Work simplification originally sprang from the twentieth century's "scientific management movement." The concept first derived from F.W. Taylor and F.B. Gilbreath's respective analyses of time and effort in coal mining and bricklaying work. In 1930, the American industrial engineer A.H. Mogensen applied research on time and effort to other industries, and termed his results "work simplification." Among his achievements was the fact that he did not limit work analysis to the factory environment, but also extended it to office operations.
In June 1978, after former Executive Yuan premier Sun Yu-hsien had assumed his post, he instructed administrative departments of the government to seek greater efficiency through the adoption of scientific work methods and a business management-oriented outlook. The "Guidelines for the Implementation of Work Simplification in the Executive Yuan and Agencies Under Its Administration" was drawn up to serve as a basis for carrying out Premier Sun's reform program. In addition, this program was divided into the three stages of "promoting initial steps," "selected demonstration projects" and "full-scale development." Since its inception, this program has achieved considerable success in simplifying government, thereby benefitting the people and better utilizing human resources.
As for the current effort to promote the positive results of work simplification, an analysis of the status of implementation in major government administrative bodies including the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Central Bank of China and the Council of Labor Affairs revealed a total of 102 cases of "simplified or merged tasks," 579 cases of "simplification of work procedures," 285 cases of "improvements to public offices," 667 cases of "utilization of modern equipment and apparatus," 533 cases of "adjustments to the demarkation of authority," 351 cases of "revisions to laws and regulations," 641 cases of "simplification of paperwork" and 132 cases of "contracting or commissioning tasks to private parties."
A. Residential Administration
1. Establishment of a residential administration information
system:
(a) Before simplification:
(1) Domicile records are largely processed by hand, and tasks such as the retrieval domicile information, the completion of application forms and the annotation and pasting of files and books are very time consuming.
(2) Performing statistical tasks and compiling registers including year-end static statistics, full-year static statistics, election registers and rosters of school-age children -- all require the mobilization of tremendous amounts of manpower. In addition, the use of conventional notices and circulars also adds to the burden on personnel.
(3) Because each residential administration office keeps its own domicile records, exchanging information is difficult.
(4) When issuing or registering domiciliary registration numbers and national identity card numbers, human errors can easily lead to errors, omissions or the issue of duplicate numbers.
(5) Because domicile registration functions on the principle that citizens are required to report changes, it is impossible to update domiciliary records when citizens fail to register at a residential administration office.
(6) Because the work procedures of residential administration units at different levels are not unified, citizens face inconveniences, information management is difficult and it is inconvenient to reassign personnel to different posts.
(b) After simplification:
(1) Now that the processing of domicile registration is computerassisted, filling out and copying application forms, checking domiciliary information and recording data are all conducted in an automatic fashion via a computer system. In addition, domiciliary registers can be applied for and issued at all residential administration offices and the procedures for both moving in and moving out can be simultaneously completed at the residential administration office of the location one has moved to.
(2) Since the computer system can quickly and accurately provide all types of rosters, statistical forms and statistical materials, information concerning changes of domicile and application paperwork can be easily transferred to relevant government units, thereby increasing efficiency and decreasing the residential administration's workload.
(3) During the computerized allocation of identification numbers, the computer system is able to automatically check numbers and detect mistakes, thereby preventing errors such as the issue of duplicate numbers.
(4) Residential administration personnel now have more time to devote to checking registered addresses and urging citizen notification. The computer system is able to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of domiciliary information.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) The new system greatly increases work efficiency and decreases the time citizens must spend waiting for information or services.
(2) Thanks to computer networks, residential administration units at all levels are able to retrieve information from throughout the R.O.C.
(3) Computerization can help unify work procedures of all levels of the nation's residential administration units, thereby insuring that the procedural system is unified, simplified, capable of providing high-quality management, and efficient in its use of human resources.
2. Simplification of national identity card verification and issuance tasks:
(a) Before simplification:
Tasks including the original issue, amendment and exchange of
national identity cards involves the acceptance and transcription of
cards at residential administration offices; the transfer of cards to
the county or municipal government, where they would be checked,
plastic-coated and stamped; and transfer of the cards back to the
residential administration office to be issued to the applicant.
(b) After simplification:
According to regulations contained in the Ministry of the Interior's
"Guidelines for the Fabrication, Issue and Management of National
Identity Cards," from Jan. 1 1994 all municipal and county
governments directly subordinate to the central government have
authorized residential administration offices to check and issue
national identity cards themselves. The county or municipal office
are requested to copy photos from old identity cards in cases of
doubtful photographs.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
Following the simplification of work procedures, the processing time
for national identity cards has been shortened from the previous six
days to two days in cases when there is no question concerning
photographic identification. This has greatly shortened the amount of
time citizens must spend waiting and achieved the goals of
simplifying government and cutting red tape.
