Page 23 - DPSA_SDR Vol12 no1 A4.indd

ORGANISATIONAL FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS CASE STUDY

project members with the OFA toolkit. The importance of a to systems, processes and resource utilization. In all of the
thorough document study as part of interview preparation departments assessed to date the DPSA have found a number
is emphasised during capacity building sessions. This of common issues that have been identified as having a
is reinforced by sharing experience on good practice for negative impact on departments’ functionality, performance
conducting interviews, validating information and compiling of and service delivery. The following findings relate to the twenty
initial assessment reports. The DPSA also provides templates six (26) departments that completed their self-assessments.
for reporting and quality assurance of the initial draft reports.
A golden thread emphasized during the OFA process is the Poor alignment of organogram to the Strategy (7 out of 26
importance of record keeping. departments): In 26% of the departments that completed
the OFA, there was poor alignment between the approved
DPSA PROVIDES organisational structure and the departmental strategy had a
negative impact on organisational performance.
 Technical Assistance
Value of Service Delivery Model (in 8 of the 26 departments):
 Support during Project Planning Although the majority of departments that conducted
assessments do have an approved organisational structure,
 Quality Assurance it was found that in 30% of departments the approved service
delivery model is not fully aligned to the organisational
structure. The OFA process highlighted the importance of a
The key responsibilities of departments are to establish the
appropriate governance/oversight structures and appoint service delivery model and that it provides an understanding
the project coordinator and project team to conduct the of how best to increase operational efficiencies, through
identifying:
assessment. The various work stream leaders are responsible
to gather and analyse information via the study of appropriate • Better utilisation of departments limited resources
documents, conducting interviews with knowledgeable staff at a time when departments are not able to access
and senior managers, and compile work stream reports with additional funding for more capacity.
findings and recommendations. The departmental Project
Coordinator is responsible for the integration of the different • The improvement of operational efficiency in the
work stream reports and manage the project time lines appropriate allocation of functions between Head
based on the approved project plan. The project steering Quarters and Regional/District Offices
committee has the final responsibility for quality assurance • What functions should be performed in-house and what
and validation of information (findings and recommendations) functions can be considered for outsourcing.
before the final report can be presented to the departmental
management committee. To ensure that maximum value is • Issues to facilitate the improvement of oversight over
derived from the OFA self-assessment process the DPSA public entities in delivering on departmental mandates.
provides quality assurance to ensure that the OFA report
contains clear unambiguous findings with recommendations Alignment of SMS Performance Agreements to APP (in 5
that are supported by an implementation plan for ease of of the departments) Departments are often characterised with
implementation and monitoring thereof. poor alignment between SMS performance agreements and
the APP. In 20% of departments, it was found that there was
poor alignment between the SMS performance agreements
DEPARTMENTS PROVIDE and the departmental APP. Organisational performance can
be improved by ensuring that SMS performance agreements
 Establish Governance/Oversight Structure are aligned to the APP and the departmental strategic plan.
 Coordinate Project Implementation Lack of Terms of Reference for Governance Structures
 Conducts OFA (in 13 departments) Departmental Governance structures
are often characterised by a lack of formal terms of reference.
 Drafts OFA Report with fi ndings and The lack of formal terms of reference quite often results in
recommendations governance structures addressing similar issues, resulting
in time wastage. This situation was found to be prevalent
 Implements Recommendations in 50% of departments. This challenge can be resolved by
developing terms of reference for each governance structure,
clearly specifying their mandates in order to ensure that they
General fi ndings and do not consider overlapping issues.
recommendations made during OFA Poor Alignment of Delegations (in 10 departments) After
self-assessments to date departments go through a reorganisation process they often
fail to align delegations (HR, Finance and SCM) to the revised
organisational structure and service delivery model, resulting
When initiating the OFA self-assessment process departmental
management teams generally appear sceptical about the in service delivery delays. The alignment of delegations
potential value add of the OFA process. It appears that the to the organisational structure and service delivery model
OFA has erroneously been associated with a limited focus of and assigning appropriate financial and SCM as well as
informing organizational design. On the contrary, the toolset HR delegations to Regional/District Offices can result in
has been designed to include the broader systemic aspects an improvement in financial, SCM and HR processes, and
of departmental service delivery, ranging from capacity improved accountability.
Volume 12 No. 1 of 2018 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 21