STATE AUDIT OFFICE
Press release
Skopje, 23 August 2022
Lack of procedures and HR for managing Administration Agency IT system
The Agency does not have the optimal number of human resources to perform tasks in the IT and support department, and part of the procedures for implementing changes in the Question Database and "four-eye control" are missing
The State Audit Office performed IT compliance audit on the "IT System for registration, examination and employment in the Agency for Administration for implementation of competencies for employment in public administration", in line with SAO Annual Work Program for 2021.
With the performed IT compliance audit on the method and procedures for realization of competences for employment in the public administration, the state auditors found out the following:
- There is insufficient number of employees in the IT and Support Department given that that the entire procedure is carried out using an information system in the Agency.
This situation causes work overload for current employees and calls into question timely and efficient performance of work tasks.
- Secondary location with necessary IT equipment and software has not been provided for unimpeded operation of Agency’s procedure in the event of an interruption of the IT system at the primary location;
This situation may cause interruption in the implementation of activities for issuing public announcement, conducting the exam and candidates’ personality test;
- Best practice for IT security and data security is applied on a smaller scale and is not documented, i.e. there is no written policy or procedure for implementation thereof;
The ascertained state of affairs results from the small number of IT employees, as well as lack of professional training for managing existing IT systems.
- During the election activities in 2020 and 2021, Agency's employees adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Code for stopping all advertising procedures and procedures for conducting exam, personality test and interview;
The absence of application control for complete restriction of access to the system allows use of the system for administrative selection of registered candidates for announcements published before the adoption of the Decision on announcing elections in RNM. Certain system activities related to already complete public announcements for employment before the announcement of the elections in 2020 and 2021 have been noted.
- There is no restriction of network access to computers in the examination room and to the module and database of exam questions, with access time, user name of the employee who accessed the system and actions performed during the access.
- There is no automated procedure for downloading database of exam questions in competence of MISA, no procedure for updating changes and no audit trail for control carried out when updating database of exam questions by the Administration Agency, thus posing a risk of untimely recording of changes in the database of questions that need to be aligned with current changes in legislation, as well as a risk of errors when entering changes manually.
To overcome the above shortcomings, recommendations have been made to the competent persons in the Agency for Administration. Recommendations are based on the results of the performed audit for improving implementation of Agency's competences. For providing added value, it was recommended to strengthen and create more efficient and transparent system for implementing exam procedures, confidentiality, availability and integrity of data.
The compliance audit covered processes related to the IT system and their compliance with laws, policies and standards applied by the Agency for publication of advertisements for employment of administrative officers.
The purpose of the compliance audit on the IT system for registration, application and employment in the Agency for Administration for realization of competences concerning employment in public administration was to enable the auditor to obtain reasonable assurance as to whether the procedures in relation to existing legal regulation, strategic and planning documents are fully arranged, whether they provide appropriate and sufficient legal framework for implementation of procedures for employment of administrative officers and whether they are in accordance with the specified criteria in all material aspects.
The procedures for selection of administrative officers, the procedures for implementation of the exam for administrative officers and the exam for administrative management in 2020 and 2021 were also subject of the audit.
Press contact:
Albiona Mustafa Muhadziri +389 72 228 203 [email protected]
Mijalche Durgutov +389 70 358 486 [email protected]
Martin Duvnjak +389 75 268 517 [email protected]