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The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), as the Asian Productivity Organization Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity, organized a free webinar series on knowledge management (KM) principles and processes in the public sector on August 11, 12, and 13. The series is part of the second season of Public Sector Productivity Webisodes, an initiative to raise awareness on relevant productivity and innovation topics and help mobilize public sector organizations.

Jon Del Rosario, supervising fellow and professor of Knowledge Management and Quality Management of DAP Graduate School of Public and Development Management, facilitated the first two installments, which provided a general overview of knowledge management and its application in the public sector. For the last episode of the series, Dr. Enrique Tayag, director of the Department of Health’s Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service, shared his office’s knowledge management experiences during the new normal.

Knowledge Management in the Public Sector

Del Rosario defined knowledge management as the management of the environment and the organizational and individual processes that assure that the application or use of knowledge produces the results that provide value for stakeholders. On the organizational aspect, this involves the acquisition or creation, storage, access and retention, transfer, application, and continual improvement of knowledge. Individual processes in KM, on the other hand, entail knowledge reflection and internalization, externalization and integration, and sharing and validation or revision.

The first day of the series, entitled Introduction to Knowledge Management in the Public Sector, mainly revolved around the basic concepts related to knowledge management. Del Rosario explained that the practice of knowledge management centers on ensuring that knowledge is used or applied, shared, and retained by those who work for and interact with the organization.

The speaker also stressed the importance of knowledge management in every organization. He noted that most, if not all, work in organizations is enabled by knowledge. Such knowledge when applied always leads to value creation to the organization, and it is through knowledge management that its retention becomes possible.

“The use  of [knowledge] is very fleeting if you don’t document it. It has to be captured with the use of [knowledge management]… When people leave the organization, they also bring their knowledge [with them],” Del Rosario added.

On Day 2 of the webinar, entitled The Practice of Knowledge Management in the Public Sector, the speaker delved into domains of practice of knowledge management. Del Rosario also shared his proposed model of integrated organizational-personal knowledge management process. In the model, he illustrated the process of knowledge management beginning at the identification of stakeholder needs and expectations, which determines knowledge and knowledge needs, and resulting in the satisfaction of such needs. In between these stages are the actual knowledge management processes, tools, learning, and interventions and performance and change in terms or decisions, actions, and practices. He also touched on an example of knowledge management in the DAP Public Sector Productivity Innovation Laboratory, which applies the co-creation innovation model in its innovation processes to ensure that key stakeholders are involved every step of the way.

DOH Knowledge Management in the New Normal

In his presentation, entitled The Pandemic Reboot of Knowledge Management in the Public Health Sector, Dr. Tayag presented the knowledge management framework of DOH, called KM4 Health, which involves four (4) components: knowledge acquisition, knowledge production, knowledge innovation, and knowledge utilization.

The transition to the new normal created by the COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges on many processes and aspects of the department, including their knowledge management practices. Dr. Tayag shared a few of the knowledge management discrepancies that DOH has encountered in each of the KM4Health components, as well as the corresponding countermeasures that it has implemented to address them.

In the aspect of knowledge acquisition, the DOH created an e-Learning platform on their website to address training needs since in-person interactions have been restricted due to the pandemic. For the knowledge production component, the department has launched a COVID-19 Tracker on its website and DOH DataCollect App, which gathers data from hospitals on the availability of hospital beds, isolation rooms, ICU beds, mechanical ventilators, and other essential resources and supplies.

Disrupted medical services have also been a major problem with the surge of Covid-19 cases in the country. As a countermeasure, DOH implemented a telemedicine system for Covid-19 patients. The initiative falls under the knowledge innovation component.

Finally, as for the knowledge sharing component, DOH started a Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service (KMITS) Virtual Daily Huddle among the department members, where they talk about operational matters and pandemic response strategies. Aside from this, they also conduct various webinars to promote correct information on COVID-19 amid the spread of fake news especially online. Other knowledge management efforts of DOH include leading the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a conglomeration of various agencies and experts who view and analyze data and give recommendations for every activity on the management of emerging infectious disease, and the creation of technical working group on eHealthcare Services.

