The APO Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity
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The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), in cooperation with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), through the Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity (COE-PSP) Program Management Office conducted the Workshop on Digital Transformation for the Public Sector from 13 to 15 July 2022.
Forty-three (43) participants and twelve (12) observers from Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, and Vietnam listened to lectures on digital transformation strategies, issues, and advances. They also conducted discussions on people-centered digital transformation and planning for possible risks.
Current trends, issues
Class photo of the participants with the resource persons and DAP SVP Magdalena L. Mendoza.
DAP Senior Vice President for Programs Ms. Magdalena L. Mendoza kicked off the activity by encouraging the participants to maximize technological advancements to deliver citizen-centered services and address challenges.
Ms. Hyejeong Lim sharing the Republic of Korea’s best practices on digital governance.
Dr. Toshio Obi, Professor Emeritus at Waseda University’s Institute of Digital Government, and Ms. Hyejeong Lim, Principal Manager of the National Information Society Agency, discussed current trends and issues in digital transformation. Dr. Obi shared examples of how technological advances have helped Japan respond to challenges like an aging population and natural disasters, while Ms. Lim explained the Republic of Korea’s open data policies and initiatives, its journey towards a digital government, and the plans to build on this progress.
Dr. Jelena Dzakula discussing the different disruptive technologies and their ethical and social challenges
Dr. Jelena Dzakula, Lecturer at the King’s College London’s Department of Digital Humanities, recounted Europe’s digital transformation journey, including evaluations and case studies that contributed to current innovations. Presenting another view on disruptive technologies, she said automation, AI, and blockchain have encouraged democratization and improved organizational efficiency while introducing ethical challenges like the amplification of certain racial prejudices and threats to privacy.
Practical considerations
The lectures and activities also tackled more practical strategies for digital transformation in the public sector.
Dr. Toshio Obi discussing different frameworks regarding digital transformation.
Dr. Obi argued that certain policies and structures either promote or hinder digital transformation’s conceptualization, integration, and implementation. The public sector does not yet have an enabling environment because public-private partnerships are few, and there is little political will around digitalization. He called for greater cooperation on the matter and capacity building for the public sector.
Dr. William Torres presenting the digital transformation journey of Asia Pacific countries.
Dr. William Torres, Distinguished Professor at Mapúa University’s School of Information Technology, focused on the lessons learned from the Philippines’ digital transformation experience. He reasoned that the Philippines, a developing country at the beginning of its digitalization journey, needs the same investment in infrastructure and skills development as its neighbors to see progress.
The European Union also experiences similar problems in the digital divide, according to Dr. Dzakula. She also echoed the calls for more genuine citizen involvement through co-production and co-creation, including models to fully account for human behavior.
Dr. Jasper Tallada presenting the group discussion output of the Philippines on AI as used by the International Rice Research Institute.Mr. Muhammad Yousif Shaikh discussing the Business Continuity Plan with digital technology in Pakistan.
Small group discussions complemented the lectures and allowed participants to share their respective countries’ experiences. In the activities facilitated by Dr. Dzakula and Dr. Obi, the participants talked about the extent to which governments’ digital services and processes involved constituents and proposed business continuity plans for digital technology.
Mr. Armand Tristan Suratos, the APO Liaison Officer for the Philippines, closed the program by encouraging the participants to find opportunities to innovate and continuously learn about digital transformation.
DAP holds third batch of the Development of Public Sector Productivity Specialists Foundation Course
The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) trained 29 participants during the Development of Public Sector Productivity Specialists Foundation Course (DPSPS-FC) held from 27 June to 1 July. Participants came from seven agencies:
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
Office of the Provincial Prosecutor – Cebu (OPP Cebu)
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital
Civil Service Commission Regional Office II (CSC Region 2)
Department of Transportation (DOTr)
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Resource persons from the DAP discussed the basic concepts and strategies and guided the participants through workshops to draft a productivity improvement plan. Case presenters also shared their experiences in conceptualizing and implementing their own projects.
Basics of Public-Sector Productivity
The participants began with an introduction to public-sector productivity from AO25 Secretariat Director Ms. Maria Rosario A. Ablan. She highlighted how productive organizations could improve citizens’ quality of life, restore public trust, and promote good governance. Ms. Ablan also presented the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle as a framework for productivity improvement.
Ms. Maria Rosario Ablan conducting the session on Understanding Productivity Concepts.
Ms. Ablan also led the discussion in the next session on the steps and key considerations in productivity measurement. After the lecture, the participants identified their inputs, outputs, and outcomes and applied the process of measurement in the context of their agencies. The following session on diagnosing and analyzing productivity problems showed how Lean Management concepts and tools such as Quick Assessment, Value Stream Mapping, and Identifying a Problem Statement may be used to deepen one’s understanding of the potential causes of productivity issues and how best to address them.
