Governance innovation in the making of a new tourism authority

Acronym of the case:

TP - InovGovernance

Web address of the case:

http://www.visitportugal.com

Country of the case:

Portugal

City/region:

Lisbon

Posting Date:

10 December 2009

Last Edited Date:

30 December 2009

Author:

Miguel Rodrigues (Turismo de Portugal, IP)

tourism | Process reengeniring | E - government

Type of initiative

Strategic initiative

Case Abstract

In line with the effort of structural modernization and simplification that has guided the actions of the current Portuguese government; the creation of a single tourism national authority was the primary key to the new concept of public administration that is at the heart of Turismo de Portugal, IP strategic charter.

This new organization is being designed in a citizen-centered perspective, supported by an interrelated multi-channel service, capable of providing a flexible cross-government service and maintaining a proactive communication with all its users.

Concentrating the range of activities that comprise the tourism policy in a single institution, and thereby creating a one stop shop for all the citizens and businesses that need to interact with the government in this industry, has made possible the implementation of a new type of relationship that avails itself of the potential of new technology to deliver the utmost comprehensive, convenient and relevant services.

In doing so we have strived to evolve from the standard of e-government, to what is commonly called i-government: the provision of information and the harnessing of the internet's potential for interaction with businesses and citizens. Knowledge and information in the Portuguese national tourism authority no longer come at a price in time, effort and fees, but are made available for free, to anyone and everyone with an interest in a given process.

Main Impacts

1. Dematerialization

Interaction with external processes is electronic;
All physical documents are scanned and the basic rule is to end the course of paper;
All actions are internal digital services (letters, opinions, decisions, etc.).

2. Simplification

Less points of decision;
Less information required from citizens and businesses;
The validation assumes competent employees and focus in efficiency.

3. Integration

Process requirements and information sourcing in the public administration are resolved internally;
Work stations with integrated single sign-on and integrated management of context
Unified Databases of information and shared processes

4. Control

Quality control and information on the performance and efficiency of each process are monitored
The new national identification document "CartÃ£o de CidadÃ£o", will be used as a digital authentication and signature

5. Transparency and Customer Service

The customer has Visibility on the progress of its process, even before the decision-making ends
Due date for decision in every process

Lessons learnt

The relevant in transformational programs such as ours is not who can design the best strategy but rather who can implement it effectively, sustain it in the long run and continue to build on it
The lead development in technology should be closely followed by the evolution of businesses processes and human resource capability
The concentration of the promotion, valorisation and sustainability of tourism activities, under a specific umbrella approach, provides the opportunity for superior service to both citizens and businesses

Description of the case

Domain

eGovernment

Topic

eIdentity and eSecurity | Services for Businesses | User-centric Services

Sector

Travel, Transports and Motoring

Start date - End date

September 2007 (Ongoing)

Date operational

January 2008

Target Users

Administrative | Business (industry) | Business (SME)

Target Users Description

The target users identified for this program are all the public or private entities, mainly Portuguese but also international, that already have or plan to have direct dealings with the Portuguese tourism industry, particularly with its public administration.

The areas in which these users tend to interact with our organization are the grading of the tourism offer, the support of investment, the training and education in various tourism areas, the promotion of Portugal as a Tourism Destination and the regulation and inspection of gambling.

These are some examples of entities that are frequent users of our services:

Domestic and foreign companies in the tourism sector;
Domestic and foreign companies in other sectors of activity;
International organizations;
Tourism promotion regional authorities;
Central and regional public administration;
Students and teachers, mainly in tourism related courses;
Universities;
Casino and bingo management companies;
International travel operators and travel agencies;
National and international tourists.

Scope

National | Pan-European

Status

Operation

Language(s)

Portuguese

Policy Context and Legal Framework

In January 2007 the European Commission launched the foundations for an "Action Programme to Reduce the Administrative Burden of existing Regulation in the EU". The 2007 Spring European Council ratified this Programme and set the goal of a 25% reduction in the administrative burdens on businesses and citizens, to be achieved jointly by the European Union and the individual Member States by 2012.

To this end it invited the Member States to set comparable goals of their own at the national level. Portugal responded to this European challenge and committed itself to both actively taking steps to pursue a programme of reducing the administrative burdens on enterprises at the EU level, and achieving the same result at the national level.Â

This program, was passed into law in Portugal mainly by the "ResoluÃ§Ã£o do Conselho de Ministros n.Âº 39/2006" that states the baselines of the Portuguese central government restructuration, and by the "Despacho nÂº 14672/2006" that creates a new initiative, SIMPLEX, aimed at the administrative and legislative simplification of the relation between the public administration and citizens and businesses.