B. Land Administration
1. Computer processing system for land registration data:
(a) Before simplification:
(1) Land registration records are made by hand: Following the
acceptance, investigation and approval of a registration, the
proofreading of records, transcription of forms and the filling out
of land registration change notification forms are performed by hand.
These tasks are time consuming and involve the redundant recording of
information.
(2) Land and building registration books cannot be simultaneously provided to multiple users. Therefore tasks involving registration books, such as retrieval, recording, proofreading, transcription and photocopying, cannot be performed simultaneously. This situation leads to frantic competition to access and utilize records, which in turn affects the timeliness of land registration work.
(3) The fact that registration books written by hand cannot be consulted by the public has led to an increase in photocopying work and public application fees.
(4) Because documents containing land price, land and building data are kept at different locations, transcripts and land price certificates must be separately transferred back and forth during the application process, making collection of forms and payment of fees more complex.
(5) Outdated registration document information is still preserved, increasing the volume of material that must be stored and making safekeeping more difficult.
(6) Statistical reports concerning land registration or ownership must be drawn up by hand, making statistical surveys difficult to conduct.
(b) After simplification:
(1) Restrictions have been eased on the public viewing and photocopying of records. A average of 25 cases are handled every day, and there has been a reduction of 20 cases per day of applications for transcripts and land price certificates.
(2) A complete set of registration and land price data is available, and a common database avoids duplicate registrations and eliminates bottlenecks caused by the impossibility of letting multiple users simultaneously access registration documents written by hand.
(3) Land price registers and land and building registration documents have been combined in one system; taxation, maintenance and management are made more convenient by the use of databases that allow the retrieval of related information.
(4) The new system's land ownership, building doorplate and preand post-survey comparison table functions help prevent land speculation and enhance service to the public.
(5) Computerization has enabled registration and transcription tasks to be completed in one operation and eliminated the need for repetitious copying, thus enhancing working efficiency and speed. In addition, the automation of identification numbers in the title system has facilitated management.
(6) Computer printouts of land titles, land price certificates and land and building registration transcripts are neat and attractive.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) Simultaneously providing land registration and land price materials avoids multiple applications and saves time, expense and manpower.
(2) Citizens can select to print out either individual or full transcripts.
(3) The immediate issuance of on-line information is fast, convenient and increases document quality.
(4) Because registration transcript printouts need only include currently-valid information, they are easy to understand and lessen the public's application expenses.
2. Processing land registrations (San Min District Land Administration Office in Kaohsiung):
(a) Before simplification:
(1) Every afternoon at 5:00 PM, ordinary registration cases are divided evenly between randomly-selected inspectors for processing.
(2) After inspecting the cases, the inspectors turn them over to distribution personnel who distribute them to recorders on a point basis.
(b) After simplification:
(1) Cases are given to the first personnel available; according to the San Min Land Administration Office's procedures, cases are directly distributed to inspectors.
(2) The inspection, recording and proofreading process is divided among teams that comprise a type of production line; staff are rotated among different functions on a regular basis (once a month). (3) After a case has been inspected and found to be free of discrepancies, the inspector will turn it over to the group's recorder for recording; after recording, the case will be turned over to another member of the same group for proofreading.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) The simplification of work procedures has reduced the time personnel spend idle. Since six hours processing time has been cut from each case, an average of 16,635 cases are handled annually and the average hourly salary is NT$130 per person, a annual total of 93,810 working hours have been cut and NT$12.2 million saved.
(2) The time citizens spend travelling back and forth has been reduced by pre-examining the application materials of residents who live far away.
C. Police administration
1. Simplification of investigation of embarkation, disembarkation and harbor entrance and exit of seamen aboard R.O.C. steamships:
(a) Before simplification:
(1) Embarkation of seamen (including entering the harbor area):
According to the "Seamen Service Regulations" promulgated by the
Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the ship or shipping
company must produce employment (dismissal) applications, seamen's
contracts and seamen's handbooks before applying for employment
(dismissal) visas at the local harbor bureau. Afterwards it must
bring seamen's handbooks and application forms for shipboard entry
and exit visas for seamen aboard R.O.C. ships to the harbor police
department of security and inspection and alien affairs section to
complete embarkation procedures and conduct license inspection before
the seamen are allowed to leave R.O.C. territory on shipboard.