Ms. Khasian Romulo from the DOST-STII presenting their workshop output.
Productivity Improvement
Using insights from the third session, Ms. Niña Maria Estudillo introduced a number of productivity improvement tools and techniques, such as Fishbone Analysis, Root Cause Analysis, and Solutions Formulation Matrix, and guided the participants in their use.
The last day of the course was dedicated to tackling practical questions and strategies. DAP Project Officer Ms. Rocio Isabel Paloma shared tips for introducing and sustaining solutions. These were contextualized through presentations of previous innovation projects from Dr. Edward Baña of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Ms. Maria Luisa Khristina Oliveros from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Participants later presented their respective offices’ initial Productivity Improvement Plan.
The course ended with a message from DAP President and CEO Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan Jr., MNSA, which emphasized how technology can transform internal and external processes to reduce the turnaround time and costs of services and encouraged the participants to continuously strengthen their organizations to improve sectoral and national productivity.
Ms. Rocio Isabel Paloma and a participant from CSC Region 2 discussing how innovation can help increase productivity.
Dr. Edward Baña presenting how he used technology for productivity improvement in Antique.
Ms. Maria Luisa Khristina Oliveros relating how she introduced innovation in doing inspections. The participants of the 3rd DPSPS Foundation Workshop.The participants of the 3rd DPSPS Foundation Workshop.DAP President and CEO Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan Jr., MNSA delivering the closing remarks.
The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) held a webinar series on Measuring Public Sector Productivity on 7-8 June 2022. DAP Vice President and Managing Director of the Productivity and Development Center, Mr. Arnel D. Abanto, delivered two sessions on key productivity concepts and approaches to measuring productivity.
The series is the second installment of this year’s Public Sector Productivity (PSP) Webisodes, a year-long initiative to raise awareness of productivity and innovation topics in the public sector through the virtual space.
Throughout the two sessions, Mr. Abanto emphasized that PSP matters because the public sector is a significant provider of services and a primary user of resources. Productivity measurement, in determining the relationship between valuable outputs generated and resources utilized for a particular period, can lead to critical information for improving the public sector’s performance. Mr. Abanto illustrated the process and types of information generated by presenting the results of productivity estimates he did for the education and health sectors in the Philippines.
Mr. Abanto beginning his presentation on the first day of the webinar series.
Challenges in public sector productivity measurement
On the second day of the webinar, Mr. Abanto focused on a step-by-step approach to measuring PSP and gave a brief background on analyzing and interpreting productivity information. Mr. Abanto listed seven critical considerations in estimating PSP: the purpose of measurement, the outcome of productivity changes, results linkages, levels of analysis, availability and quality of data, information needs of the user of productivity information, and the productivity measurement framework. Of these, he pointed to the purpose as the most crucial.
Mr. Abanto discussing the guide questions in identifying and measuring critical outputs.
Mr. Abanto also outlined the key challenges in measuring PSP: intra-governmental coordination on productivity measurement, accounting for quality change, and weak institutional mechanisms for regular data collection. Asked how to overcome the issue of data availability and quality, he responded that access to information should not be a challenge if the individuals and organizations involved understand the purpose of productivity measurement and how the information can help them identify and address gaps in the delivery of services and the achievement of targets in the public sector. This webinar series is available for replay on Facebook and Youtube. Stay tuned for more upcoming webinar series in the coming months.
Staff and officers from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) completed a series of workshops to reimagine their services and processes through experimentation. The sessions were part of the Development Academy of the Philippines’ (DAP) partnership with the Asian Productivity Organization and Finland-based think-tank Demos Helsinki on experimentation in the public sector.
Three workshops were conducted online:
7 June: Identifying the problem and the potential solutions
8 June: Defining the experiment hypothesis
22 June: Experiment design and rollout plan
At the end of the sessions, the DOLE team designed an experiment to improve the quality of their auditing and eliminate program implementation deficiencies while the DENR-EMB team will try to incentivize local government units’ compliance with environmental regulations. They will carry out these tests with additional guidance and support coming from the DAP and Demos Helsinki before presenting the results in November.
Lectures complemented the activities by tackling how governments can use experimentation to navigate a highly unpredictable landscape by trying new ideas at a smaller scale. The resource persons also presented cases from the private sector and the government to further expound and contextualize the types, purpose, and benefits of testing.
Opportunity for transformation
The workshops also served as vehicles for introducing new tools and mindsets for brainstorming and planning. They were designed around the idea that even the smallest of experiments could eventually lead to major transformations. Using the Finnish experience with testing universal basic income, Mr. Mikko Annala, Lead of Transformative Governance at Demos Helsinki, explained how the test accelerated the debate on the future of social welfare while reducing potential risks.
Mr. Mikael Sokero, Senior Capacity Building Expert at Demos Helsinki, also highlighted the role of imagination. He emphasized that experimentation, used in a robust way, is a perfect way of looking for a solution outside one’s perceived reality, thus moving away from the fixation on “perfect policies†towards moonshot initiatives.
