IQUAL NewsLetters

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Issue 1 ▪ September 2009

IQUAL in brief “Improving quality of public management through application of the CAF model (IQUAL)” is one of several multi-country activities (MCA) funded by UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR).

The IQUAL project was initiated by RCPAR Focal Point in Russian Federation - the Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence (SCBE) of Ivanovo State Power University (ISPU). Other official partners of the project are: Ministry of Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia; Ministry of Welfare of the Republic of Latvia; Organizational Work and Public Administration Policy Department under the Administration of President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Agency for Civil Service Affairs under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The IQUAL activity runs from September 2009 to March 2010 under the RCPAR thematic area of “Public Service Delivery”.

IQUAL’s intended wider outcome is to enhance the capacity of partner countries to deploy quality management techniques in Public Administration through a better understanding of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) model. Some of the specific objectives of the project are the following: 1) Give the opportunity to senior CAF practitioners from partner countries to share knowledge and grow together; 2) Introduce CAF model to the CIS countries; 3) Build a basis for further CAF development through trainings, networking and benchlearning.

CONTACTS: UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) 8, Patriarchou Ioakim str., 106 74 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 7245001 Fax: + 30 210 7245042 Panos Liverakos, RCPAR Team Leader e-mail: rcpar@undp.org www.rcpar.org IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence Ivanovo State Power University 34 Rabfakovskaya str., 150003 Ivanovo, Russia Tel/Fax: + 7 4932 413773 Dmitry Maslov, Director of SCBE/ISPU e-mail: maslow@bk.ru http://benchmarking.economic.ispu.ru

IQUAL context The CAF model was introduced in Latvia and Slovenia in the early 2000. It was incorporated in ongoing PA reforms in Slovenia and its development is supported by various Governmental structures, while Latvia is a relative beginner in CAF usage, and the number of its practical users is comparatively lower than in Slovenia. Furthermore, Latvia requires more external contribution both in the knowledge and practical experience on how to use it more successfully in the PA realm, as well as how to enhance the efficacy of users.

As highlighted in the UNDP/RCPAR 2007 Regional Survey on PAR, the Slovenian experience in this field is among the most successful. On the contrary, the CAF model in Russia is not widely known and was officially introduced for the first time in 2008 at the EIPA CAF Seminar in Moscow. However, there have been regional CAF related initiatives since 2006. An example is the Ivanovo oblast where an adopted version of CAF – EPUS Model was developed and introduced for self-assessment in some governmental structures. As of 2008 the CAF model has a National Partner in Russia – the Russian Organisation for Quality (ROQ) – but it has not had official Governmental support up to now. CAF has not been introduced in Kyrgyzstan, or in Kazakhstan, but it seems that strong interest exists for quality management applications in some governmental bodies.

IQUAL scope 1) Three study visits to EU partners: ▪ first to Latvia where Latvian partners will present their CAF implementation process and re-

sults achieved ▪ second – to Slovenia ▪ and the last visit is to Greece, where IQUAL partners will meet with the RPCAR team and have a chance to witness the application of CAF in the Greek PA; 2) Three CAF trainings: ▪ the first in Latvia (combined with a study visit mentioned above – first two days are for “CAF in action” training (delivered by an EIPA expert), then a day for sharing experience and good practices (also sharing on pit falls and mistakes in the primary stages of implementation) ▪ the second is in Kyrgyzstan, which will focus on civil servants from Central Asia and also delivered by an EIPA expert) ▪ the third is participation in the CAF external evaluation training, which will take place in the EIPA CAF Resource Centre (Maastricht, Netherlands); 3) Participation in two CAF related conferences: ▪ first is the 9th Slovene national quality conference “Good Practices in Slovene Public Administration”, which will be held on 21st October 2009 in Brdo, Slovenia ▪ and the second is a conference in the city of Ivanovo, Russia, involving the presentation of the MCA’s final results and the “CAF good practice book”. This conference will also include a round table discussion on project outcomes, dissemination of knowledge and further development.

IQUAL starts in Riga First CAF training within the IQUAL framework was organized by the Department of Finance and Development of the Latvian Ministry of Welfare, and it took place in Riga, Latvia on 22–24 September, 2009. Training was delivered by Patrick Staes (EIPA expert).

This training event was expected to provide a more in-depth analysis of different aspects of CAF deployment, including: Total quality management and the CAF 2006 Model; The process of self-assessment with CAF; Involvement of management and staff in the self-assessment project; The CAF as a driving force behind organisational change; Experiences with the CAF – best practice for Public Administration; Development of action and improvement plans, and methods for prioritizing improvement actions; Communication strategy for the CAF model; Develop a quality strategy for an organisation using the CAF model; CAF E-tools; CAF networking and bench-learning opportunities.

In addition to the training program a practical study visit to national CAF users (the Central Bank of Latvia, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Welfare) for sharing practices and changing experiences was successfully concluded.

The working languages of the training were English and Russian.

IQUAL coordinator in Latvia is Ms. Ilze Kurme, Ministry of Welfare, Department of Finance and Development Contact information: e-mail: Ilze.Kurme@lm.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67021697

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Issue 1 â–Ş September 2009

RCPAR The Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) is a five-year (2008-2013) regional project launched by the United Nations Development Programme, Bratislava Regional Centre and it is primarily financed by the Hellenic Government. Through multi-country initiatives generated by network members and implemented in cooperation with UNDP Country Offices, the project aims at facilitating professional networking and cooperation between the countries in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. RCPAR focuses on strengthening capacities in 4 broad thematic areas: policy-making and coordination; improving public finance management; enhancing organization and staffing in the public sector; promoting public service delivery.

