TOPIC: INTRODUCTION OF ICT IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF KENYA FOR SERVICE DELIVERY: EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES

Transcription

1 WORKSHOP FOR ENHANCING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE AFRICAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONS AND OTHER APPOINTING COMMISSIONS/AUTHORITIES, KAMPALA, UGANDA, 7 11 APRIL 2008 TOPIC: INTRODUCTION OF ICT IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF KENYA FOR SERVICE DELIVERY: EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES BY: MR. W. SIAMBI, VICE CHAIRMAN, PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, KENYA 1

2 1.0 Introduction Public sector organizations the world over are under pressure to deliver quality public services that are responsive to peoples needs, choice and access. This has called for adoption of modern technologies to re-engineer work processes and improve on communication channels. In this regard therefore, information communication Technology (ICT) is increasing becoming an important resource with the potential to transform the way people live, transact business and interact as individuals and with organizations. 2.0 The ICT Trend Kenya Public Sector In terms of adoption of Information Communication Technology, Kenya has come along way from the era of using mainframe computers to the modern world of wireless and mobile technology. Over the years as indicated in the diagram below, ICT has remained Kenya s top development agenda as evident in the country s National plans and other government initiatives such as the E-Government Strategy ( ) which provide a road map on ICT implementation. In particular the e-government strategy outlines the objectives and process for the modernization of government that encompass the entire spectrum of government operations, impacting citizen-government, business-government and government government as a means towards enhancement of transparency, accountability and good governance, hence making government more efficient, result oriented and citizen focused. 2

3 ERA Era ICT TREND - KENYA PUBLIC SECTOR TECHNOLOGY PURPOSE Late 1960s & Early 1970s Mainframe Processing payroll and Government accounts. Late 70s & Early 1980s Micro Computers Word-processing 1990s 2000 & beyond Client servers Internet, Mobile & wireless Information sharing & on-line transactions Internet & wireless Based transactions 3.0 About the Public Service Commission of Kenya Public service Commission is a constitutional office established under section 106 of the constitution of Kenya. Its mandate includes: Recruiting for the public service; Promoting public officers; Handling appeals on disciplinary matters; Approving retirements and abating pensions; and Setting and maintaining standards in the VISION A partner in creating a non-partisan Public Service that offers quality service and holds the nation together for socio-economic growth MISSION To avail a steady supply of highly competent personnel for efficient and effective service to the people of Kenya 3

4 Core Values Integrity- The Commission adheres to impeccable and beyond reproach professional and interpersonal standards in the conduct of its affairs. PSCK carries out its work independently and objectively, based on facts and in a fair, just and balanced approach. Reliability- The PSCK ensures that the interests and expectations of its stakeholders are met. Confidentiality- the Commission handles the clients information with utmost confidentiality in order to win their trust. Teamspirit -The Commission promotes high degree of cooperation between amongst all members of staff. Meritocracy- Merit is one of the guiding principles in ensuring only those best qualified for public jobs are hired. Fairness The Commission carries out its mandate with impartiality in hiring, promoting and disciplining public servants. 4.0 Introduction of ICT in the Public Service Commission of Kenya Like other public sector organizations the Commission has been in constant search for better ways of delivering services. Prior to the year 1997 the Commission operations were purely manual. The first batch of 10 computers and two printers were purchased that year, the Local Area Network (LAN) was limited to administrative offices mainly the chairman s and Secretary s office. In the year 2001 the Commission was linked to World Wide Web through the Treasury which aimed at enhancing communication across ministries and departments. By the year 2004 the Commission developed a strategic plan ( ) that laid down strategies aimed at re-engineering its processes in order to improve service delivery. One 4

5 of the key strategic objectives in this plan was to develop and maintain accurate, accessible and up-to-date records on recruitment, promotions and discipline in the public service. This was however not operationalised until the year 2006 embarked on aggressive computerization program that aimed at addressing problems that were inherent in its processes This initiative was in-line with the public sector reforms and the e- government strategy aimed at enhancing of transparency, accountability and good governance, hence making government more efficient, result oriented and citizen focused.. The major challenges that faced the Commission were operating paper-based systems that were cumbersome, repetitive and time consuming in nature; dealing with huge volumes of applications; inordinate delays in processing applications, delays in making informed decisions due to lack of reliable and organized data, providing timely feedback; and finally shortage of staff. In order to address the above challenges that were impediment to service delivery, the Commission identified Information Communication Technology (ICT) as one of the prime movers with the potential to transform the way the Commission transacts its business and the way it interacts with its customers and other stakeholders. This was because through the use of various computer applications, ICT has the capacity to process, analyze and store voluminous data; improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery; enhance transparency and accountability; facilitate accessibility of information and provision of timely feedback. The Commission therefore, embarked on computerization of its processes with Recruitment and Selection taking priority. 5

