hand book pilot project

OPEN SOURCE DELIVERS FOR GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
A Handbook On Pilot Projects
The Malaysian Public Sector Open Source Software Initiative
September 2005
FOREWORD
Director General Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU)
Prime Minister's Department
MAMPU, the central agency responsible for leading change and modernisation in the public service launched the Malaysian Public Sector Open Source Software (OSS) Master Plan on 16 July 2004. MAMPU is currently leading other government agencies in its implementation. Effective implementation of the Master Plan requires a change of mindset and work culture of public sector personnel. To address this challenge, MAMPU has implemented a series of OSS Awareness Programmes with the objective of promoting awareness and understanding of the Government’s aspirations of the Open Source project. It is our immediate goal to stir interest and desire in government personnel to take positive action in studying and implementing OSS in their agencies.
Establishing the pilot projects proved to be a great way of demonstrating the benefits of utilising OSS solutions. Through the projects, the agencies have improved OSS skills, increased interoperability among related systems and enabled greater participation in the global OSS community.
I am proud of the efforts set in motion by the pilot agencies to improve the quality of service delivery using OSS. The pilot projects have proven that OSS is not only ready for mainstream public service delivery, but that this momentum has transcended to the private sector in the form of increased local Information Communications Technology (ICT) industry growth.
It is our hope that this pilot project handbook will further promote the strengths of OSS besides sharing the experience from the implementation of the pilot projects. I hope government agencies can leverage on these experiences and replicate the pilot successes in their own agencies.
I would like to express my appreciation to the four agencies namely Ministry of Finance (MoF), Public Service Department (JPA), Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) for their cooperation and commitment in implementing the pilot projects successfully. My special thank you to the project team from MAMPU and consultants from DRB­HICOM Information Technologies Sdn Bhd (DHIT) and their partners for their relentless efforts in this project.
Digital signature…
Dato Haji Yaacob Hussin
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INTRODUCTION
This handbook shares the success stories, experiences and benefits of the implementation of OSS in four pilot government agencies. The four pilot projects are part of the Malaysian Public Sector Open Source Initiative led by MAMPU.
The planning and implementation of the pilot projects is a collaborative effort between the following parties:
• Open Source Competency (OSCC), MAMPU
Centre • Four pilot agencies: ­
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MoF
JPA
MOE
KPWKM
In addition, significant savings are achieved via the reduced usage of proprietary software:
• 80% savings in overall licensing cost
• 58% reduction in development and consultancy efforts
• 7% savings in software support services
Users in the four pilot agencies now have access to greater functionalities, enhanced integration across different systems, and centralised data storage that significantly enhance reporting capabilities.
• Technology partners led by DHIT
The four pilot projects have contributed to the fulfillment of the following OSS objectives:
• Increase choice of software usage
• Increase interoperability
• Increase capability to maintain and support software
• Reduce total cost of ownership
• Reduce vendor lock­in
• Increase security sovereignty
and enforce “Sharing of data for economic analysis through EIDS and enabling communication of information to the public through the Treasury Portal” EIDS & Treasury Portal – MoF
“Strengthen the customer oriented network in enhancing a service delivery system where speed, security and data integrity are priorities” eSILA – JPA
“A portal that offers opportunity to seek improvement in quality of life for single mothers” NurITA – KPWKM
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE DATABASE SYSTEM (EIDS) AND TREASURY PORTAL
URL: http://www.treasury.gov.my
The pilot project for the Ministry of Finance (MoF) involved the upgrading of the Treasury Portal and development of the EIDS.
Data which are updated to EIDS can be presented in multiple formats: detailed, summarised, daily, monthly, quarterly, yearly, percentage or graphical views. A custom query feature allows simple correlation of selected data from different groups to be presented as required by users.
The Treasury Portal provides the public access to information on MoF services, circulars, documents, data, forms, news and events via the internet. The upgrading of the Portal to a content management system simplifies the process of updating, maintaining and accessing relevant information.