The network is one of the cornerstones of RCPAR’s mandate and it consists of practitioners (senior civil servants), academics and other experts from the countries in the region. A systematic effort to expand the network is ongoing. In each country, the aim is to include a National Coordinator, normally from a government institution responsible for coordination of the national public administration reform efforts; and a set of thematic Focal Points in each of the thematic areas. Although there is an emphasis on government entities, non-governmental organizations and academic institutions are also represented by Focal Points.

What is CAF? The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is a Total Quality Management (TQM) tool inspired by the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the model of the German University of Administrative Sciences in Speyer. It is based on the premise that excellent results in organisational performance, citizens/customers, people and society are achieved through leadership driving strategy and planning, people, partnerships and resources and processes. It looks at the organization from different angles at the same time, the holistic approach of organisation performance analysis.

The CAF is a result of co-operation among the EU Ministers responsible for Public Administration. It is jointly developed under the aegis of the Innovative Public Services Group (IPSG), a working group of national experts set up by the DirectorsGeneral (DG) in order to promote exchanges and cooperation in sharing innovative ways of modernizing government and public service delivery in the EU Member States.

A database on CAF applications is being further developed at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), allowing for the integration of good practices in public administration all over Europe and probably beyond. A CAF e-tool will soon be available for the CAF community. The CAF website gives all available information on the Euro-

pean level. The model is now translated in 19 languages. However, on the national level, many countries have developed CAF support structures including training, brochures, e-tools, CAF users' events and data bases. All these activities assure that the target of 2000 registered CAF users in 2010 will be met.

Context of the CAF The CAF is an easy-to-use, free tool to assist public-sector organisations across Europe in using quality management techniques to improve performance. The CAF provides a self-assessment framework which is conceptually similar to the major Total Quality models, in particular the Excellence Model of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), but which is especially designed for public-sector organisations, taking into account their characteristics.

The CAF has four main purposes: 1) To introduce public administrations to the principles of TQM and gradually guide them, through the use and understanding of self-assessment, from the current "Plan-Do" sequence of activities to a full fledged "Plan-Do-Check-Act (PCDA)" cycle; 2) To facilitate the self-assessment of a public organisation in order to arrive at a diagnosis and improvement actions; 3) To act as a bridge across the various models used in quality management; 4) To facilitate bench-learning between public sector organisations.

Target Organisations The CAF has been designed for use in all parts of the public sector at the national/federal, regional and local level. It may also be used under a wide variety of circumstances, e.g. as part of a systematic programme of reform, or as a basis for targetting improvement efforts in specific public service organisations. In some cases, and especially in very large organisations, a self-assessment may also be undertaken in part of an organisation, e.g. in a selected section or department.

a means to achieve consistency of direction and consensus on what needs to be done to improve an organisation; a link between the different results to be achieved and supportive practices or enablers; a means to create enthusiasm among employees by involving them in the improvement process; opportunities to promote and share good practice within different areas of an organisation and with other organisations; a means to integrate various quality initiatives into normal business operations; a means of measuring progress overtime through periodic self-assessment.

Through its philosophy, design and operational mechanisms, the project offers significant opportunities for countries in the region to engage in the formulation and implementation of multi-country initiatives funded by the Regional Centre. Network members are actively encouraged to propose ideas and develop proposals, involving a minimum of three countries in the region, within one of the thematic areas. The funding available for each initiative is around US$100,000, and the Project aims at generating at least six initiatives per year.

Guidelines and application templates have been distributed widely in the network. They are also publicly available at www.rcpar.org

CAF Publications Introducing quality management in Russian public administrations: transfer of European good practice through Poland Author: Dmitry Maslov Paper analyses the current situation with regard to effectiveness and quality in the Russian public administration and summarizes the European experience in this area (focusing on the Polish case), in particular the activities related to the Common Assessment Framework (CAF).

A section is devoted to the EPUS (Effective Public Service) system which is an adopted version of the CAF model with methodology for integrating quality management principles into the public administration practice in the Russian Federation Good Practices in Slovene Public Administration 2008 Conference Proceedings, papers and practical cases on implementing quality management models in public management practice

Main characteristics Using the CAF provides an organisation with a powerful framework to initiate a process of continuous improvement including: an assessment based on evidence, against a set of criteria which has become widely accepted across the public sector in Europe; opportunities to identify progress and outstanding levels of achievement;

Contacts EIPA CAF Resource Centre P.O. Box 1229, 6201 BE Maastricht (NL) Tel.: + 31-43 3296 328/317 Fax: + 31-43 3296 296 E-mail: caf@eipa.eu Web: www.eipa.eu

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Issue 2 ▪ October 2009

IQUAL started in Riga “CAF Model in action” became the first IQUAL event. Training was organized by the Department of Finance and Development of the Ministry of Welfare of Latvia and took place in Riga on 22–24 September, 2009. Training was be given by leader of EIPA CAF Resource centre, seconded national expert Mr. Patrick Staes.

More than 20 experts and civil servants took part in CAF training.

22 September ▪ General overview of the CAF, criteria and sub-criteria ▪ Self-assessment with CAF and the scoring system ▪ The process of self assessment ▪ CAF movie: The CAF – A European effort towards continuous improvement in the public sector 23 September ▪ Case study, Identify criteria and sub criteria, propose an action to improve the management in the field of each subcriterion and draft a prioritised action plan: discussion in small groups, presentation of the exercise in plenary session ▪ Prioritise improvement actions: discussions in small groups, presentation of the results in plenary session 24 September ▪ CAF project in Bank of Latvia ▪ Self-assessment in the Ministry of Finance ▪ Alternative Use of CAF model in Management Audit in the Ministry of Welfare

Participants represented various Public Sector organisations from 4 countries. Kyrgyzstan: Organization work and policy state management Department of the Administration of the President of the Kyrgyzstan; Slovenia: Ministry of Public Administration, Administrative Unit Jesenice, Police Directorate Maribor; Russian Federation: Government of Ivanovo Region, Regional Chamber of Accounts, Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence of Ivanovo State Power University, North-West Academy of State Service. Latvia: State Chancellery, State Police, Bank of Latvia, Ministry of Welfare, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic, Ministry of Justice.

