Success Measurement. Main results with regards to the focus area
The Support Tool for CAF in Local Self-Government Units
After developing the Guidelines for the Support Tool for CAF in Local Self-Government Units with the help of UNDP, key institutions for quality management in BiH piloted the tool in 10 local self-government units. All pilot projects were assessed through 43 pre- defined indicators, which, based on years of practice in local self-government units in BiH, best reflect the efficiency and results of their work. These organizations in BiH do not need to define new indicators but are required to establish baseline values, scoring, verification methods, and target values for each proposed indicator. The indicators are designed to evaluate the work of local self-government units, including the establishment of ethical codes, communication channels with citizens, alignment of job positions with development strategies, application of the law on free access to information, establishment of participatory bodies, inclusivity of administrative procedures, etc.
After the pilot phase, a baseline year was created with ratings for each indicator, along with recommendations for improvement through an Improvement Plan for areas with low scores (low indicator ratings). At the end of the pilot phase, concrete improvement plans were developed based on the assessment of indicators from the Support Tool for CAF in Local Self-Government Units. These plans would serve as the basis for donors to provide support to local self-governments in the following period for the implementation of their Action plans, as well as to group activities from multiple LGUs into projects. In 2025, it is planned to implement this tool in circa 20 new LGUs in BiH.
One of the significant results of applying this tool as a support CAF tool for LGUs in BiH was obtaining the CAF Label for the Town of Bihać, which was one of the first pilot projects. This was, in a way, proof that the methodology is successful. As a long-term decision for the public administration improvement process, this tool, as a support tool for CAF in LGUs, is recommended in all strategic documents for public administration reform. Additionally, for individuals who expressed a desire to become trainers for the CAF process and CAF for LGUs, a trainer training program was organized in collaboration with EIPA.
The Tool for Digital Readiness in Local Self-Government Units/Public Administration Organizations
The foundation for applying this tool is to create a Digital Readiness Roadmap for local self-government units/public administration organizations. This document must describe the initial state, but with a focus on the desired future state in the upcoming period. Like the previous tool, this one was also piloted in several local self-government units/public administration organizations. The piloting of this tool proved to be a key prerequisite for the digitalization process in the upcoming period for public administration organizations.
The essence of this process was the creation of a Digital Transformation Roadmap, which involved preparing a list of measures with brief descriptions of projects arranged by priorities in terms of their implementation. The realization of each measure in the roadmap leads to significant changes within local self-government units/public administration organizations, as well as in the overall environment for delivering public services. In addition to accelerating and facilitating the delivery of public services, it will increase the transparency and efficiency of public administration organizations, help prevent corruption, increase revenue and savings, contribute to greater user satisfaction, and serve as a generator for the development of the digital economy. This tool has been implemented in five local self-government units, with five digitalization roadmaps developed for towns in BiH.
The essence of the innovation and the transferability of the solutions introduced
Quality management and the CAF tool have been applied at various administrative levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina for over ten years. Before this project, there was no significant use of CAF in local self-government units (LGUs) in BiH, although other methodologies for measuring efficiency had been implemented. However, the innovative approach of the group of people involved in the realization of this project contributed to making CAF more accessible to employees in LGUs in BiH.
Employees in LGUs where the methodology was piloted highlighted that the creation of a certain number of indicators, which were familiar or recognized by them, was very important because these indicators can improve work processes and services for citizens. They particularly emphasized indicators related to the ethical code, integrity, and ethical behaviour of council members, the number of communication channels with citizens, involving citizens in the development of strategic documents, establishing participatory bodies for two-way communication between citizens and the administration, social inclusion, the implementation of annual and three-year plans, and the involvement of entrepreneurs and other partners, etc.
Furthermore, measuring performance based on these indicators highlighted the possibility of creating objective and credible development plans for LGUs, which could also help potential donors. Donors will be able to direct their resources to pre-prepared plans that align with the policies and objectives of the specific donors. The methodology developed for the purposes of this project is universal. When looking at the indicators that were added, which align with all nine CAF criteria, they are adaptable and objective for local self-government units (LGUs) in any country. What particularly stood out during the implementation of the project was that all decisions were made by consensus, which indicates that the employees who worked on the development of the methodology had extensive experience in applying CAF, and this is one of the key indicators of success. Additionally, it is important to note that employees from the LGUs in Prijedor and Tešanj (two towns in BiH), who had previously applied the CAF methodology in their organizations, provided significant support during the development of the methodology.
The Digital Readiness Assessment Tool, as the second tool in this case, is also universal and can be applied to all local self-government units in any country. Its innovation lies in the fact that after its implementation, a series of steps are identified that an organization, i.e., a local self-government unit, must take on its path toward digitalization. From an experiential perspective, the greatest success of all the project participants has been the networking of people that we achieved through collaboration with a large number of individuals from different administrative levels. Moreover, working with such a large group of people highlighted the positive two-way communication and the objective listening to issues from all organizations.