Mr. Mikael Sokero introduces the participants to his organization’s work.Mr. Ryan Chua presents examples of hypotheses related to public service deliveryParticipants share their thoughts on imaginationMr. Mikael Sokero explains how innovation is a process of learning and experimentationThe participants take a photo with the resource persons
The Development Academy of the Philippines, as the focal organization of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity (COE-PSP), successfully implemented this year’s second batch of the Development of Public Sector Productivity Specialists – Foundation Course (DPSPS-FC) from 13 to 17 June 2022.
In his opening speech, Mr. Peter Dan Baon, the COE-PSP Program Manager, welcomed the participants from the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Mines & Geosciences Bureau Regional Office IVA, House of Representatives – Congressional Policy & Budget Research (HOR-CPBR), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and Professional Regulation Commission – NCR. He explained that the five-day course seeks to provide an avenue for them to gain insights, learn from the experience of other participants, and collaborate with other agencies as they work together towards a more productive public sector.
Capacitating future PSP specialists
Ms. Maria Rosario Ablan, Program Director of the DAP AO25 Secretariat, led the discussion for Session 1: Understanding Public Sector Productivity Concepts and Principles. She discussed basic productivity concepts and issues, the importance of public sector productivity, the productivity management framework, and the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle.
Ms. Rosario Ablan discussing the outline for Session 1
For the second session on Measuring Productivity in the Public Sector, Ms. Ablan presented the Productivity Measurement Framework and the key considerations and challenges in measuring public sector productivity. She also explained the index-based PSP measurement and steps in building output and input indices to compute productivity at the organizational level.
Representatives from each participating agency presenting their identified organizational inputs, outputs, and outcomes during the sharing session
Ms. Elena Cruz, former DAP Vice President and Managing Director of the Center for Knowledge Management, facilitated Session 3: Diagnosing and Analyzing Productivity. Ms. Cruz tackled Lean Management principles and concepts, emphasizing the eight wastes of Lean Manufacturing. She also discussed various problem-solving tools and techniques, such as Quick Assessment, Value Stream Mapping, Work Study, Process Chart, Method Study, Work Measurement, and Root Cause Analysis. According to Ms. Cruz, diagnosing and defining productivity issues are important preliminary steps to productivity improvement.
Ms. Elena Cruz discussing the Session 3 Outline with the participants.Representatives from each agency presenting their matrix diagrams during the sharing session
For the fourth session, Ms. Niña Estudillo, an Honorary Certified APO Productivity Practitioner and independent trainer and consultant specializing in Productivity and Quality (P&Q) and Organizational Development (OD), discussed how to identify and plan productivity improvements to address productivity problems identified in the previous session. She introduced the tools and techniques for productivity improvement, focusing on Quality Circle and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). During the workshop, the participating agencies were tasked to identify solutions to their identified wastes using the Root Cause Analysis, specifically the Ishikawa Diagram, Potential Problem Analysis and Solutions Formulation Matrix. They were also given time to brainstorm and prepare for the initial outline of their Productivity Improvement Plan (PIP), which will serve as their final output for the course.
Ms. Niña Estudillo outlining the steps in preparing Cause-and-Effect Diagram, which is one of the workshop outputs for Session 4
On the program’s final day, two case presenters discussed and shared exemplary experiences in developing and implementing interventions that have addressed internal and external productivity issues concerning citizen satisfaction, public trust, cost-effectiveness, competitiveness, and quality of life. Mr. Michaelangelo R. Severa, Local Government Operations Officer at the Department of the Interior and Local Government Regional Office No. 5 (DILG Region 5), presented the key components, results, and challenges they faced in the implementation of the “Saloobin ng mga Mamamayan†project, which seeks to establish a citizen feedback mechanism and address issues surrounding feedback mechanism protocols at the barangay-level. The second presenter, Mr. Joel O. Mendoza, Head of the Quality Workplace Committee at the Department of Education (DepEd), shared their quality workplace journey through 5S Good Housekeeping.
Participants posing for their class picture.Participants posing for their class picture.
For their main course activity, the participating agencies presented their initial Productivity Improvement Plan. Each of the agencies was provided an opportunity to raise questions and give comments on the outputs of one another. The resource persons during the previous sessions, Ms. Niña Estudillo, Ms. Elena Cruz, and Mr. Peter Dan Baon also provided their inputs and suggestions after each presentation.
To formally close the program, Ms. Imelda C. Caluen, Vice President and Managing Director of the DAP Center for Governance, delivered the closing remarks. She congratulated the participants for completing the first step to becoming productivity specialists, adding that any effort to improve government productivity starts with the workforce, improving skills, and reforming administrative cultures.
Ms. Imelda Caluen, Managing Director of the DAP Center for Governance, delivering the closing remarks.