ECUR Effective CAF User Recognition

CONTACTS: UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) 8, Patriarchou Ioakim str., 106 74 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 7245001 Fax: + 30 210 7245042 Panos Liverakos, RCPAR Team Leader e-mail: rcpar@undp.org www.rcpar.org IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence Ivanovo State Power University 34 Rabfakovskaya str., 150003 Ivanovo, Russia Tel/Fax: + 7 4932 413773 Dmitry Maslov, Director of SCBE/ISPU e-mail: maslow@bk.ru http://benchmarking.economic.ispu.ru

In the end of the seminar Patrick Staers presented newly developed “Effective CAF User Recognition” scheme (ECUR) which is under discussion now. The purpose of ECUR is external feedback to CAF users.

Main benefits for CAF users is not looking for actual proven results of the improvement action but checking if changes is taking place in holistic framework.

The 7 principles of the ECUR as approved by the DG’s: 1) ECUR is a common European framework, to be implemented according to the national context on voluntary basis.

2) ECUR promotes feedback of the implementation of CAF and its effects on the organisation 3) This feedback is given by external experts / or peers.

4) ECUR leads to the label of Effective CAF Users (ECU) for 2 years, not recognition of accreditation of an excellent organisation.

5) ECUR is built on 3 pillars: ■ the process of self-assessment (not the scores); ■ the process of improvement actions (not the proven results of actions); ■ the TQM maturity of the organisation (the broader scope of excellence).

6) The decision and responsibility for implementFor more information contact ing the ECUR on the national level belongs to CAF Resource centre at EIPA: each MS. The national CAF correspondents Patrick Staes, Nick Thijs, Ann Stoffels are invited to corporate with the CAF RC and and Lena Heidler national EFQM contacts if needed.

Tel.: +31-43 3296 328/317, 7) The CAF expert group will continue to develop Fax: +31-43 3296 296, the ECUR in close cooperation with EFQM, announce ECUR at the 5QC and launch it at E-mail: caf@eipa-nl.com Web: www.eipa.eu the 4th European CAF Event.

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Issue 2 ▪ October 2009

GOOD PRACTICES IN SLOVENE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2009 IQUAL partners will participate in the ninth Slovene national quality conference Good Practices in Slovene Public Administration 2009 which will be held on 21st October 2009 at the Brdo Congress Centre.

Several distinguished speakers will participate at the conference. The whole conference programme will be interpreted from Slovene to English and vice versa, also Conference Proceedings will be published in Slovene and English language.

Conference Programme Opening Session The conference will be opened by Minister of Public Administration Mrs Irma Pavlinič Krebs.

Mrs Pavlinič Krebs will award the national "Good Practice" Prize to three public administration organizations.

Address speeches will be given by distinguished representatives.

Round Table Session Different approaches to improving quality of public services in different sectors will be presented by representatives and experts of repute, from Slovenia and abroad.

Session will be moderated by Dr Gordana Žurga, leader of the Quality Committee at the Ministry of Public Administration.

Good Practices Session The three awarded good practices will be presented: Application for Damage Assessment on Agricultural Products and Objects – AJDA (Ministry of Defence, Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief); Change Management in Administrative Unit Novo mesto (Administrative Unit Novo mesto); Nature Conservation Atlas (Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation).

For more information please visit webpage of the Ministry of Public Administration of Slovenia or contact gordana.zurga@gov.si

IQUAL PRESENTATION OF CAF PRACTICE IN LATVIA CAF project in Bank of Latvia

by Lolita Ručevska, Manager of Strategic management process of the Bank of Latvia Why switch from ISO ▪ No challenge fro improvement (constant compliance with ISO requirements, no audit findings, no reason to improve) ▪ Not very successful ISO implementation project: - procedure maintains seen as obstacle (some procedures duplicate regulatory documents); - not all processes identified; - weakly developed KPI system.

Why switch to CAF ▪ Clear documented view on strength and weakness: - evidence of each criteria; - enlargement of KPI set (not only for processes but also for relations with customer/stakeholders) – shows results.

▪ Continuous improvement possibilities: - planning after each assessment; - benchmarking possibility.

▪ For public administration sector.

Difficulties ▪ No clear understanding of what evidence to show under some criteria: - learned – examples in the CAF book are only examples, no need to find evidence funder each a., b., c. … (but they help to understand better what is meant under each subcritera).

▪ Some criteria seem not to be attributed to central bank business: - learned – do not score them.

▪ Identifying lacking indicators: - output/outcome – have not used these terms widely enough yet; - efficiency and effectiveness.

▪ Knowledge of best practice needed to identify strength and weakness.

▪ Courage needed to unclose weaknesses (take of rosy glasses) Where we see benefit ▪ Regular self-assessment allows to look at ourselves through internationally accepted model and through best practice prism.

▪ Regular improvement planning and implementation in addition to yearly planning cycle based on yearly results.

▪ Possibility to compare results with others.

Self-assessment in the Ministry of Finance

by Anda Krauze, Deputy Director of the Strategic Planning and Department of the Ministry of Finance of Latvia Self-assessment process was performed: ▪ based on decision taken by topmanagement in order to implement quality management system accordingly to CAF model; ▪ using SA as an instrument that helps to modernize and develop operations of the MoF; ▪ in order to ensure effective spending of resources of Ministry of Finance.