6 5.0 The paper-based Recruitment and Selection Process Diagram:1 STEP 1 DPM & L. Authorities Work Flow THE SECRETARY PSCK Indent Keyed & verified STEP 2 An Advert is Prepared and released to the public Applications Receiving STEP 3 STEP 4 Sorting & filling applications Step 5 TOTAL duration -365 DAYS One YEAR appointment Letter Ministries/Department s/ PSCK WBSITE STEP 11 STEP 10 Commission decision to Candidates through Listing applications Notes Writing Pre-selection Invitation for Interviews Final interviews Step 9 Step 8 Step 7 Step 6 The whole process was purely manual and paper-based and included receiving of Indents/requests from ministries and departments; keying in the information from the indents; verifying information against the schemes of service; advertising in the local dailies; receiving, sorting and filling, listing applications; Screening of applications; writing guiding notes; carrying out pre-selection; inviting candidates for interview, carrying out final interviews and seeking Commission s approval. 6

7 Consequently, it took the Commission nearly a year to process and finalize the entire recruitment process. Owing to this length of time in delivering human resources the Commission was under pressure to justify this scenario. The client Ministries/Departments and other stakeholders found the time to be unnecessarily long, unacceptable and unjustifiable during this era of information age. The pressure was stepped up during the signing of the Commission s performance contract in 2005 when His Excellency the President challenged the Commission to do all within its powers to reduce the lead time on the recruitment exercise. Compounded with the above scenario was the challenge of meeting Ministries/Departments and Local Authorities expectations of delivering human resources on time, handling huge volumes of applications, dealing with backlog arising from the previous advertisements and providing timely feedback to applicants on the status of their applications. 6.0 The New Recruitment and Selection Database System In response to the above challenges, the Commission developed and implemented an Online Recruitment and Selection database system that would enable job applicants both locally and abroad to access jobs twenty four hours (24hr.) in a day and seven days (7) in a week. This system solution was intended to provide an equal opportunity to all interested job applicants with the Commission irrespective of geographical boundaries and time zones. The automation project entailed: Mapping and process analysis - The Commission ICT team in liaison with the Recruitment and Selection department undertook a review of the recruitment process and procedures of the current manual system in order to identify the issues inherent in a paper-based system; Benchmarking against best practices - The Commission visited organizations that have succeeded in automating recruitment and selection process with a view of borrowing the technologies and best practices. These countries included Singapore, 7

8 Malaysia and India. The experiences gained from this tour enabled the Commission to come up with a home-grown system Setting up a project development and implementation committee In order to operationalize the computerization program, the Commission appointed a team comprising of the technical personnel, the system users and the administration. to coordinate and monitor the development and implementation of the project. Duration- Designing, developing and implementing the system took the technical team approximately nine (9) months. This made the Commission solution system the first to be delivered within projected time frame and cost effective in government. Sensitization and consensus building workshops- Sensitization of users and other stakeholders was important part of this project for the purpose of ownership. Through this exercise all the system players were involved in all system development stages. This involvement contributed greatly to the success of the project. Rollout and capacity building The roll out of this project was gradual and most of the training was done in-house by the technical team. It also included the development of the user, training and system manuals. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms- M&E system was setup to constantly monitor the post implementation progress of the system. 8

9 7.0 INTEGRATED RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION DATABASE SYSTEM- MODEL Diagram: 2 PSC (K) ONLINE RECRUITMET AND SELECTION DATABASE SYSTEM (IRSDS) OFF-LINE Submit Indents to PSC ON-LINE DPM Application reception Counters R&S Department Commission PSCK Data Center PSC PSC (K) (K) Website Website /Internet /Internet Ministries Indents Agenda department Exchange Server/web Fire wall Fire wall routers Router Database server switch Browse: Adverts, apply & submit applications online,, Track application progress, Receive feedback on Commission decision client Local authorities HRM Audit Application server client PSCK HOUSE Applicants The system has two systems that are integrated and share a common databank as indicated in the model above and categorized as the On-line and Off-line system. The online recruitment and selection database system promotes the concept of systems integration and sharing of system resources that is recognized and recommended internationally in contemporary system development practices. The capability and features of each system interface are discussed below: 7.1 The Online system. The online system is accessed using the Internet technology and hence allows interested job applicants and other consumers of Commissions information to browse and access them through the PSCK website as shown below. 9

10 Diagram: 3 Psck website address-( Jobs Jobs Apply Apply The online system performs the following: Enables applicants to browse the advertised jobs Facilitates job application and submission online Creates a seamless interaction with the Commission s website world wide Promotes accessibility of the Commission jobs 24/7. Gives the Commission a competitive edge and first among equals Personalised application status tracking Provides clients the opportunity to track the status of advertised jobs Enables officers in the Public Service to register their bio-data online Enables the Commission to provide feedback to the applicants through the Commission Website, Mobile (SMS), address, postal address and Telephony. 10