Dr. Tayag explained, “it is important that we change our strategy from knowledge exploitation to knowledge exploration. If we do things the way we [did] before to address our discrepancies, we will fail. We have to explore, or better, we [must] think collectively and change the way things are but not how we thought it to be.”

A series of virtual introductory courses, conducted by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), through its Productivity and Development Center (PDC), was attended by a total of 714 participants coming from 48 government agencies to boost their competencies on leveling up their agency’s established Quality Management System (QMS). Undertaken through the Government Quality Management Program (GQMP), the courses covered concepts, principles, implementation, and integration strategies on different standards, approaches, and tools, as well as, best practices, to achieve better service delivery and performance excellence.

The introductory course on ISO 9004 standard, conducted on 14 July 2021, with Ms. Aileen Ricohermoso as DAP Resource Speaker highlighted some of the activities an organization should be looking at to gain the added benefits of having a quality management system. A total of 22 participants on Zoom and 154 viewers on YouTube gained awareness that ISO 9004 standard is not a certifiable standard, but a guidance document that fosters ideas and inspiration for improving a QMS.

QMS Internal Audit Using Remote Auditing with Doctor Ralph Sherwin Corpuz as DAP Resource Speaker, on the other hand, introduced remote auditing as an effective and efficient alternative to traditional face-to-face auditing. The use of technology, and remote auditing techniques have been going on for several years. However, few organizations are implementing them. With the emergence of COVID-19 and its related mobility restrictions, combined with the existing need to conduct regulatory-, legal-, or immediate need-driven audits, we are now finding alternatives to the traditional face-to-face audit that can be implemented. Conducted on 16 July 2021, with 39 participants on Zoom and 165 participants on YouTube, this course briefly discussed the challenges of remote auditing and offered strategies for overcoming them in each part of the audit engagement process — from planning, document review, fieldwork, interviews, to closing meetings. It also shared some ICT tools and platforms that can be utilized in a remote audit.

Organizational Knowledge Improvement Approaches using ISO 30401:2018 Knowledge Management System (KMS), was the 3rd course of the series conducted with Professor Jonilo J. del Rosario as the DAP Resource Person. Held on 29 July 2021 with 22 participants from Zoom and 134 from YouTube viewers, the course provided an appropriate guide in developing a knowledge management system that effectively promotes and enables value creation. Knowledge management was defined as a discipline focused on ways where organizations can craft the said management approach, with respect to their own business and operational environment, reflecting their specific needs and desired outcomes. With ISO 30401, sound knowledge management principles and requirements are available for organizations: a) to be competent in optimizing the value of organizational knowledge; and, b) as a basis for auditing, certifying, evaluating, and recognizing such competency by recognized auditing bodies.

The fourth and last of the introductory courses was the Introductory Course on Innovation Approaches using ISO 56002:2019 Innovation Management System, conducted on 30 July and 18 August 2021, with 32 participants joining Zoom and 146 viewers on YouTube. Participating agencies gained awareness on the establishment, implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of an innovation management system. The guidance on ISO 56002 standard does not describe detailed activities within the organization, but rather provides guidance at a general level to a) all types of organizations, regardless of type, sector, or size and for temporary organizations and start-ups b) all types of innovations, e.g., product, service, process, model, and method, ranging from incremental to radical; and c) all types of approaches. Also discussed was the Co-creation innovation process which is a tool for ideation and innovative thinking. Patterned after the design thinking process, the co-creation innovation process will aid the participants to identify problems and creative solutions for their agencies’ issues.

The Introductory Courses on Productivity and Quality Improvement Approaches were one of the deliverables of the GQMP that aims to contribute to the enhancement of citizen satisfaction and public sector productivity through government-wide quality improvement.