Decision of top management on necessity to implement CAF model

1. Establishing self-assessment working groups

2. Organising CAF training seminar and learning

3. Preparing self-assessment form

No

Are employees ready for performing self-assessment?

Yes 4. Performing self-assessment (filling in self-assessment from) No Is it possible to agree on evaluation scores of the examples, criteria and dimensions?

Yes 5. Identifying strength and improvement areas

6. Preparing, implementing and monitoring improvement plan

Improvement plan implemented, next self-assessment planed

Alternative Use of CAF model in Management Audit in the Ministry of Welfare

by Aija Rieba, Director of the Internal Audit Department CAF Publications th

4 QC “The Citizen at the Heart of European Quality”. 27-29 September 2006, Tampere, Finland Best practice book 5th QC “Building Sustainable Quality”.

20-22 October 2008, Paris, France Best practice cases All best practices from past Quality Conferences for Public Administration in the EU on-line Elke Löffler, Mirko Vintar Improving the quality of East and West European public services - Business & Economics, 2004

Why and how CAF was used in management audit ▪ CAF is such a comprehensive to show all the aspects of governance areas; ▪ As a base for further usage of CAF (result of this management audit is a document for self assessment ministry will provide); ▪ In this management audit both, the CAF and risk maturity model was integrated (see schema).

Results ▪ Identified most crucial areas needed in deeper analyze (indicator / evidence level); ▪ Recommendations (prioritized); ▪ Conclusions on differences in evaluation of current situation (employees and experts);

▪ Risk maturity on the same methodology – Ministry of Welfare in comparison with Rural Support Service.

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Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Issue 3 ▪ November 2009

IQUAL comes to Slovenia Next event of RCPAR multi-country activity IQUAL took place in Slovenia, where 15 delegates form Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Russian Federation spent four days sharing learning with Slovene CAF practitioners.

Kyrgyzstan was represented by the Organization work and policy state management Department of the Administration of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Office of Prime-Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic; Kazakhstan – by the Agency for Civil Service Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and JSC "National Centre for Civil Service Personnel Management"; Russian Federation – by the Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence of Ivanovo State Power University, Expert Council under the Government of Ivanovo oblast on effectiveness assessment of Municipalities and Administrative region Rrodniki; Latvia – by the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Latvia; and Slovenia – by the Ministry of Public Administration, the Administrative Unit Jesenice and the Police Directorate of Maribor.

Agenda of IQUAL event in Slovenia: 19 October Meeting and CAF presentation in the Ministry of Public Administration, Ljubljana Study visit to the Police Directorate in Maribor 20 October Study visit to the Administrative Unit Jesenice 21 October Participation at the Ninth Slovene National Quality Conference “Good Practices in Slovene Public Administration 2009”, in Brdo 22 October Free discussion and communication during a joint self-organised event

CAF in Public Administration of the Republic of Slovenia

CONTACTS: UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) 8, Patriarchou Ioakim str., 106 74 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 7245001 Fax: + 30 210 7245042 Panos Liverakos, RCPAR Team Leader e-mail: rcpar@undp.org www.rcpar.org IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence Ivanovo State Power University 34 Rabfakovskaya str., 150003 Ivanovo, Russia Tel/Fax: + 7 4932 413773 Dmitry Maslov, Director of SCBE/ISPU e-mail: maslow@bk.ru http://benchmarking.economic.ispu.ru

Dr. Gordana Žurga, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, National CAF correspondent in Slovenia, presented to IQUAL partners milestones of Quality movement in the Slovene Public Administration, and the role of CAF model during the last years of PA reforms.

CAF was extensively introduced in Slovenia in 2002; in the beginning of 2003, the Slovene translation of the CAF guide was published. Since then, usage of the CAF has been increasing continuously since the CAF was defined as a strategic choice in Slovenian public administration modernisation. CAF is incorporated in different strategic documents and/or initiatives. In the Further Development Strategy of the Slovenian Public Sector 2003–2005, the CAF was included in the first of seven priority tasks in the area of Quality management within administration and orientation of public administration towards users. In Slovenia’s Development Strategy (2005), in the action plan for 2005 and 2006 under the third development priority In an efficient and less costly state, the CAF was proposed along with the EFQM model as a tool for systematically raising the quality of public administration services.

Furthermore, the Reform Programme for Achieving the Lisbon Strategy Goals (2005) states: “Slovenia wants to achieve growth in institutional competitiveness by introducing business excellence in public administration. The objectives we wish to achieve are the introduction of a strategic planning system as a basic management tool in public administration, the introduction of management tools and the application of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and inclusion in the European Excellence Model (EFQM). The measures for the achievement of these objectives are: (i) adoption of regulations for quality assessment and strategic planning (2006/2007); (ii) building support (methodological support and information support) for the strategic planning system (2006/2008); (iii) management education and training.”

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Issue 3 ▪ November 2009

9th National Quality Conference “GOOD PRACTICES IN SLOVENE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 2009” IQUAL partners took part in the ninth Slovene National Quality Conference “Good Practices in Slovene Public Administration 2009 which was held on 21st October 2009 at the Brdo Congress Centre. The Conference was chaired by Dr Gordana Žurga, leader of the Quality Committee at the Ministry of Public Administration and IQUAL coordinator in Slovenia.

Within the Conference three national “Good Practice” Prizes went to ▪ the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief within the Ministry of Defence for the “Application for Damage Assessment on Agricultural Products and Objects - AJDA” solution; ▪ the Administrative Unit Novo mesto for the “Change Management in Administrative Unit Novo mesto” solution; ▪ the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation for the “Nature Conservation Atlas” solution.