The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), in cooperation with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), through the Center of Excellence on Public Sector Productivity (COE-PSP) Program Management Office, implemented this year’s first run of the APO Development of Public Sector Productivity Specialists (APO DPSPS).
The course was conducted online and ran from 16 to 20 May 2022. It was attended by 50 participants from APO member countries such as Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Republic of China, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, and the Philippines. It trained the participants in the relevant concepts, approaches, tools, and techniques to develop their competencies as productivity specialists in the public sector.
The course predominantly featured Dr. Shin Kim, Senior Research Fellow with the Division of Regulatory Innovation Research, Korea Institute of Public Administration, Republic of Korea, and Dr. D. Brian Marson, President of the Public Service Excellence Institute, Canada, as its two main speakers. They were supported by presentations from DAP officers Mr. Arnel D. Abanto, Vice President and Managing Director of the Productivity and Development Center, and Ms. Maria Rosario A. Ablan, Program Director of the AO 25 Secretariat, as well as case presentations from key Philippine government officials.
Productivity Trends and Concepts
NEDA Undersecretary Jose Miguel de la Rosa, the APO Director for the Philippines, during his opening remarks
The opening day began with a message from National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Jose Miguel de la Rosa, the APO Director for the Philippines, who emphasized the need for more individuals capable of transforming the public sector to become more innovative, agile, and impactful. This was followed by the first session of the course, The Role of the Public Sector and Global Trends in Improving Productivity, in which Dr. Kim discussed the importance of productivity in governance. This was further enriched by the day’s final session on Public Sector Leadership. Dr. Marson used this session to clarify the differences between leadership and management, especially in the context of the public sector, and how each can contribute to productivity.
Dr. Shin Kim discussing key concepts in public sector productivity
Dr. Marson opened the following day’s sessions, beginning with the topic Citizen-Centered Service and Opportunities for Improving Public Service Delivery in the New Normal. Much of the discussion revolved around the experiences of the Philippines, Singapore, New Zealand, and Canada in measuring client satisfaction with government services and addressing the gaps and problems that were highlighted by the public.
Dr. Kim followed with a session on Performance Management, particularly on its relation to productivity, accountability, and, ultimately, results. One of his insights was that, in the past, organizations approached this by first thinking about how to manage their resources. But now, the thinking has shifted to first identifying goals and objectives before determining the required actions and resources.
To close the day’s sessions, Dr. Marson facilitated a group exercise on citizen-centered services. Participants were divided into four groups to brainstorm service improvement plans based on their group’s assigned case study. Afterwards, each group’s representative presented their findings and discussed with the larger group.
Participants presenting their outputs from the exercise on citizen-centered services
Assessing, Measuring, and Improving Productivity
The third day of the course opened with the session on Development of Productivity Improvement Plans, where Dr. Marson discussed the key steps needed to devise an initiative that would increase an organization’s productivity in a systematic way. These include conducting baseline performance assessments, establishing clear objectives, and selecting the appropriate components that would ensure the effectiveness and quality of the resulting action. He highlighted the use of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as a basis for developing a thorough and well-executed improvement plan.
Dr. Marson discussing how to improve productivity using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
The next session, Measuring Public Sector Productivity, was covered by Mr. Abanto, who began by discussing the key considerations in estimating public sector productivity, such as the effective communication of productivity information for policy, decision-making, and improvement action. He then proceeded to demonstrate index-based productivity measurement, highlighting the use of cost-weighing and deflating to ensure the accuracy of the resulting productivity estimates.
Mr. Abanto conducting an exercise on index-based measurement of public sector productivity
Dr. Marson led the fourth day of sessions with his discussion of Change Management in the Public Sector. This particular session included mini-case studies and group discussions on theories of and best practices in change management specific to the public sector. The participants’ questions centered on the change management process, its challenges, and the solutions needed to overcome the said challenges.
The following topic, Approaches for Improving Organizational Productivity, was covered by Ms. Ablan. She discussed a range of practical tools and techniques to improve productivity such as the 5S Methodology or Practical Industrial Engineering (IE). She also highlighted the importance of understanding the underlying principles in choosing the right tools and techniques and employing the appropriate solutions for the problems at hand.
Ms. Ablan sharing her insights on continuous improvement in the public sector
The Application of Technology in Public Sector Productivity
The last day of the course began with two presentations of local projects showcasing how their initiatives and leadership strategies concretized the concepts and tools of productivity, particularly in the use of digital technology.
First to present was Ms. Maria Luisa Khristina C. Oliveros, Supervising Labor and Employment Officer for the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) CAMANAVA Field Office. She demonstrated how her project on virtual site inspections proved to be a safe means of conducting labor inspections, especially given the difficulties brought by COVID-19.
