work, etc);
3. Results of the implemented project are greatly depending on quantity and quality of computers, devices and equipments used in the course of work;
4. More close attention should be paid to training of staff. Training process should be institutionalized and be regular;
5. Installed systems should be served and developed continuously, meeting contemporary requirements of management bodies and citizens;
6. Continuous study of the international experience and application of the best practices and interesting solutions saves time and resources;
7. Perception of the project implementation idea and undertaking responsibility for effective application of management information systems in their municipalities by chiefs of communities;
8. Serious attention should be paid to reliability of the system and data protection issues. Data protection system should be carefully considered from the very first stage of project drafting;
9. It is necessary to ensure sufficient number of servicing specialists and development of a servicing, training providing organization(s) parallel to introduction and broad application of information systems.
Main guarantees of the project success are as follows:

• Prioritization of informatization of local self-government sphere and definition of appropriate order by the state;
• Support of partner organizations;
• Realistic approach and clear action plan of the project;
• Extensive and rich experience of the project implementation organization in the sphere;
• Effective cooperation of all participants (Government, communities, CSARO territorial offices, project implementing organization, specialists);
• Commitment and professionalism of specialists involved in the project implementation;
• Effective and optimal use of the resources;
• Existence of effective management system of the project;
• Elaborated procedures and formalization of business processes for different functions of the project implementation.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Information Systems Development and Tgaining Center
Institution Type:   Non-Governmental Organization  
Contact Person:   Grisha Khachatryan
Title:   President of ISDTC  
Telephone/ Fax:   +37410 238021, +37410 246471
Institution's / Project's Website:   +37410 238021
E-mail:   isintellect@yahoo.com  
Address:   Armenia, Yerevan, Komitasi Ave., Building 51, 2nd Floor
Postal Code:   0014
City:   Yerevan
State/Province:  
Country:   Armenia

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