Random Typing

I've been in the Planning Division for more than six months now. For the first two months, we have been very busy with complying with the requirements of the Administrative Order No. 25 (s. 2011) mandated Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), and facilitating the performance evaluation system among our units in ranking which among them are the Best, Better, and Good. From December of 2014 to January of 2015, we facilitated the organizational planning process, including the crafting of performance contracts among all Third Level Officials. We hope that we did a better job this time such that during evaluation, we will no longer have to issue ad-hoc guidelines which frustrate everyone.

From February to May (until beginning of of June), the Planning Division facilitated our agency's compliance with the Enhanced Career Executive Service Performance Evaluation System (CESPES) of the Career Executive Service Board. CESPES is the performance management system mandated by the CESB, which is the agency created to professionalize management officials of all agencies in the bureaucracy. In between, we also reviewed and revised our Performance Management System manual, facilitated the close-out of our performance management system development project with a consultant, and run a mixed channel survey to improve our process and guidelines in the PBB.

As you may know (if you read my previous post), I have been personally crafting a proposal and design of a Performance Management Information System (PMIS) to complement our newly approved performance management system.

Below is my tentative design:

Of course, these are all in addition to rush instructions, regular and special meetings, and coordination work, among others.

I know I wanted to write something today, but I can't remember them. So for now, I have only this to come out of my fingers.

Oh, yes. I'm joining the Run United 2 tomorrow!

I just want to insert this quickly: Saw this book on Crowdsourcing performance management reviews in Fully Booked in Makati yesterday. It looks interesting. I hope to get a copy so that we can see if it is appropriate for us.

That's all for now. Next time, I should write things I want to blog about in my Google Keep note.

Performance Management Information System Development Project

I want to document my efforts to develop our performance management information system (my second attempt, after using Google Fusion). As my attempt to outsource the project does not seem to yield fruits (because student developers are not familiar with the performance demands of our organization), I have to do this on my own.

While I previously wanted to develop a web-based, database-driven, enterprise-wide information system, that plan probably won't happen. For this year, my target is to develop an inter-related database process that will mimic that enterprise-wide, web-based information system.

I will use, with much hesitation and fear of regret, Microsoft Access 2013 (the software used in the office). But for development, I will use LibreOffice Base. I hope that everything that Base can do can be replicated in Access.

My plan for this project:

Phase I - Requirements and Process Analysis (Target: End-April 2015; Weight: 25%)

1. Software purpose 
• Baseline 
• Intended Outcome
2. Stakeholder requirements identified
3. Processes (including business rules) identified

Phase II - Database Development (Target: End-June 2015; Weight: 40%)

1. Entity relationship model 
2. Database logical and physical design 
3. LibreOffice Base prototype
• Database back-end
• Version per user-type
• Reports

Phase III - Implementation Conversion (Target: End-July 2015; Weight: 25%)

1. Microsoft Access 2013 version
2. FMPS-level testing
3. System marketing, to include feedback management
• End-user offices and staff
• Process-owner offices and staff (i.e., FMPS, HRDMS)
• Management offices and staff (PMT)

Phase IV - Cascading and Maintenance (Target: August 2015; Weight 10%)

1. Software installed in all offices that indicated interest
2. Feedback continuously gathered for improvement

Resources: All open source software:

• ProjectLibre - For project monitoring (even if this is a self-monitored project, I have to monitor my progress against my targets, for reporting to my supervisors)
• LibreOffice - For the database development (Base) and project documentation (Writer)
• FreeMind - For various concept and role-mapping tasks
• Dia - for database design

Reading Opportunity this December

In December 2010, I thought I would have the opportunity to do some personal work. I never got to do those things. Still, I would dare to do that again.

If I would have such a vacation, I hope to read up the following books:

1. Project Management for Small Business
2. Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies
3. Play to Win: The Nonprofit Guide to Competitive Strategy 
4. Mastering the Rules of Competitive Strategy: A Resource Guide for Managers

I also hope to write a few posts for my Technology blog.

On Performance Contracting: Blue Pill or Red Pill?

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more.

Morpheus to Neo, The Matrix (1999)

In The Matrix, Neo hears rumors of the Matrix and a mysterious man named Morpheus. Neo spends his nights at his home computer trying to discover the secret of the Matrix and what the Matrix is. Eventually, another hacker, Trinity, introduces Neo to Morpheus.

