Department of Civil Defence signs MoU with Dubai eGovernment to adopt quality management and pursue new benchmarks in managerial processes

Colonel Ali Al Sayed Ibrahim, Director, Department of Civil Defence and Salem Al-Shair, Director of eServices, Dubai eGovernment, signed the MoU.

The Civil Defence Department also re-launched its portal, which has been fully integrated with the Dubai eGovernment portal www.dubai.ae, at a press conference.

"Change Management is a result-oriented process for organisations seeking to boost efficiency and performance in measurable terms. Business Process Reengineering (BPR), an effective tool in modern managements, forms a critical component of our strategy to adopt quality management and pursue new benchmarks in managerial processes. We believe Dubai eGovernment is the right partner to help us to migrate to the new processes. Further, the full integration of our portal with the Dubai eGovernment portal, will enable us to promote our services and core activities through a professionally managed platform that uses best-of-breed technologies and functions along international standards," said Colonel Ali Al Sayed Ibrahim.

"The Department of Civil Defence firmly believes that it can leverage technology and expertise of Dubai eGovernment for top-quality services. Dubai eGovernment has invested in leading edge IT systems that add value to service delivery, creating improved channels of transaction and optimising processes. These initiatives are in keeping with the directives of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, urging government departments to share their expertise and knowledge management systems as part of the eGovernment's final goal to migrate the community and business services to electronic platforms," added Colonel Ali Al Sayed Ibrahim.

"Information technology and the changing needs of customers have dramatically altered the way service providers deliver services. It has become essential to introduce innovation in business management to keep pace with changes and live up to the expectations of end-users. The Department of Civil Defence performs the critical task of protecting lives and property. We are extremely pleased to assist the department in re-engineering its business processes to enhance performance levels. Further, the integration of Civil Defence's portal with the Dubai eGovernment portal will add value to the delivery of services, including introducing of several interactive features," said Salem Al-Shair, Director of eServices, Dubai eGovernment.

The change management process will first evaluate the procedures and services within the Department of Civil Defence. These procedures will be modified to eliminate delays and analyzed thoroughly to trigger optimized performance, increased efficiency and top quality.

"The Department of Civil Defence has integrated its web services with the unified Dubai eGovernment portal www.dubai.ae, to facilitate decentralized content management in a hi-tech and secure environment. More importantly, the department will have the autonomy to manage its own content and update information, while remaining an integral part of the portal." From this corporation between Dubai eGovernment and the Department of Civil Defence we will benefit from the cost effective change management tool," said Nasser Al Shamsi, IT Officer, Department of Civil Defence.

The integration of the Civil Defence portal with the Dubai eGovernment platform will help the department to provide comprehensive information on the department and its activities to a wider audience. The portal will also benefit from the facilities such as the payment gateway, the single sign in facility, eJob for online recruitment and eDelivery for quick delivery of documents to the various clients and customers. eDelivery and ePay are eServices soon be launched by Dubai eGovernment.

"One of our key objectives in launching this new portal is to utilize the latest technologies available to increase the user friendliness of our portal and reach out to larger sections of society," said Al Shamsi.

Through the Dubai eGovernment site, the Department of Civil Defence website will provide updated information on its activities and services as well as educate the target groups on the latest technology in safety procedures through its scientific e-Newsletter, Emirates Wahat Al Aman, and its safety launch programme referred to as 'Safe house scheme'.