A detailed list of sample questions for each grouping is available in Appendix 1.1. It should be noted however that these questions might need to be contextualized with respect to each particular parliament, as each is unique in how their functional areas are made operational in terms of organizational structure, mandates, roles and responsibilities of departments, sections, units and the provision of services and processes.

The level of detail of these questions allows the eventual strategy document to be shared with non-parliamentary readers e.g. external parties such as the international donor community and the public, who may not have knowledge of the internal structure and workings of the parliament. Parliaments often operate in a complex political and administrative environment, making it particularly important to provide this kind of comprehensive description of the context within strategic decisions are taken and change is implemented.

Methods and Techniques

Desk research

First and foremost, basic information on all the topics listed can be retrieved through desk research, simply by starting in the parliament’s or national library, where existing documentation, including parliamentary resolutions on institutional functions and procedures, could be found. In addition, other documentation, such as existing studies and reports on the parliament, could be consulted to construct an initial overview of the parliament, its respective bodies and organs, functions and services.

Interviews

Desk research should be followed up with information gathering at the different departments, offices, units etc, to learn more about existing services and processes within each functional area, and where applicable, the existing level and usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This stage of information gathering is likely to include interviews with key representatives of these departments as well as visits to see how work is carried out.

Sometimes witnessing processes in action is much more effective than verbal or documented explanations with only words or text. Authors of the strategy document should therefore try to benefit from opportunities to be guided around in departments or offices to actually see, for example, how legislation is drafted using a “Legislative Information System” or with simple “Office software”; or how research briefs are produced and stored using an “Electronic Archiving System”.

Questionnaires

When gathering information on services and processes it is important to establish a consistent overview for each area. To achieve this, the use of questionnaires is very effective and is highly recommended. A set of sample questions for establishing a general baseline is available in Appendix 1.2. Here too the note on contextualization applies again i.e., that questions may be adapted, added or removed depending on the local context.

While the information is being gathered the writing of the actual strategy document should start. This is important because documenting the strategy will reveal what information is still missing and needs to be gathered. Appendix 1.3 provides a sample outline of the strategy document with, at its core the four main strategic planning steps. The main sections of part I of the strategy document, the “Current Situation” is discussed below.

Documenting the Parliamentary Institutional Context

The description of the parliamentary functional areas should focus on the different sections and services by highlighting their organizational roles and responsibilities and how they interrelate and contribute to the operationalization of the areas. The answers obtained from the questions in appendixes 1.1 and 1.2 should provide input to this description that should be written with a bird-eye's view: clear and concise, presenting the relevant details to enable readers to quickly get an understanding. No more than one page should be dedicated per unit or section within an functional area. As parliaments are complex organizations the use of visuals such as organizational schemas and charts clarifying hierarchies and inter-departmental relations are highly recommended.

In some cases, it may also be necessary to briefly describe the physical environment e.g., the location of departments and offices, as this can be relevant to the eventual formulation of recommendations and action plans. It may, for example, be that certain offices are temporarily housed elsewhere due to renovation or construction; this would impact the planning of certain activities.

Documenting the Services, Processes & Systems

In addition to the organizational context for each functional area, an overview should be provided of how the areas are operationalized. This includes looking at services, processes and systems. Questions that need to be answered include: how specific services are currently performed; who the stakeholders are – who the clients and providers of services are; what information is created, supplied and demanded in this context; how it is stored, archived and disseminated and communicated – in what formats and through which media. For each service there should be an explanation of the high-level criteria that apply in the execution of processes e.g. for a service like the Hansard production, what are the expected levels of service – production of the Hansard within one day or two hours after parliamentary proceedings?
Where relevant there should be an explanation of the ICT tools used for supporting the processes, e.g.,  are electronic systems used for recording parliamentary proceedings and how do these feed into other systems in the entire process. Again all of this should be described from a high-level perspective (bird-eye view). See Appendix 1.2 for sample questions.

