A methodological approach for effective and sustainable

strategic planning in Independent Authorities: the case of

the Hellenic Ombudsman
Athanasios Raptis1a, Odysseas Kopsidas1, Labrini Motsia1, Stefanos Polymenopoulos1,
Adamadia Simopoulou1, Athanasios Gegkas1, Charalampos Platis1

1National School of Public Administration and Local Government, 211 Pireos Str.,17778, Tavros, Athens, Greece .

a)Corresponding author: raptisa@students.ekdd.gr

Abstract: This research project aims to develop a Strategic Plan as a method demonstration and a paradigm based on
available open data, released via the case study agency. This strategic plan is to be adopted by an Independent
Authority, the Ombudsman, which is a part of Hellenic Public Administration. The Bryson model of strategic public
administration was selected. All the steps of strategic planning, strategy selection and strategy implementation, as
well as the definition of operational objectives and how to monitor their achievement are presented in detail. The
entire effort to implement strategic planning is based on the statute 4369/2016, which, together with statute
3230/2004, constitutes the institutional framework for the Hellenic Public Administration Office regarding the system
of strategic administration and performance management. However, the key reason for the decision to implement a
strategic plan is the hypothesized Authority's own willingness to improve its services and become more effective in
the critical role it plays in citizen and public administration. An additional reason for this decision, resulting from the
need to overcome the increasing burden of the public demand for the Ombudsman services, as the open data analysis
showed. The whole strategic plan development constitutes from the hyperthesis of several methods; each Bryson step
may assumed as a discrete method, as well as the implementation of crude qualitative and quantitative analysis, using
SPSS and Nvivo software. Key role in the whole procedure engraves the Balanced Scorecard business model to
specify strategic goals in business and develop measurement metrics. Furthermore, the idea of the partnership is
introduced. This partnership is a tool to expand the service network in terms of efficiency and may have the form of
public to public or public to private and it is an new trend in the public management The final proposed product of the
strategic planning of the Ombudsman is that the focus is placed on the citizen as a user of the services of this
Independent Authority and the other dimensions are set in such a way as to allow and guide its quality service.

Keywords: Strategic Management, Ombudsman, Public Administration, SWOT Analysis, PESTEL Analysis,
Balanced Scorecard

Introduction
The foundation of the classical ombudsman is a Swedish idea. The Swedish Ombudsman for Justice
was founded in 1809 and its foundation was a part of a major political reform (Magnette, P. 2003). The
initial idea of the classical Swedish ombudsman was distant from the concept of a human rights
institution as it was simply focusing on ensuring the rule of law in public administration (Koo, J.-W.,
Ramirez, F.O, 2012). However, it is accepted that the later scope of such organizations was somewhat
closer to defending human rights. Since their initial emergence in Sweden in 1809, 178 NHRIs
(National Human Rights Institutions) have been established in 133 countries. Depending on the
typology, a number of countries have adopted both a classical ombudsman and a commission, but the
majority use only one model. According to Koo, J.-W., Ramirez, F.O (2012) 83 of them have classical
ombudsman offices, 70 have human rights commissions and 25 have human rights ombudsman offices.
Among them the European Ombudsman is a somehow new kind of ‘NRI, (National Rights
Institution????) whose status and aim remain fuzzy (Magnette P.,2003): While it is typically a
parliamentary organization, aimed to strengthen the control of EU institutions, on the other hand, the
resulting profile of this organ resembles that of a court.
A commonly accepted definition of such NRIs (or “agents” among others) refers to “government-
sponsored organs whose functions are specifically defined in terms of the promotion and protection of
human rights” (Koo, J.-W., Ramirez, F.O, 2012). The Ombudsman, as the most characteristic NRI, is
at the heart of European identity, by two points of view. The first point is the continuous quest for core
values in an abstract form (τι εννοείς Θανάση??). The second point concerns the need of an organ to
contrast the idea of the economy domination over society (Abraham, A. 2008). It is commonness to

