| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The whole process was developed inside the Municipality because they are sure that the municipal employees are who best knows the strengths and needs of the services.
To support the development of this process, they have support of the software house – MEDIDATA, as well as the reaction of potential clients of their services: citizens and businesses.
When they initiated this process, they knew (with statistics) the financial level of the Municipality, the existence of a great dissatisfaction of external stakeholders, the large number of cases that did not meet the legally defined deadlines, the high number of complaints related to the lack of compliance with deadlines, lack of control of operating costs, the blurring of responsible tasks, the lack of pre-setting time limits for execution of tasks, etc.. All service wasn’t working for the stakeholders, this not being the basic philosophy of effective services.
If this fact was known, an empirical way or founded on evidence, there was the need for a concrete analysis of the situation resulting in an action plan, a concrete and objectified manner, direct the municipality to better performance and give confidence to the stakeholders.
Thus, the period of one month for each service to list up all the work progressed, and the employees who were the role of each of the "product chain" was defined.
After this stage they started to have a better knowledge of the organization, verifying also all "collisions" between services, lack of meaning the duty to serve effectively and quickly, redundant tasks, the absence of rules in operating expenses, etc..
Also concluded that the physical movement of processes very often involves loss of documents, the inclusion of papers from a process within another folder ...a big mess!
Thus, they decided that within eight months, counted from the beginning of the process, the design should have the first 3 circuits to implement: the licensing of private works (processes of large physical volume), the invoices to define the responsibility conference, authorization and payment authorization and Expedient covering all services.
This term includes not only the design of circuits, but also to the alteration and adjustment of software to be able to match this new request. All stakeholders in a process started receiving alert "reached term" and "outdated term" enabling better management of its performance. All documents are signed electronically with the Citizen Card.
Also in this period the necessary training was included to gather all the necessary skills to work in this new type of solution and this new form of control.
In parallel they developed the Centers for costs associated circuits and assigning responsible for each center. With the implementation of this solution and the definition of objectives to reduce spending, they now have tools that help track purchases and check the development of the reduction of current expenditure process. They achieved significant results through fleet management, centralization of copies, reducing costs secretarial material, the use of telephones and mobile phones, etc.
Immediate outcomes for the citizen developed with the framework described in the above document issue IN TIME which reduces the number of movements of citizens and businesses to municipal services ; reduce the time and hence CO2 emissions. The data collected are: The licensing undoubtedly IN TIME is the great innovation of municipal services. Until 31/12/2012 they record 10,595 requests were answered IN TIME representing the non - performance of 190.782Kms trips, priced at €0.04/km results in savings of €76,312.80 and a reduction in the amount of CO2 1,486 TON. In addition, obviously, to result in saved 127188 days taking into account an average of 12 days for each response.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The development of this process has the main stakeholder in house developed software solutions tailored to their needs in a collaborative manner. It is important to note that this whole process has been replicated in hundreds of municipalities in this country since there was always a great receptivity to disseminate the results.
However we also developed an internal action that is to reorganize the services based on the principles of “Management by objectives process-oriented."
This process allows the reorganization of services based on shared goals whose objective is to define process-oriented organizational architecture, a strategic perspective, with clear identification of responsibilities for each organizational skill of the Municipality and define improvement actions.
The impact of this process is very high, since a clear definition of organizational skills and attributes allows each department/employee understands, simply and quickly, which its responsibility to provide services to citizens.
Similarly, the aim of this Executive have motivated and involved in their respective tasks people, so clarifying the strategy and understanding of the same by all internal stakeholders of the organization allows for greater involvement of people in the tasks, accountability in performing the tasks, as well as the ability to generate capital gains capitalization of intellectual people.
The implementation of this project also demonstrates a significant impact in improving the performance of the organization, by changing behavior, orientation to citizen satisfaction and efficiency of the Authority, ensuring the implementation of the strategy defined by the Executive, as well as setting objectives and indicators performance (allows to obtain data on the performance of services), including the setting of goals for SIADAP evaluation.
It allows a cross between the structural goals and objectives of each service, to ensure compliance of the first, each service which understands its contribution to achieving the objectives of the Executive.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The whole reorganization implemented in this process was based on existing software but, for various reasons, was not being monetized to its full potential.
Staff training was funded by the Human Potential Operational Programme in accordance with the model of Training - Action since all participated in the changes made to their experience and their contribution to improve the responsiveness of services.
The technical features resulting from extensive experience of the employees, the responsiveness of the software house which is also a supplier of more than one hundred municipalities in the country and the development of amendments was by realizing the needs detected during meetings.
As a pilot municipality, the development has been implemented step by step, readjusting to the extent that was being tested to an agreed solution is found. It is clear that this process never ends and goes progressively being refined and improved the logic that the needs will be greater and they intend to always have solutions that ensure greater security and control in handling cases. Anyway, the whole software development, which included the work-flow, cost centers, the Sheets Activities, the deadline system alert, the integration of Digital Minutes of the Municipal Executive meetings and minor changes that were being necessary, at a cost of €49,000, funded by a National program designated by SAMA.