Furthermore, the EIDS has the ability to export the data into spreadsheet formats for additional economic analysis and reporting.
The new Treasury Portal allows multiple authorised users to update content simultaneously. In addition, administrators are able to maintain the entire portal from a central panel. This simplifies the previous process where each page had to be updated by the administrator.
Visitors to the Treasury Portal are presented with a consistent look­and­feel and are able to search for relevant information across the entire portal.
The EIDS is a web­based database application for storing, retrieving and sharing economic data. Storage of data in a central database allows all authorised users to have immediate access to updated data.
The Treasury Portal and EIDS use PHP development platform operating on Red Hat Enterprise Server, MySQL database and Apache web server. The systems are best accessed and viewed using Mozilla and Firefox internet browsers. It can also be viewed using other internet browsers.
“With more than 100 datasets spanning over more than 10 years, EIDS provides information sharing for numerous economic modelling analysis” EIDS – MoF
“Our EIDS and Treasury Portal experience has strengthened our confidence in OSS. I am impressed with its capabilities” Dr Azizah Arifin, Project Manager (MoF)
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ELEKTRONIK SISTEM MAKLUMAT LATIHAN (eSILA)
URL: http://esila.jpa.gov.my
The Public Service Department (JPA) provides sponsorship in the form of scholarships and study loans for excellent students and officers to further their studies locally or overseas. JPA places emphasis on critical disciplines that are needed by the public sector and the nation such as medicine, engineering, science and technology.
The eSILA is a web based system developed to replace an existing system which was operating on an intranet environment. It manages and processes JPA sponsorships. This includes the processing of applications, disbursements, performance monitoring, loan collections and compensation, and management information systems. The increased application interactivity and user friendliness benefited JPA users greatly. Applications can be made at any time and at any place free of charge while supporting documents are only required for verification. eSILA can be accessed in real time and offers facilities to update information on­line. It is able to check the status of applications, interviews, awarded sponsorships, allowances, and outstanding loans.
Through eSILA, sponsorship application processing is expected to be reduced to less than three days. eSILA is equipped with built­
in automatic filtering levels to accommodate comprehensive and changeable policies for fast decision making for loans or scholarships offered.
Since JPA sponsorships are highly sought after, security is a critical factor in development. Customers and users have different permission rights in accessing the system. Security features provided by OSS fulfill these requirements.
eSILA uses PHP development platform operating on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, PostgreSQL database and Apache web server. The system is best accessed and viewed using Mozilla and Firefox internet browsers. It can also be viewed using other internet browsers.
“After its launch in March, 2005, eSILA received 8,500 overseas scholarship applications and 11,101 local applications. As of 11 August 2005, 84,121 visitors have browsed this page.” eSILA – JPA
“Open Source Software has inspired transparency, creativity and innovation.” Puan Zaharah Ali, Project Manager (JPA)
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LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS)
The LMS, a pilot project with the Ministry of Education (MOE), is a web based sharable content object reference model (SCORM) compliant learning management system developed for schools.
The pilot project is implemented in three schools, namely:
• SK Putrajaya 2, Putrajaya (Smart School)
• SMK Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur (Smart School)
• SMK Seri Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur (IT Laboratory School)
Each of the schools display different architecture setups:
• SK Putrajaya 2 uses thin client over local area network (LAN). The LMS server and thin client server are located in the school. • SMK Aminuddin Baki uses Linux desktop to access LMS over SchoolNet. The LMS server is located in Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan (BTP), MOE.
• SMK Seri Titiwangsa uses existing computer laboratory operating on Windows XP to access LMS over LAN. The LMS server is located in the school.
The LMS developed under this pilot project comprises features such as user management, test management, assignment management, subject management, news and announcements, school calendar, file exchange, forum, text messaging, online dialogue, bookmark and groupware.