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recognize a justice – type dimension in the ombudsman role, together with the human rights dimension.
Ann Abraham (2008) argues that “the way in which Ombudsman practice touches on emerging debates
about citizenship and human rights, the balance of power between the Executive and Parliament, and
the relationship between Parliament and the electorate” The above mentioned approximation is
remarked as a major conflict resolution tool for private disputes, under some necessary assumptions,
such as confidence (Harrisson, R.T. 2013). The total number of complaints an Ombudsman receives
varies from hundreds to thousands annually. This variation depends not only on the demographic scale
of the nation, but mainly on the degree of the general public visibility and awareness of the institution
in each country (Koo, J.-W., Ramirez, F.O. 2012). Essentially, demands for increased visibility and
awareness as well as response in a proper manner combined with the necessity for accountability, lead
to the strategic management necessity.
Strategic management is usually referred as the alignment of internal capabilities with external
demands (Johnsen, A. 2015). This may take the form of plans, patterns, positions, perspectives, and
plots” (Mintzberg et al., 2009). According to Williamson (1999), “strategy is now considered a field
that makes it possible for the leaders of public and private organizations to ‘take options on the future”
Strategic management was initially invented and implemented in order to deal with the ‘industrial
dynamic’ marked by ‘competitive behavior’ (Porter, 1982). As a topic of knowledge, strategic
management has been originated, taught and implemented for over half a century. However, it still
remains a lack of consensus about the effectiveness of strategic management in public administrations
(Mazouz, B. et al 2016). Dealing with the complexity of public governance procedures, means that
governments must abandon the widely held practice that the strategy of public domain services must be
limited to viewing the administrative body as a simple naïve machine that implements public policies
(Bryson JM and Roering WD 1987). In the public domain, the strategic management implementation is
determined by three powers: the power of choice, the power of law and the power of ways and means
(Mazouz, 2014).
In recent years, many countries have seen multiple reforms in the public domain with varying
priorities. The, so called, New Public Management (NPM) reforms have been a significant influence in
various sectors of the public domain (Hansen R.G. et al 2016). The most significant and key reforms
are (Pollitt et al. 2004) mainly the creation of “Autonomized Agencies” (τι θες να πεις? Μηπως
Independent Authorities?? (ΑΑ). NPM reformation breaks the large vertically integrated public
bureaucracies into smaller and more manageable services and delivery-orientated subunits (Pollitt et al.
2004). The ultimate goal is to create highly autonomous public organizations with well-defined
strategy and narrow tasks with more ‘strategic space’ in which to operate (Pollitt et al. 2004). A typical
example of this type of public sector organization is the Greek ombudsman, which is the case study of
this paper (??). The complete methodology of the formulation of a strategic plan for this organization
will be briefly presented in the next paragraphs.

Materials and Methods

This research project aims at developing a Strategic Plan to be adopted by the Independent
Authority (usually named “agencies”) of the Greek (or Hellenic αλλά άλλαξε το παντου!!!)
Ombudsman (hereinafter "Ombudsman"). For the development of this Strategic Plan, we applied
Bryson’s Strategic Management Model for Public Institutions (Bryson, 1988 1 ), due to Ombudsman
being an element of Public Administration. According to this model, strategic management in public
organizations contains ten essential steps: 1. Initial agreement, 2. identification of the institutional
framework and expectations of stakeholders, 3. Mission formulation and values identification 4.
analysis of the existing situation within the organization and external influences, 5. identification of the
strategic issues, 6. Formulation and implementation of strategic planning (strategic and operational
objectives and their corresponding measurement ratios), and 7. monitoring and evaluation. [ΘΑΝΑΣΗ
ΝΑ ΤΑ ΓΡΑΨΟΥΜΕ ΑΚΡΙΒΩΣ ΟΠΩΣ Ο Bryson? Δηλαδή 1,2,3,4,… κλπ ? na baloyume ka ita
ypoloipa??) In this work, we have focused on the the identification of operational objectives and a
method of monitoring their achievement. (ΜΗΠΩΣ ΠΡΕΠΕΙ ΝΑ ΤΟ ΔΙΚΙΟΛΟΓΗΣΟΥΜΕ ΓΙΑΤΙ
ΑΠΟ ΤΑ 10 ΣΤΕΠΣ ΔΙΑΛΕΞΑΜΕ ΜΟΝΟ ΑΥΤΟ ?)
Many of the used methods (each Bryson step may be assumed as a discrete method) are data driven.
The data set used constitutes from open data available in the official page of Greek ombudsman, such
as the annual reports. In addition, several other open sources used, such as macroeconomic reports in
order to implement the pestle analysis. In order to improve the situational awareness of the
organization, crude qualitative and quantitative analysis performed. The quantitative analysis

