STEP1:Thepresent:

whereareweanalysisofthecurrentstate

Introduction

This chapter presents methods for gathering and presenting information to describe how the
parliament currently fulfils its constitutional mandate and responsibilities. To do this we begin by
identifying a set of institutional areas that are strategic to most parliaments around the world i.e.
throughwhichtheparliament'sconstitutionalmandateandresponsibilitiesarecarriedout.

Theseareasare(explainedindetailinBox1):
ConstitutionalFunctionsoftheParliament;
CommunicationandInformationDissemination;
ParliamentaryOperations;
HumanResources;
InformationTechnologyManagement

Area1:ConstitutionalFunctionsoftheParliament
Most parliaments are entrusted by the constitution with the core functions of representation,
legislationandoversightoftheExecutive:
Representation: anelectedparliamentthatissociallyandpoliticallyrepresentative,and
committedtoequalopportunitiesforitsmemberssothattheycancarryouttheirmandates.
Legislation: Parliament is responsible for approving new laws (legislation). The
governmentintroducesmostplansfornewlaws,orchangestoexistinglawsbuttheymayalso
originatefromMP's,orevenamemberofthepublicorprivategroup.Beforetheycanbecomelaw,
representativesmustdebateandvoteontheproposals.
Oversight:Parliamentistheretoexamineandoverseetheworkofthegovernment.The
principalmethodsarequestioninggovernmentministers,debatingandtheinvestigativeworkof
committees.Thegovernmentcanpubliclyrespondtoexplainandjustifypoliciesanddecisions.

Area2:CommunicationandInformationDissemination
Effectivecommunication,promotingthefreeflowofideasandaccesstoinformationisanintegral
partofParliamentsmandateensuringthatinadditiontothegeneralpublic,keystakeholdersare
alsokeptinformedabouttheparliamentsworkthroughmultiplecommunicationchannels.Aside
fromtheregularmediacoverageandparliamentsownproductionofciviceducationmaterials,and
pressreleases,itmayalsoopttopublishitsownofficialjournal,produceinformationpublications
such as newsletters and own TV and radio information programs, and host a Parliamentary
website,withregularlyupdatedandaccessiblecontent.Thismightfacilitatedisseminationofofficial
documents,suchasbills,laws,resolutions,standingcommitteereportsandplenaryandcommittee
agendas, minutes of proceedings of the plenary session as well as minutes and reports of
proceedingsofcommitteemeetings.Inthisregardinformationmanagementsystemsforfilingand
archiving documents in different formats in collaboration with Parliamentary libraries may be
required.

Area3:ParliamentaryOperations
Predictableandorderlyperformanceofdaytodayoperationsiscriticaltotheeffectivenessofany
Parliament.However,shouldtheParliamentnotworkwithinframeworksofcalendarsandwork
planningpreparedinadvance,butinsteadrelyonadhocpreparationofitsagendaonweekto
weekbasis,thismayseriouslyconstraintheparliament'sabilitytodischargeitsdutiesallocating
timecomprehensivelyforallitsimportantplenaryandnonplenaryactivities.Keyinestablishing
efficientlyandwellfunctioningoperationsisastrongandwellequippedSpeaker'sOfficethatis
integratedwellintotheParliamentaryAdministrationandServices.
 Area4:HumanResources
Awellrecruited,highlytrained,motivatedandprofessionalstaffisfundamentaltobuildingarobust
parliament.Giventheavailabilityofprofessionallytrainedhumanresources,theParliamentwill
needtotakeadecidedlylongtermviewinbuildingupitshumanresourcebase.Staffinadequacy
in a parliament may be compounded by other constraints such as the lack of detailed job
descriptions,performanceevaluations,andsystematictrainingandcapacitydevelopmentplans.

Area5:InformationTechnologyManagement
In many parliaments the availability of higher quality information and greater access to
parliamentary documents and activities is at a level that is unsatisfactory for both MP's and
citizens.TheadoptionofInformationandCommunicationTechnologies(ICT)haveproventobea
veryeffectivewaytomanageanddisseminateinformationandcanprovidethetoolsandservices
topositivelyimpacttheinternalorganizationandworkprocessesandthedeliveryofinformationto
bothMPandcitizens.Asinanyorganisationalchange,theadoptionofnewtechnologiesbring
about the introduction of organizational and process change required by the integration of
technologies.

Box1:Fiveinstitutionalareasthatarestrategictotheparliament

Theseinstitutionalareas,inparticular Communication&InformationDissemination and Information

Technology Management, are the focus of the strategic planning steps in these Guidelines. They
shouldbeconsideredasthedeparturepointforallinformationgathering,structuring,analysisand
formulationofsolutionsandrecommendation.Intheremainderofthisdocumenttheyarereferredto
asinstitutionalareasorsimplyarea.

Duringthestrategicplanningprocess,withineachareathemainservicesandprocessesshouldbe
identifiedanddescribed,aswellastherelevantstakeholders;theseincludetheownersofservices
andprocesses(suchasdepartments,offices,unitsorsectionsofparliament)andtheclientssuchas
MP's,parliamentarystaff,citizensetc.

Bylookingattheparliamentfromtheperspectiveoftheseareasinhowitexercisesitsconstitutional
mandateandcarriesoutitsrolesandresponsibilities,onecandeterminetheentiresetofservicesand
processes that make such an area operational. For example in the area of communication and
informationdisseminationtheexistingneedscanbedeterminedandtheirefficiencyandeffectiveness
assessed.OncedeterminedthelevelofICT(ifrelevant)insupportoftheseservicesandprocesses
canbedetermined,andanassessmentcanbemadeoftheireffectivenessandefficiency.

Gatheringinformation

InBox1Box2anoverviewisgivenofthetypeofinformationthatneedstobegatheredtogainan
understandingofthecontextoftheinstitutionalareas.Pleasenotethatthesequestionsmaynot
alwayspertaintothecontextofaparticularparliament;eachparliamentisdifferentinhowthe
institutionalareasareoperationalizedintermsoforganization(departments,sections,unitsetc),
roles,responsibilities,services,processesetc.

