Enhancing Public Administration: Strategies and Best Practices

1. Quality of Public Administration – A Toolbox for Practitioners 25 – 26 February 2016 - Sofia Workshop

2. Workshop topics • Service delivery (One-stop-shops / Complex Service Delivery Centres • Hungarian experience on OSS • Shared Service Centres • Estonian Shared Service Centre • HR: Recruitment & selection • Irish Public Appointment Service & EPSO • Managing the funds: competency management • => DGREGIO

3. Workshop questions Key points / “problems” in the Bulgarian case ? Main lessons learnt from the case ? Key factors for success ?

4. Reporting Session1: Service improvement – One stop shops Aleko Djildjov Administration of Council of Ministers

5. 1. Key points/problems – Bulgarian state of affairs • Managing the process: top-down v bottom-up? • Option 1 (specialised OSS) vs option 2 (using intermediate players, e.g. post offices, libraries). Which model? Assess costs & benefits of each. • Working with intermediate players (e.g. post offices, libraries) – get their ownership?Cannot be delivers of services, only signpost • Need integrated & interoperable IT system • Social issues – impact of job losses within PA

6. 2. Main lessons learned – Hungarian case • Clear vision & objectives from top-down • Very important to standardise (systems, competences, etc) • Step-by-step approach=> Pilot testing – bear in mind differences between regions / localities during testing • Communication & explanation of reform from outset and at every stage, to avoid dissatisfaction among staff (social impact) & among users • Long-term political will (takes many years), and needed to adjust legal framework

7. 3. Key factors for success • Users have different & specific needs, need to understand & analyse • Good analysis at sector level re. processes, major registries • Redesign systems so can speak to each other (interoperability); some administrations use manual extraction to provide to other administration • Need investment to get these desired results – secure funding for whole reform • Long-term political will

8. Understanding users’ needs and expectations - Direct contact with citizens/businesses - Indirect feedback and representation - Mystery shopping - Life events, customer journey mapping Key elements for improving service delivery Improving processes • - Process re-engineering • - Administrative simplification Easy access to services - The one-stop shop (OSS) - Multi-channel service delivery Using e-government - Interoperability and ‘once only’ - Moving towards digital by default Committing to service standards and measuring satisfaction - Service charters - Measuring and managing satisfaction

9. Reporting Session 2: Shared Service Centres Radoslav Milanov Administration of Council of Ministers

10. 1. Key points – Bulgarian state of affairs • Lack of standardised processes & IT systems (and competent IT experts, low salaries) • Regulations seem to be recommendations only - should be clear, but in practice, general administration within specialised administration (hidden) • Can expect resistance from both staff and decision-makers, cutting staff will be big issue, hard to find jobs in private sector (but could also see as opportunity, well-trained staff e.g. in accountancy, will be more attractive to private sector employers) • Room for efficiency gains (savings)

11. 2. Main lessons learned – Estonian case • Very clear goals - reduction of cost AND improvement of service quality (2nd became more important over time) • Lengthy process - developed 4 models, thorough analysis before decision (pros and cons of each) • Clear decision about choice of services to be shared (accounting, payroll, etc.), as common across administrations • Discretion given to ministries to decide to come together and set up shared service centres (skip the 1st phase)– and willingness to do so (in effect, became a pilot for SSC model) • Continuous communication with clients (mindset)

12. 3. Key factors for success • Most important, have in-depth systematic analysis of processes to inform decision … • Then perform re-engineering of services and IT to be used … • Then lead to training of personnel … • And communication of step-by-step approach (roll-out)

13. Reporting Session 3: Recruitment & selection Vania Novakova Administration of Council of Ministers

14. 1. Key points – Bulgarian state of affairs • Organisational: Requires management decision. Do we need special body / centre? Separate body to hold competitions and develop methodology? • Test-related: • Item bank - how develop database? Outsourcing / tendering of tests. • Include Numb Reasoning test? Analytical Reasoning test for everyone? What about specialist competencies (IT, engineers, etc) – screened out by general test? • Context of HRM system: link to HR in general

15. 2. Main lessons learned – Irish & EPSO case • We know there will be centralised system from 2018, it’s do-able – borrow from 2 success stories (combination of outsourcing & in-house experience); will take 2 years to develop & verify tests • Based on ‘HR science’ – methodologies, terminology • Need for manuals (‘how to apply’) and sample tests on Internet, so that candidates don’t fear the test • Specific test elements (less focus on CBT or not): AR to test for analytical competencies, not just managers; SJT very appropriate for results- and client-orientation profile; Irish experience from unsupervised to supervised online tests very good (diminish workload, drop-out rate from less committed)

16. 3. Key factors for success • Clear structure (should be dedicated unit) - establish who will develop methodology, frameworks, responsibility for different stages (develop in-house or outsource) – and monitoring of structures and standards (measure), assess validity • Well and clearly-regulated: process to be short as possible; transparent procedures; data security – no leakage; establish difficulty levels, whether NR or not • Good information materials for self-training in BG language and online, assess possibility to sit in tests

17. Reporting Session4: Competency framework Pavel Ivanov Director of Institute for Public Administration

18. 1. Key points/problems – Bulgarian state of affairs • Staff with necessary competences is limited • Lack of time for training • Lack of financial resources for training for some organisations • Quite often, training not perceived as important by managers • Subjective assessment of training needs

19. 2. Main lessons to take away from the model • More objective criteria for assessment – common definitions of competence levels • Stronger commitment of mangers to training with engaging them in assessment and link between tasks and training needs • Peer2peer – involving practitioners to share experience can also create common standards and quality of processes

20. 3. Key factors for success • Create motivation for professional development • Objectivity of assessment – come to agreement with supervisor • Commitment for implementation of personal development plans, incl. needed finance • Adequacy of training content