Advancing Digital Transformation in Legislative Committees: A Case Study of Cordoba Legislature
About the Legislatura de la Provincia de Córdoba | Argentina. Written on April, 2022
Introduction
Digital transformation has profoundly impacted various sectors, including the world of government. A key example is the recent technological overhaul within the legislative committees in the Cordoba legislature. This shift required significant changes, including novel hardware, security upgrades, regulatory compliance, and more. This essay will delve into the steps and processes involved in this transformation, paying special attention to challenges, benefits, and key highlights.
The Shift: Comparing the Old and the New
Prior to the pivotal year of 2019, the Cordoba legislature was marred by slow manual processes, excessive use of paper, and sluggish workflows. Storage was a major issue, with the vast amounts of paper documents leading to difficulties. However, the decision of the Vice Governor to implement a digital transformation, primarily facilitated during the pandemic year, initiated a comprehensive shift in operations by early 2023.
The digital transformation was characterised by several key implementations, including the adoption of a digital legislature management system. Other alterations included a transformation of virtual infrastructure, which was necessary for compliance with development team requirements, new backup and security processes, and regulatory compliance. The legislature also needed to establish interactions with other governmental bodies, such as the Citizenship system, which has interfaces with essential services such as vaccine access management.
Key Features of the Digital Transformation
The digital transformation focused on three main areas: innovation, transparency, and the relationship between the legislature and the citizens. The newly adopted system offered functionalities such as document management and automation, meeting management for committees, access management, advanced search and real-life cycle management, and notification management. These functionalities simplified operations, improved workflow, and enhanced security.
The newly adopted system's workflow was straightforward. It allowed the creation and presentation of bills through the system, the generation of a parliamentary status for each bill, digital signatures, email communication, and improvement of committee treatment. Furthermore, it automated document generation, leading to a faster lifecycle for legislative procedures and facilitated session debates with approval notifications.
The system was designed to be user-friendly, with different modules and screen displays depending on the roles and functionalities of each user. The transformation saw the creation of a committee agenda within the system, allowing easy transfer or generation of documents, thereby reducing the need for manual creation.
The Impact of Digital Transformation
The digital transformation in Cordoba legislature led to significant benefits. Paper usage was drastically reduced, with most operations becoming digital, and the speed of each process was greatly accelerated. The transformation also led to an increase in security due to the integration of access management with other systems and the implementation of security in the infrastructure. The standardisation of processes also meant that each team could follow a set guideline, improving consistency.
The digital transformation also led to increased traceability of each bill and project, allowing easy look up with filters, keywords, and people. There was also an increase in availability and protection of data with access management control. Moreover, with less paper usage, the legislature's environmental impact was reduced, aligning with the key point of open legislature.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the digital transformation of the legislative committees in the Cordoba legislature represents a significant shift towards more efficient, secure, and sustainable operations. Despite the challenges faced during the transition, the benefits have been clear, with streamlined processes, enhanced security, and reduced environmental impact. This case study illustrates the vast potential of digital transformation in enhancing governmental operations, setting a precedent for other legislative bodies worldwide.