Management and monitoring of progress for Civil Servants: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/18/03472 
Date received: 16 November 2018
Date responded: 10 December 2018

Information requested

1. What management systems are operated by the Scottish Government to set work timescales for officials, and to monitor the progress by civil servants, in order to ensure that reasonable standards of efficiency and value for money are being met.

2. If there are management systems in operation how are they monitored.

3. Are any of the management systems software based, if so what software is used.

You clarified what you wanted to know on 20 November 2018 as follows:

What I would like information on, is how the specific activities carried out by officials are managed and monitored on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. For example if it is decided to bring in a piece of legislation, or a new policy, what conventional or even unconventional project management systems are utilised so that budgets and timescales are complied with. Software systems such as Microsoft Project or Primavera etc are all systems that allow you to organise timescales and resources, and which also have the facility to monitor delays and cost overruns.

Also information on whether or not government officials complete timesheets.

Response

The answers to your questions are as follows:

The Scottish Public Finance Manual provides general guidance on procuring, managing and monitoring the delivery of major investment projects. As a recent addition, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority “Project Delivery Functional Standard” sets out expectations for the direction and management of all government portfolios, programmes and projects.

The Scottish Government has comprehensive corporate governance arrangements in place,which you can read more about in the Permanent Secretary’s annual Governance Statement which is included in the SG’s Consolidated Accounts. The Statement for 2017/18 can be found here.

A variety of software can be used to manage projects, and project/programme managers will select the one(s) most suited to their particular needs.

Examples of some the software available includes :

Microsoft project professional 2013
Microsoft project standard 2010
Microsoft project standard 2013
Microsoft project standard 2016
Steelray project viewer
Mind genius

We also have Project methodologies that are used within the Scottish Government such as PRINCE 2 and Agile.

Within the Scottish Government employees may have the opportunity to work a flexible working pattern and this requires them to key in and out using our flexible working system.
Others on a standard or another working pattern may use the system to assist them in recording their time.

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