Thelistofquestionsmayseemveryextensivebutitshouldbetakenintoaccountthatthestrategy
document may also be shared with nonparliamentary readers e.g. external parties such as the
internationaldonorcommunityandthepublic,whomaynothavepriorknowledgeoftheparliament.
Moreoverorganizationalchangerelateddecisionsandinitiativesinparliamentsoftentakeplaceina
complexpoliticalandadministrativeenvironment,henceprovidingmoredescriptionofthecontextis
certainlyvaluable.

Parliamentaryrolesandresponsibilities
Whatarethelegal/constitutionalrolesandresponsibilitiesofeachchamber?
Howdoeseachchamberfulfilitsrolesandresponsibilities?
Whatisthecompositionofthenationalparliament?
Whatisthebudgetandstaffingoftheparliament?
WhatarethePresidingOfficerspowersandprerogatives?
Whatistheroleofcommitteesandcommissions?
Whatarethedutiesandfunctionsofmembers?
Howarememberselected?
WhatarethedutiesandfunctionsoftheSecretariatofParliament?
Whatmechanismsdoesparliamentusetomakeitmoreaccessibleandtransparent?

Members
Whataretherolesandresponsibilitiesofmembers?
Whataretheirdutiesandactivities?
Whatmethods,mechanismsandtoolsareusedtocommunicatewiththem?
Whatinformationdotheyhaveaccessto,inwhatformatandhowfrequently?
Whatinformationdotheyproduce,inwhatformat,howdotheydisseminateitandhow
frequently?
HowdotheyuseICT?

Citizens
Whatmethodsareusedtocommunicatewithcitizens?
Whatinformationdotheyhaveaccessto,inwhatformatandhowfrequently?
Whatmethodsandmechanismsareavailableforcitizenstoexpresstheirviewsand
communicatewithParliament,contributingandprovideinputtothelegislativeprocess?
Websites
Email
Othermediaexamples:radio,TV,video,webcast

Plenary
Whatisthemandateandtermsofreferenceoftheplenary?
Whataretheprimaryactivitiesoftheplenary?
Howcancitizensgainaccesstoproceedingsintheplenary?
Whichcommunicationchannelscanbeusedforinformationdissemination?
HowisICTusedinplenary?
Whatdocumentationandinformationisproducedbytheplenary?
Whatisitspurpose?
Whoproducesit?
Howisitproduced?
Whousesit?
Howisitcommunicatedordisseminated?

CoreProcessesandactivities

Legislation
Whatisthelegislativeprocess,includingtherelationshipamongthelegislaturesconstituent
bodiesandbetweenthelegislatureandthegovernmentandothernationalandsubnational
bodies?
Whatinformationanddocumentationisproducedduringthelegislativeprocess?
Whatisitspurpose?
Whoproducesit?
 Howisitproduced?
Whousesit?
Howisitcommunicatedordisseminated?

Oversight
Whatistheoversightprocess,includingtheresponsibilitiesandactivitiesofthebodiesre
sponsibleforconductingoversightofthegovernment
Whatinformationanddocumentationisproducedduringtheoversightprocess?
Whatisitspurpose?
Whoproducesit?
Howisitproduced?
Whousesit?
Howisitcommunicatedordisseminated?

Budget
Whattheresponsibilitiesandprocessesofparliamentforthenationalbudgetandpublicfin
ancing?
Howcanparliamentaccesssupportingdocumentationtosupportthebudgetandpublicfin
anceprocessesinbetweenbudgetsessions?
Whatinformationanddocumentationisproducedduringtheseprocesses?
Whatisitspurpose?
Whoproducesit?
Howisitproduced?
Whousesit?
Howisitcommunicatedordisseminated?

Supportingprocessesandactivities

Nonplenarybodies
Whatisthemandateandtermsofreferenceofcommittees,commissions,andotherofficial
groups?
Whataretheirprimaryactivities?
Howaretheproceedingsandmeetingminutesfromthesegroupsdocumented?
Howaretheproceedingsandmeetingminutesfromthesegroupsdisseminated?
HowdotheyuseICT?
Whatinformationanddocumentationisproducedbythesegroups?
Whatisitspurpose?
Whoproducesit?
Howisitproduced?
Whousesit?
Howisitcommunicatedordisseminated?

Libraryandresearchservices
Describetherole,responsibilities,andactivitiesofthelibraryandresearchgroup
Whatservicesareprovided?
HowdotheyuseICT?

General&Administrativeservices
HR
Finance
Publishing
Buildingmanagement
etc.

Box2:Samplequestionsforbetterunderstandingtheparliamentaryinstitutionalareas,theservicesandprocesseswithin,and
thesupportingICTenvironment
Methodsandtechniques

Deskresearch

Firstandforemost,basicinformationonallthetopicslistedinBox2couldberetrievedthroughdesk
research, simply by starting in the parliaments or national library, where existing documentation
including parliamentary resolutions on institutional functions and procedures could be found. In
addition other documentation such as studies and reports on the parliament can be consulted to
constructafirstpictureoftheparliament,itsrespectivebodiesandorgans,functionsandservices.
Interviews

Oncethedeskresearchsourcesareexhaustedtheauthorsshouldproceedwithfollowupinformation
gatheringthroughinterviewswith,forexamplerepresentativesofdifferentdepartments,offices,units
etc.tolearnmoreaboutexistingservicesandprocesseswithineachinstitutionalareas,andwhere
applicabletheexistinglevelofICT.

Sometimeswitnessingsomethingismuchmoreeffectivethanbeingexplainedwithwordsandtext.As
suchingainingadeeperunderstandingitisextremelyusefulfortheauthorstoseeservicesbeing
deliveredorwitnessprocessesandsupportingICTsystemsinaction.Authorsshouldthustryto
benefitfromopportunitiestobeguidedaroundindepartmentsorofficestoactuallyseeforexample
howlegislationisdraftedusingaLegislativeInformationSystemorwithsimpleOfficesoftware;or
howresearchbriefsareproducedandstoredusinganElectronicArchivingSystem.
Theuseofquestionnaires

Whengatheringinformationonspecificservicesandprocesses Box2itisappropriatetoestablisha
consistentbaselineforeacharea.Toensuresuchconsistencyastandardizedquestionnaire(Box3)
maybeused.