Both these pieces of legislation are at the heart of the transformational process that is described in this document, and the focus of the Turismo de Portugal, IP on priority areas within the corporate life cycle (creation; management; expansion; and dissolution) and in areas of simplification relevant to both businesses and citizens such as the dematerialization of processes, rationalization of the procedural interaction and the transparency of actions and decisions.

In pursuing that goal, we established a wide reengineering of processes and dematerialization of documents with important reflections in the interaction between the government and its citizens and businesses, aiming at the following objectives:

The streamlining of the organization and our public administration business models and the simplification, reengineering and dematerialization of all business processes;
The development of networked governance, through the intensive use of information and communication technologies as the main infrastructure for the support of the process of administrative modernization;
The promotion of integrated initiatives for modernization, providing a link between the three main dimensions of intervention (individuals, organization and technology) as a way of generating the critical mass and skills needed to generate continuity and sustainability of such processes.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

Inclusive services of general interest

Overall Implementation approach

Public administration

Technology choice

Proprietary technology | Standards-based technology | Accessibility-compliant (minimum WAI AA) | Open source software

Funding source

Public funding EU | Public funding national

Project size

Implementation: €500-999,000

Yearly cost:

€300-499,000

Implementation and Management Approach

The implementation program was based in two fundamental guidelines:

1. An assessment of the new organization used to define the key objectives in the design of a new architecture of processes for the new tourism national authority:

Clarify the critical processes for the various activities of the new institution, taking into account the definition of their outputs;
Review and design workflows and business processes, taking into account the activities of the entities involved and the their main responsibilities;
Identify support systems (e.g. document management systems) required for optimal levels of productivity and efficient use of resources (human and financial)
Establish mechanisms for monitoring the level of information management and key performance indicators necessary to support the established processes;
Ensure that all employees of the Turismo de Portugal have access in real time to all relevant information, maximizing their contribution to the institution.

2. An information technology strategic plan that contains the project portfolio of the organization, defined by guidelines, which in its core definition plan to maximize its alignment with the strategic objectives of the organization.

Managing the initiative

Turismo de Portugal, IP has a Program Management Office (PMO) that manages every project being implemented in the organization. Our PMO is an independent area of our Information Technology Department, and its main responsibilities are:

Maintain and develop the methodology and processes for project management;
Analysis of environment and preparation of information for executive decisions on new projects;
Disseminate and promote best practices in project management training for all levels of management;
Monitoring the performance of the portfolio of projects
Performance reporting to executive management.

Benefits management

Assess the impacts caused by the implementation of simplification measures, using standard methodology to be applied at European level - EU SCM (European Union Standard Cost Model)
Identify and quantify administrative costs incurred in complying with obligations imposed by way of laws and regulations.

The application of this methodology in Turismo de Portugal, comprises the following steps:

Preparation - Clarification of the purpose and analysis scope
Survey and Characterization - A survey of structured information as a basis for quantification
Quantification of Time and Costs - Collection of quantitative data and definition of the quantification procedure
Computation and reporting - Extrapolation of data for comprehensive analysis

Technology solution

1. Application Architecture

The system architecture is being developed, conceptually, in three layers: presentation layer, business layer and data layer.

The presentation layer has its main focus centered in the design and ergonomics towards guarantying a comfortable and efficient service access user experience. All the common best practices are being used, as explained in the Application User Interface section.

In the business layer several technologies are being used. The OutSystems Agile platform is used for the development of several solutions given its power to significantly reduce the delivery time of any given application with Web based interfaces and relational database integration. Although Microsoft proprietary technology for communications, Web content management of TP portals, and office productivity suites is being used at this point we are planning to progressively adopt Open Source platforms (e.g. Apache, Plone/Zope, OpenOffice) as standards for our future IT development.

Finally the data layer is assured by two well known data base engines (RDBMS) namely Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database Server. Like it was stated in the business layer structure, TP is gradually adopting Open Source engines, such as PostgreSQL, as its complementary repository for platforms and projects using Open Source tools.

Secure Web services are being used for the interoperability between the data layer, the business layer and between all applications.Â

2. Application User Interface

All application interfaces are implemented using Web technologies and should be accessible by all users (e.g. employees of the Turismo de Portugal (TP), suppliers, operators) using a Web browser, e.g. Firefox.