The bilingual LMS is capable of importing data from the Smart School Management System (SSMS) as required for LMS. It can also be used as a standalone system for schools without SSMS database. The LMS is developed using PHP operating on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, MySQL database and Apache web server. Selected existing smart school courseware can be launched in OSS environment with the licensed CrossOver Office plugins. The flexibility of open standard allows LMS to run in Linux and other operating systems accessible using Mozilla, Firefox and other internet browsers.
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NurITA PORTAL
URL: http://www.nurita.gov.my
The NurITA Portal, a pilot project with the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM), serves as a one­stop portal for single mothers.
The pilot project is established with the objective of developing the NurITA Portal to complement the Ministry’s work for women, especially single mothers. The portal is a single point of reference for single mothers when seeking information and assistance, especially on economic, legal and social issues. The portal provides collaboration (forums and chat rooms) infrastructure for communication among single mothers, creating a strong and united online community. Facilities such as web queries provide support and guidance pertaining to women welfare. The portal is also a dynamic centre of information such as news, activity channels, circulars, articles and publications.
Single mothers are able to utilise the portal as a gateway to further improve their current economic status by engaging in electronic commerce or eCommerce. Single mothers already in business may tap into the eCommerce as a new channel for sales distribution while others may explore new business opportunities. Currently products and services that are being offered on NurITA includes handicraft, foodstuff, tailoring and baking classes.
The two pilot sites are located in Penang and Kedah. Thirty single mothers attended the awareness programs and training courses on NurITA Portal. They will form the pioneer user group of the NurITA Portal. This pioneer user group has provided great technical and business insight to champion the NurITA Portal as well as recruit other single mothers to use it.
The NurITA Portal uses PHP development platform operating on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. It uses MySQL for database and Apache as the web server. The portal is best accessed and viewed using Mozilla and Firefox internet browsers. It can also be viewed using other internet browsers.
“The Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2000 indicated there are 126,810 single mothers in Malaysia. The Survey on Rural Women and Single Mothers by KPWKM shows that 33% of single mothers earn RM500 or less a month. NurITA is a new channel for a more efficient and low entry cost business service delivery” NurITA – KPWKM
“We are excited about the prospects of income generation offered by this open source portal and how it can benefit the community of single mothers.” Puan Hajah Azlina Muhd Yassin, Project Manager (KPWKM)
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SHARING OUR EXPERIENCES
Key Findings …
• OSS promotes continuous learning culture in the organisations. IT professionals are encouraged to be creative and innovative in developing and improving OSS solutions. • The total cost of ownership of utilising OSS is significantly lower than proprietary software in terms of software licensing, development, support and maintenance cost.
• Development time and cost is significantly lower because of the possibilities to build and enhance existing OSS applications. For example, the Learning Management System is built on existing ATutor.
• The active global OSS community provides prompt feedback and support to assist in overcoming technical issues faced during the project implementation. • System support, maintenance and continuous enhancement are also available from the OSS community via downloads, documentations and frequently asked questions.
• End users do not experience perceptible differences between OSS and proprietary software. Navigation and operations of the new OSS applications have been easily learnt. • Through the use of open standards, OSS systems have proven to be highly adaptive and can co­exist with proprietary systems.
Food for Thought…
Q: Is OSS a reliable option?
A: Yes, the pilot projects have proven that OSS is highly reliable, secure and deliver consistent performance. Q: What about OSS accountability?
A: It is a misconception that OSS is not properly developed or supported by reliable organisations. Mainstream OSS are supported and maintained by either non profit organisations or business organisations (e.g. the Apache Software Foundation, Novell Incorporated, Red Hat Incorporated, MySQL AB etc)
Q: What are the choices for OSS?
A: Choices are endless; the following are good starting points to browse the availability of OSS:
• http://www.sourceforge.net
• http://freshmeat.net
• http://osdir.com Q: What are pilot agencies’ opinions toward OSS?
A: The respective agencies’ project managers have expressed their acceptance and confidence in OSS. The benefits derived will be enjoyed both by agencies’ users and public in general.
