e-File processing in Government of Odisha
OSWAS – Odisha Secretariat Workflow
Automation System
Sri D P Dash,
Additional Secretary, IT Department, Govt. of
Odisha and Consultant of TCS
Index
Background
Introduction
Business Process Reengineering
 e-File Workflow
Institutional Mechanism
Process of Implementation
Benefits
Highlights
Areas of Replication
Way Forward
Background
The predominant work accomplished by Govt. of Odisha Secretariat is
workflow intensive
It involves a lot of flow of information in form of files Manual movement
of such files from one officer to another was being done for seeking views,
opinions, concurrence and approvals
As a result, the day-to-day official work in the department was
cumbersome
Introduction
To eliminate the physical movement of files and reduce paper work a
need-based and conceptualized Online Application outlining the
procedures for efficient and effective management of secretarial practice
was designed. The project was started on 26th September 2008.
Name of the Project
Odisha Secretariat Workflow Automation System
(OSWAS)
Department under
which the project was
taken
Information Technology Department, Govt. of Odisha
Vision
To improve the Accountability, Transparency &
Effectiveness in Government Administration by
Computerization of the government functions and
processes.
Stakeholders
Department of IT (Govt. Of Odisha)
Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC)
Software Solution Provider : Tata Consultancy
Services Limited.
Introduction
Objectives:
•Bringing an institutional systemic change
•Making public delivery systems efficient and transparent
•Readiness for disaster recovery
•Paperless office (Green Office)
Services Available:
• Core Applications: Covers functionalities related to various core activities
e.g. Dak Creation, File Creation/File Approval, Dashboard, MIS, File Tracking,
Knowledge Management, Communiqué Monitoring, etc.
• Common Applications: Addresses the automation of typical common
processes. It covers functionalities related to various common activities e.g.
Court Case management, RTI, Notice Board, Leave Management, Online
Telephone Directory etc.
• Department Applications: Addresses the automation of those processes
which are specific to a particular Department e.g. CM Relief Fund, MP/MLA
Reference, CM District Visit etc.
Process Reengineering
Before :
•The physical file movement of official files &
documents incurs a lot of time and requires a
continuous monitoring from desk to desk before the
final decision is made by the senior officials.
•Consequently, many crucial decisions get delayed
due to the slow movement of files and/or
unavailability or absence of the senior officials in the
office for clearing these files.
After :
•Digital Workplace Solution that replaces the existing
manual handling of files and documents with an
efficient electronic system.
•Data is stored digitally with audit trails for every
transaction being done.
•Regular backups and Disaster Recovery systems are
in place which ensures that Government files are not
damaged in case of any mishap.
•Being a web based application, senior officials can
access it from anywhere on VPN continue working
while at offsite.
e-File Workflow
Institutional Mechanism
Major stakeholders were identified with the following roles:
Stakeholders
Role
Chief Secretary
Provide necessary leadership and direction to the state for
OSWAS implementation
IT Department/ OCAC
- To plan, execute, monitor and control the project end to end
- To form required committees to monitor the progress of the
project
- Conduct periodic meetings with various stake holders
- Liaison with implementation team for smooth
implementation
- Provide any necessary infrastructure support
Nodal officers from each
department
- Support implementation in the department
- Liase with implementation team for preparatory and
implementation team
Secretariat Users
Use OSWAS and escalate any issues to DIT via Nodal officers/
OSWAS Support/ help desk
Implementing Agency
- Provide necessary technical support for implementation
- Provide necessary manpower for implementation and
handholding
(Orders/Guidelines issued)
Uniform nomenclature for files as well as correspondences
Computerized Tracking of all letters with unique correspondence number, adopted in all GoO Dept.
PKI solution implemented for authentication and non-repudiation
24*7 accessibility over VPN
Standardized file numbering system viz.,
(Dept-SEC-COL-no-Year)
Integration of the application with third party (e-Despatch) for easy despatch of letters
Process of Implementation
Design
Business
Process
Reengineeri
ng
Gap
Analysis
Requireme
nt
Gathering
Phase
Wise
Impleme
ntation
Plan
Appoint
ment of
Nodal
officers
Collection
of Master
Data
Impleme
ntation at
Pilot
locations
Training &
Support
Benefits
 Reduced file Processing & Disposal time - Takes less than one
hour to dispose a file .
 Less manpower
 Easy storage and retrieval of files
 Secured access Control
 Reduced dependency on staffs
 Easy tracking of files.
 Effective, efficient and transparent administration
 Less Paper office
 Automates routine tasks – Work flow / Business rules / Processes /
MIS Reports
 24*7 access of the application from anywhere
 Provides Interdepartmental interface
Highlights
Approval of Notings and drafts using Digital Signature
Complete Automation of Routine Tasks (File creation, Dak creation, Disposal of files and daks etc)
Accessibility of the application 24*7 over VPN
SMS and e-Mail based alerts for priority files and correspondences
Dashboard features for monitoring pendency
Instant approval of leave and tour requests
Building of Knowledge repository
Features like Appointment Scheduler, To Do list, Monitoring Systems to manage day to day activities
Online publishing of Government Notices and Circulars
Easy communication between employees of Secretariat using internal mail features like Communique
Application is used across 42 Departments of Government including CS and CM office
An average of 1500 daks is diarized and 1200 files are processed every day.
The application covers 3500 users under its aegis.
Sustainability
Component Centric Architecture allows Addition of Modules on the Go.
Developed on Open Source Platform. Hence, to sustain and maintain
Work flow based Approval System used by Departmental users. Role
Dependent and not User Dependent.
Hand Holding Support Imparted for 3 Years
Areas of Replication
Application based on similar framework has been planned for
implementation in the following areas.
 Governor’s Secretariat
 Assembly Secretariat
 HOD’s with integration with back offices
 All directorates across district and block levels
 Other stakeholder offices like Corporation, Societies etc.
Way Forward
 Rollout of OSWAS Application in HODs and other areas.
 Digital Signature implementation for all users
 OSWAS Mobile Application

Web enabled application with selected features
 Recommending best practices and functionalities implemented
in other state.
Portal Page
Login Page
Home Page
Worklist View
File View
Correspondence View
Dashboard
Dashboard
Bar Charts
Thank You