Navigating the Evolution: The Digital Transformation Case of the National Assembly of Hungary
About the National Assembly of Hungary | Written on September, 2022
Introduction
The digital transformation of legislative processes in national parliaments is a highly critical and complex undertaking. The recent digitisation of the National Assembly of Hungary provides an insightful case study for this process, given its notable blend of traditional systems and new digital tools. This essay analyses the transformation process, focusing on the implementation strategies, challenges encountered, user adoption, and the ultimate impact on the Assembly's operations and public accessibility.
Embracing Hybrid Systems
The digitisation process of the National Assembly of Hungary revealed an interesting interaction between legacy and modern systems. A significant challenge was to migrate from Microsoft Word, a ubiquitous and familiar platform used by drafters, to Parlex, a new system implemented for managing legislative processes. It was critical to ensure that the new system could seamlessly ingest data from Microsoft Word while maintaining the necessary structure and integrity.
Initially, drafters were hesitant to adopt the Parlex system, preferring to stick to their comfort zones. However, the team adopted a gradual approach, encouraging the users to continue with Microsoft Word while gradually introducing them to the functionalities of Parlex. With time, users found the new system more efficient and adopted it wholeheartedly, indicating that managing resistance to change requires a flexible and user-friendly approach in the digitisation process.
Tailoring to Unique Needs
The peculiarities of the Hungarian language presented a significant hurdle, making it impossible to implement a standardised data structure. Instead of using a standard data structure like Comentatoso, the team developed their own data structures within Parlex, a choice underlined by the assembly's unique needs and complexities. This decision suggests that digital transformations should be sensitive to local contexts and unique requirements, rather than merely following standard templates.
Another challenge was the development of an auto recognition system to recognise references in the text. The team developed a parser to enable this functionality, highlighting the importance of automated systems in simplifying complex tasks.
Ensuring Robust User Feedback
Including parliamentary users in the digitisation process was a significant part of the transformation. The team used an agile methodology that allowed for continuous user feedback, ensuring that the system was user-centred and met the needs of its primary audience. Regular training sessions were conducted for users, helping to familiarise them with the system and to gather their inputs, leading to system enhancements over time.
Enhancing Public Accessibility
The digitisation of the National Assembly of Hungary's legislative processes significantly improved public accessibility. The system's data, including voting results, bills, amendments and video footage of plenaries, was made publicly accessible through an advanced API. Additionally, the assembly’s digitisation dramatically increased the efficiency of making information publicly available. Once documents were finalised within the new system, they were published on the Parliamentary website in seconds.
Conclusion
The digitisation process of the National Assembly of Hungary underscores the complexity and the importance of understanding user needs and contexts in digital transformations. From blending traditional and modern systems to developing unique data structures, and ensuring a robust feedback loop, the process serves as a rich case study for other parliaments embarking on similar journeys. The successful integration of the Parlex system demonstrates that digital transformations, despite their challenges, can revolutionise public accessibility and significantly streamline legislative processes.
The Hungarian team’s willingness to share their experience, including their mistakes and successes, promises to provide invaluable learning opportunities for similar projects in the future. This case study ultimately serves as a testament to the power of digital transformation in public service and its potential to reshape the future of legislative processes globally.