(2) Disembarkation of seamen: The ship or shipping company must first apply at the local harbor bureau for a dismissal visa and then go the harbor police alien affairs section and department of security and inspection to conduct entry certificate inspection and amendment before the seamen are allowed to enter the harbor area.
(b) After simplification:
Procedures pertaining to the embarkation, disembarkation and harbor
entrance and exit of seamen aboard R.O.C. steamships will be planned
and carried out by the harbor police department of security and
inspection. In the case of embarking seamen, the ship or shipping
company will bring seamen's handbooks bearing the harbor bureau's
certification and application forms for entry and exit visas for
seamen on board an R.O.C. steamship, and apply at the harbor police
department of security and inspection for visas, after obtaining
which seamen can enter the harbor area and leave R.O.C. territory on
shipboard. Disembarking seamen who have been dismissed from
employment must obtain a seamen's handbook with harbor bureau
certification of dismissal and complete amendment procedures with the
harbor police department of security and inspection, after which they
will be able to disembark and enter R.O.C. territory.
(a) Analysis of benefits:
(1) Handling of procedures: Before simplification, applicants had to deal with two administering units and complete eighteen procedural steps; after simplification, only one unit carries out planning and processing work and there are a total of five steps needed--thus representing a reduction of thirteen steps.
(2) Timeliness: Before simplification, three and one-half hours working time was needed for each ship-visit. After simplification, approximately only one hour of working time is needed for each ship- visit. In view of the fact that R.O.C. ships enter or leave Taiwan's four international harbors approximately 13,200 times over the course of a year (approximately 6,000 ship-visits), applicants can save a total of 19,250 hours and the units involved can save 17,600 hours of working time.
(3) Manpower savings: If the hourly cost of one employee is calculated as NT$93.75 (on the basis of 24 working days in a month and a monthly salary of NT$18,000 for a contract hire), annual working time saved over the course of a year amounts to 17,600 hours, which in turn represents annual manpower savings of NT$1.65 million.
2. Development of a taxi driver data processing system:
(a) Introduction to the system:
Because of Taiwan's great number of taxis and taxi drivers,
professional supervision in this area has been fraught with many
problems. In order to make professional supervision more efficient
and enhance service quality, a national network has been constructed
and is currently able to provide the following information concerning
taxis and taxi drivers:
(1) Basic information
(2) Professional registration information
(3) Information concerning taxi owners
(4) Records of infractions of professional regulations
(5) Other relevant information: including records of drivers' legal
offenses, records of drivers' accidents, records of infractions of
social order protection laws, searchable information aiding capture
of fugitive offenders and regular statistical analysis reports.
(b) Analysis of benefits:
Apart from preventing human errors and increasing the accuracy of
information, the work simplification benefits generated by the use of
this system also include reducing the time drivers spend filling out
applications and lessening the inconvenience of many trips to
government offices.
D. Motor Vehicle Oversight
1. Computerization of written driver's license tests:
(a) Before Simplification:
Tests are administered by hand (the entire work process includes
setting questions, printing test forms, correcting tests, evaluating
answers and adding up points). There is a fixed number of test
administrations every day (six) and testees must wait as a group for
their turn to take the test. After finishing the written test,
testees must then wait as a group for their turn to take the driving
test. The amount of time taken up by this process is 130 minutes or
more.
(b) After simplification:
The entire process of administering written tests has been
computerized (including the establishment and maintenance of a test
question database, regular updating of questions, random selection of
questions, evaluating answers, counting points, printing of driving
test forms for passing testees and printing of question lists for
failing testees). Testees are now able to take the test whenever they
wish, and those who pass the written test are able to immediately
take the driving test and pick up their new licenses. The entire
process now takes an average of only 41 minutes.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) The greatest benefit of computerization has been time savings to driver's license applicants; while it previously took upward of 130 minutes to complete the process, it now takes only 41 minutes or less.
(2) There is no longer any need to wait for a full group of testees before administering the test, and their is no need for testees to wait for their tests to be corrected and then wait for their road tests.
(3) The number of testees who can be served has doubled; previously there were six test administrations daily and approximately 150 testees; after computerization, approximately 300 applicants can be tested daily at times of their own choosing.
(4) Less manual work is needed for correcting tests and collecting applicant information.
(5) Test questions can be flexibly changed in order to prevent cheating.
2. Entrustment of license plate renewal and inspection to private parties:
(a) Status of implementation:
Because the number of motor vehicles in Taipei increases by an
average of 7.6% annually, an ever greater burden has been placed on
city manpower. Consequently, private parties have been entrusted with
carrying out the following services:
(1) The Taipei Motorcycles Commercial Association has been entrusted with issuing new license plates and renewing driver's licenses.