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implemented using SPSS v.20 while the qualitative analysis (context analysis) performed using the
Nvivo v.10 software.

Strategic Plan Development

Step1: Developing an Initial Agreement: It is essential that there is a consensus among the
Ombudsman leadership towards a formulation of a strategic plan .
Step 2: Recognition and Clarification of Orders from “Above”. The basis of the strategic
planning application regarding the Ombudsman is the recent law 4369/20161 which together with Law
no. 3230/20041 constitute the institutional framework of the Greek government regarding the
administration and performance management system strategy.
Step 3: Development and Clarification of Mission and Values. This step includes Stakeholders
Analysis, Mission, Vision, and Values declaration. Key to the development of the mission of the
organization is the analysis of interactions i.e. all stakeholders that interact to form a network policy
(Sabatier P.A., 1987). They contain those affected by the operation of the organization, those who think
they are affected and those who influence him. Some of these stakeholders are listed below: The staff
of the Ombudsman, the citizens who could appeal to the Ombudsman, third country nationals who are
(temporarily or permanently) in the country, State Bodies (DPA ΘΑΝΑΣΗ ΝΑ ΕΞΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ ΤΙ
ΕΙΝΙ ΟΛΟΙ ΑΥΤΟΙ ΟΙ ΟΡΓΑΝΙΣΜΟΙ!, Ministries, Local Authorities, OCA, Legal Entities, etc.),
NGOs, utilities companies etc.
The mission of an organization essentially describes the reasoning for its establishment and
operation, ie the needs it covers. The mission of the Ombudsman is already defined in Article 1 of its
founding Law (POIOS LAW- GRAPSTON) as follows: “The mediation between citizens and public
services, local authorities, legal entities and public utilities to protect citizens' rights, the fight against
maladministration and the observance of legality.”. The above description is sufficient and
representative mission of the Ombudsman, as it ensures the uniqueness of the organization, without
creating conflicts with other organizations 7 and justifies its existence.
The vision is the image of the future of the organization and has a long-term horizon. The vision of
the Ombudsman is defined as “The sustainable coexistence between Citizens and Public
Administration.”
In terms of values, the IOA (International Ombudsman Association) suggest that all Ombudsmen
including the Greek one are committed to adopting the following four fundamental values:
Independence: The Ombudsman is independent in structure, functions and appearance to the extent
possible within the executive function. Neutrality and impartiality: The Ombudsman, by definition a
neutral institution must remain impartial and must not assume tasks where there is a possiblity of
conflict of interests. Confidentiality (confidentiality): The Ombudsman handles all communications
with those seeking assistance in strict confidence and does not disclose confidential information, unless
obliged by court. The only breach of confidentiality is when a major risk or serious harm is imminent.
Informality: The Ombudsman is not involved in legal proceedings related to cases handled.
Step 4: Analysis of the environment. Environmental analysis is a key component of the success of
the process of developing a strategic plan, as it identifies external and internal events and factors which
affect, either positively or negatively the organization. The external environment of the Ombudsman is
analyzed using the PESTEL Analysis tool. This tool is used to identify the broader conditions and
factors (ie the external macroeconomic environment) that affect the organization. Using PESTEL
Analysis, the general environment is analyzed based on five factors. For the Ombudsman the relevant
analysis is presented in the Appendix A. The analysis of the internal environment essentially involves
analysising the present structure of the organization in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses.
By studying both the organization's website and other texts, such as the 2016 annual report, the
following findings emerged regarding the implementation of strategic management in the Ombudsman:
1. There is no explicit statement that any sort of managerial framework is applied to the organization.
2. There is no vision of the organization and therefore the relevant management's commitment to is

