ICT: With the launch of the Managing for Excellence (MaX) online system, civil servants can now submit their performance appraisals online.

The online system developed with the financial assistance from the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) under the project “Institutionalisation of Performance Management System and Leadership Development Program” is aimed at ensuring the alignment of an individual’s performance activities to the agency’s objectives.

The system is also expected to ensure accountability in contributing and achieving the targets, and in differentiating performance assessments.

An official with the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) said that enhancing service delivery through the Performance Management System is one of the five key reform areas that the commission has identified.

The official said that the new Performance Management System is renamed as MaX.

Besides ensuring easy access for monitoring the individual work plan, the system will also ensure discipline in planning and evaluation of performance targets and competency behaviors within the stipulated schedules with enhanced accountability to both the managers and employees.

During the initial phase (February till June this year) of rolling out the online system, the agencies have the option to submit the performance appraisal for the fiscal year July 2016 to June 2017 online, or to submit offline to their respective agencies.

However, it will be made mandatory for all civil servants to submit their performance appraisal through the online system starting the next fiscal year.

For those civil servants whose performance cycle is as per calendar year, the performance appraisal should be submitted online starting from January 2018.

The system has three user perspectives.

The chief of division shall have the right to view, edit, approve and evaluate the performance appraisal of the employees under his/her division. The executives will only have viewing rights on the performance scores while human resource officers will be focal officers in familiarising civil servants on the online system and to provide necessary guidance in knowing the system process.

However, the O-category (operational) civil servants are not included in the MaX online system.

The launch of the online system was part of the RCSC’s executive roundtable meeting held at Le Meridien in Thimphu, yesterday.

Dechen Tshomo