Managing for Results

A principal tenet of modernisation is the management of all resources in the public sector in order to achieve best value for money in the delivery of services. In the same way that we must make decisions daily in our personal lives to make best use of how we spend money in order to enjoy best value, Government organisations must always improve utilization of resources by increasing efficiency and prioritizing.

‘Managing for results is about putting systems in place to require and assist civil servants to maximize the utility of the resources they manage. It is to be able to measure, target and monitor government organizations and individual civil servants to ensure that they meet the requirements for improved efficiency and effectiveness’ (Medium Term Action Plan)

Managing for Results encompasses a wide range of areas and requires a multi pronged approach to achieving the desired results. The key components and strategies to bring about Managing for Results are:

Improving Public Financial Management

An improvement in public financial management requires improvement in the methods of allocating resources and in overall performance across government. It is also about enhancing existing financial management systems for better informed decision making and control of resources, implementing medium term expenditure frameworks, improving government auditing and ensuring government procurement is undertaken efficiently, effectively, transparently and corruption free.

Work was completed in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Ministry of Transport and Works, and the Auditor General’s Department to support ‘on the ground’ activities related to enhancing Public Financial Management and Performance Monitoring:

• A financial management information system was developed and pilot tested in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service and its Revenue Agencies as well as in the Ministry of Transport and Works. This was with a view to support the transition of the Government's financial management system from cash to accrual based accounting.
• A Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Model has been developed within the Ministry of Transport and Works and the capacity of the MTW to implement the model, reviewed and a training plan designed. An electronic performance monitoring system has also been implemented in the Ministry to further strengthen its ability to monitor performance;
• Training has commenced in the Auditor General's Department in standards, procedures and methodology for IT Auditing.
• A Training and information dissemination strategy in managing for results is being developed and a comprehensive social marketing program being designed, to support implementation of the Medium Term Action Plan.

Improving Information Technology

The development of governments’ ‘e-government’ capacity is at the centre of nearly all modernization initiatives. With the information age has come tremendous opportunity to take full advantage of modern technology to better organize government activities and make doing business with government easier. The E-government thrust, now in its embryonic stages, will signal a quantum leap in the way the government manages, develops and analyses information.

Transacting business has been revolutionized with the introduction of the E-transactions bill enacted April 2, 2007. Not only does the Bill facilitate electronic transactions but it also eliminates barriers to e-commerce through measures such as the acceptance use of digital signatures. The Act provides legal recognition and protection of all electronic transactions conducted in Jamaica and with Jamaican business.

The Modernization Programme continues to provide technical support in establishing a National Registration System that would allow for a unique identifier for all citizens. The system is designed to allow for tracking clients across Government and increasing the effectiveness and timeliness of service delivery.

The development and implementation of a Government-wide WAN (GovNet) infrastructure is on-going and is necessary to accommodate the various Government-wide systems that are being planned for implementation, such as the NRS, FinMan, and the soon to be acquired Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS).

 The PSMD has partnered with the University of the West Indies towards broadening the Institutions' capacity to offer a cross-section of courses designed to better respond to emerging needs for specialized technical skills within in the Jamaican Health Sector. Through provision of a grant to the University, first class laboratory facilities have been set up to support delivery of a Major in Bio-Engineering and Medical Physics which is now being offered at the institution for the first time. The laboratory has been set up to facilitate the use of computer-aided education/learning tools to facilitate a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for Medical Physics and Bio-engineering. The proposed programme is being formulated in response to a severe lack of technical expertise in the Caribbean health sector by producing graduates with a strong background in physics with applicable skills in medical research laboratories, hospitals, regulatory authorities, industry and private sector. Students will gain knowledge of nuclear medicine, radiation physics, detector and instrumentation, biomechanics, imaging and data analysis. Creation of employment opportunities for graduates will also be a direct result.

Managing Human Resources

‘Modern human resource management systems go a long way towards setting the culture of an organization, promoting performance and motivation and providing the basis for constant change and improvement’

The culture of the public service needs to be one in which all staff strive both to meet performance standards and to improve on them. The culture should be one in which public servants are assessed in light of performance and awarded accordingly.

The Performance Management and Appraisal System (PMAS) for the Public Sector is to be implemented in all Ministries by 2010. PMAS is a reformed version of the evaluation programme once used throughout the public service and has been made a more efficient and effective tool. PMAS is premised on engaging the mind of each public servant, ensuring that their energy and potential are adequately channeled to reflect coherency, and their weaknesses are enhanced to become their strengths.

Since its introduction in 2004, PMAS has been implemented in twelve (12) government organizations.

The Government implemented the Public Sector Employee Training Programme for a forth year in response to the third signing of the GoJ/JCTU Memorandum of Understanding. Through the programme, training has been offered in a vast variety of skills which contribute to job performance.