INSTITUTIONALAREA:.............................Box1

Services
Whatservicesarebeingofferedwithinthisarea?
Whoaretheclientsofperservice?
Whatarethemainproductsperservice?
Whatinformationiscollatedabuttheservicesinthisarea?
Howisthisinformationcommunicatedtotherelevantstakeholders?
Whoisresponsiblefordisseminatingthisinformation?
Whatmediaareusedforcommunicatinginformation?
Howfrequentlyisthisinformationproducedanddisseminated?

Processes
Howaretheseproductsproduced(throughwhichprocesses)?
Actors
Whoiscurrentlyresponsiblefortheseservices,processes,products?
Technology
IsICTbeingusedtosupportprocesses?
Towhatextent?Whatsystemsexistforwhichprocesses?
Giveasimpledescriptionoftheavailablesystems?
ICTservices&support
EnablingICTenvironment

Box3:Questionnaireforgatheringinformationonservices,processes,systemsbyarea
Structuringthegatheredinformation

Astheinformationisbeinggatheredthewritingprocesscanstart.Thisisanimportantphasebecause
whilewriting,itwillbecomeclearwhatpiecesofinformationarestillmissingandneedtobecollected.

In Box4 asampleindexisprovidedofthechaptersofthestrategydocument.Uponcompletionof
Step1heredescribedPARTI:CurrentSituationofthestrategydocumentneedstobeproduced.

PARTI:CURRENTSITUATION

Parliamentinstitutionalcontext
Mandate&Responsibilities
institutionalareas
Generalorganizationalstructurebyarea(organogram)

Services,processes&systems
<AREA>
Services
Processes
Communicationandinformationdissemination
Enabling (ICT) environment
<AREA>
..
<AREA>
..
<AREA>
..

ICTservices&supportinparliament
ICTdepartment
Services
Rolesandresponsibility
Governance,policiesandstandards
ICTSystems&Infrastructure

Communicationservices&supportinparliament
Communicationsdepartment
Services
Rolesandresponsibility
Governance,policiesandstandards
ICTSystems&Infrastructure

Box44:Sampleindex:CurrentSituation

ThedesiredcontentforPARTI(see Box4)thethreesections: ParliamentaryInstitutionalContext;

Services,ProcessesandSystems;andICTServices&SupportinParliament,arefurtherelaborated
below.

Box4
Box2Box1

Section:Parliamentaryinstitutionalcontext

Institutionalareas&organization

In describing the parliamentary institutional and organizational context it best to depart from the
parliamentaryinstitutionalareas(seeBox1)
Thedescriptionoftheorganizationalstructuresurroundingeachareashouldfocusonthedifferent
bodiesinrelationtotheseareasi.e.whatrolesandresponsibilitiesdothedifferentbodieshaveand
howtotheycontributetotheiroperationalization.Allshouldbewrittenwithabirdeye'sview:clear
andconcisewithpresentingtherelevantdetailssothatreaderscanquicklygetanunderstandingof
theorganizationalstructure.Perunit,sectionorbodyamaximumof2paragraphsorpagemustbe
dedicated.
Asparliamentsarecomplexorganizationstheuseofvisualssuchasorganogramsandorganizational
schemasclarifyinghierarchiesarehighlyrecommended.
Sometimesitmayalsobenecessarytobrieflystatesomethingaboutthephysicalenvironmentand
locationofdepartmentsandofficesasitmayberelevanttotheeventualformulationofactionplansin
step4.Anexampleofthismaybe
that some of the parliament's offices are temporarily housed elsewhere due to renovation or
constructionandthiscouldbeenoughtoimpacttheplanningofcertainactivities.

Section:services,processes&systems

Foreachinstitutionalareaanoverviewshouldbeprovidedof:
howareaspecificservicesarecurrentlyperformed;
whoarethestakeholders(clientsandownersoftheseservicesi.e.departments,officesetc);
whatinformationisproducedbytheinstitutionalareainquestionandhowfrequently?
howitisinformationdisseminatedandarchived?
howisitinformationcommunicatedtokeystakeholders,usingwhichmedia?
whatcriteriaapplyinthedeliveryoftheseservices(e.g.Hansardproductionwithinonedayor
twohoursafterparliamentaryproceedings);
theprocessesthroughwhichtheseservicesaredelivered;
(andwhererelevant)whatICTtoolsareusedforsupportingtheprocesses.

Producingdescriptionsperareaofhowservices,processesandsystemsarearrangedandinteract
canbesupportedprocessmapping,thatisawaytosystematicallygatherfactspresentthemina
waytomaintainalinkbetweenservices,processesandsystems.Thislinkingensuresthatsystems
arealwaysdescribedinrelationtoprocesses,andprocessesdescribedinrelationtoservices.The
mainbenefitofproducingprocessmaps(see Example1)isthatintheremainderofthestrategic
planningprocesstheycanserveasreferencefordiscussionandanalysis.

Inadditionthesemapscanalsoprovideaclearandconsistentoverviewofwhereandtowhatextend
ICTmaybeintegratedintotheinstitutionalareas,andassuchmayalsorevealissuesorchallenges
i.e.overlappingservicesandprocesseswithinareas,oraduplicationofICTsystemsacrossdifferent
areascouldberevealed.Forfurtherdetailsonhowtoconductaprocessmappingexercise,andsee
whattypeoftemplatescanbeusedpleaseseeExample1andTemplate1.
Exampleofmappingexercise

Toclarifythemappingprocessletusconsiderthefollowingexample:

Withintheareaof ConstitutionalFunctionsLegislation,existsthesubarea Parliamentary

Researchwherespecializeddisciplines(stakeholders)offerthefollowingservices:
Policyanalysis
Researchinformationdissemination
Researchcollectionmanagement

ThefirsttwoservicesareprovidedtoclientssuchasMP's,CommitteesandthePublic,whilethe
researchmanagementcollectionserviceismoreorientedtointernalusers.

