Page 14 - Service Delivery Review

Towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector Framework

Enablers for professionalisation
Standard Operating Procedures
Beyond personal agency – the professionalisation
of the Public Service would be significantly aided by § The Development of Standard Operating
creating an environment in which professionalism Procedures (SOPs) for the Public Service
would thrive. In this regard, the critical enablers to is vital in implementing the Framework
the professionalisation of the Public Service include towards the Professionalisation of the Public
interventions in the following: Sector. Currently, Government processes
are highly individualised. The result is the
lack of institutionalisation of departmental
Integrated Service Delivery Handbook business processes and SOPs, which poses
a significant risk in terms of sustainability,
§ The official launch and adoption especially when the responsible officials
of the National Framework for the leave the employment of departments.
Professionalisation of the Public Sector is
an opportunity to work in an integrated way. Knowledge Management
One of the quick-wins is the development
of an integrated public service handbook. § Linked to the SOPs is the importance of
The handbook would be crucial to forging Knowledge Management (KM) in the Public
a singular understanding and interpretation Service. The business of Government is
of the norms, standards and prescripts that knowledge-intensive and, therefore, cannot
arise from the Framework. be divorced from the knowledge economy
within which it operates. Consequently, it
Reducing the administrative burden is necessary to develop the capabilities of
the Public Services in managing the data it
§ To address the complaints of departments generates from operations and its translation
over the administrative burden placed into lessons learned on best practices and
on them, particularly on HR Compliance evidence-based decision-making.
reporting, the DPSA is working on
streamlining all compliance reporting
requirements to introduce efficiencies,
effectiveness and to make it easy to comply
with Directives, Regulations, Circulars and
Norms and Standards.
§ The DPSA is currently reviewing those
sections of the Public Service Regulations
(PSRs) that put an unnecessary administrative
burden on departments. These proposed
amendments would be submitted to Cabinet
at the end of the current financial year.
§ The devolution of most Human Resource
Management and Development (HRMD)
functions away from the Executive
Authorities (EAs) to the Head of Departments
(HoDs) would promote administrative
efficiencies and mitigate the potential for
undue political interference in the running of
departments.

14 SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW | Volume 15 • No. 2 of 2022/2023