Simplification, Performance, and Equal Opportunities (IT0064)

Background and objectives

Meeting performance obligations is very burdensome for administrations and causes the production of a high number of documents which hinders management and decision-making. There is also a need to simplify technical language and operational tools. The digital transition of performance plans for the purpose of administrative simplification is a process to improve public organizations’ capacity as well as the forms and ways they use to express themselves.

Moreover, users complain that there is little homogeneity in representing external impacts that administrations wish to achieve. Consequently, greater clarity is needed in expressing the strategic objectives often linked only to financial resources.

We therefore have to work to make organizational performance comparable by setting common indicators to measure all the aspects of the work of administrations. By “common indicators” we mean a set of selected measures to assess how an administration is managed not only in terms of typical mission but also support functions which are common to all administrations (i.e. management of procurement, staff, communication, transparency, etc.).

A key measure is the digitalization functions due to their strategic relevance in connection with the ability of administrations to innovate processes according to the guidelines laid down in the Triennial Plan for IT in PA. Moreover, considering the key functions performed by the Coordinator for Digital Transition (RTD) of each administration, setting “common indicators” to measure the innovation capacity is a key support to facilitate his/her task acting as significant organizational and motivational levers to enhance management commitment.

Given the complexity of the systematic reading of final documents available to users, there is a need for greater transparency and objectivity in presenting results achieved by administrations using the principle of accountability oriented towards the involvement and central role of citizens and businesses, whose satisfaction is the real engine for improvement and innovation.

In addition, enhancing the human capital in each organization is a key lever to improve the efficiency and capacity of administrations to deliver services which meet citizens’ needs.

Fostering equal opportunities as a crosscutting organizational performance dimension ensures “inclusiveness” in public administration. If public administration can guarantee equal opportunities internally and no discrimination connected to gender or personal disadvantage like workers belonging to protected categories, it can also deliver better services to citizens.

It is therefore useful to update the guidelines and make them simpler.

Commitments
This action is aimed at encouraging planning and control processes for public administrations by pursuing the following objectives:
- adoption of simplified procedures for managing the performance cycles which vary depending on the type and size of administrations. Introduction of digital formats for simplifying performance cycle requirements;
- sharing common performance indicators to facilitate comparison in the fields of HR management, digitalization, procurement and transparency;
- drafting Guidelines to assist administrations in enhancing the participation of citizens in the performance cycle;
- outlining a model based on a top-down approach to assess digital transformation projects within PA making them measurable and comparable with the innovation initiatives implemented by similar administrations using business management techniques and methodologies; this model will take into account the recent changes in legislation which strengthened the principle of participation of external and internal users and, more generally, citizens in organizational performance assessment, requiring administration to adopt systems which are able to measure the level of satisfaction and develop forms of wide participation;
- drafting a directive for the compulsory employment of protected categories to simplify rules and related requirements;
- drafting a directive on equal opportunities and updating a directive on Guarantee Committees, in cooperation with the Department for Equal Opportunities.

Lead Administration
Department for Public Administration (PCM – DFP) – Alessandra Barberi

Other administrations involved
Agency for Digital Italy (AGID), administrations involved in the Pilot Labs with the Performance Assessment Office (UVP) of the Department for Public Administration, Department for Equal Opportunities (PCM – DPO)
Monitoring contact person from the Open Government Forum
FONDACA – Fondazione per la cittadinanza attiva – Emma Amiconi

8. Simplification, performance and equal opportunities

8. Simplification, performance, and equal opportunities

Completion: Substantial

Milestones 8.1–8.5 (PCM-DFP): According to the self-assessment, Milestone 8.1 on creating digital formats for performance cycle documents was completed before the action plan cycle began (as part of an agreement from December 2018). However, these digital formats not yet publicly available on the web platform that is being developed. The government now collects annual reports on 15 common performance indicators [121] that were identified out of 34 potential indicators following an initial research phase in 2019 with 17 institutions. In November 2019, the government published guidelines on participatory evaluations with citizens, [122] which had been developed with participation from professionals who deal with performance in public administrations. [123] In June 2019, the Ministry of Public Administration issued Directive 1/2019 [124] on the management of protected categories of people in the public sector, although the self-assessment does not state how implementation has been monitored. [125]

Milestone 8.6 (PCM -DFP, AgID): The self-assessment offers no evidence of completion for this milestone (develop a model to measure and compare digitalization projects by administration clusters).

Milestones 8.7 and 8.8 (PCM – DFP, PCM-DPO): The Court of Auditors registered a directive on equal opportunities and strengthening the Guarantee Committees (CUG) in public administration on 16 July 2019. Monitoring the implementation of the directive has not yet begun, but PCM is developing an online platform with Formez PA that will facilitate inter-institutional communication and relevant reports. It is unclear to what extent the results from the monitoring may be made public.