Minister of Public Administration, Irma Pavlinič Krebs: “Quality of public services is in times of crisis an objective that we should not and do not intend to waive” During the morning session the participants were also addressed by the Minister for Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo, Dr Arsim Bajrami, the President of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Academic Prof Dr Jože Trontelj, Dr Gordana Žurga and Prof Dr Lučka Kajfež Bogataj.

During the second part of the Conference, which was moderated by Dr Gordana Žurga, Leader of the Quality Committee at the Ministry of Public Administration, presentations were delivered by Dr Ivan Eržen, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Miran Falež, dr. med. spec., Mirko Ploj from the Maribor Police Directorate, Dominique Lapierre, French Embassy in Slovenia, Dr Dmitry Maslov, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence of Ivanovo State power University (Ivanovo, Russia), Ana Jakšič, Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, Jože Preskar, Administrative Unit Novo mesto and Martina Kačičnik Jančar, M.Sc., Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation.

Within the scope of the discussion, the participants asked several questions relating to quality in public administration, to which the representatives provided answers and offered their points of view.

CAF Publications Quality Management in Public Administrations of the EU Member States: comparative analysis / edited by Dr. Gordana Žurga. - Ljubljana, October 2008.

In February 2008, during its presidency of the Council of the EU, Slovenia started the extensive project of a comparative analysis of quality management in Public Administrations of the EU Member States, in order to capture the latest developments and the state of quality management in the EU. The report gathers contribution of IPSG members on quality management elements in their countries, as well as an analysis of the trends within Public Administrations in the EU. Proceedings of Slovene National Quality Conferences “Good practice in Public Administration” 2007, 2008 Summary of past endeavours to ensure the quality and excellence in public administration in Slovenia in Excellence in Slovene Public Administration / Editors: P. Kovač and B. Grošelj.

CAF Newsletters, EIPA CAF Resource Centre IQUAL page at the RCPAR web-site is here

CAF GOOD PRACTICE FROM SLOVENIA CAF in the Administrative Unit Jesenice

by Alenka Burnik, Head of Administrative Unit Jesenice By implementation of a quality system, the Jesenice Administrative Unit has mastered an effective tool for continuous training and improvement. The implementation of the CAF model has played an important role as well since it has helped build new relations among employees. The participation of the assessment team creates new initiatives and makes participation in management, exchange of experience and closer collaboration possible. Consequently, implementation of the CAF model is an important tool for creation of cohesion and motivation of innovativeness among employees of the Jesenice Administrative Unit.

Examples of improvements introduced in compliance with CAF criteria: ▪ Criterion 1 - Leadership: - revised mission statement; - drawing up of a Business Plan that includes plans by departments, a personnel and training plan, a purchases and investment plan, a quality plan, a safety and health at work plan and a financial plan; - arranging substitutes for employees, delegation and granting of authority; - implementation of a system of initiatives for improvement.

▪ Criterion 3 - People: - regular informing of employees – publication on an electronic bulletin board; - stronger involvement of employees in drawing up a business plan, internal audits and various projects, as self-assessors of the CAF model; - an agreed and well-established method of satisfying individual requirements and needs of employees such as birthdays, jubilees, deaths of close relatives, social problems, etc.

▪ Criterion 8 - Society Results: - regular information for customers, electronic and classical bulletin boards. Preparation of rules for public relations and monitoring and analysis of the presence in media; - waste management and environment conservation measures: paper, batteries, toners.

Development Quality Management in Maribor Police Directorate from CAF to…(morrow)

by Franc Virtic, Head of Local Police Quality Approaches, Tools and Time Dynamics in PD Maribor ▪ Year 2003: self-assessment by means of CAF model (PD management).

▪ Year 2004: self-assessment by means of CAF model (entire PD), participation in PRSPO pilot project – public sector, self-assessment by means of EFQM model and RADAR matrix.

▪ Year 2005: development and introduction of own methodology for assessing the achievement of priority goals of the PD. ▪ Year 2006: self-assessment by means of EFQM model and RADAR matrix, participation at the National Quality Award (PRSPO) competition – 2006 in the Public Sector category, inclusion and active participation in international project: EFQM Police Forces Community of Practice.

The key drivers of CAF deployment ▪ Motivating employees and including them in the planning and achievement of priorities of PD. ▪ Establishing a partnership with citizens and local communities and looking for ways to solve safety-related problems together.

What you may consider avoiding using CAF ▪ Involving too many people in the selfassessment process (this can prove a borden); ▪ Introduce people gently at their own time and place; ▪ Using jargon – the “KISS” theory; ▪ Too many theory – only the “change managers” need to know theory inside out; ▪ Too much, too soon – bite sized chunks please…

▪ The Quality Manager Syndrome – remember that we are all working for Police Service.

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Issue 4 ▪ December 2009

Maxim Polyakov: IQUAL works The Common Assessment Framework came to Russia through our region. In 2006 the concept of Effectiveness Assessment Systems for Public Administrations “Effective Public Service” (EPUS) was developed in Ivanovo. EPUS adjusted the CAF model to the specific Russian context and legislation. We introduced EPUS in some governmental bodies. To be more effective in CAF deployment, we are actively participating in the multicountry activity “IQUAL”, supported by the UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform. After the first two events in Latvia and Slovenia, our delegates lanched selfassessment projects in their organisations and you will find information about it in this issue of Newsletter. I believe that our CAF practice should be replicated in other state bodies and regions.

According to the IQUAL events schedule, we plan to organize an international quality conference where European best practice and our achievements will be presented. We will be glad to welcome you to Ivanovo in the end of April 2010.

The Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence of Ivanovo State Power University and the Chamber of Accounts of Ivanovo Region were officially registered as CAF users by the EIPA CAF Resource Centre in November 2009.

These two organisations became the first Russian representatives in the CAF Users’ Database.

Ivanovo State Power University has rich experience in quality management, underscored by the EFQM Committed to Excellence Certificate issued in 2008. The Chamber of Accounts is a beginner and has just been acquainted with quality management and excellence models. Both organisations are collaborating to move forward together.

CAF in the Chamber of Accounts of Ivanovo Region, Russia

CONTACTS:

Self-assessment against CAF criteria is considered a new wave of thinking and managing public organisations. Albert Korolenko, a member of regional Chamber of Accounts, brought this fresh approach to his colleagues following the first IQUAL training in Riga: “It was really exiting and challenging for our organisation to take a seat at the table and just discuss the way we use to work. Of course we have talked about work to each other every day, but we have never done it in such an open, systematic and comprehensive form. Each member of self-assessment team analyses one of nine CAF criteria and reports on it to others at the SA meeting, pointing out strengths, areas to improve and actions to be taken. It provides a start for discussion. We have many different points of view, but in the end we have to come to an agreement and write down our decision on paper. And this document is even stronger than an order because it is a joint product, everyone has contributed to it”.

UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) 8, Patriarchou Ioakim str., 106 74 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 7245001 Fax: + 30 210 7245042 Panos Liverakos, RCPAR Team Leader e-mail: rcpar@undp.org www.rcpar.org IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence Ivanovo State Power University 34 Rabfakovskaya str., 150003 Ivanovo, Russia Tel/Fax: + 7 4932 413773 Dmitry Maslov, Director of SCBE/ISPU e-mail: maslow@bk.ru http://benchmarking.economic.ispu.ru

Labelling effective CAF users The most quality management tools have recognition schemes to evaluate assessments that have taken place in an organisation.

Up to now, CAF did not have such a system. Within the CAF expert group, a number of volunteers - Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Slovenia, EFQM and the CAF Resource Centre in EIPA - have crossed the Rubicon and paved the road for the implementation of CAF External Feedback. More information in a Special issue of CAF Newsletter 2009/3: The CAF External Feedback.

EIPA will offer training of External Feedback for potential CAF Feedback Actors in March and April 2010.

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Issue 4 ▪ December 2009

IQUAL Virtual Roundtable One more IQUAL initiative was launched in the UNDP RCPAR Workspace. It is the Virtual Roundtable “Public Management vs. Quality Management”.

We ask you to provide your comments on the following five questions. If you are a member of the RCPAR network, post your comments directly in the online workspace discussion. Otherwise, send your comments by e-mail to Dmitry Maslov, maslow@bk.ru, Roundtable moderator.

CAF Self-Assessment in Plios Local Administration, Russia Plios on the Volga River is the smallest historic town of the Russian Golden Ring. Since XIX century Plios became very popular among Russian intelligentsia, who used to live in Chekhov-style dachas (cottages) in inimitable rural atmosphere of relaxed but sophisticated country living. In 2010 Plios celebrates its 600-year anniversary. Modern Plios is a point of interest for tourists and investors from the whole Russia and abroad.

The Head of Plios Municipality Vladimir Belyaev comments on CAF initiative with the following words: “We have to be of high European standards in public administration and constantly improve quality of public services for our citizens/customers and other stakeholder. I do believe that CAF is the right thing for us”.

Q.1. What are key tendencies in field of quality improvement in Public Administration (PA) in your country and who is a driving force of Quality Movement in your PAs? Q.2. Are there correlations between terms "Efficiency/Effectiveness" of Public Administration and "Quality" of Public Services in your national legal framework and measurement/accreditation system?

Q.3. Do you think that PAs in your countries are ready to deploy Quality Management (QM), and what are most important barriers for your PA officials and practitioners in QM deployment? (the question is mostly for representatives of CIS countries) Q.4. Do you think that the EU policy (and national policies of European countries) in the field of PA reform pays enough attention to Quality issues, and how your Government supports initiatives of QM deployment in Public Administration? (the question is mostly for representatives of CEE countries) Q.5. How do you evaluate the future of Quality Management for Public Management, and what Quality Management tools / models / approaches do you consider to be more reasonable and appropriate for use in Public Management Practice?

CAF resources in Russian MCA IQUAL as an enlightening initiative at the Russian Internet portal “Experts for Civil Society“ (4cs.ru) Russian version of CAF brochure at the EIPA CAF Resource Centre web-site Маслов Д.В., Короленко А.Ю., Смирнов В.В. (монография, 2006) Система оценки эффективности деятельности аппаратов органов государственной власти и местного самоуправления «Эффективная публичная служба» (ЭПУС) Маслов Д.В. Улучшение качества менеджмента в сфере государственного управления через применение модели CAF // International Magazine of Management (Узбекистан), №4, 2009 Поляков М.Б. Оценка эффективности. Сухие цифры отчета - против слов и обещаний // Власть. Ивановская область, №13, 2009 Маслов Д.В. Учимся управлять по CAF // Власть. Ивановская область, №13, 2009

CAF Self-Assessment in Rodniki Municipal Region, Russia

by Alexander Pakholkov, Head of MR Rodniki Last October I participated in the IQUAL study visit to Slovenia where I was acquainted with practical implementation of the CAF model. In particular I observed CAF self-assessment in action at the level of an administrative unit. Our meeting with my colleague Alenka Burnik, Head of Administrative Unit Jesenice, inspired me to try CAF methodology in my municipal region of Rodniki. Despite the fact that we use internal performance measurement indicators set by Federal and Regional orders, CAF criteria are different because they help to increase the understanding links between results and decision making.