Ms. Oliveros sharing her presentation on adapting on-site inspections to the risks associated with COVID-19
Second was Dr. Edward E. Baña, Education Program Supervisor for the Department of Education Schools Division Office of Antique. He presented how his project on using RFID technology for student monitoring helped prevent children from dropping out and also provided more efficient workflows for the school’s employees.
Dr. Baña presenting on the use of RFID technology to better monitor the attendance and performance of schoolchildren
These presentations flowed directly into the final session of the course, which was on the topic of E-Government. Dr. Kim discussed how best to understand the concept of e-government, and showcased some best practices in the use of ICT across different public sector cases from various countries.
DAP President and CEO Atty. Caronan giving his closing remarks.
To formally close the five-day training, APO Alternate Director for the Philippines and DAP President and CEO Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan, Jr., delivered a message that thanked the APO and DAP teams for their efforts in hosting the course and commended the resource persons for sharing their knowledge and guiding the participants. He added that he is looking forward to the innovations that the participants will implement to help public sector organizations improve their productivity.
The DAP, through the Center of Excellence – Public Sector Productivity, held this year’s first batch of the Development of Public Sector Productivity Specialists Foundation Course (DPSPS FC) from 16 to 20 May 2022. The five-day course was designed to equip staff and officers of public sector organizations’ management divisions with competencies in measurement, analysis, planning, and troubleshooting to increase their respective organizations’ productivity.
Twenty participants from the Department of the Interior and Local Government – National Capital Region (DILG-NCR), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – Regional Offices 1 and 5, Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) Regional Office – CAR, and Department of Education (DepEd) – Ignacio Villamor Senior High School completed this training program.
During the course, the participants listened to lectures and applied their learnings by measuring their organization’s productivity and diagnosing existing problems, and developing productivity improvement projects. A week after the training, the participants are expected to submit their respective Productivity Improvement Plan.
Improving public sector productivity
In her welcome remarks, Imelda Caluen, Managing Director of the DAP-Center for Governance, acknowledged how the present interlocking challenges put pressure on the Philippine public sector to continuously perform internal and external tasks more efficiently and effectively. To meet the changing demands of stakeholders and the public with limited resources, governments and organizations around the world are pushed to shift to more productive means of doing their job.
Ms. Imelda Caluen delivered the welcome remarks.
Mr. Peter Dan B. Baon, Program Manager of the COE-PSP, served as the speaker for the first session, entitled Understanding Public Sector Productivity Concepts and Principles. He talked about productivity as a technical, social, and management concept and its importance in the context of the public sector.
Mr. Peter Dan Baon talked about the role of the public sector in improving productivity.
The session entitled, “Measuring Productivity in the Public Sector,†tackled the Productivity Measurement Framework and the key considerations and challenges in measuring Public Sector Productivity. The resource persons, Ms. Rose Ann Camille Caliso, Mr. Philip Ryan Junginger, and Ms. Jenifer Camilon expounded on how PSP measurement allows leaders and policymakers to assess productivity trends within the public sector, improve accountability over the use of resources, determine where to allocate resources where they are used most effectively, and provide feedback on policy initiatives. For their session activity, the participating agencies were tasked to compute their productivity using the productivity measurement tool provided to them.
Session 3 resource persons, Philip Junginger, Camille Caliso, and Jenifer Camilon discussed PSP measurement.
The third session, entitled Diagnosing and Analyzing Productivity, was facilitated by Ms. Elena Cruz, Former Vice-President of the Development Academy of the Philippines and Managing Director of the DAP Center for Knowledge Management. Ms. Cruz discussed how to diagnose productivity problems in the public sector using the PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) Cycle and the Lean Management principles and concepts based on the Toyota Production System (TPS).
Ms. Cruz shared about diagnosing and analyzing productivity problems.
The session, entitled Identifying Productivity Improvement, discussed how to identify and plan productivity improvements that will address productivity problems identified in the previous session. Ms. Niña Estudillo, international resource person in productivity and quality courses of Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organization (APO) introduced tools and techniques for productivity improvement, zeroing in on Quality Circle and Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR).
Ms. Estudillo facilitated problem-solving activities during breakout sessions.
For the final session, presenters from different public sector organizations shared their PSP best practices and experiences. Kenjave Mark Parlero, Designated Head of HR Academy Human Resource Management and Development Office at the City Government of General Santos, together with his colleagues, Jose Amagan Jr. and Teodoro Barcelona Jr., shared their experience in planning and implementing the project entitled “High-Personal Effectiveness Through Resources Allocation (HI-PERA). Dr. Juliet J. Balderas, Management Service Department Head of Office of Strategy Management at the Philippine Heart Center presented about Sustaining Business Excellence through Unit Scoreboards as Execution Mechanism for Increased Individual Performance and Breakthrough Results. Lastly, Dr. Teresita A. Tabaog, Assistant Regional Director at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – Region 2 shared about DOST’s Performance Excellence Team and Initiatives during the Pandemic.