Q: How can government agencies implement OSS successfully?
A: Key success factors…
• IT personnel competency in OSS technology is of utmost importance
• Realistic and practical timeframe as part of project planning
• Management and user buy­in
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SUMMARY
The implementation of Open Source in the Public Sector has been initiated by the strategic deployment of OSS in the four government agencies. The pilot project implementation has clearly established the benefits of OSS. Pilot agencies have access to a continuous stream of improved functionalities and increased capability to develop and maintain software according to their needs. The LMS, for example, has the ability to interoperate with the SSMS. eSILA meanwhile provides enhanced security.
In addition, savings have been achieved via a reduction in the total cost of ownership and vendor lock­in is minimised.
The personnel who were involved in the pilot implementation gained valuable technical skills and knowledge. This was achieved via a transfer of technology programme involving formal classroom training and work sharing. As a result, all OSS systems developed are maintained in­house by this group of qualified and trained professionals. A greater culture of experimentation and learning has also been fostered via exposure to the global OSS community.
The pilot implementation of OSS contributed to the narrowing of the digital divide through more affordable ICT infrastructure and increased access to information. It also nurtures the development of a knowledge based society by developing the nation’s intellectual assets in OSS in particular and the ICT industry in general. The development of the local OSS industry will increase self reliance in software development; ensuring national security and technological sovereignty while collaborating and contributing to the global OSS community.
It is hoped that the benefits achieved in the pilot implementation will be the catalyst for the adoption of OSS by other government agencies. This will ensure the continuous delivery of improved service efficiency and reliability via an integrated public service delivery platform.
“The benefits and experience gained in implementing the four pilot projects can be replicated in other government agencies. This will further improve public service delivery."
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MALAYSIAN PUBLIC SECTOR OSS
IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT TEAM
PROJECT TEAM
Advisor
Tuan Haji Yaacob Hussin
Deputy Advisor:
Encik Mohd Adzman Haji Musa
Project Director: Dr Nor Aliah Mohd Zahri
Project Manager : Puan Tan King Ing
Team Leader : Cik Janice Tan Siew Mooi, Puan Susie Dorai Raj and Encik Abdul Rahim Ishak
Project Management Office: Encik Nor Azmie Diron
Consulting
Project Director: Dr Yusseri Md Yusoff
Project Manager: Puan Leilanie Mohd Noor and Encik Mohd Sopian Abu
Pilot Project Manager: Encik Tonny Yeap
Pilot Project Coordinator: Encik Jason Yap
PILOT AGENCIES
Ministry of Finance (MoF)
Project Manager: Dr Azizah Arifin
Address:
Aras 7, Blok Selatan, Kompleks Kementerian Kewangan, Presint 2 , Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62592 Putrajaya
Telephone:
603­8882 3636
Email:
[email protected]
Public Service Department (JPA)
Project Manager:
Puan Zaharah Ali
Address:
Bahagian Teknologi Matlumat, Aras 3, Blok C1, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan, 62510 Putrajaya
Telephone:
603­8885 3006
Email:
[email protected]
Ministry of Education (MOE)
Project Team Leader:Dr Salbiah Ismail
Address:
Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan, Pesiaran Bukit Kiara, 50604, Kuala Lumpur
Telephone:
603­2098 7872
Email:
[email protected]
Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM)
Project Manager:
Puan Hajah Azlina Muhd Yassin
Address:
Aras 1­6, Blok E, Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan Bukit Perdana,
Jalan Dato' Onn, 50515 Kuala Lumpur
Telephone:
603­2693 0095
Email:
[email protected]
Open Source Competency Centre (OSCC), MAMPU
3rd Floor, Apt E302 ­ E304, Enterprise Building 3,
Persiaran APEC, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Telephone 603 83191200
Fax 603 83193206
URL
http://opensource.mampu.gov.my/
http://oscc.org.my/