DPME’s web-enabled LGMIM goes live!

The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) developed the Local Government Management Improvement Model (LGMIM) tool to measure/benchmark the institutional performance of municipalities across a number of six key performance areas, namely: (1) Integrated Planning and Implementation, (2) Service Delivery, (3) Human Resource Management, (4) Financial Management, (5) Community Engagement/Participation, and (6) Governance. In each key performance area, performance is assessed against standards established by the relevant transversal departments (e.g. Department of Water and Sanitation for water services). The purpose of the assessment is to determine the current level of performance of the municipality and to pinpoint areas that are in need of improvement.

For the purposes of piloting the LGMIM, an Excel based tool was initially developed. Although the spreadsheet-based LGMIM assessment tool has met DPME requirements in the short-term, challenges with the Excel application meant that it could hamper the future scaling up of municipal assessments to full national coverage of all municipalities. In light of DPME’s future scale-up strategy to implement LGMIM more widely across municipalities in South Africa, and noted limitations of the spreadsheet-based tool and associated analysis database emanating out of the pilot exercises, DPME desired the LGMIM tool and associated analysis database to be web-enabled. Following a tender process, Emanti Management was awarded the contract to develop the web-enabled LGMIM.

The initial months of the project were spent developing appropriate designs and associated documentation, with web development initiated in March 2016. The LGMIM system has undergone an extensive and intensive testing and refinement process, and was successfully deployed to DPME’s production server in late September 2016. LGMIM can be accessed via the following web address: lgmim.dpme.gov.za. To access the site content, a username and password is required. Usernames and passwords will be created and managed by the LGMIM System Administrator, and issued to individuals based on their respective user rights.

Emanti will continue to support DPME and the LGMIM by addressing noted queries and/or new developments / enhancements to the benefits of municipal users.