We have more than 100 municipal servants; therefore we decided to conduct a self-assessment survey using questionnaire for all staff.

The detailed analysis will be done by a SA team which consists of 8 people from different functional areas, horizontal levels, sex and ages.

The team is representative of the composition of our organization. Our self-assessment process will take 2 month. For members of the SA team, we have planned 3 days of lectures and trainings delivered by CAF experts from the ISPU Scientific Center for Benchmarking and Excellence. Another 3 days are planned for self-assessment meetings (3 criteria per day) and one day for prioritization and approval of the action plan. I do hope that I can present our results at the April IQUAL Conference in Russia.

A regional round table “Issues of effectiveness of management systems in state and local government” organised by the Club for Policy in Action “The 4th of November”, took place on 17 December in Ivanovo (Russia). Participants from various departments of the Government of Ivanovo oblast, deputies from Regional Parliament and local authorities, universities and NGOs discussed modern approaches to assessing efficiency and effectiveness of public management, improving quality of public services, innovative initiatives of Ivanovo oblast in this respect. First results of IQUAL project were reported by IQUAL delegates. The international CAF conference in April 2010 was announced.

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan

Issue 5 ▪ January-February 2010

IQUAL goes to Kyrgyzstan The 3-day Common Assessment Framework (CAF) training took place as scheduled on 2, 3 and 4 February 2010 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The first two days were devoted to classroom training, whereas the third day included study visits to relevant institutions in the Kyrgyz administration.

The main purpose of the training was to enhance capacities of public servants from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia to deploy quality management tools in the public sector through better understanding of the CAF model. The target audience was quality- and change managers involved in introducing quality management techniques in the public sector.

There were 5 participants from the Russian Federation, Latvia, Slovenia and Kazakhstan, and 19 participants from Kyrgyzstan who represented Government apparatus, State Personnel Service, State Registration Service, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Transport and Communication, Ministry of Healthcare, Ministry of State Property, Ministry of Emergency, State Agency for Physical Exercise and Sport, National Agency for Self-Government, State Customer Service, Foundation of State Material Reserve, Academy of Public Administration under the President of Kyrgyz Republic.

The workshop was organized in close cooperation with the Government apparatus of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Anticorruption Business Council.

CONTACTS: UNDP Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform (RCPAR) 8, Patriarchou Ioakim str., 106 74 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 7245001 Fax: + 30 210 7245042 Panos Liverakos, RCPAR Team Leader e-mail: rcpar@undp.org www.rcpar.org IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence Ivanovo State Power University 34 Rabfakovskaya str., 150003 Ivanovo, Russia Tel/Fax: + 7 4932 413773 Dmitry Maslov, Director of SCBE/ISPU e-mail: maslow@bk.ru http://benchmarking.economic.ispu.ru

AGENDA of CAF training in Bishkek: 2 February Welcoming speeches: Oleg Tarbinsky, Deputy Head of the Government Apparatus of the Kyrgyz Republic, Nuripa Mukhanova, Secretary General of the Anti-Corruption Business Council, Dmitry Maslov, IQUAL Initiator/Coordinator, ISPU Scientific Centre for Benchmarking and Excellence, Russia, Panos Liverakos, Team Leader of UNDP/Regional Centre for Public Administration Reform, Athens, Greece, Patrick Staes, Seconded National Expert, Leader of the CAF Resource Centre, EIPA Presentation 1: General overview of the CAF, criteria and sub-criteria; Exercise 1: “Identify the sub criteria”: discussion in small, presentation of the results in plenary session and discussion Presentation 2: Self-assessment with CAF and the scoring system; Exercise 2: “Give a score”: discussion in small groups, presentation of the results in plenary session and discussion Presentation 3: The process of self assessment; CAF movie: “The CAF – A European effort towards continuous improvement in the public sector” 3 February Exercise 3: Case study, Phase 1 “Identify criteria and sub-criteria”: discussion in small groups, presentation of the exercise in plenary session; Phase 2 “Identify strengths and areas of improvement regarding each subcriterion and give a score to each sub-criterion”: discussion in small groups, presentation of the exercise in plenary session; Phase 3, “Propose an action to improve the management in the field of each sub-criterion and draft a prioritized action plan”: discussion in small groups, presentation of the exercise in plenary session Presentation 4: Prioritize improvement actions; Exercise 4: “Prioritise improvement actions”: discussions in small groups, presentation of the results in plenary session and discussion, Conclusions, end of the training seminar 4 February Good practice visits to the government structures of Kyrgyzstan.

Morning session: State Personnel Service; Afternoon session: State Registration Service

The training was delivered by Patrick Staes, seconded national expert and head of the CAF Resource Centre at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), and Nick Thijs, Lecturer at EIPA. The main themes of the seminar were: 1. Total quality management and the CAF 2006 Model; 2. The process of self-assessment with CAF; 3. Involvement of management and staff in the self-assessment process; 4. CAF as a driving force behind organisational change; 5. Experiences with CAF – best practice for public administration; 6. Development of action and improvement plans, and methods for prioritizing improvement actions; 7. Communication strategy for the CAF model; 8. Develop a quality strategy for an organisation using the CAF model; 9. CAF E-tools; 10. CAF networking and bench-learning opportunities.

Russia Latvia Slovenia Kyrgyzstan Kazakhstan Issue 5 ▪ January-February 2010

CAF GOOD PRACTICE FROM KYRGYZSTAN

2-day CAF training for External Feedback Actors (EFACs) in Maastricht, Netherlands The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) training for External Feedback Actors (EFACs) entitled "The CAF External Feedback and Label: Training on the Delivery of External Feedback" will take place in Maastricht, the Netherlands, on 1-2 March 2010 for 6 practitioners from Latvia, Russia and Slovenia.