1 About is a. 22 a. 23 § 2 approx. B, c and d and a. 31 § 3 of law. 4369/2016 [entitled "National

Register of Public Administration Executive, career structure creation, evaluation systems, promotions
and superiors selection (transparency - meritocracy and efficiency of public administration and other
provisions)" . On this law was issued no. 12972 / 05.10.2016 ( "Application Management System by
Objectives for the year 2017 ") circular.

3
absent. 3. There is a clear indication of the existence of a mission of the organization. ΘΑΝΑΑΣΗ
ΑΥΤΟ ΜΑΛΛΟΝ ΦΕΥΓΕΙ ΓΙΑΤΙ ΕΙΠΑΜΕ ΕΧΕΙ ΜΙΣΣΙΟΝ 4. There is no set of indicators for
monitoring the organization, although various quantitative aggregates are given in different texts
(reports etc) but without any evaluation, linking to targets, estimating future trend or target value, etc.
6. There is no evidence of environmental analytical tools (SWOT, PEST, etc.), although there is an
informal analysis of macroeconomic and social driving factors. 7. There is no reference to strategic
management Laws (3230/2004 and 4369/2016) nor to the measures taken by the administration to
comply with the provisions of these laws. As a result of all the above, there is a general lack of
strategic planning in the organization.
Some more elements of the internal environment analysis performed but not presented here due to
lack of space, such as: Organization, Structure of Ombudsman, Staffing, Budget, Processes,
Procedures, Collaborations / Confusion responsibilities with other organizations / institutions.
Quantitative and Qualitative analysis of data for the Ombudsman: Mapping methodology and
evaluation techniques analysed the 2016 Ombudsman report and provided quantitative and
qualitative data. Graphs from this analysis are presented in Appendix B . The main conclusions
are: There is a temporal trend of increasing "societal impact" of the organization. The agency
does not have filtering processes in the submission of reports resulting in unnecessary
examination of thousands of reports. About 45% of petitions are deemed unfounded and this is
considered a very high rate, leading to a significant waste of resources. The resolution rate of
substantiated cases is in the range of 80-85%. The organization has "productive capacity" of
around 10,000 [NOMIZV ENNOEI OLES OXI MONO TIS SUCCESFUL] cases per year ,with
a somewhat downward trend . The effectiveness of the organization is expected to fall from
80% to the level of 77%, with a most likely milestone in November of 2017 (in terms of
marginal monthly rate). From the peculiar needs analysis (text search)[TI EINAI AYTO- DES
ENGLISH PLEASE!) it seems that there is almost no reference for what to do Ombudsman to
level review processes, management, goals etc .-->na δουμε τα αγγλικα τι εννοεις.
SWOT ANALYSIS: data resulting from the analysis of the external and internal environment using
the SWOT environment analysis tool 11 are classified into four major categories, as showing in
Appendix C: Interior environment (Strengths, Weaknesses), External environment (Opportunities,
Threats).
Items included in categories 1 and 2 have emerged from the analysis of the current situation of the
interior environment, while items in categories 3 and 4 are identified using PESTEL analysis. The
Strengths and Opportunities consist the positive dimension of the Organizations, while the Weaknesses
and Threats have a more Negative dimension.
Step 5: Identification of Strategic Issues: The results of the above analyzes are then used to
determine the organization's strategic issues. For their emergence the "Direct approach" (Bryson, 2004)
method was applied. According to this method, the strategic issues arise from the analysis of the
mission (Step 2), the commands from above (Step 3), and the PESTEL and SWOT analyzes (mainly
from the Weaknesses and Threats of SWOT, and the negative PESTEL points) (Step 4). The "culture"
of an organization (organizational culture) also strongly influences what strategic issues will be placed
in the agenda and which will not. The Strategic Issues according to Bryson are those which stem from
the application of the " do nothing scenario ", have an impact on an organization and, most importantly,
the organization can do something to address them and has more than one option for this. In order to
identify them, the following elements were analyzed:
1 .Frame question which identifies the strategic issue: «What will happen if the level of services to
citizens is not improved by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the Ombudsman?" This
question in essence also contains the strategic issue for the Ombudsman, which is: the effective
provision of mediation services to people satisfying their needs by improving the efficiency of the
services it provides and diversifying its operation .
2 . List of critical factors of the strategic issue : I. Poor functioning of organizational structures
(Ineffective Operations Management), II. Reduced efficiency and effectiveness, III. Low institutional
visibility, IV. Lack of citizens’ satisfaction measurement systems.
3. Consequences of failure to address the issue : Self-sabotage of the institution leading to its
obsolescence and irrelevance, insufficient citizens' rights protection mechanism, expansion of
maladministration phenomena, waste of resources (staff-time lost).
Step 6: Strategy Formulation and Development Using Balanced Scorecard. At this stage, the
organization's strategy is emerged. From the treatment of strategic issues the strategic objectives are
identified and ultimately operational objectives are emerged, which are further broken down to