LookingcloserattheprovisionofPolicyanalysis,thetableshowsthatitiscarriedoutthroughtwo
mainprocesses:
Productionofondemandscientificresearch&information;
Productionofresearchbulletin

TheformerisresearchuponrequestbyindividualMP'sandCommitteeswhileforthelatterbulletins
areproducedonaprogrammaticbasisthroughouttheyearforallMP's.

AsforthesupportingICTsystems:
ForondemandresearchthePRDstaffneedtouseofficeproductivitytoolstoproducehigh
qualityreports.
Foradditionalresearchstaffmakeuseofinternetaccesstoconductonlinesearchesand
consultonlineresearchdatabases.
EmailisalsousedtointeractwiththeMPinquestionandelectronicallydelivertheresearch
reportstohim/her.
Oncethereportsarefinishedtheyarearchivedusingthedigitalrepositoryandreportsarealso
publishedontheparliamentsIntranetportalthatisbasedonacontentmanagementplatform.

To give more control and consistency over the information gathering and structuring process,
especiallywhenlookingatareasrichwithtechnologythefollowingtwostepmethodcanbeused
explainedinTable1andTable2throughtheexampleabove:

Area:ConstitutionalfunctionLegislating
Productor Process
Client(s) Process
Service Owner
SubArea:ParliamentaryResearch
Provisionof MP's, Productionofondemandscientificresearch&information <NameDept.
PolicyAnalysis Committees orOffice>
MP's, ProductionofResearchBulletins ..
Committees
Dissemination MP's, Publicationofresearchinformationthroughresearchpapers ..
of Committees
Research
Public PublicationofresearchinformationonResearchDept.pub ..
Information
licwebsite

MP's, Publicationofresearchinformationonintranetportals ..
Committees
Management n/a(internal) Systematizationoflegalnormativeanalysis ..
ofResearch
Cataloguingofparliamentaryresearchresources ..
 Area:ConstitutionalfunctionLegislating
Collection Acquisitionofparliamentaryresearchresources ..

SubArea:Library
.. .. .. ..

.. .. .. ..

Table1:OverviewofservicedeliveryprocessesinICTSystemandthecommunicationandinformationdisseminationarea

Inthefirststep(Table1)foreachareaandsubareatheservices,clientsandprocessesareidentified,
andinthesecondstep(Table2)theexistingenablingICTsystemsaremapped.Pleasenotethatto
carryoutthemappingofsystemswiththeprocesses,table1issimplyexpandedontherighthand
sidewithcolumnslistingthesystems.

Area:ConstitutionalfunctionLegislating
ProductorService

Client(s)

Process

owner
Process

Officeproductivitytools

Email

InternetAccess

ContentManagementSystem

DigitalRepository

VideoManagementSystem
SubArea:ParliamentaryResearch

Provision MP's, Productionofondemandscientific Dept. X X X

of Committees research&information
Policy
MP's ProductionofResearchBulletins Dept. X X X X
Analysis

Dissemin MP's, PublicationofresearchinformationonIn Officeof.. X X

ationof Committees tranetportal
Research
Public Publicationofresearchinformationon Officeof.. X X
Informa
ResearchDept.publicwebsite
tion
Managem n/a Systematizationoflegalnormativeana X
entof (internal) lysis
Research
Cataloguingofparliamentaryresearch X
Collection
resources
Acquisitionofparliamentaryresearch X X X
resources

Table2:MappingofICTsystemsandapplicationsonparliamentaryresearchprocesses

Usingthesamestyleofwriting,withthesamelevelofdetailandaccordingtothestructure area>
service>process>systeminformationcouldbegatheredandstructuredfortheotherareas.
Section:ICTServicesinParliament

WhiletheprevioustwosectionsBox2dealtwithwhereandtowhatextentICTsystemsarepartof
processesandserviceswithintheinstitutionalareas,thissectiondealswithdescribingthenecessary
ICTservicestosupportthementionedICTsystemswithintheinstitutionalareasoperational.
Services,Roles&Responsibilities

First it is important to understand what range of ICT services are currently available within the
parliament.Assuchinformationshouldbecollectedtodeterminetheparliament'sabilityto:
developandmanageitsownICTinfrastructure(e.g.datacentre,networksandcabling);
procure,manageandmaintainthehardwareinventory(e.gPCs,printers,serversetc);
managesystemsadministration&datamanagementtasks;
supportendusers,providehelpdeskservicesincludingtraining;
initiateandmanageendtoendICTsystemimplementationprojects.

ThisinformationisparticularlyrelevantforSteps2and4ofthestrategicplanningprocess,where
respectivelystrategicobjectivesaresetandstrategicrecommendationsformulated,thatwillinsome
casesincludeICT.

Andinordertodothisitisbesttodepartfromthefactualsituationwithintheparliament(thecurrent
reality),includingtheexistingavailableICTservices,support,capabilities,experienceandresources.

Someparliamentsmayscorehighonalltheabovelistedabilitieswhileothersmayscorelesshigh.
Dependingonanassessmentoftheseabilities,realisticobjectivesandsolutionscanbeformulated.

Anoteongatheringthistypeofinformation:itisunlikelytouncoverthisinformationthroughdesk
researchinlibraries;insteaditwillrequireseveralQ&AsessionswiththeHeadoftheICTdepartment,
officeorunitand/orotherseniorICTstaff.QuestionsthatmaybeaskedarelistedinBox5.

IsthereanICTdepartmentorofficethatservestherestoftheparliament?
Howisthisdepartmentorganized?
Whatstructureofrolesandresponsibilitiesarethere?
WhatkindofteamsoperateprovidingwhattypeofICTservices?
DoestheICTdepartmentexclusivelyworkwithinhousestafforalsowithoutsourcedstaff
andtowhatextend?