Process Maps

Producing such descriptions for each area of how services, processes and systems are arranged and interact can be supported by “process maps”, that enable facts to be gathered in a systematic way and presented to describe links between services, processes and systems. This ensures that systems are always described in relation to processes, and processes described in relation to services. Producing “process maps” is very beneficial to the strategic planning process as they will always serve as a reference during the subsequent steps.

Another benefit is that these maps can provide a clear and consistent overview of where and to what extent ICT is integrated in the functional areas, and how information is exchanged between areas. Process maps may reveal overlapping services and processes within areas, or a duplication of ICT systems or information generation across different areas. For further details on how to conduct “process mapping”, an example and templates are available in appendix 1.4 and template 1.1.

SWOT analysis

The information gathered and documented should be used to produce an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) observed regarding the current situation, both internally and externally, that the parliament finds itself in. The SWOT analysis will support the strategic planning process by identifying weaker areas that need to be developed, as well as those that could provide leverage for future developments.

Strengths and Weaknesses

After gathering and structuring the information (using process maps) on the current situation an overview should be made of the strengths and weaknesses for each functional area. The Strengths and Weaknesses (SW) analysis basically involves making a list of all functional areas observed, their services, processes and systems, including the framework they operate in terms of management and governance, and identifying “what was working well and provides a base for further developments” (strength) and “what was experiencing problems and constraints” (weakness). In template 1.3. a table is provided that can support the creation of this type of list.

Opportunities & Threats

Besides considering the internal environment it is also important that the parliamentary strategic planning process is “grounded” in the external social, economic, political, legal and technological realities (see box 1.2) For this an Opportunities and Threats analysis (OT analysis) is needed.

Social & economical: social and economic factors that are at play in the country that influence whether and how citizens are using technology, accessing information, communicating and interacting with the parliament. Factors include: the digital divide and inclusion; who is connected and who not; internet penetration and affordability at household level; computer literacy, communication channels and national penetration of different communication medium, literacy etc.

Political: political trends and developments that influence the way the parliament operates 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 a culture is still in its infancy; some parliaments are more open to public opinion and input while in others, citizens input is not seen as part of the “democratic equation”.

Legal: legal barriers (or opportunities) that would prevent (or stimulate) effective communication, information dissemination and technological solutions from (to) reaching their potential. Some parliaments have passed laws that make it mandatory to publish certain parliamentary information; in other countries this is not the case. Sometimes the technology can facilitate easy publication of information while the laws prevent, or discourage this.

Technological: current and expected application of ICT within a country. ICT is developing at a rapid pace. Where 10 years ago one had to go to specialized internet cafe's equipped with PCs to browse the internet, today it is possible to sit in a restaurant or other public space that offers wireless internet, and get on-line using a personal mobile device (smart phone or net book). Citizens are increasingly connecting through multiple channels, and exchanging information in different formats including text, video and photo. “Technological” may also include the state of the local ICT sector i.e. whether there is a growing local sector, with well trained professionals and availability to ICT goods and products.

Box 1.2:  social, economic, political, legal and technological realities

To complement the opportunities and threats analysis (OT analysis) additional desk research may have to be carried out (or commissioned) specifically on these four dimensions for the country, to gain the latest picture of the social & economic, political, legal and technological realities and developments. Sources for these facts and developments may include national statistics, sectoral studies, international reports on democracy, human development, internet and mobile usage penetration etc. The key question in the OT analysis is: “from the perspective of a parliament how do (or will) certain facts and developments affect the way how the parliament carries out its duties?”

To complete the OT analysis an overview should be created listing the four “external realities”, each with current “facts and developments” (as in Template 1.4) Each of these “facts or developments” (opportunities and threats) must be formulated in a maximum of 3-4 sentences.

• Business Process Reengineering Assessment Guide, United States General Accounting Office, May 1997 http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/bprag/bprag.pdf
• Enterprise Architecture: An Overview (Paper):
  http://www.brint.com/papers/enterarch.htm
• Business Process Reengineering: A Consolidated Methodology http://webs.twsu.edu/whitman/papers/ijii99muthu.pdf
• Service Oriented Architecture:    
  http://www.soablueprint.com/whitepapers/SOAPGPart2.htm#_Toc146082597