To formally close the program, DAP President and CEO Atty. Engelbert C. Caronan, Jr. left a timely reminder to all the participants. He noted, “in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, you being considered the future public sector productivity specialists are expected to strengthen your organization, while also contributing to the sectoral and the national productivity improvement. This is a reminder for all of us to do much good; bear in mind that policy decisions that are data-driven alongside citizen needs make a government future-ready.â€
The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) held a webinar on Public Sector Productivity Concepts and Tools last 22-24 March 2022 as the first installment of this year’s of Public Sector Productivity (PSP) Webisodes, a year-long initiative to raise awareness on productivity and innovation topics in the public sector through the virtual space. Speakers for the three-day webinar were Director Samuel Rosal of DAP’s Technology Management Office, Director Mary Ann Vilchez of the Internal Audit Service of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Niña Marie Estudillo, an Asian Productivity Organization (APO) productivity practitioner, technical expert, and trainer.
Director Rosal opening the webinar series with his presentation.
Understanding the concept of productivity in the public sector
The webinar started with an overview of productivity, as Dir. Rosal aimed to provide the participants with a foundation of the concept. He defined productivity as a “formula between the quantity of output versus the quantity of input in the production process,†and it is seen as “a ratio between the goods and services produced versus the resources such as labor, materials, machinery, and energy.â€
He then expanded the discussion from productivity to effectiveness, which looks at the ratio of outcomes to inputs, instead of looking at just the ratio of outputs and inputs (i.e., productivity). Crucially, he notes that outcomes are different from outputs in the sense that the dimension of outcomes is more significant.
Dir. Rosal also framed productivity in the public sector as the capacity of an organization to fulfill the desired societal outcomes as mandated in the most efficient, effective, and economical management of public goods and services provided. He pointed out that public servants work hard to achieve goals and desired outcomes to purposefully benefit their clients—the citizens—especially since the resources that make the public sector run actually come from them.
Productivity Improvement Project (PIP) as a tool for improving public sector productivity
On the second day of the webinar, Dir. Vilchez focused on the importance of a productivity improvement project (PIP) as a tool for improving public sector productivity. She introduced the PIP as the final output of trainees from the Developing Public Sector Productivity Specialist (DPSPS) course by the APO which focuses on drawing out from the trainees “practical and effective ways of utilizing the knowledge gained from the course.†She further explained that “a Productivity Improvement Project is an organized, comprehensive, and long term intervention that involves the use of innovation to enhance and sustain high productivity levels and performance of organizations or target systems.†The PIP can even be considered an innovative tool because it is something that has not yet been done, or at the very least, an improvement of what is already being done.
Dir. Vilchez discussing an actual project implementation document.
Competencies of a productivity specialist
To conclude the webinar series, Ms. Estudillo shared the competencies of a productivity specialist, which she defines as a highly skilled individual whose work concentrates primarily on applications of productivity-related solutions and activities in consultancy, training, promotion, and research assignments. Given this definition, a productivity specialist’s roles in productivity improvement initiatives are as a promoter, a consultant, a trainer, and a researcher.
Ms. Estudillo explaining the different roles of a productivity specialist.
A participant asked, “How is a PSP specialist placed in an organization—is it under HR, internal audit, or a separate team? What specifically is his or her role in an organization?†The speaker did not specify any level in the relative hierarchy or structure of an organization, but she did mention that while there is no widely accepted job description for one yet, a PSP specialist’s role is to encourage change to achieve a more effective and efficient system.
This webinar series is available for replay on Facebook and Youtube. Stay tuned for more upcoming webinar series in the coming months.
The 21st century has seen a growing emphasis in the public sector on lifelong learning and professional development to better manage the impact of globalization and the growth of knowledge-based economies. Government organizations have taken responsibility for ensuring that their employees have the appropriate skills and knowledge to accomplish their strategic and operational objectives. Below is a list of FREE knowledge development resources on lifelong learning relevant to the public sector.
Upskill Faster by Fostering a Culture of Agile Learning Organizer: Gartner Date & Time: Tuesday, 03 May 2022 | 10:00 PM PST
Agile learning can help teams achieve better outcomes by unlocking talent and skills within the enterprise. Join this complimentary webinar to learn how to shift from ad-hoc learning to an agile learning culture, Motivate learners by creating an agile learning environment, and Apply culture hacks that will accelerate a culture of agile learning.
The Gartner Cloud Strategy Cookbook 2022 Organizer: Gartner Date & Time: Wednesday, 04 May 2022 | 10:00 PM PST
How do we build a comprehensive cloud strategy? This complimentary IT webinar takes a “cookbook approach” to building a cloud strategy, a one-service-at-a-time method. We will look at cloud computing offerings on a spectrum; the cloud strategies of the mega-vendors, such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft and IBM. We will highlight how vendor management leaders can determine if those vendors’ offerings apply to their organizations’ cloud strategy. Most importantly, we will help you devise your winning recipe for cloud strategy success.