ICTGovernance

Forsettingstrategicobjectivesandmakingstrategicrecommendationsitisalsocrucialtoknowhow
thedevelopmentofICTisgoverned,plannedandmanagedwithintheparliament.Questionsthatneed
answeringinthisregardarelistedinBox6.Againgatheringthistypeofinformationisrelevantasit
willrevealmoreaboutthematurityofICToperationsandgovernancewithintheparliament,andthe
existenceofrelevantmechanisms.
DoparliamentarydepartmentsorofficeshavetheirownICTbudgetsfordevelopingand
maintainingtheirsystems,orareallICTsystemsdevelopedandmaintainedcentrally?
WhatistheroleandresponsibilityoftheICTCommitteeforPlanningandDevelopment(if
existing)withinthisICTgovernancecontext?
DoesitpromoteandseethroughthatparliamentwideICTpoliciesandprocedureswith
regardtosecurity,procurement,systemmanagementanddevelopmentareadoptedand
enforced?
Howareinformationsystemsdevelopedandimplementedinrelationtoanenterprise
architecture?
SWOTAnalysis

BeforeproceedingwithStep2ofthestrategicplanningprocess(visioning)itisveryusefultomakea
SWOT analysis (strengthsweaknessesopportunitiesthreats) of the current situation. The SWOT
analysissupportsthestrategicplanningprocessbyidentifyingareasfordevelopment.

Strengthsandweaknesses

After gathering and structuring information on the current situation concerning the parliamentary
institutionalcontextintermsoftheservices,processesandsystems,anoverviewcouldbemadeof
the strengths and weaknesses, grouped by the institutional areas; in this case by Information
Technology Management and Communication and Information Dissemination respectively. To read
howtocarryoutanStrengthsandWeaknesses(SW)analysis,pleaseseeExample2andExample3
that show SWanalyses for respectively the case of Information Technology Management and
Communication&InformationDissemination.FortherespectiveSWtemplatesseeTemplate2

Strengthsandweaknesses:thecaseofICT

InthisexampletheSWanalysisofICTsystemsandavailableICTservicesinaparliamentisshown.

Strengths Weakness

Performancewithintheinstitutionalareas
Communication& Parliamentdoeshaveawebsite Theparliament'swebsitedoesnot
Information featureinformationonparliamentary
Dissemination ThereisatrialgoingonwithaContent activity,suchasschedulesetc
ManagementSystem
Theparliament'swebsitedoesnot
showupdatedvotingrecords,
transcriptsofMP'sspeechesetc
Thereisnotsufficientinformation
postedtotalkaboutaccessto
information
Humanresourcecapacitytomaintain
thewebsiteislimitedorlacking
Services,processes&systems
Legislativedrafting StaffknowshowtousePCsandoffice Lackofdocumentmanagement
productivitytools systems;lackofcentralstorageand
versioncontroloflegislative
documents;
Draftersusedifferentversionsofword
processingtoolsleadingsometimes
toincompatiblefilesetc
Parliamentaryreporting StaffknowshowtousePCsandoffice Ittakes23daysbeforethehansardis
productivitytools produced

Staffuseemailandintranettodisseminate
thehansardreportandrelateddocuments
Parliamentaryresearch Staffmakeuseofelectronicloggingof
researchrequestsinadatabase;goodlevel
ofclientorientation,andstaffisaccessible
throughemail,andovertheintranet
Toolstorecordparliamentary
proceedingsarenotfunctioningwell.
Lackofsystematizedlegislative
information;toconsultlawsstaff
needstoaccessdifferentdatabases
inatdifferentgovt.websites.For
somelawsolderthan20years,there
 Strengths Weakness
ispoorelectronicaccess,and
sometimesnotevenpaperbased
access
Libraryservices Staffmakeuseofanelectroniccataloguing Lackofcirculationmanagement
system;staffhasgainedexperiencein system;theelectroniccatalogueis
electroniccataloguing onlyaccessiblefromaPCwithinthe
library.NoOPACfeatures
ICTinfrastructure
Intranet Intranetconnects2ofthe6buildings
oftheparliament
Internet IndividualPCconnectivityispoor;
speedsareverylow;theparliament
hasanintranetcafe,butwith4PCsis
notsufficient
Remoteconnectivity ThereisaVirtualPrivateNetworkthat
wasinstalledsomeyearsago,but
technologyisoutdated
Security Thereisamongthemaintenanceteama Antivirusmaintenanceisnot
goodunderstandingofantivirusconcepts managedcentrallyoverintranet,but
andwheretheyhavetofindnewupdates oneachPCindividuallyby
etc maintenanceteam
ICTorganization
Structuredroles& TheICTorganizationhasclearlydefined
responsibilities rolesforICTmanagement,development,
maintenanceandsupport
Independentbudget& ICTorganizationdependson
resources administrativegeneralbudget.
MeaningthatcarryingoutICT
developmentsaretiedtointer
departmentalagreeingandpolitics
ICTservices
Usersupport& Thehelpdeskdoeshaveincidenttracking
helpdesk processesandadatabasetosupport
loggingincidents
PCsupport
Data&Network
operations
Systemsmanagement
Systemsdevelopment Tillnowthishasbeenoutsourced.The
HeadofICThasgoodexperienceswith
managingoutsidecontractors
Projectmanagement TheHeadofICThasgoodProject
managementskills
ICTgovernance
Enterprisewidepolicies TheHeadofICThasagoodunderstanding TherearenoparliamentarywideICT
andprocedures ofpoliciesandproceduresandrecognizes policiesandprocedurese.g.some
thatitneedstobeintroduced departmentshaveWindows97pc's
whileothershaveWindows2000,
whileothershaveVista.
Enterprisewide Therearediscussionsofestablishingan ThereisinsufficientcoordinatedICT
planning ICTcommitteeforplanningand planning;departmentsratherbuyand
management installtheirownsystemsand
infrastructureinsteadofoutsourcing
thatfunctiontotheICTdepartment
Table3:ICTStrengthsWeaknessAnalysis
Strengthsandweaknesses:thecaseofCommunicationandInformationDissemination

In this example the SWanalysis for Communication and Information Dissemination systems in a
parliamentisshown.

