SUMMARY:

Through an interinstitutional agreement with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MITIC) in a project implemented with STATUM and Konecta S.A., the Prosecutor's Office of Paraguay (PGR as for its acronym in Spanish,) implemented a system to manage electronic files as part of the activities aimed at the digital transformation of the State. This is a milestone in the modernization of public administration in Paraguay.
 

INFORMATION:

These collaborative efforts are aimed at streamlining the internal processes of PGR (entity responsible for the legal defense of the State) by implementing ApiaDocumentum.

PGR has 130 officers and plays a crucial role in the state structure as it represents the State in litigations and legal conflicts. The digitalization initiative was based on the need to make operations and documental management within the institution more efficient. The purpose is to modernize the working methods and improve responsiveness. 

Strategy and Project Execution

The project was implemented in November 2023, being 6 months the initial implementation term. However, a special request from the authorities speeded up the term as they wished the system to be ready to operate by early 2024.

"We did a fast-track implementation of the tool upon request of the Prosecutor with the authorization of MITIC authorities and the commitment of our company to implement the project successfully," stated Luis Parcerisa, representative of Konecta.

This goal required coordination and commitment from all the parties involved (authorities from PGR and MITIC, as well as STATUM and Konecta teams.)

"We agreed on an implementation that would cover all the requirements and in which all the parties involved are aligned with the project," commented Parcerisa.

The implementation was focused on the digitalization of workflows and document management. This involved introducing digital signing for official documents, digitalizing forms, and a system to manage and track judicial files.

Some processes, such as refunds, permissions, and leave requests, involved printing documents. "So far, documents were printed. Now PDF copies that include digital signature are saved," added Parcerisa.

Impact and Benefits

The implemented changes had a significant impact in the operations of PGR as they speed up case management and reduce the use of paper, which contributes to the environment. Digitalization also makes the access to information quicker and more secure. Also, transparency and responsiveness to citizens' needs were improved.

Training and Adoption

A key element of the project was to train the officers of PGR in the use of the tool. Some sessions took place before the system was released in order to guarantee that officers would become familiar with the new tools and processes.

"We gave the first training sessions for officers to learn about the tool before the implementation," stated Parcerisa.

According to the implementation dates, some training sessions were given during January. This strategy is vital to guarantee an effective adoption of the technology platform and maximize the benefits of digital transformation.