The development policy frameworks of the government of Sri Lanka based on Mahinda Chintana-Vision for the future underlines the importance of performance in the provision and delivery of development services. A fresh look needs to be taken to ascertain the vision and mission of the existing set up of the public institutions to fall in line with the new demands. Also the need for fresh look at the supply of the people’s needs in a better way. There, it is seen that the operational efficiency and program effectiveness are interrelated. The Administrative Reforms Committee that functioned in 2004/2005 period has carried out a functional review through the Management Reforms Cells (MRCs). However, these MRCs ceased to function and now they are being revitalized.
It has been decided to carry out the review in selected Institutions including Ministries, Department and a sample of Provincial Councils. This will be carried out within a time frame of 18 months in three cycles. In each cycle 20 Institutions will be reviewed.
The MRCs will carry out the first stage of review while the independent reviews will be done with the help and guidance of an external resource person selected for the purpose. The 2nd or the independent review will be an in-depth analysis of the issues and problems and identification of solutions to those issues. As per the Cabinet Decision on conduct of Functional and Work Processes Review in Government Organizations dated 23.02.2011 a Project Proposal has been prepared and submitted for the approval of General Treasury. This proposal includes inter-alia the methodology, time frame, deliverables and payment procedure for the external resource persons. The review process commenced in October 2011. The required funds for the project were made available under Ministry votes of 2011 and 2012. The first cycle in carried out on a pilot basis and will be completed in March/April 2012.
A Review Steering Committee is proposed in the Functional and Work Process Review proposal. This committee will be responsible for overseeing the entire process and provide required guide lines to conduct the review including monitoring the project activities.