Strengths Weakness

Performancewithintheinstitutionalareas

Democratic Qualityofrepresentationofthepeopleswishesin Channelsandmechanismsfor

Representation theHouse communicatingtheresultsofthis
representationbacktothepeopleare
limited

Specificdaysmaybeallocatedforconstituency Constituencyvisitsmaynotconsider
visits,accordingtostandingorders constituenciesthatareremoteordifficult
toaccess

Publichearingsareroutinelyconducted Limitedpublicaccesstoinformationfrom
committees

Regularpressreleasesaremadeof Limitedchannelsforcommunicationto
parliamentaryproceedings constituentsonabroadbasis

GovernmentmakessubmissionstoParliament Limitedaccesstoinformationfrom
openlyavailable government

TVorradiobroadcastsofparliamentary NoTVorpublicbroadcastof
proceedings parliamentaryproceedings

DedicatedTVorradiobroadcasts LimitednationalcoverageofTVorradio
broadcasts

RegularpublicationofDebateRecordsand Limitedcirculationorcivilsocietyaccess
parliamentarypublications toparliamentarypublications

Dedicatedparliamentarysectioninnational Limitedinformationavailablethrough
newspapersandpublications nationalnewspapersandpublications

Legislation ParliamenthasInternetaccess,library,etcfor Lackofsupportforeffectiveresearch

research facilities,e.g.limitedhumanresource
capacitynoresearchexperts,limitedor
nointernetaccess

Pressreleasesabouttheparliamentactivities Lackofpublicexposuretoplenary
maderegularly,anddistributedbyemail debates

Noregularlegislativeagenda/calendarof
activitiespubliclyavailable

Languageproblems:billsmaybenotbe
draftedinindigenouslanguagesthereby
limitingbroaderaccesstotheircontent

Limitedornoexposureofbillstothe
publicandnoclearchannelorsystemfor
informationdissemination(e.g.website,
publicationsetc.)

Legislativedrafting StaffknowshowtousePCsandoffice Lackofdocumentmanagementsystems;

productivitytools Lackofcentralstorageandversioncontrol
oflegislativedocuments;

Draftersusedifferentversionsofword
processingtoolsleadingsometimesto
incompatiblefilesetc

Oversight Committeesregularlyconductoversightvisits Limitedornopublicdisseminationof

 Strengths Weakness
oversightfindings

Internetfacilitiestogathertechnical Limitedornoparliamentarydissemination
information/research ofoversightfindings

Research/technicalsupportservicesarebeing Inadequateornodedicatedresearchor
establishedbyparliament technicalinformationteamstosupport
parliamentarycommittees

Oversightreportsnotfollowedupby
government

Institutional Wellestablishedorfunctionalsystemfor Noestablishedorfunctionalsystemfor

Cooperation institutionalcooperation institutionalcooperation

Lackofcoordinationandcommunicationcapacity Lackofcoordinationandcommunication
withotherinstitutions capacitywithotherinstitutions

Wellestablishedandinformationexchangeand Institutionalcommunicationand
communicationlinkageswithgovernmentorcivil informationexchangelinkageswith
society governmentareweak

Noclearmechanismsorchannelsto
shareinformationbetweeninstitutions

Nodirectlinkwithcivilsociety

Problemsincommunicationbetween
ParliamentandGovernment

Interparliamentary Regionaland/orinternationalInterparliamentary Noeffectivereportingdisseminationof

Relationsand relationshipsestablished findingsandlessonslearnedbetween
Parliamentary parliaments
Diplomacy
Administration Establishedadministrativestructurestooversee Nodesignatedauthoritytocoordinate
CommunicationandInformationDissemination communicationandinformation
mayimproveinformationproduction, disseminationissueswithinparliamentto
disseminationandcommunicationmatters facilitateflowofinformationonagendas
substantially etc.

EstablishedCommunicationandInformation Lackofcommunication/informationon
Disseminationstructurescancoordinatethe parliamentarymanagement
disseminationofinformationwithinparliament,
betweenmembersandstandingcommittees.

Lackofprofessionalinformationand
communicationmanagementexpertise
withintheadministration

Noclearinformationandcommunication
disseminationstrategies/development
policiesinplace

Services,processes&systems

Libraryservices Staffmakeuseofanelectroniccataloguing Lackofcirculationmanagementsystem;

system;

Staffhasgainedexperienceinelectronic Theelectroniccatalogueisonly
cataloguing accessiblefromaPCwithinthelibrary.

Noonlinepublicaccesscatalogue(OPAC)
featuresinthelibrarydatabase

Parliamentaryresearch Staffmakeuseofelectronicloggingofresearch Lackofsystematizedlegislative

requestsinadatabase; information;
 Strengths Weakness
Goodlevelofclientorientation,andstaffis Poorclientorientationandlimitedstaff
accessiblethroughemail,andovertheintranet haveaccesstoonlineresearchfacilitiesor
emailaccess

Digitizedlawsavailablefromonlinewebsites Toconsultlaws,staffneedstoaccess
differentdatabasesindifferent
governmentwebsites.

Mostlawsarenotavailableinelectronic
formatandsometimesnoteveninpaper
basedaccessformat

Parliamentaryreporting StaffknowshowtousePCsandoffice TheHansardisproductionislengthyand

productivitytools takesmorethan23daystoproduce.

Staffuseemailandtheintranettodisseminatethe Toolstorecordparliamentaryproceedings
Hansardreportandrelateddocuments arenotfunctioningwell.