4
functional and personal goals. For this purposes, Bryson’s "5-step process" model was used (Bryson,
2004, 2010). According to this model, the following questions are addressed:
What alternative paths can address the strategic issue ?
Here we compare the do-nothing scenario with alternative scenarios / options which address each
strategic issue. For example, the do-nothing with regards to measuring citizen satisfaction may lead to
decreasing use of the Ombudsman's services and ultimately to the obsolescence of the institution.
What barriers exist as to the realization of such strategic options?
For example efforts to improve processes and procedures in the internal operation of the
Ombudsman (operations management) are likely to have reactions from the staff 17 .
What recommendations can be made for dealing with those obstacles?
For the above example, the Ombudsman can effectively communicate staff regarding the positive
dimensions of changes.
What actions can be realized with the resources available to the organization, within the next two
years , in order to implement the operational plans ?
In this step the strategic objectives are transformed to operational objectives, taking into account
available resources. A critical parameter in this step is the “ownership” of the strategic planning among
all staff. This is largely achieved through the use of the methodology of the Scorecard Balanced 18 .
What specific actions should be undertaken in the next six months and who is responsible for them?
In the last step the operational objectives are transformed into objectives of administrative units and
individual goals within a six month timeframe . In this study however, the process of analyzing the
organization's strategy stops at the level of operational objectives.
By applying the above 5 step process, the following Strategic Objectives for the Ombudsman are
achieved: Better quality service to citizens, embarking of the organization towards new fileds of action,
enhancement of public image/visibility of the Ombudsman , boost in effectiveness and efficiency of
the Ombudsman’s actions.
These objectives concern both the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization, and the
diversification effort.
For the breaking down of strategic objectives into operational ones and for the development of
indicators to measure them, the Balanced Scorecard business planning model was applied. With this
model, each strategic objective is specialized in operational objectives through four dimensions. Of the
four dimensions, one is the output, that covers the focus of the strategy, while the three others are
inputs.
In the case of public institutions such as the Ombudsman, the focus is placed on the citizen and the
corresponding services and other dimensions are set so as to track the quality of service.
Therefore, the four dimensions which were chosen are:
1. value added services (Output): This includes all procedures / actions aimed at the satisfaction of
citizens through the provision of ombudsman services.
2. Internal processes: This includes all functions with regards to the operations management inside
the Ombusdman
3. Human resources: this dimension includes measures for the optimal utilization of the
Ombudsman human resources in order to carry out its functions. They mainly consist training and
development activities of staff (job empowerment) and farming culture.
4. External Actions and Partnerships (External Processes): This dimension relates to the
Ombudsman interfering with the external environment by extending its powers and enhancing its
visibility. It includes actions with a strong communicative character (such as lobbying), informational
activities aimed at vulnerable groups as well as actions to expand its powers.
The breaking down of the strategic objectives into operational objectives through the four
dimensions mentioned above is summarized in the following figure. In this figure the three strategic
objectives of the Ombudsman as well and the four dimensions with their individual business goals are
marked with a different color. Overall, a combination of seven colors (the rainbow) emerges covering
all aspects of the strategic planning processes. Visuals such as colors were chosen as they can become a
strong driving force / stimuli for change (θαναση εδώ ΝΑ ΒΑΛΟΥΜΕ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΓΡΑΦΙΑ ΠΟΥ ΛΕΕΙ
ΓΙΑ ΠΟΣΟ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΑ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΑ visuals όπως χρωματα στο ΠΡΟΣΩΠΙΚΟ), .
Description of Balanced Scorecard tables:

5
  The objectives that were set to satisfy the requirement to be SMART 2 and the indicators
were selected with criteria of simplicity , reliability , acceptance ( of the applicable users ),
relativity ( with the goal that would evaluate ), objectivity and ability to confirm ( by
external observations ) .
 The current value of the index, if somehow is available (eg in reports or other references).
Its value is vacant if there was no prior measuring system or if the operational objective
essentially introduces a new process / procedure.
 The target value of the indicator, must be realistic, in order to create the so-called "
stretching effect " , ie to have a certain degree of difficulty. Also there is a need to be able
to provide incentives to staff for the achievement of the objective value of the index .
 The operational actions that will contribute to achieving this goal.
 The perons who are responsible for implementing the actions and achieving the target .
Step 7: Reviewing and Adopting the Strategy
In formulating the Ombudsman's strategy, support from the political leadership is of the outmost
importance. This presupposes that necessary communication processes of the organization's vision is
required in order for the right conditions for developing the required synergies to be created (especially
with the Ministry of Interior responsible for the ADS [ Θanasi ΠΟΙΟ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΤΟ Αds???). Such actions
are included in Dimension 4 'External Actions and Partnerships ".
Step 8: Description of the Future Image of the Organization
The vision for the success of the organization is diffused inside the Ombudsman, namely its staff.
The staff is informed of its role in the strategic plan, as well as what will be asked in the future (eg
through the development of its Code of Conduct).
Step 9: Development of Effective Application processes
For the effective implementation of the strategic plan the organization will create a workgroup (task
force) seconded to the project "Implementation of strategic planning." The group will contain the Chief
Ombudsman, the Deputy Ombudsmen, people from the scientific and administrative staff of the
Authority 31 . The Chief Ombudsman will chair the working meetings of the project team, which will
take place the first week of each month.
For the implementation of the strategic and operational plan the organization will develop a detailed
annual work program for each of the three years for 2018-2020. This program will describe in great
detail the operational objectives and the individual targets, setting tasks and responsibilities,
development schedules and project progress evaluation procedures.
Step 10: Strategy and Strategic Planning Procedures Reevaluation
The stage of the evaluation is a very critical process in strategic planning. At this stage the
individual, administrative, operational and strategic goals achievement is evaluated by the task force
and proposed corrective measures are proposed if necessary.

2 SMART targeting: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic , Time-Bound, while the

contemporary visual wants goals SMARTAA that further Aligned and Agreed Upon

6
Table 1: Strategic and Operating Objectives in relation with the four Dimensions of the Balanced Scorecard.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
1. Improve quality services to 2. Investigate extension of 3. Improving the
citizens Ombudsman’s powers and effectiveness and efficiency
Dimensions Operational Objectives
improve status / public image of of the Ombudsman's actions
Ombudsman
Create a 1 stop shop Ombudsman service in
selected ADS throughout the country
Value Added Services
Improving cooperation between Ombudsman &
Administration
Improving front-line services
optimization of Ombudsman’s internal processes
internal Processes Redistribution - reducing operating costs
Improving scientific staff efficiency
Training for staff front-line staff
Human resources Increase staff participation in the organization's
change process
External Actions and Increasing Ombudsman’s visibility (horizontally)
Collaborations Increasing Ombudsman’s visibility (vertically)

