A high-level government official on Tuesday set in motion a previously approved piece of legislation that obligates all state executive entities to devise productivity drives.
Jamshid Ansari, the head of Administrative and Recruitment Organization who also acts as a deputy to President Hassan Rouhani, officially communicated Provision A of Article 5 of Iran's Sixth Five-Year Development Plan (2017-22) to the heads of all the executive bodies of the country, according to the official website of the National Iranian Productivity Organization.
Iran's development plans outline government strategies in its budget planning for the next five years. They are evaluated and put to vote in the parliament.
The aforesaid provision states that "all executive bodies are obligated to send their actionable plans to improve productivity by facilitating and encouraging non-government activities in related areas to the National Iranian Productivity Organization within six months".
The organization legally has one year to get the collective actionable programs approved by the Cabinet.
The aforementioned provision also includes a section stating that "executive bodies and armed forces are obligated to implement the cycle of productivity in units under their command in coordination with the National Iranian Productivity Organization, in addition to implementing the cycles within their own confines with the ultimate aim of bringing about productivity growth".
The legislation also legally binds executive bodies and armed forces to present annual reports to NIPO on the progress made by themselves and their subordinates.
What was communicated to executive bodies on Tuesday also includes a timetable that details the timelines to which organizations must be committed to activate their productivity cycles.
Based on the timetable, all executive bodies, in addition to NIPO, are tasked with activating their specialized productivity committees and holding briefing sessions by Dec. 19, 2018.
By that date, all executive bodies are required to draft a performance report of all they have done during the Fifth Five-Year Development Plan (2012-2016) and the first year of the Sixth Plan.
Furthermore, they are tasked with reviewing and setting productivity goals and clearly outlining the responsibilities of their subordinate entities.
By January 16, 2019, executive bodies are to prioritize the areas of activity and provinces that are to be focused first in terms of boosting productivity.
The timetable is clearly outlined for executive bodies until the end of the Sixth Plan, which coincides with the turn of the Iranian century.
The Sixth Plan upholds productivity, as many state bodies are mired in ineffective and time-consuming bureaucracy.
One of the major goals of the initiative communicated to executive bodies is to focus on productivity as a means of better "realizing economic growth" and "offering better and more affordable services" to the general public.