The DAP, as the National Productivity Organization, seeks to empower leaders, strengthen institutions, and build the nation through pioneering, value-adding, synergistic ideas, concepts, principles, techniques, and technologies addressing development problems of local, national, and international significance. DAP – PDC offers capability building, technical assistance, and research related to productivity and quality improvement. For more information, visit www.dap.edu.ph, email pdc@dap.edu.ph or call 632-2156/2137.

This article was originally posted in http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/index.php/714-participants-from-48-agencies-attended-daps-introductory-courses-on-productivity-and-quality-improvement-approaches-to-boost-competencies-to-level-up-their-qms/

Today’s increasing pace of change and unpredictable circumstances have put pressure on the government to adapt to improve productivity and continue providing responsive services to citizens. As part of its mandate to enhance knowledge, skills, techniques, and technology to assist the public sector, the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) implemented the Designing Citizen-Centered Public Service Improvements (DCCPSI) Program last August 9 to 20, 2021.

This course assisted national government agencies in identifying issues in their critical services based on their clients’ perspective and creating solutions that meet their clients’ expectations and needs. At the same time, it also trained the participants in developing innovative strategies to improve the services and increase the productivity of their respective agencies.

Staff and officers from the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) participated in the online lectures and workshops via Zoom.

Facilitators from the DAP conducted lectures to introduce new concepts, tools, and strategies from service design and innovation and guided the participants throughout the workshops where they could apply their new knowledge. The participants were also instructed on how to consult their services’ clients and stakeholders to identify pain points and test possible solutions.

Recognizing the client’s perspective

The first phase of the program, the “Introduction to Citizen-Centered Service Design and Data Gathering,” helped the participants better understand their stakeholders’ perspectives. Using the Client Journey Map, they broke down client experience in terms of channels, costs, distance, time, clients’ emotions, and identified pain points experienced when citizens availed of the agencies’ services. They also analyzed the internal processes of their offices to identify delays and unnecessary steps.

Many participants found the new concepts and tools, particularly the client journey map, helpful as they shifted their point-of-view from their organizations to their clients. DOF Dir. Angelica Sarmiento shared that “in the government system, we wisely take into consideration the standpoint of the agency, but we learn that we need to improve the system from the client’s standpoint.”

Designing with clients

The program also allowed the participants to unleash their creativity through brainstorming and prototyping activities. Guided by the DAP facilitators, the teams challenged their assumptions about their service, clients, and environment to generate ideas and synthesize these into possible solutions. Maricel Reduca, Officer-in-Charge of the Bureau of Philippine Standards – Standards Conformity Division, shared her experience in collaborating with her colleagues: “we came from different bureaus, and the good thing about the discussion is that one of the members asks about the process… Also, the data gathering helped us during the brainstorming since we already know the client’s expectations and needs.”

To convert their ideas into tangible solutions and determine if these work in practice, the teams developed prototypes and tested these on their stakeholders. During the user tests, the teams considered feedback and insights to identify improvements as they prepare further iterations of their solutions.

For the participants, the value of learning from clients and engaging them throughout the design process was an important lesson. TESDA Supervising Technical Education and Skills Development Specialist Ida Miape summarized her takeaway, “we journey with our stakeholders, so their input is essential to enhance the service, policies, and guidelines, and we would learn what is missing in our solution.” DPWH Project Evaluation Officer Vennie League also added that “the client’s peace of mind is important.” 

Beyond the workshops, the participants gained skills and knowledge which they can continue using when engaging with their clients and colleagues. For Engr. Myra Nazarrea of the MMDA, “applying the service design perspective is not all about applying it to a project. It is also about how you deal with others since there might be a possible solution, and you have to see it from other’s perspective.” 

