1. Dimitrios Papadimitropoulos, Antonios Stasis, Eleni Chaniotaki
Electronic document management and filing: the case of the Hellenic Ministry of Administrative Reform and E-Governance
Hellenic Ministry of Administration Reform and E-Governance, Directorate General of Administrative Support / Electronic Data Processing Directorate (IT Department)
Vassilisis Sofias 15, 10674, Athens, Greece
Dimitrios Papadimitropoulos,
Antonios Stasis,
Eleni Chaniotaki

2. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
1rst rollout phase
2nd rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

3. The initiation of the project (1/3)
Situation prior to the project
Greek E-Gov law (3979/2011) determined that Public Agencies:
Are obliged to dispose of their documents in editable e-format
Can issue administrative acts by means of ICTs
Exchange e-documents
Produce electronic exact copies of official documents
Have an e-filing system
Project, according to which:
All Public Agencies are obliged to upload their ‘decisions’ in the Portal’
Documents are being prepared through a paper-based procedure
Documents are transformed in e-format during the final step of the procedure
Transparency of the Greek Public sector is increased
Any citizen was able to search and find every public document

4. The initiation of the project (2/3)
When?
Who?
What?
Summer of 2012
Deputy Minister of Administrative Support and E-Governance
Internal processes for issuing public documents based only on electronic means without any major IT investments
Main benefits:
Speeding up of circulation of documents and reduce time needed for the completion of processes
Cost saving in terms of paper and printing consumables
Main challenges:
Definition of new internal processes and workflows
Integrity and non-repudiation of draft documents
Versioning of the draft documents
Filing of different versions of the document
Access of the employees to the different types of documents

5. The initiation of the project (3/3)
Public agencies needed to obtain digital certificates to digitally sign documents (ensuring their integrity and non-repudiation)
The Directorate General of Administrative Support started negotiating with the other Directorates Generals about the definition of their internal procedures
Results of this discussion documented in the internal regulation of the Ministry of Administration Reform and E-Governance for issuing and exchanging e-documents
Plan for this transition to e-documents: Rollout of e-distribution of documents within the Ministry of Administrative Reform and E- Governnance on the 16th of September 2012

6. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
1rst rollout phase
2nd rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

7. Implementing the project (1/3)
A very challenging project due to:
All public agencies were used to another way of work (handwritten signatures, filing folders and cabinets, indexing books)
Bureaucracy of the Greek Public Administration where all processes include official documents that need to be signed consecutively by more than one person in the hierarchy
The strict deadline imposed by the Deputy Minister did not allow for such a carefully designed Process Reengineering plan
Solution: Two alternative ways of exchanging and filing documents

8. Implementing the project (2/3)
1st alternative
Use of Document Management System to exchange and file documents
The Ministry already possessed such a system but had never put it into operation
The System was being used only as a metadata registry
Main advantage: Versioning and tracking facilities
Main drawback: It was based on a client-server technology and required a lot of support for every client
Needed a web-based version to be easily adopted by users
Its upgrade to the web-based version would cause a delay or several months

9. Implementing the project (3/3)
2nd alternative
service for exchanging documents and file server for filing them
Main advantages:
No training of staff required
Based on existing infrastructures
Main drawbacks:
Lack of versioning and tracking facilities
More storage space required

10. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
1rst rollout phase
2nd rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

11. Main documents’ workflows
Incoming documents workflow
Scanning of incoming documents by the Dept. of Secretarial Support
Routing documents to the Competent Directorates
The director routes documents to the employee in charge
Outgoing documents workflow
Creation of the original outgoing document
Routing the document to the hierarchy in order to be digitally signed
Routing the signed document to the Dept. of Secretarial Support
The head of the Dept. of Secretarial Support produces a digitally signed certified copy of the document in .pdf format
The copy is sent to its recipients through the official mailbox of the Ministry

12. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
1rst rollout phase
2nd rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

13. 1st rollout phase Extensive need of user support
Large spectrum of issues for support
Change management: the most demanding challenge
Most staff members reluctant to change their daily work routine
Full commitment of the IT Dept. needed
Strong support of Deputy Minister reduced personnel reactions
IT Directorate collected different types of documents and processes in order to propose process changes

14. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
1rst rollout phase
2nd rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

15. 2nd rollout phase
Web-based version of the system ready to use and all employees created as users
Training program scheduled by IT Directorate
Difficulties had started to arouse caused by the use of as an exchange method
Minister signed a circular imposing the use of the Document Management System on October 1 , 2013
The circular also regulated some secondary issues of e- documents
Auto-reply messages from central nodes in the ministry to inform senders about the obligation to send documents through the Document Management System
Process Reengineering of certain processes was taken over

16. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
Initial rollout phase
Later rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

17. Process Reengineering
Certainly a big opportunity was given to simplify processes
3 main types of reengineered processes:
Processes redesigned by the IT Directorate but their proposed model was then discussed with the operating unit in charge, thus coming to a commonly accepted solution
Common processes throughout the Ministry exclusively redesigned by the IT Directorate, abolishing steps and documents that now became obsolete due to the DMS
Processes that were automated by means of interoperability with other Information Systems

18. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
Initial rollout phase
Later rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

19. Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The E-Government Law contemplated the enactment of a P.D. regulating such issues
Was issued on the 25th of February, 2013
Main issues it covered:
The Main principles for electronic filing
The definition of an e-file
The maintenance of electronic documents and e-files
The processes for elaborating and managing electronic files
Storage of electronic documents and files
Indexing of electronic files
Information retrieval from e-files
The Digitalization process of paper documents
The handling of documents and files at the end of their life

20. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
Initial rollout phase
Later rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

21. The day after 9 months have passed after project implementation
Next steps already planned:
Interconnecting the DMS of the MAREG with DMSs of other Ministries, thus being able to exchange documents along with their metadata
Interconnecting the DMS of the MAREG with other systems, thus automating more processes
Cooperating with other Public Agencies with whom they transact by exchanging documents in order to reengineer their common process

22. Contents The initiation of the project Implementing the project
Main documents’ workflows
Initial rollout phase
Later rollout phase
Process Reengineering
Presidential Decree about digitization of documents and e-filing
The day after
Critical Success Factors -Conclusions

23. Critical Success Factors -Conclusions
Whenever there was strong political support, significant improvements were made
Close relationship and cooperation between the IT Director and the Director General of Administrative Support
Skilled IT staff dedicated to support users during the first implementation period
Process reengineering and attempt to abolish document types that created extra bureaucracy
Active users in making suggestions for the improvement of the system or for the change of their processes
Technology-friendly users who were at ease with pc usage acted as pioneers for system usage