Table4:CommunicationandInformationDisseminationStrengthsWeaknessAnalysis

Opportunities&Threats

It is of great importance that the parliamentary strategicplanning processisgrounded insocial,

economic,political,legalandtechnologicalrealities.ThepurposeoftheOpportunitiesandThreats
(OT) analysis is to offer the authors of the parliament's vision (i.e. parliamentary leadership) the
chance to conduct a reality check, along the lines of the social, economic, political, legal and
technologicalboundaries(seeBox10)withinwhichtheparliamentoperates.TheOTanalysismaybe
specific to the institutional area. In Example 4 and Example 5 the way how to carry out an OT
analysisisdescribedforrespectivelytheInformationTechnologyManagementandCommunication&
InformationDisseminationareas.FortherespectiveOTtemplatesseeTemplate3

Box10
Social&economical: thisincludesallsocialandeconomicfactorsthatareatplayinthe
countrythatinfluencewhetherandhowcitizensareusingtechnology,accessinginformation,
communicatingandinteractingwiththeparliament..Factorsinclude:thedigitaldivideand
inclusion; who is connected and who not; internet penetration and affordability in the
country'shousehold;computerliteracy,communicationchannelsandnationalpenetrationof
differentcommunicationmedium,literacyetc.

Political:allpoliticaltrendsanddevelopmentthatinfluencethewaytheparliamentoperates
and interacts with its citizen. In some parliaments there is a culture of openness and
accountability towards the press and the public while in others such culture is still in its
infancy; in some parliaments are more open to public opinion and input while in others,
citizensinputitissimplynotseenaspartofthedemocraticequation.

Legal: all legal barriers (or opportunities) that would prevent (or stimulate) great
communication, information dissemination and technological solutions from (to) reaching
their potential; Some parliaments have passed laws that make it mandatory that certain
parliamentaryinformationispublished;inothercountriesthisisnotthecase.Sometimesthe
technology would allow easy publication of information while the laws prevent, or do not
encouragethis.
 Technological:thisincludesallcurrentandexpectedapplicationofICTwithinacountry.ICT
isdevelopingatarapidpace.Where10yearsagoonehadtogotointernetcafe'stobrowse
theinternet,todayitispossibletositinarestaurantorotherpublicspaceandgetonline
usingamobiledevice.Citizensareincreasinglyconnectingthroughmultiplechannels,and
exchanginginformationindifferentformatsincludingtext,videoandphoto.Technological
mayalsoincludethestateofthelocalICTsectori.e.whetherthereisagrowinglocalsector,
withwelltrainedprofessionalsandavailabilitytoICTgoodsandproducts.

Example4

Opportunities&Threats:thecaseofICT

In the case of ICTTable 5 we can provide an overview of the opportunities and threats facing a
parliament that wants to use technology to fulfil its mandates and responsibilities and wants to
enhance its communication and information dissemination capabilities. This helps to prevent the
parliamentfromformulatingavisionthatisoutoftouchwithrealityandthereforenotfeasible.

TocompletethisanalysisTable5theauthorsmustcarryoutdeskresearchonthefourdimensionsfor
theirowncountrytogainacompletepictureofthesocial&economic,political,legalandtechnological
developmentsspanningthepastfiveyearstodate,anddiscussthefactsanddevelopmentsrelated
toeachdimension.Sourcesforthesefactsanddevelopmentsmaybenationalstatistics,country
studies,butalsoUNreportssuchasITU'sreportsoninternetandmobileusageandpenetrationas
wellasasurveyliketheWorldeParliamentReportthatmaybeusefultoidentifytheupcoming
trends.

In extracting relevant facts and developments the authors must reason and think from the
perspectiveofaparliamentthatwantstodeployICTstomoreeffectivelyconductismandatesand
responsibilities,toconnectwithitscitizens,andbemuchstrongerinthecountry'sdemocraticcontext.

Dimensionsofthe
external Opportunities Threats
environment

Social&economical 75%ofthepopulationisbetween18and25 ICTLiteracylevelsarelow

Digitaldivideisstilllarge

..fact..
Political Incidentsofcurtailingoffreepress
..development..

..fact..
Legal Nolegalframeworkthatsupportsopen
..development.. accesstoparliamentarydocumentation
Riseofsocialnetworkingontheinternet Internetconnectivityismostlyinthecapital
Technological ofthecountryandexpensive.
OpenSourcesoftwareisbecomingmorewidely
availableandissupportedbythelocalITsector ..fact..

Mobiletechnologyinsocietyiswidespread ..development..
especiallyamongyoungpeople

Electronicdocumentmanagementtechnologies
areveryadvancedtoallowpaperlessworkingand
informationdissemination
Dimensionsofthe
external Opportunities Threats
environment

Table5:Opportunities&ThreatsAnalysisICT

Eachofthesefactsordevelopments(opportunitiesandthreats)mustbeformulatedinmaximum3
4sentences,writtenintherespectivecolumns.

Identifyingopportunities

Factsanddevelopmentsthatwillpresentpossiblesynergiesintheimplementationofthevision
shouldbelistedasopportunities.Researchmayshowthatthereisanincreasingnumberofyounger
MP'swhotakeprideinusingICT;theyhavetheirownwebsites,theyengageinsocialnetworkingand
innovativemethodstoconnectwiththeirconstituencies.Thisfactof%ofMP'sthatareendorsingICTs
areclearopportunitiesthatshouldbelistedinthePoliticaldimension.

In cases where the parliament has passed legislation that will make it mandatory for government
institutionstoadoptopenstandardsbasedonXMLtoexchangeintergovernmentaldata,thiswould
openthegatesforestablishingopeninformationexchangebetweentheparliamentandtheexecutive,
andalsoparliamentandinformationsystemsoftheJudiciaryandtheCourts.Clearlysuchalegislative
advantagemustbelistedasanopportunityintheLegaldimension.Inthedeliberationsduringthe
visioningworkshopthiskindoffactwouldverylikelyshapethevisionforICTintheparliament.

Identifyingthreats

Factsanddevelopments,thatasaresultofmoreICTinparliamentwillleadtoamultiplicationof
problems,orcreationofnewonesshouldbeseenasathreat.Forexampletheremaybealarge
digitaldivideinthecountrybecauseruralareasarenotconnected,andwhentheparliamentgoes
digitalthiswillcausepoliticalexclusionofsomegroupsofsociety,causingtheparliamentnotto
representanentirenation.Thisfactmustclearlybelistedasathreatunderthesocial&economic
dimension.Thelevelofthenationalliteracyrateinthelanguageinwhichparliamentarybusinessis
conductediscriticalandcannegativelyimpactcitizensabilitytoparticipateorengagewithparliament
ifpublicationsarenottranslatedintotheprevalentindigenouslanguages.Thelimiteddistributionand
information dissemination channels may further marginalize members of the population in remote
areas.