All services chiefs and all employees who perform work that aims to respond to citizens and businesses also participated in training activities and in meetings justifying all decisions.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The reaction of the primary recipients of the project is clearly positive. The results of opinion surveys are very positive to allow us to conclude that all the work is recognized by the general population. According to the results of the latest opinion poll conducted in 2013, the rate of satisfied stakeholders was 91%.
Premiums received are also recognizing the work accomplished.
The invitation of the Secretary of State for Administrative Modernization to be one of the founders of the municipalities Municipal Simplex is the official recognition of their work.
In the field of financial control, achieved the following reductions:
- 81% of the cost of office supplies
- 48% on telecom expenses, yet that this has increased the number will access the Internet and mobile phones
- 48% in liters of fuel
Immediate outcomes for the citizen developed with the framework described in the above document issue IN TIME which reduces the number of movements of citizens and businesses to municipal services reduce the time and hence CO2 emissions. The data collected are:
- The licensing undoubtedly IN TIME is the great innovation of municipal services.
- Until 31/12/2012 they record 10,595 requests were answered IN TIME
- representing the non - performance of 190.782Kms trips, priced at €0.04/km results in savings of €76,312.80 and a reduction in the amount of CO2 1,486 TON. In addition, obviously, to result in saved 127188 days taking into account an average of 12 days for each response.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Opinion surveys are conducted annually within the Management System (Quality and Information Safety).
Internal audits are carried out periodically by sampling and are also monitored compliance with deadlines. Where is detected the existence of backlog, or improperly treated cases, a record is made and developed an action for improvement that can result in timely action with the employee concerned.
Fortnightly or lower if deemed necessary, a meeting is held for all services that interact with the Support Office citizen (GAM) whose aim is to detect problems, failures or lapses to be the object of a common solution covering all services and, if appropriate, is written a Notification Service to change the procedures.
With this control system, they are able to detect failures of service and ensure that an analysis of the issues that caused the lapse analysis possible, tested and implemented solutions is made.
In cases where there are no errors and repeated lapses, records of non-compliances related to the employee concerned are made.
With all these data Crusaders managed to get results with respect to effectiveness and satisfaction of citizens and businesses.
We also know that companies consulted by the technical team that is developing the SMART SPECIALIZATION STRATEGY for the Municipality expressed their satisfaction with the actions implemented in the support given to businesses area.
Premiums received from various entities, are proof of the success of current initiatives, with broad that the path followed is the one that best responds to the needs of citizens and business recognition, namely:
- Honorable Mention - National Competition of Best Practices in Local Government
- Award for Best Practices in the Public Sector - Deloitte and newspaper “Economic Daily", "For Financial Management Transparency"
- Award for Best Practices in the Public Sector - Deloitte and newspaper "Economic Daily", "An Administration in the XXI century"
- Cities Award of Excellence - "Journal of Planning and Cities." Special Award in "Land and Culture, Area - Strategic Planning"
- European Enterprise Awards - IAPMEI in "Paperwork Reduction" - "Process - Efficiency = Bureaucracy"
- CIO Awards - IDC, in "Modernization and Simplification of Autarchic Processes"
- Honorable Mention - Award for Improvement Teams - Portuguese Association for Quality (APQ) - "Implementation of a Strategic Model of the Organization of Services"
More than a hundred visits to services consolidate the experience and the progress that is being developed.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Interestingly, and got second ascertain from external entities, one of the difficulties faced by the Municipality of Agueda is directly related to the fact that the national legislation does not always follow the innovations implemented.
Transforming the paper file in a digital file, still not in Portuguese law, as well as the massive use of digitally certified signature also only now being recognized as a tool to be used, and in Agueda has been used for more than 5 years.
The implementation of work-flows was also totally new and was a novelty hitherto untested naked public service. Assume that each task of a process must have a responsible and a pre-defined deadline for response object is still rare in public administration. Manage services in a logic of organizational skills is also another innovation of this Municipality.
In the area of business support, licensing and other services ON TIME constitute an innovation that no council risked with such a large scope. Securing a Business Reply in 48 hours is another innovation that gives those guarantees when contemplating an investment or realizes a business for which you have requires response Authority.
We therefore consider that there are reasons for companies to invest in this city wants with regard to improving their facilities, either in new facilities or newly created wishing to transfer to Agueda companies. Building a Business Park with the provision of infrastructures lots, as well as support for entrepreneurship, with a special focus on young people, is another reality that should be noted in this process.
As for obstacles, in addition to the above, there is always some resistance to change will eventually be eliminated during the project when they realize the added value to the service.
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