11 7.2 The Offline-System Interface- The system caters for interested applicants who do not have internet access, and are unable to submit applications online and facilitate integration of the manual paper-based system and the online system. i.e. the hand, postal or courier delivered application forms are captured into the system. 7.3 System Reports One of the key feature of the System is its ability to generate and analyse both routine and ad-hoc reports on applicants profiles for Pre-Selection decision, generates names of Shortlisted candidates indicating interview dates and time, and Successful candidates with appointment details among others reports. 7.4 Capacity Building To optimise the capability of the system, the Commission undertook the following Training of system users and system analysts on computer based application programmes Development of training manuals, system manuals and users guide to promote skills transfer and institution memory of the system. Establishment a computer training laboratory for continuous skill upgrading of users. 8.0 System benefits i). The system has enabled the Commission reduce on lead time on recruitment and selection from an average of twelve months (12) to two months (2.0) except for top contractual appointments that are first-tracked and delivered within two weeks. The diagram below illustrates the average processing time in a nutshell. 11

12 Table: Delivery time. Year No. of applications Maximum Number appointed processing time (Months) , , , , ,095 ii). The new Recruitment and Selection System has re-branded and transformed the Commission in different ways. It has enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in our operations, improved transparency and accountability of the process, improved customer and restored Public confidence by providing timely and personalized feedback, Increased employees satisfaction through introduction of new work methods and removal of tedious and redundant processes. Last and not least, the system has significantly improved the Commissions overall performance and service delivery. iii). The system is Home-grown hence the property of the Commission. It owns the system code through registration and copy right and can be modified /upgraded as need arises. The system was spearhead by the Commissions in-house Information Technology (IT) specialists and developed by a team of team of ICT experts drawn from government, giving opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous potential available in our well trained and not always fully utilized professionals and to build in-house capacity. iv).the System has facilitated personalized feedback to our clients. The system has the ability to generate and SMS automatic responses in respect of the status of application. v).the system has transformed the way the Commission carries out business and interaction internally and with the general public. The introduction of the online database system that requires applicants to apply online or off-line has given our client choice and unlimited access to our services. It has also minimized on human intervention during the 12

13 entire process, maximized on information sharing through the use of internet, intranet s and telephone technologies. The system has in addition facilitated timely and informed decision making due to availability of necessary information. vi). The System has reduced operational costs such as manpower requirements, advertisements and stationery and this is expected to reduce further in the future. Consequently, by using internal expertise to develop the system, the Commission used approximately thirty one million shilling (31m) as opposed to over three hundred Million shillings (300m) it would cost if an external consultant was engaged to deliver the same solution System Challenges The above benefits not withstanding, the design, development and the implementation of the automated recruitment and selection system had its own challenges. The transition between the manual and the automated system was a learning process for both staff and the Commissioners and was characterized by numerous teething problems that have been addressed continuously. These included: ICT Infrastructure - The communication bandwidth to Public Service Commission house was slow and access to the web site, the job portal and downloading application forms were a problem. The overall Network connectivity country wide was inadequate and continued to pose a challenge to the system given that majority of job applicants live in the rural areas. Information System security - Protecting information from being accessed by unauthorized persons, information hackers, web spam and document viruses remained the Commissions challenge given the confidential nature of its work.. Correctness and completeness of information The Commission suffered from receipt of incomplete information from online applications and errors in data capturing due to human intervention. Consequently, the Commission was faced with the challenge of 13

14 addressing numerous complains arising from applicants. In the absence of correct information, this would jeopardize a candidate s opportunity. Technology challenge - The level of computer literacy in the Commission was very low and only a few members of staff were able to work with the system. In addition the only few computers available were used as typewriters. Online technology was also a new phenomenon both in the private and public sector and introducing the system was not easy. Resistance to change- The uncertainty of the out come of the new technology caused general resistance and fear from both members of staff and the applicants. This was manifested by applicants preferring to continue with the old system of applying for jobs manually while others applied both online and offline at the same time. On the other hand, majority of staff member were not confident with the system and hence preferred maintaining the status quo Conclusion: In conclusion, the online Recruitment and Selection database system is a great solution in that it has drastically reduced lead time on recruitment which was a major problem for the Commission and the Government of Kenya. Our experience therefore, demonstrates that ICT is a resource with the potential to improve efficiency and effectiveness, communication and the overall performance of an organization. It further demonstrates that ICT is a vehicle and can transform the way public sector organizations deliver public services to citizens. The success realized by the Public Service Commission of Kenya therefore is attributed to proper planning, Commitment by the top management, focused leadership, ownership by stakeholders, Government support and the use of internal capacity drawn from within government. 14