Changing the Course of Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Organizer: Microsoft Date & Time: Tuesday, 17 May 2022 | 6:00 PM PST
Climate change is a top priority for governments, not least because it impacts lives but also livelihoods. However, for countries with an inherently lower GDP per capita and those heavily reliant on fossil fuels, the road to a low-emissions economy exerts a sizable burden. This webinar focuses on assisting country leaders in formulating frameworks that support their joint ambition to balance economic progress with environmental upkeep. Most importantly, it demonstrates that with technology as a unifying enabler, our move to net-zero need not be a zero-sum game.
Earth Day: How Public Servants Can Invest in the Planet Organizer: Apolitical Date & Time: Thursday, 19 May 2022 | 11:00PM PST
Each year, Earth Day offers the chance to reflect on what we’ve done for the planet over the past year, and to consider what more we could be doing. Join this free online workshop, organized in honor of Earth Day, to learn about how public servants can invest in the planet. You’ll hear about strategies public servants can use to fight climate change and promote greener policies, inside and outside of the public service.
Proactive Planning for Old, New, and Emerging Security Vulnerabilities Webinar Bootcamp by F5
Accellion, Solar Winds, and Log4Shell are just a few in a long list of security vulnerabilities that have kept defenders busy around the clock. For many enterprises, remediation is difficult – or worse, non-existent – leading to compromise through vulnerabilities that are sometimes years old, even though patches are available. Knowing the right steps to take can be tough. So how can your organization find the right way to proactively protect its applications and data from attacks exploiting past, current, and even future vulnerabilities? 
Data-driven Equity and Climate Budgeting Email Bootcamp by Apolitical
Government budgets are where decisions about what’s important get funded. It is the logical place to begin when building a strategy for tackling society’s biggest issues, from climate change and homelessness to equity and sustainability. Sign up for this free email boot camp to learn how to develop and apply a Priority Based Budgeting framework to help local governments make the most of their resources AND make good on their promises. This methodology enables governments to apply Priority Based Budgeting for climate and equity-focused data-driven decision making.
Four-week Data Boot Camp for Public Servants Email Bootcamp by Apolitical
As governments seek to adapt to digital technologies, knowing how to work with data is frequently cited as one of the most valuable skills that a public servant can develop. This is not standard programming, data visualization or data science course. It is designed to introduce public servants to a wide range of skills needed to use data effectively in government. This boot camp is for anyone who wants an introduction to using data in the public service or simply wants a refresher on some of the key principles.
Privacy Management – The Case for a Global Approach Leveraging ISO/IEC 27701 Webinar Bootcamp by SGS S.A. Date: February-July 2022
The International Organization for Standardization recognized the protection of privacy is a global concern and in 2019 published ISO/IEC 27701, the international standard for a Privacy Information Management System. This standard is based on and is an extension of ISO/IEC 27001, the well-known and widely accepted management system standard for Information Security. During this webinar, our speakers, Alex Li from Microsoft and Willy Fabritius of SGS, will provide an overview of what ISO/IEC 27701 is and how organizations benefit from certification to the standard. In addition, we will include a brief overview of Microsoft’s open-source Data Protection/Privacy Mapping Project.
The growing adoption of fast innovation in public services has become increasingly prevalent since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. This is indicative of a potential shift in the public service model from being reactive to being proactive. The following trends related to the public sector that can help decision-makers craft national strategies and navigate an uncertain future toward achieving global sustainable development goals.
Post-COVID Fiscal Rules: A Central Bank Perspective Source: European Central Bank
This paper provides a simulation analysis for the euro area and individual countries to assess the short- and longer-term budgetary and macroeconomic implications of a move to a two-tier system with an expenditure growth rule as single operational indicator linked to a debt anchor. In particular, providing additional fiscal accommodation in a low inflation environment would enable monetary policy to operate more effectively, especially in the vicinity of the effective lower bound, thereby improving the synchronization of fiscal and monetary policies.
Governments Need Agile Fiscal Policies as Food and Fuel Prices Spike Source: International Monetary Fund
Just as increasing vaccinations offered hope, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted the global economic recovery. One of the most visible global effects has been the acceleration of energy and food prices, triggering concerns about episodes of food shortages and increasing the risks of malnutrition and social unrest. Economies worldwide have accumulated layer upon layer of legacies from past shocks since the global financial crisis. In response to the pandemic, extraordinary fiscal actions led to a surge in fiscal deficits and public debt in 2020.
South Asia Sees Slower Growth as War in Ukraine Impedes Recovery, Worsens Existing Challenges Source: World Bank
South Asia has faced multiple shocks in the past two years, including the scarring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. High oil and food prices caused by the war in Ukraine will have a strong negative impact on peoples’ real incomes. Given these challenges, governments need to carefully plan monetary and fiscal policies to counter external shocks and protect the vulnerable while laying the foundation for green, resilient and inclusive growth.