Tables 2a,b,c,d: Balanced Scorecards for each one of the four dimensions.
Dimension 1 (output). Provided Value added services (Value Added Services)
s/ Operational objective Indicator current price target price implementation actions Implementer 22
Creating a "one stop-shop"
• Cooperation with the Ministry of
Ombudsman services in
% Partner CSC (which would Services Ombudsman Interior ( responsible for the ADS ) for the
selected ADS throughout the Head / Quality Manager /
1 provide Ombudsman services) - function in 35% of determination of levels of responsibility
country for preventive Operations Manager
23 Regions CSC Regions 2020 and to change the institutional framework
information ,and citizens'
• Reorganization body 24
complaints collection
• Citizens satisfaction • Rating> 80% • Locating synergies and grouping
degree ( by completing the of reports Quality Manager /
2 Improving level civil service relevant form / questionnaire ) - • Actions motivational personnel ( Operations Manager /
• % Complaints on all eg by introducing model " Employee of Personnel Officer
reports • <2% the Month " )
Improving cooperation % Of reasonable complaints 25 • Development of interactive Quality Manager /
3 Ombudsman& with successful resolution with 83% 90% online services ( chat , skype ) for the Operations Manager
Administration actions of the Ombudsman effective and efficient collaboration Manager ICT

7
 Ombudsman and Administration and
dealing "organizational failures"
• Improving coordination with
Administration incorporating new ICTs
and platforms As SYZEFXIS II 26
• Front-line update (
CRC&Ombudsman )
Quality Manager /
% Reporting except • Interactive form reports with
4 Improving front-line services 48% 25% Operations Manager /
competence Ombudsman immediate notification in case of lack of
Head of ICT
jurisdiction
• Management reports
Dimension 2. Internal Processes (Internal Operations)
s/ Operational objective Indicator current price target price implementation actions Implementer
6 cycles 27
Number of business cycles 3 cycles Chief Ombudsman
• reorganization28
1 optimization Ombudsman / Operations
• recording procedures
Number of documented procedures / year 50 / year Manager
-
• Redistribution
administrative and scientific Chief Ombudsman
Redistribution - reducing
2 rent for buildings 388,000 euros 280.000 EUR 2020 staff in ADS / Finance D /
operating costs Ombudsman 29
• Reducing operating Director
costs due to space-saving
• 89%
• 95%
• motivational actions
• % Fulfilled cases / total cases Quality Manager /
• Development
competence Ombudsman Supervisors
Improving scientific staff • 45 management system matters
4 • Number Fulfilled reports / year • 90 reports / Activity Cycles
efficiency references / Yea g / using ICT
• Median x rono q handling cases year / official until Ombudsman / ICT
officer • Defining appropriate
ΘΑΝΑΣΗ ΤΙ ΛΕΕΙ?? 2020 Officer
indicators
• 90 imeres
• -
Dimension 3. Human Resources
s/ Operational objective Indicator current price target price implementation actions Implementer
Specialized training programs in
Training for staff front-line staff (ADS 50 employees /
1 Number of certified employees - Civil Service issues (eg in HR Manager
&Ombudsman staff) year
EKDDA)
Number of proposals adopted and
Increase staff participation in the One proposal / Introduction process "half HR Manager / Quality
2 implemented / set of proposals at the -
organization's change process semester Motion" Manager
6-month basis

8
Dimension 4. External Actions and Partnerships (External Processes)
s/ Operational objective Indicator current price target price implementation actions Implementer
• Cooperation with the
Ministry of Interior
• Use existing structures
Chief Ombudsman, Head of
Increasing Ombudsman’s % Awareness (CSS) for creating one stop shop
1 - > 80% External Actions, Operations
visibility (horizontally) Ombudsman30
Manager
• Market research ,
questionnaires , advertising on public
transport
• Number of actions • Communicational and
• 20 / year
Increasing Ombudsman’s renovation vulnerable groups informational actions to vulnerable
2 - Communications Manager
visibility (vertically) • % Awareness of groups
• > 50%
vulnerable groups • Surveys