2.1. Accessibility

The user experience complies with the main directives / recommendations, including those featured in the main "Web Accessibility Initiative" (http://www.w3.org/WAI/) of W3 Consortium.

Following the Portuguese government guidelines and European Union directives, all our Web presence should comply with AA level. In the near future we aim to achieve AAA compliance in our main Web sites and portals.

2.2. Usability

The Web based interfaces are compatible with all common browsers (e.g. Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Chrome, and Safari).

The interfaces are "elastic" (no limits in size of pixels) or with an upper limit of a current de facto standard of 1024x768 pixels. Some exceptions may exist and shall be assessed individually.

The processing time of the response of any application to a user request must be instantaneous, i.e. less than 1 second.

3. Access to Data and Security

In Portugal, the implementation of several public programs for the advancement of information and communication technologies and the introduction of new types of electronic government relationships, between citizens, companies, NGOs and the public administration, led to the necessity of establishing secure interactions.

These interactions require strong authentication mechanisms of digital identities and electronic signatures, which can only be achieved through the use of the so-called public key infrastructure. Thus, to ensure unity, integration and effectiveness of strong digital authentication in electronic relationships with businesses and citizens and between public organizations, it is necessary establish a Government electronic certification system (GECS).

The architecture of GECS is thus a hierarchy of confidence that ensures the electronic safety the Government and the strong digital authentication of electronic services transactions between different organizations of the Public Administration and between the Government and citizens and businesses. This system is the basis of all digital authentication used in the Portuguese government.

The degree of exposure to information systems throughout the implementation of our Program requires the use of a recognition protocol that ensures the safety of each interaction. The use of the new national identification document "CartÃ£o do cidadÃ£o (Citizen card)", a form of universal identification in Portugal based in the GECS protocol, will allow us to create a universal process of authentication within the Tourism of Portugal, IP, using a means accessible to all citizens, which will serve not only as a form of authentication but also as a form of action recognition based on digital signature certificates.

In our organization Digital authentication based in the "CartÃ£o de CidadÃ£o" is used for validating internal users in our system, validating external users in our Extranets, as a support for digital signature in our financial management system, enterprise

Impact, innovation and results

Economic effects

€1,000,000-5,000,000

Impact

Simplification of business processes

Initially the Program, aimed to simplify and reduce the number of stages in the business processes, the length of their execution and the complexity of their decision making, through design optimization, use of technology, integration with information systems of central and local government, the avoidance of request duplication, the reduction in the amount of information requested and the focus on efficient applications.

This activity has clear actions that comprised the initial scope of our Program, particularly:

Automation of actions related to the flow of processes or documents
Dematerialization of the vast majority of documents circulating within the organization, with a resulting improvement in its accessibility
Simplification of the applications interface and their improvement of its orientation to the tasks
Increased amount and quality of information available at each work environment
Reducing the number of applications needed to solve a task
Â Unifying the concept and management of entities within the organization, allowing a proper integration of internal systems among themselves and between them and other systems of the Portuguese government and the customers of Tourism of Portugal, IP
Establish a single means of identification to the organization, based on the new national identification card, the "CartÃ£o de CidadÃ£o", which allows a sound security policy, based on a free of charge and compulsory product for universal use

This transformation of our organizational structure, allows us to transfer gains in efficiency and effectiveness directly to the user of our services in the following way: (introduzir resultados quantitativos!!!)

Reduce the number of people involved in the logistics of each role in the organizationÂ increasing the effective time of both employees and management. focusing their attention on their core activities
Â Allow easy access, both internally and externally to all the knowledge and information of the organization
Improving the quality and speed of information processing
Developing new mechanisms to reduce operational risk
Increase in the accuracy and control of the business performance and the alignment of its activity with its strategic charter

Access to information and knowledge

With the implementation of this project, there is an absolute transformation in the degree and form of access to the knowledge and information generated by Turismo de Portugal, IP.

At this point there is a real transfer of ownership of information to the customers, patent in the development of new functionalities such as current accounts for each process, with situation monitoring and estimated date decision-making for processes in progress.
Underlying this transformation is the dematerialization of internal processes of the organization, which simplifies the interaction with our customers and reduces the timings to of internal processes.

