The Evolution of Digital Transformation: A Case Study on the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan
About the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan. Written on September, 2022
Introduction
The advent of the digital age has brought about sweeping changes in the way organisations operate, fundamentally altering our understanding of how various sectors function. The public sector, in particular, has undergone significant transformations, given its pivotal role in maintaining societal structures. In this essay, we delve into one such example of digital transformation, focusing on the Milli Majlis, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. As a traditional legislative body, it demonstrates how such institutions can adapt, evolve, and modernise in response to the challenges and opportunities presented by digital technology.
This essay is based on an insightful transcript from a conference presentation, which offers an in-depth look at the transformation journey of the Milli Majlis' legislative information management system. The presentation offers valuable insights into the evolution of their approach, the structural changes undertaken, and the lessons gleaned from their journey, which could serve as a beacon for other institutions embarking on a similar path.
The Early Stages: Initial System Development and Challenges
In 1996, the Milli Majlis embarked on its digital transformation journey, with the development of a legislative information management system designed to streamline the storage and retrieval of laws. The system was initially designed to divide the text of the law into manageable small units, corresponding to articles, which were then saved in a record of a table. This meticulous approach facilitated the generation of the law text for any given date, a significant advantage that enabled the efficient management of amendments over time.
However, despite its initial promise, this system soon revealed several inherent drawbacks. The process of converting the documents into ordinary text and dividing them into articles required a significant amount of manual labour. The reliance on human intervention made the system sensitive to errors, undermining the reliability and efficiency of the process. Additionally, storing the text of laws in ordinary text necessitated additional work on the web application for setting styles. This added layer of complexity presented another challenge for the Milli Majlis, further compounding the limitations of the initial system.
Embracing Changes: The Shift to XML
Recognising the limitations of the initial approach, the Milli Majlis took a decisive step towards modernisation. The decision was made to store the entire text of the law in the database, which prompted a significant change in the format used. XML, recognised for its ability to handle complex data structures and heralded as the format of the future, was chosen to replace the previous format.
The transition was no small feat. A special application was developed to convert the data from the previous word format into XML. Despite the complexity of the task, the conversion was executed successfully, marking a critical milestone in the transformation journey of the Milli Majlis.
The shift to XML yielded notable improvements. The new format automated the conversion process, significantly reducing the manual labour involved and mitigating the risk of errors. This automation facilitated the creation of the web application of the system, streamlining the process significantly. This change addressed many of the disadvantages of the first approach. However, it led to the loss of the capability to generate law text for any date, a major advantage of the initial system.
Advancing Further: A More Robust System
In a testament to their commitment to continuous improvement, the Milli Majlis undertook another significant change to further enhance their legislative information management system. Faced with an ever-increasing database size and the absence of the law text for any date, they decided to archive the text of the law in files. Each file was given a unique filename and stored on a file server, with the file names saved in the database.
This process was replicated for each amendment made to the law. A new file was created for each change, effectively creating a comprehensive repository of all legal amendments. This approach enabled the Milli Majlis to maintain a set of files related to each law and its respective amendments, with each file associated with a specific date.
This approach served to restore the lost capability from the first system, enabling the retrieval of the law text for any given date. This was achieved while simultaneously overcoming the limitations of the previous systems. The advantages were clear: the database became more manageable, backups and restorations were more flexible, and the move from one server to another became a simpler process.
Moreover, this system had the added benefit of providing a detailed history of the amendments made to each law. This added level of transparency allowed the Milli Majlis to track changes accurately and efficiently, providing a comprehensive view of the legal landscape over time.
The Present System: Features and Functionality
The culmination of these iterative improvements resulted in a sophisticated legislative information management system, able to handle the complex requirements of modern governance. The system displays the title and number of each law, the date of adoption, and all amendments made. It also lists the numbers of other laws that have made amendments to each law, providing a comprehensive view of the legal interconnections within the system.
When viewing a law, users can click on a button to see the text of the law. The system shows the last five changes made and provides the text in XML format. Furthermore, users can download the text for editing or further examination. If users wish to see a previous version of the law without applying subsequent amendments, they can do so by clicking a specific button. This feature allows for a historical view of the law text, adding an extra layer of depth to the system.
In the current system, when an amendment is made, it is automatically reflected in the database, without the need for manual intervention. This improvement has significantly reduced the possibility of human error and increased the efficiency of the system.
Conclusion
The digital transformation journey of the Milli Majlis offers valuable lessons on managing change, adapting to new technologies, and continuously striving for improvements. Despite the challenges encountered along the way, the Milli Majlis has demonstrated that it is possible to modernise a traditional legislative system through strategic application of digital technologies.
The Milli Majlis' experience serves as a compelling case study for other legislative bodies and public sector organisations embarking on their digital transformation journeys. The ability to embrace technological advancements and leverage them for improved efficiency and effectiveness is a crucial success factor in today's digital age.
In conclusion, the Milli Majlis' digital transformation journey underscores the importance of digital transformation in the modern world. It highlights how such transformations, when well-executed, can enhance service delivery, increase transparency, and create more robust and efficient systems. This case study serves as a beacon, illuminating the path for others to follow in the quest for digital excellence in the public sector.