Morpheus explains to Neo that the Matrix is an illusory world created to prevent humans from discovering that they are slaves to an external influence. Holding out a capsule on each of his palms, he describes the choice facing Neo. The blue pill will allow the subject to remain in the fabricated reality of the Matrix, while the red serves as a "location device" to locate the subject's body in the real world and to prepare him or her to be "unplugged" from the Matrix. Once one chooses the red or blue pill, the choice is irrevocable. "Bluepills" are people who have either elected to remain in the Matrix or have not yet been offered the choice, while "redpills" have chosen to disconnect.

Neo takes the red pill and awakens in the real world, where he is forcibly ejected from the liquid-filled chamber in which he has been lying unconscious. After his rescue and convalescence aboard Morpheus' ship, Morpheus shows him the true nature of the Matrix: a detailed computer simulation of Earth at the end of the 20th century (the actual year, though not known for sure, is approximately two hundred years later). It has been created to keep the minds of humans docile while their bodies are stored in massive power plants, their body heat and bioelectricity consumed as power by the sentient machines that have enslaved them.

(With minor revisions from the Wikipedia article)

I'd like to compare performance contracting to this scene. When one does performance contracting, you offer the person a choice: Stay in his/her comfort zone, or take the exciting/scary/uncertain road with the goal of improvement and realize your true potential? 

I am not saying that taking the red pill means doing something that you are not good at, though that is also a choice. What I mean is to increase your standards of performance, or your goals, or your sense of purpose. 

Neither am I saying that staying in the same level of performance is wrong. It is just that I believe that each person has that even better level of performance, which can contribute more to their organization's purpose or state of affairs of their society. But if you feel that you are at your best in your current status, then you should take the blue pill. 

I consider that I took the red pill when I transferred from UP Manila to the PMS. While I did strive to learn and improve when I was at UP Manila, working at PMS was an altogether different level of work, performance, and sense of purpose. It was never a smooth ride. I felt that I was never able to see the end of that deep "rabbit hole" Morpheus mentioned. Still, I know I have improved, and I continue to improve, and I am able to contribute to this organization's purpose and goals. 

Will you take the blue pill or the red pill?

DOE's Demand Aggregation and Supply Auctioning Policy

As a fan of the DOE website, I saw this post about the Demand Aggregation and Supply Auctioning Policy (DASAP) draft Department Circular. Upon reading, I noted the following features:

• It reiterates the provision in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) that distribution utilities (DUs) have the responsibility of supplying electricity in the least-cost manner to its captive market (i.e., its customers);
• It shall be the platform to allow a yearly venue to auction the baseload and peaking requirements of DUs
• DUs will be required to aggregate their power requirements, which will then be auctioned to independent power producers (IPPs) for comparatively longer term (i.e., in contrast to sourcing it from WESM); and 
• Promote price stability. 

To understand DASAP, let's look at concrete examples.

According to this article, Meralco usually sources 90% of its power requirements from power supply contracts. Power supply contracts provide Meralco with constant supply of electricity which Meralco sells to its customers. Aside from reliable supply of electricity, power supply contracts allow Meralco have stable cost of electricity - from these power supply contracts. 

The remaining 10%, Meralco sources from WESM, or the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market. 

For consumers in Meralco area, the 90% sourcing of electricity from power supply contracts is a boon. This means that 90% of their electricity consumption is sourced from a provider that has a stable cost.Only the remaining 10% is sourced from WESM, which offers fluctuating price at every hour.

However, for some other distribution utilities, their power supply contracts only account for less than 50%, which means that more than 50% is sourced from the price-volatile WESM.

DUs would most probably want power supply contracts with IPPs, however, IPPs, businesses as they are, want to have proof that they can pay at the end of their billing period. This "proof," is a big amount of money or assets, which poorer distribution utilities cannot afford. Unfortunately, this situation drives the DUs to source their power requirements from WESM, driving the cost of their electricity up. 

(WESM also requires proof, called "prudential requirements." However, it is not as demanding as that for long-term power supply contracts with IPPs. )

To allow (or require? but also provide a supporting environment) these DUs to enter into power supply contracts, even if they may not have financial state required by IPPs, DASAP will aggregate all the uncontracted power supply requirements of the DUs, and then auction them to IPPs. 

The primary concern of DASAP is supply of electricity of DUs. However, as supply is addressed, price of electricity is expected to become more stable. With DASAP, DUs will no longer source so much electricity from the price volatile WESM, Instead, they will have like two power supply contracts: first, for longer term (e.g,. 5 years or more), and second, for shorter term power requirements, like annual projected requirements, The regular power supply contract, for example, may provide the baseload demand, while DASAP will  take care of the peak demand requirements.  Only very small power demand not projected by the DUs will be sourced from WESM, which is the primary cause for price fluctuation.