The model in question has advantages in terms of internal efficiency, particularly at the level of processes and methodologies, such as:

Definition of channel and level standards of care
Facilitated harmonization of procedures
Guarantee of maximized interconnections - in each channel and for each level
"Segmentation" in costumer care - generic vs specialized care with the consequent added value both for customers / users, and for the technical team of the Information Systems Department
Allows a better match for the profiles of competence defined by Human Resources
Focus in the "core" areas of the vertical organization
Ensures the existence of a comprehensive, multifaceted front Office

All the changes that were described in this section will have transformational impacts in the relation between Turismo de Portugal, IP and its clients. Taking the customer / user satisfaction as a focus of activity, will have some important impacts in our activities:

A unique view of the customer regardless of the contact point (providing the creation of tracking's and a thorough knowledge of the client with constant updating and dissemination in the Organization);
The automation of some processes in the treatment of undifferentiated features (rationalizing the action with measurable efficiency gains, allowing greater optimization of resources)
A single base of knowledge / information (ensuring service levels are equivalent through harmonization of procedures and setting standards de quality of care in different channels of contact)
The demand for efficient communication
Induction of CRM procedures and practices

Track record of sharing

In the course of the development of this program, Turismo de Portugal had several innovative breakthroughs in its service oriented architecture. It was the first organization in the public administration sector to use the Portuguese national identity card, "CartÃ£o de CidadÃ£o" as its basis of its digital authentication; it had a pioneering dematerialization in its financial management by completely eliminating paper financial documents from the workflow, and its comprehensive use of Web channels for interaction with its different areas, mainly the support of investment, is being considered an industry best practice.

The intrinsic characteristics of our organization and its particular environment do not hinder in any way the relevance of our example, and our capacity for sharing, mainly because:

Our organization contains in its charter of activities the different areas of the tourism sector, but we are not limited to the essence of their business. Our program has activities and projects being developed in very different subjects such as the management of investment programs, education and training, promotion, licensing, that can easily be replicated in other bodies of public administration involving similar areas of action
The basis of our intervention is focused on cross organizational points, such as document management, i-government and administrative simplification, using management best practices that can be instantly replicable in other organizations of public administration
Furthermore, the environment in which we are implementing our program (the merger of four autonomous institutions) has contributed decisively to the essence of this transformation, and is quite characteristic of the changes currently underway in much of the Portuguese and European public administration sector, so its solutions should be relevant to all the institutions undergoing similar circumstances

The main partner for the sharing of our case is the Administrative Modernization Agency, a Portuguese government institution that aims to identify, develop and evaluate programs, projects, modernizing and simplifying activities and to promote, coordinate, manage and evaluate their distribution system under the policies established by the Portuguese Government.

Under its aegis we have constructed business cases for publication, delivered several workshops for public administration institutions, participated in international conferences, in countries such as Cape Verde, received several delegations for in house presentations of our architecture and developed several case studies with IT suppliers.

Lessons learnt

What we have learned in the making of the new Portuguese tourism authority

1 - The relevant in transformational programs such as ours is not who can design the best strategy but rather who can implement it effectively, sustain it in the long run and continue to build on it

The Implementation of big transformational projects must incorporate in their activities the specific characteristics of the public administration activity, particularly the intricacies of its decision process, its particular information flow management and the characteristics of its workforce especially in the cultural and motivational aspects.

Change management is crucial to the Project success. A thorough communication/marketing plan that prepares and informs the organization of the progress of the implementation of its project portfolio, of the new features involved and its value to any and every individual.

Also extremely important to the success of any program is a professional project management, particularly the existence of a formal structure for gathering and reporting information in project progress and the existence of human resources competences in this subject.

2 - The lead development in technology should be closely followed by the evolution of businesses processes and human resource capability

To capitalize the advances in technology you should align all the drivers in your organization, particularly its human resources, otherwise you will end up with an extremely advanced architecture coexisting with a frustrated workforce, that is incapable of grasping the extent of the technical leap they cannot comprehend or utilize their potential. Even though this is a relevant point, we have come to believe that the best technology, properly used, will provide you with the most efficient results.

3 - The concentration of the promotion, valorisation and sustainability of tourism activities, under a single authority, provides the opportunity for superior service to both citizens and businesses

The synergies arising from the cross flow of data between the different activity areas in our organization enables the creation of a single base of knowledge / information (ensuring service levels are equivalent through harmonization of procedures and setting standards de quality of care in different channels of contact), that can be extended through dematerialized support to all interested businesses and citizens.

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