9
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Appendix A: PESTEL Analysis

PESTEL ANALYSIS
POLITICAL
Political background / Poliical climate favoroable to independent authorites
Strong political will and institutional armoring of Ombusdmand’s functions
Embedded Democratical values of citizens
Strong institutional prestige
Gigh rate of maladministration cases and strong corruption index of country
ECONOMICAL
Independent Authorities dependence on state budget
Increased emphasis on tax revenues leasds to citizens’ overtaxation and consequently negative “tax
consciousness” among citizens.
Strong fiscal austerity causes market “asphyxiation” and degradation of citizens’ living standards.
SOCIAL
High rate of unemployment
Low visibility of similar institutions/organizations
High social protection needs due to increased immigration inflows, austerity measures and
economic crisis.
Population aging stresses the social insusrance mechanisms
High illiteracy levels among vulrerable groups
TECHNOLOGICAL
Digital illiteracy
Lowpenetration of broadbamd connections
Increased e-govenrment procedures and digital access to administrative documents
ENVIRONMENTAL
Sustainable Development policies
Vague distinction between enviroemntslvs property rigths leads to administrative ineffectiveness an
dispute management mehanisms
LEGAL
Large and uncodified legislations leads to overlapping and conflicting administrative
responsibilities.
Increased delays in judicial porcedures
Low frequency of auditing procedures and disciplinary penalties for maladministration and
improper performance of duties of civil servants.

Appendix B: SWOT Analysis

Strengths (STRENGTHS):
institutional strengthening
institutional “prestige”
personal and functional independence of members

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20 years or experience - specializing in issues IGC

Satisfactory rate of processedcases
Weaknesses (WEAKNESSES):
Absence of strategic plan
Lack of measurement indicator system 12
Low visibility of institution among vulnerable social groups 13
Non flexible organizational structure with overlapping responsibilities
Insufficient Reporting system of Case Management
Relatively low inefficiency 14
Lack of Integrated Quality Management System
Limitations in meditational procedures15
OPPORTUNITIES:
Increased visibility opportunities (visibility) through communication actions and interventions
Using existing structures (CSS) for territorial expansion of Ombusman’sservices
Deepening cooperation with relevant institutions abroad forbest practices exchange
THREATS
Inability to impose sanctions in Public Administration16
Lack of resources / exclusivefinancing from state budget, which leads to governmental dependence
Multiple intervention cycles, with a risk to develop longterm maladministration phenomena inside
Ombudsmanitself
Overlapping responsibilities with the IGC audit bodies (such as GEDD , SEEDD , SOEDD ) .

Appendix C: Qualitative and Quantitative analysis

(sample of)
We used the QSR’s International Nvivo software to perform discourse analysis on the Ombudsman
reports. The Nvivo is qualitative analysis software (text, video, audio, websites, social networks, etc.)
which among other uses certain heuristic statistical algorithms in the texts, whom we implemented the
Ombudsman's report. From the peculiar needs analysis (text search) and derived several interesting
conclusions about necessary interventions by third parties (which are beyond the mission of this work)
seems virtually no mention of what should be done by the Ombudsman in processes revision level,
administration, objectives etc. So if this is missing from a report accounting is at least one sample that
does not work the reflective arm operating. From the images and graphs out, leads to the following
conclusions: The central issues that the Ombudsman is employed the terms' ministry, case work. " This
is in agreement with the finding that the workplace is a signifier problem, while the ministry as a
central structure is a pole that becomes a core of the problem. Images: Questions about the use of the
words "Need" and "must." In tree graphics software delivers all the cases the author (Ombudsman)
finds some needs and some have.

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From the annual report data of 2016, with textured or more complex data processing, exported the
next graph and table, with the corresponding resulting as mentioned in the paper above.
Percentage Percentage of Percentage
resolution
Year Petitions received substantiated unfounded of research
rate
reports reports stopped
2014 16339.00 56,00 44,00 80,00 7,70
2015 11502.00 54,00 46,00 85,00 7,28
20160 11915.00 56,00 44,00 83,00 8,37

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