For DOF Dir. Michael Aguinaldo, the workshops were a platform to see the bigger picture of their service. He shared that “the whole experience needs to be imagined. I learned about understanding what the clients would feel. Another thing is about the user tester. We usually finish the prototype first before gathering feedback, and now I can immediately gather feedback and make an adjustment. I will also make sure to review the tools that were introduced during the session for our future projects.”

READ: DCCPSI Program Batch 2

The national Citizen Satisfaction e-Survey (e-CitSat) conducted last 2020 by the Development Academy of the Philippines-Productivity and Development Center under the Government Quality Management Program captured citizens’ expectations from frontline government service during the pandemic.

Top Service Attributes that Matter to Citizens in 2020
*Identified key drivers of satisfaction in 2020/ Based on the ratings given by the citizens as important and very important

The top thirteen service attributes that matter most to citizens, gleaned from the 2020 e-CitSat, are proposed to be part of the minimum set of service quality standards (SQS) for the “new normal” frontline government service delivery.

Citizens considered these 13 attributes to be the most important service features during the 2020 pandemic. Interestingly, clean and well-lighted waiting areas and fast transactions were also considered by citizens as top attributes in 2018 even before the pandemic.

The top service attributes cover the eight service quality dimensions provided by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Harmonization of National Government Performance, Monitoring, Information and Reporting Systems (AO25 IATF) in its 2020 guidelines.

During the pandemic in 2020, observance of minimum health protocols which includes filling of health declaration or contact tracing form, thermal scanning, and strict observance of social distancing measures received the highest importance rating of 98% from citizens. Frontliners wearing face masks and shields, as well as, protection of personal and confidential information both received a rating of 97% while getting what is needed got 96%.

The following expectations were given a rating of 97% by the transacting citizens, a clean and well-lighted waiting area, easy to contact the agency by phone, and availability and accessibility of agency website, while the fast transaction was rated 93%.

Also significant to the transacting citizens are helpful frontliners, confirming successful online transactions, immediate issuance of official receipts, and ease of getting updated and accurate information, all rated 97%. Fairness of agency got a 96% importance rating.

To further probe on citizens’ expectations and to better understand the top service attributes, Consultations Towards Improvement of Frontline Government Service Delivery in the “New Normal” were conducted on 3, 5, and 7 May 2021 with representatives from civil society organizations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Comments and insights on the top service attributes were solicited from the participants during the focus group discussions.

Regarding ease of contacting agencies, participants shared that phone calls are more convenient due to unstable or unavailable internet connection in some areas of the country. In addition, the participants raised that most citizens use mobile phones so they prefer that government agencies provide mobile numbers aside from landline hotline numbers.

Participants’ also shared their concern of having to make multiple trips to an agency when transactions cannot be processed in a single face-to-face trip due to the work-from-home setup of some agencies. This highlighted the value of service attributes on getting what is needed, helpful frontliners, and fast transactions.

Some of the participants during the Luzon consultation workshop last May 03.

The national e-CitSat aims to help the public sector better understand the needs and perceptions of the Filipinos and identify areas for government-wide quality improvement.

The national Citizen Satisfaction and Business Satisfaction surveys being conducted by the DAP – Productivity and Development Center under the Government Quality Management Program are critical tools in helping the public sector better understand the needs and perceptions of the Filipinos and identify areas for improvement in public service delivery.

The DAP seeks to empower leaders, strengthen institutions, and build the nation through pioneering, value-adding, synergistic ideas, concepts, principles, techniques, and technologies addressing development problems of local, national, and international significance. DAP – PDC offers capability building, technical assistance, and research related to productivity and quality improvement. For more information, visit www.dap.edu.ph, http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/, and email at pdc.pdro@dap.edu.ph.

View the previous 2018 CitSat Survey Results Report – http://bit.ly/SQS2021IEC.

This article was originally posted in http://pdc.dap.edu.ph/index.php/dap-survey-captures-citizens-sentiments-on-frontline-government-service-during-the-pandemic/