The Brazilian House of Representatives' Digital Transformation: Building Connected Virtual Services
About the Câmara dos Deputados of Brazil. Written on September, 2021
Introduction
The Brazilian House of Representatives has embarked on a digital transformation journey, aiming to create a more efficient, transparent, and collaborative legislative process. Unlike previous strategic plans, this transformation involves input from over 110 colleagues across different departments, ensuring a comprehensive approach that addresses the needs of various stakeholders. This inclusive approach has led to the identification of key areas for improvement, such as increased interaction, connected virtual services, and a strong focus on data-driven decision making.
Digital CD: Digital Chamber of Deputies
The first phase of the digital transformation focuses on the legislative ecosystem, creating the "Digital CD" or the Digital Chamber of Deputies. This encompasses both the legislative process and support for governance and management through data-driven decision making. The Digital CD aims to be a valuable cross between enhancing efficiency through digital solutions and increasing digital trust among users, while also reshaping traditional working processes to adapt to the digital age.
Legislative Ecosystem
The Digital CD is designed to encompass the entire legislative process, from the drafting of bills to their eventual passage. It includes digital member cabinets, which facilitate collaboration and communication between staff and members, as well as other systems that support the legislative process. These systems are intended to be seamlessly connected, eliminating gaps in communication and ensuring a more streamlined process.
Digital Legislative Platform
The digital legislative platform brings together various systems and tools that streamline the legislative process, including functionalities for research, semantic analysis, and impact assessment. This platform helps lawmakers to work more efficiently and make more informed decisions. For instance, the digital legislative consulting system automates the distribution of domains for technical studies to lawmakers, enabling them to access relevant information quickly and easily. Additionally, the platform offers features such as speech transcription and semantic analysis of bills and speeches, further enhancing the legislative process.
Data Governance and Artificial Intelligence
To ensure the success of the digital transformation, the Brazilian House of Representatives has implemented a data governance process and is working on developing ethical guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI). This includes a data literacy plan to help lawmakers better understand and utilize data in their decision-making processes. The data governance process involves establishing trust in the data being used and creating clear relationships between data sources and users. Furthermore, AI algorithms like "Ulysses" support the digital legislative process by automating tasks and providing insightful analysis, allowing lawmakers to make more informed decisions.
Security and Digital Trust
Security is a crucial aspect of the digital transformation, as lawmakers and citizens alike need to feel safe using these new systems. The digital transformation includes a focus on improving security technology and policies, as well as ensuring that all digital services are accessible and mobile-friendly. One significant change brought about by the pandemic is that all systems must now be accessible outside the House, leading to necessary adjustments in IT architecture, especially concerning security. Achieving a balance between security and mobility is a key challenge in this transformation process.
Key Factors for a Successful Digital Transformation
The success of the Brazilian House of Representatives' digital transformation relies on several key factors, including aligning the transformation with the overall parliamentary strategy, building digital services based on processes, involving all stakeholders in the discussions, and updating relevant norms and policies. Additionally, preparing staff and lawmakers for the changes brought about by the digital transformation is essential to its success. This involves reviewing existing norms associated with security policies and adapting them to the new digital landscape, as well as providing necessary training and support to those affected by the changes.
Conclusion
The Brazilian House of Representatives' digital transformation aims to create a more connected, efficient, and transparent legislative process. By involving stakeholders from various departments and focusing on key aspects such as data governance, AI, and security, this transformation has the potential to significantly improve the legislative process in Brazil. The comprehensive approach to digital transformation, involving individuals from different departments and skill sets, ensures that the needs of various stakeholders are taken into consideration.
In the future, the Brazilian House of Representatives could further expand the scope of its digital transformation, focusing on areas such as increased citizen engagement, remote deliberation, and remote voting. The development of new functionalities within the Infoleg app, which was initially launched to increase transparency in the legislative process, could facilitate remote deliberation and digital signing of bills and other legislative documents.
Moreover, as the digital transformation progresses, it is important to continuously monitor and assess its impact on the legislative process. This includes regularly evaluating the effectiveness of implemented systems and tools, as well as identifying areas that may require further improvement or adaptation. Continuous monitoring and evaluation will ensure that the digital transformation remains effective, efficient, and responsive to the evolving needs of lawmakers, staff, and citizens.
In conclusion, the Brazilian House of Representatives' digital transformation represents a significant step forward in modernizing the legislative process and promoting greater efficiency, transparency, and collaboration. By focusing on key areas such as data governance, AI, security, and stakeholder involvement, the digital transformation has the potential to significantly improve the legislative process in Brazil. As the world continues to evolve and adapt to the digital age, it is crucial for legislative bodies like the Brazilian House of Representatives to embrace these changes and leverage digital technologies to better serve their constituents and improve the overall legislative process.