(2) The city is cooperating with the Professional Drivers' Association to establish a license replacement "production line" and provide such services as replacement of driver's licenses and regular inspection of professional driver's licenses at many convenient locations.
(3) Private companies are being widely entrusted with renewing license plates and performing regular inspections.
(b) Analysis of benefits:
(1) The human resources burden placed on the Department of Motor Vehicles has been reduced, and the quality of service has been increased.
(2) The amount of time citizens must spend going back and forth to the Department of Motor Vehicles has been reduced, thereby enhancing service to the public.
(3) The influence of private organizations has been harnessed, thereby raising the reputation of the Department of Motor Vehicles; these organizations also serve as a bridge for communication and reduction of misunderstandings among the public.
E. Taxation
1. Use of e-mail:
(a) Before simplification: The National Tax Administration (NTA) of Northern Taiwan (Ministry of Finance) administers a vast area encompassing seven counties and municipalities. While a dense web of computer networks currently crisscrosses this area and allows convenient on-line services, because users are so numerous, the instructions, explanations and system commands of personnel at NTA headquarters, district offices and auditing offices have become extremely burdened with excessive details. In addition, it takes excessive time to send documents by conventional mail, fax machines are frequently in use or produce output with poor legibility, and it is often difficult to reach people by telephone. This situation has created many obstacles and inconveniences to communication.
(b) After simplification:
Currently-installed computer networks have been utilized to set up an
e-mail capability available to all personnel in all units. Any time
it proves impossible to acheive communication by telephone or fax
machine, e-mail can be used to establish contact and leave messages.
The reliable and secure medium of e-mail saves much inconvenience,
not to mention great amounts of long-distance telephone fees.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) The spread of information can be accelerated by simultaneously transmitting the same message to several units.
(2) The fact that e-mail requires no waiting and displays sending and reception reminders helps reduce manpower expenses.
(3) E-mail insures clear and legible messages, and saves large amounts of long-distance telephone fees.
2. Investigation of business tax arrears:
(a) Before simplification:
When commercial enterprises change their registrations at the Taiwan
Provincial Unified Service Centers, after tax collection personnel
have checked to see if there has been any failure to pay local taxes,
National Tax Administration (NTA) personnel must bring
application data to the district NTA office to check for national tax
in arrears. Applicants must go back to the service center on the next
day in order to retrieve their case documents. This system is very
inconvenient for both government and taxpayers.
(b) After simplification:
With the installation of a computer network linking the NTA with the
Provincial Government's Unified Service Centers, applicants can be
simultaneously checked for local and national tax in arrears, and can
immediately receive certification if no taxes are owed.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
The new system exemplifies the goal of "one-stop public service from
beginning to end" and reduces the time citizens must spend on trips
to government offices.
F. Customs Administration
1. Customs clearance procedures for the luggage of arriving travellers:
(a) Before simplification: According to the Directorate General of Customs' former procedures for the computerized selective inspection of arriving travellers' luggage, customs inspectors must immediately enter information from arriving travellers' declaration forms into a computer and then rely on the computer to decide how to inspect their luggage. The following three inspection formats were used:
(1) Strict inspection: Luggage is to be rigorously inspected.
(2) Required inspection: At least 30% of luggage is to be inspected according to the total number of items.
(3) Inspection on a sampling basis: 60% of travellers in an inspection line need not be inspected, and the remaining 40% are to have their luggage inspected on a required inspection basis.
(b) After simplification:
With the trial implementation of red and green line customs clearance
for the luggage of travellers entering the R.O.C. at C.K.S
International Airport on direct flights from Europe, North America,
Australia and New Zealand, if travellers' luggage contains no
declared items or other items on which tariffs must be paid, they may
undergo customs clearance at a "no declared items" counter (a counter
with a green light). This procedure is selectively applied to
travellers arriving from areas where there are no security or tariff
concerns.
(c) Analysis of benefits:
(1) Customs clearance efficiency has been increased.
(2) Crowding of passengers waiting in customs lines has been reduced.
(3) The problems of insufficient manpower and inspectors' heavy workloads have been relieved.
(4) Travellers have been benefitted and the nation's image enhanced.
2. Sampling and repeat inspection of imported cargo:
(a) Before simplification
(1) After mobile inspection teams filter cargo manifests for imported freight, if it has been decided that cargo requires inspection, the import group's executive subsection is entrusted with entering information into computers in order to monitor inspection.
(2) In addition, in the case of visually inspected cargo in warehouse
and computerized lists of filtered declaration forms for cargo
determined to be exempt from inspection, if it has been decide