The training will focus on the following issues: 1. Implementation of CAF through self-assessment and evaluation of presence of TQM principles; 2. Provision of suggestion and feedback on the process of CAF implementation; 3. Encouragement of holistic quality development and self-assessment with the CAF Model.

At the end of the training, the participants could qualify for being selected as CAF Recognition Actors in their respective countries.

The training is organised by CAF Resource Centre of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA).

Visit to the State Personnel Service. The Deputy Director Altynbek Ergeshov and the Head of the Testing center Paiza Suiunbaeva present new testing system of civil servants

Visit to the State Registration Service. The Deputy Director Bolot Junusov talks about new state policy of centralisation of all registration functions

Participants visit Department of citizens’ registration

CAF-related resources CAF Movie “The Common Assessment Framework: a European effort towards continuous improvement in the public sector” In this ½ hour movie, 7 organisations from 6 different European countries tell us how they started and implemented the quality approach with CAF, which improvements were put into place and how this was appreciated by both internal and external users of their services.

Visit to Bishkek city Directorate of Land Management and Registration of Ownership Rights. Director of Department Bakytbek Dushembiev reports on how the use of electronic tools helped to reduce time of service delivery to customers

International Standards Needed*

by Eugeny Denisenko, photo Vladimir Pirogov, Evening Bishkek, №22, 8.02.2010 State bodies of Kyrgyzstan decided to introduce international standards for evaluating civil service performance. The purpose of a three-day seminar in Bishkek was to discuss this issue and study European experience.

European Primer on Customer Satisfaction by Patrick Staes & Nick Thijs, EIPA, EUPAN, 2008.

This publication explains the relevance of customer focus and the role(s) citizens/customers play in public sector management. It gives an overview of different methods and techniques around customer insight including examining the importance of customer needs, expectations and satisfaction.

CAF works - better service for the citizens by using CAF. Editors: Elisabeth Dearing, Patrick Staes, Thomas. 2005.

This publication offers interesting experiences and information for CAF users who are interested in bench learning and that it may also encourage those who still hesitate to use CAF to join the European community of CAF users.

KVIK – the Danish version of the CAF Model, KVIK is an obvious tool for organisations wanting to obtain an overall picture of their performance and to make their results visible within the organisation and to the rest of society. 2006 Using the CAF model to improve public management quality (Модель CAF для улучшения качества публичного менеджмента) by Dmitry Maslov // Государственная служба (State Service Journal), №6, 2009, P. 67-69. (article in Russian language).

“The Common Assessment Framework model which is used in organizations funded by state and municipal budgets is taken as a basis,” says Nuripa Mukanova, the Secretary General of Anticorruption Business Council of Kyrgyzstan, which along with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNDP initiated this dialogue, “the given model created under the aegis of an innovation group set up by the European Commission has been used in all EU countries since 2000. In some countries, the model has been adopted on the state level and is obligatory in various public institutions.”

The group of specialists came to Bishkek to share their experience – Panos Liverakos, Team Leader of UNDP Regional Centre of Public Administration Reform (Greece); Patrick Staes, Head of the CAF Resource Centre, European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) (The Netherlands); Gordana Zurga, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration (Slovenia); Ilze Kurme, Quality Manager of the Ministry of Welfare (Latvia); Dmitriy Maslov, Director of Scientific Centre of Ivanovo State Power University, etc. The Kyrgyz side was represented by members of different ministries and agencies.

“Today, new countries are adopting the CAF principles,” said Panos Liverakos, “and our Project, developed by the UNDP, contributes into this process. The uniqueness of the RCPAR Project is that it does not dictate [what a country should do], but on the contrary, provides support on the issues that are urgent for a certain country [in the field of public administration reform].”

So, what is the essence of innovations suggested unobtrusively by the Europeans? It is not only the achievement of international standards in the civil service, but also the introduction of a system for states bodies to evaluate

their own performance, and eventually, let the services be evaluated by the recipient of the services – the citizens. Attention is also paid to the development of self-evaluations schemes for senior officers and clerks.

“The experience we are talking about is relevant for the public administration reform currently implemented in Kyrgyzstan,” says Bakytbek Kumanov, Head of Department of Monitoring and Analysis of Administrative Reforms of the Kyrgyz Government Apparatus, “the transformations we have made until now were cosmetic only. The president has taken a substantively new approach during the republican meeting on public administration reform issues, held on October, 20 of 2009. Responsibility for programme implementation is imposed on the Government Apparatus. Emphasis has shifted from the activity of state bodies to the final outcomes of their activity.”

Panos Liverakos: “You make a decision and we will support you” According to Bakytbek Kutmanov, in order to implement this task, the Government is planning to create a detailed civil service register and develop their standards. Three categories of evaluation are considered: internal (self-evaluation), external (by expert), and final (by people). To develop criteria, make connections between them or propose additions, and furthermore, explain these innovations to civil servants and whole society – these are tasks for the new department, established recently, in November 2009. The assistance of foreign specialists therefore comes at a good time.

How effective this initiative will be, taking into account the difference in mentality and traditions of Europeans and Kyrgyz, and even more important, the lasting power of the Kyrgyz bureaucratic machine? “If you embrace the CAF model, you will succeed in 2-3 years,” said Patrick Staes optimistically, appealing to his listeners.

Unfortunately, these 2-3 years is a long time for us. Within this period, it is possible not only to develop a useful initiative, but also to destroy it hopelessly. * original text of the article is in Russian, this is not official translation