6 Ways Indonesia Can Green Its Infrastructure Pipeline Source: Southeast Asia Development Solutions
With 65% of Asia’s infrastructure projects not considered bankable and with the clock ticking to deliver on their net-zero goals, countries like Indonesia are under pressure to line up green projects that would attract investments from the private sector. A new report from Climate Bonds Initiative, an investor-focused not-for-profit that promotes large-scale investment in the low-carbon economy, said greening Indonesia’s infrastructure pipeline could be accelerated by key policy and institutional changes.
Malaysia launched its Roadmap Towards Zero Single-use Plastics Source: Asian Productivity Organization
The APO recognizes the diverse, unique strengths of its members and offers opportunities for mutual collective benefit through the Individual-country Observational Study Mission (IOSM) Program to tap each other’s strengths to inspire and guide the development of strategies, policies, and action plans for new initiatives and evolving ideas that are critical for development. Malaysia launched its Roadmap Towards Zero Single-use Plastics, 2018–2030, to create a cleaner, healthier environment by 2030. The government is seeking to address plastic pollution through a holistic approach in an environmentally sound manner, taking into account the public interest, readiness of the industry, and sustainability.
Measuring Costs and Benefits of Citizen Science Source: Phys.org
Today, citizen science is on the rise with bigger projects that are more ambitious and better networked than ever before. And while collecting seawater samples and photographing wild birds are two well-known examples of citizen science, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Thanks to new data collection techniques enabled by the internet, smartphones, and social media, citizen science is evolving. Increased connectivity encourages a wide range of observations that can be easily recorded and shared. The reams of crowd-sourced data from members of the public are a boon for researchers working on large-scale and geographically diverse projects. Often it would be too difficult and expensive to obtain this data otherwise.
AI in Education: Lessons for Schools in a New Era Source: GovInsder
The UK government turned to AI to predict students’ grades during the pandemic when students couldn’t complete exams in person. But the algorithm was scrapped after it disproportionately marked down students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Creating strong regulations and ensuring teachers are on-board are two steps that schools can take to ensure classrooms in adopting AI smoothly. Addressing these concerns will help schools realize AI’s potential for personalizing learning. At the recent AI x GOV summit, public sector officials and education experts gathered to discuss the responsible and ethical adoption of AI in schools, and what this technology can bring to the learning environment.
Solar-Powered Radios, Tablets, Wi-Fi Sets to Enable Distance Learning in Remote Schools in Philippines Source: Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) turned over to the Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) the last batch of tablets, solar-powered transistor radios, and other information technology (IT) equipment as part of its $2.4 million in grant support for distance learning among secondary school students from poor and disadvantaged families in remote areas during and beyond the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The support is financed by technical assistance grants from ADB and the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific under the EdTech Solutions for Last Mile Schools in COVID-19 program.
US-ASEAN Business Council, USAID, ASEAN launch SME Academy 2.0 to support ASEAN Economic Recovery Source: Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Aiming to reach more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and help accelerate their businesses recoveries, SME Academy 2.0 introduces many new features including courses available in local languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, and Vietnamese), new attractive visual design features, and top-quality resources including specific modules for COVID-19 recovery. ASEAN SME Academy 2.0 also offers MSMEs self-certification opportunities, provides access to the SME Community and Academy Facilitators and integrates a seamless interface across both desktop and mobile platforms. The COVID-19 recovery tab focusing on contents specific to support MSMEs’ recovery from the pandemic will be launched in Q3 2022. Overall, the primary goal of the Academy is to provide a platform for ASEAN MSMEs to develop their digital skills.
IMO’s Work to Cut GHG Emissions from Ships Source: International Maritime Organization
IMO adopted the first set of international mandatory measures to improve ships’ energy efficiency on 15 July 2011. In the past decade, IMO has taken further action, including further regulatory measures and adopting the Initial IMO GHG strategy. To support their implementation IMO has been executing a comprehensive capacity building and technical assistance program, including a range of global projects. The Initial GHG Strategy includes a series of candidate short-, mid- and long-term measures, building on already-adopted mandatory energy-efficiency requirements for ships.
Police Surveillance and Facial Recognition: Why Data Privacy is Imperative for Communities of Color Source: The Brookings Institution
Governments and private companies have a long history of collecting data from civilians, often justifying the resulting loss of privacy in the name of national security, economic stability, or other societal benefits. But it is important to note that these trade-offs do not affect all individuals equally. Surveillance and data collection have disproportionately affected communities of color under past and current circumstances and political regimes. In this paper, we present the case for stronger federal privacy protections with proscriptive guardrails for the public and private sectors to mitigate the high risks associated with the development and procurement of surveillance technologies.