Deskresearch(andperhapssimplecommonknowledge)mightalsoshowthatthelocalITsectoris
stillinitsinfancy.Suppliersareveryfew,notwelltrained,pricesareveryhigh(comparedtocountries
intheregions)Suchanenvironmentwithwhichtheparliamentwillhavetodealwithtoimplementits
ambitious vision for ICT poses risks, and therefore should be listed as a threat under the
Technologicaldimension.Thepenetrationrateandavailabilityofradioandtelevisionsignalsacross
all parts of the country in addition to the prevalence of radios and television instruments should
parliamentusethesemediaforcommunicationmustalsobeconsideredunderthisdimension.

Thislevelofunderstandingoftheexternalenvironmentisrequiredforformulatingavisionforane
parliament that responds well to public expectations and demand. In the example given the
opportunities such as social networking, young electorate, the penetration of Open Source
software and mobile technology in the country provide very relevant clues for the technological
directionofthevision.

Similarlythethreatsgivenprovidepointsofreferenceastowhetherthevisionmaybeoutoftouch
with reality. For example a vision that ignores the digital divide and that solely focuses on
disseminatinginformationthroughtheinternetmaybefailingtorespondtotheexpectationsandneeds
of nonconnected citizenry. Perhaps that vision must instead focus on the internet and mobile
technologiesaswellasothermethodsforcommunicatingwithcitizensbyforexamplenewspapers,
radio, television,publicdebates andconstituencyvisitsleaving the possibility open of establishing
ruralgovernment/parliamentofficesfeaturinginternetkiosksetc.
Identifyingopportunities

Factsanddevelopmentsthatwillpresentpossiblesynergiesintheimplementationofthevision
shouldbelistedasopportunities. Themainlevelsatwhichinformationisrequiredbymembersof
parliament are at constituency, party, parliamentary committee, parliament, regionally and
internationally.Inaddition,withinparliament,theadministration,staffandresearchersneedtoaccess
andshareinformation.Otherstakeholdersthatneedtoexchangeinformationandcommunicatewith
parliament (both provide and access) include government, the media, civil society, development
agencies and the general public. Today, with the proliferation of information and communication
technologies(ICTs),therearemanymoreopportunitiestoprovideopen,meaningfulcommunication
thatistargetedattherightrecipientsusingdifferentmediuminatimelymanner.Theseopportunities
must be listed as opportunities in the respective Social and Economic, Political, Legal and
Technologicaldimensions.

Where mechanisms and procedures and processes have already been implemented for
communicationandinformationdisseminationthatarealreadyineffect,thesemustbeincludedas
opportunities,however,theeffectivenessandefficiencyoftheseprocessesmustalsobefactoredin
andassessedaccordingly.

Identifyingthreats

While the adoption of ICTs to facilitate more efficient retrievement, analysis and production of
informationprovidesanexcellentopportunityforenhancingtheefficienyofparliament,caremustbe
takeninconsideringtheeffectofadoptionofagreateruseofICTsforcommunicationparticularlywith
externalstakeholderssuchasconstituencies,thecommunity,specialinterestandthegeneralpublic.
Thiscanbeattributedtothechallengeinmanydevelopingcountriesofthedigitaldividewheremany
ruralandremoteareasremainoffthecommunicationgridandunconnected.Alternatemechanisms
mustbefoundtocommunicatewiththeseareastolimitpossibilitiesofexclusionfromparticipationin
thedemocraticprocessesofthecountry.Thisfactmustclearlybelistedasathreatunderthesocial&
economicdimension.Thelevelofthenationalliteracyrateinthelanguageinwhichparliamentary
businessisconductediscriticalandcannegativelyimpactcitizensabilitytoparticipateorengagewith
parliament if publications are not translated into the prevalent indigenous languages. The limited
distribution and information dissemination channels may further marginalize members of the
populationinremoteareas.

A level of understanding of theexternalenvironment isrequired forformulatinga vision for an e

parliamentthatrespondswelltopublicexpectationsanddemands,and,wherenecessaryadaptsits
solutionstomeettheneedsofthegreatestnumberofmembersoftheelectorate.Intheexamplegiven
theopportunitiessuch associal networking,youngelectorate,thepenetration ofOpen Source
software and mobile technology in the country provide very relevant clues for the technological
directionofthevision.

Similarlythethreatsgivenprovidepointsofreferenceastowhetherthevisionmaybeoutoftouch
with reality. For example a vision that ignores the digital divide and that solely focuses on
disseminatinginformationthroughtheinternetmaybefailingtorespondtotheexpectationsandneeds
ofnonconnectedcitizenry.Perhapsthatvisionmustensurethatalternatetechnologiesandsolutions
are accommodated and not only focus on the latest and most innovative solutions where a
combinationofnewandoldexistingtechnologiessuchasradio,newspapers,radio,television,public
debatesandconstituencyvisitscouldactuallybeadaptedtoprovideinnovativesolutions,insteadof
focussingpurelyontheinternetandmobiletechnologiesforcommunicatingwithcitizens.Therecould
thereforebethepossibilityofestablishingopenruralgovernment/parliamentofficesfeaturinginternet
kioskswhichintegratedandprovidedinformationforcommunityradiosandlocalpublications,etc.

Additionalresources

BusinessProcessReengineeringAssessmentGuide,UnitedStatesGeneral
AccountingOffice,May1997http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/bprag/bprag.pdf

EnterpriseArchitecture:AnOverview(Paper):
http://www.brint.com/papers/enterarch.htm
BusinessProcessReengineering:AConsolidatedMethodology
http://webs.twsu.edu/whitman/papers/ijii99muthu.pdf
ServiceOrientedArchitecture:
http://www.soablueprint.com/whitepapers/SOAPGPart2.htm#_Toc146082597
MappingofICTArchitecture:
Strengths&WeaknessesAnalysis: