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Chapter 2

ORGANISATION STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS

An analysis of the structure and functions of an organisation is important towards identifying the components for the development of an integrated computer-based system to achieve the business objectives of the enterprise. In particular, it is important to obtain an overall perspective since many tasks and functions are interrelated but for operational purposes they are compartmentalised by job specialisations and assignment of tasks to functional units such as departments or sections.

It is important to bear in mind that an organisation is dynamic and is constantly evolving as it grows, matures or is subject to external influences and stimuli. As such, the structure of an organisation is not the overriding concern in this chapter but the functions and tasks which have to be translated or transfer to the computer-based system which will receive our attention.

STATUTORY POWERS OF THE LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITY

The Municipal Council of Penang Island (MPPP) is a local government created under the Local Government (LG) Act 1976. MPPP is the successor-in-title to the Municipality of Georgetown, one of the two pioneer local governments created in 1857 by the colonial administration of Malaya. As a local government, the LG Act 1976 entrusts it with general responsibilities associated with public health, safety and the general welfare of the local community. In carrying out these responsibilities it is empowered, amongst others, to regulate the carrying out of activities related to the erection of buildings.

In addition, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act 1976 provides the local government with statutory powers to define permitted uses of each parcel of land and building as well as powers to compel compliance by any person carrying out development activities. The process by which compliance with local government policies on land use[1] is enforced is referred to as planning control.

The TCP Act 1976 defines that the local government of an area shall be the local planning authority for its area of jurisdiction (s. 5(1)). As the local planning authority, its function is primarily “to regulate, control, and plan the development and use of all lands and buildings within its area” (s. 6(1))[2].

In this report, we are concerned with the powers to regulate and control the use of land and buildings. Provisions for planning control was first introduced in the Federated States of Malaya in 1923[3] but it was removed in 1927 and reintroduced only in 1976. Specifically, Part IV of the TCP Act 1976 establishes :

a. the need to obtain prior permission before any development is undertaken;

b. the need to conform or comply with the permission granted;

c. the manner for applying for permission and treatment of applications;

d. the rights of applicants with regard applications for planning permission.

In MPPP, these powers were invoked in 1985 and forms the basis for all activities related to planning control in Penang Island.

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DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED WITH DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

The power to control development rests with the local planning authority which by definition means the local government[4]. The local government is a legal entity (corporate body) comprising the President (as the chief executive) and not more than 24 Councillors appointed by the State Authority. It is this body which holds the powers and obligations in development control[5] but certain powers maybe delegated to its officers or committees to facilitate the smooth running of the organisation[6].

The operations of the Council is organised according to departments each with specific responsibilities and functions. Their major role is to carry out the work necessary to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of the Council. These departments are merely the administrative and implementation machinery but very often this is not appreciated by outside parties. For example, the planning department is often mistaken as or taken for granted to be the local planning authority leading to confusion amongst members of the public and even developers and consultants when the Council makes decisions which do not concur with the professional or technical advice of its officers.

Figure 2-1 shows three departments (Town Planning, Building and Engineering) with major responsibilities for development control. The names of the department themselves suggest their areas of responsibility and functions. They are not only involved in development control activities but perform tasks related to other functions of the local government. For example, the Building Department also design and implement projects for the council such as beautification and landscaping projects and public markets while the Engineering Department also maintain roads and manage traffic.

There is a considerable amount of cross-traffic between the three departments for the activities related to development control. For instance, applications for planning permission are routinely referred to the Building and Engineering Departments, each making comments or specifying requirements related to their area of jurisdiction. During the first round, multiple copies of the plans (application) are simultaneously sent to each department for comments. Subsequently, as the memos, minutes and correspondence accummulate they are organised and compiled into a single file. The entire file then physically travels as it makes its rounds from one department to another to obtain the necessary clearance. This paper-based system obviously has serious drawbacks (see discussion in chapter 3). Ideally, the computer-based system will allow simultaneous access by all the relevant personnel from their respective departments. This aspect will have to be studied in detail when the Council-wide system is being developed at a later stage. For the Pilot Project, emphasis is placed on the process by which the tasks for handling applications for planning permission is to be implemented at the Planning Department.



Figure 2-1

DEPARTMENTS WITH PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

FOR DEVELOPMENT CONTROL AT MPPP

In addition to the three departments mentioned above, the Licensing Department has close links with these departments mainly to ensure that licenses issued for particular premises comply with planning permission or building plans previously approved. Under the TCP Act 1976 change of use of building is classified as development and therefore requires planning permission. In processing applications for licenses to trades or conduct businesses, the Licensing Department forwards the applications to the Town Planning and Development Department to determine that it is in compliance with permissions granted.

The Health Department is also consulted during the process of development control, particularly with regards spaces for hawking.

The development approval process and treatment of applications for planning permission is discussed in detail in chapter 3.

DEPARTMENT OF TOWN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Functions

As a professional and technical department, it is charged with carrying out the duties of the local planning authority with regards proper development of land. The department has listed its functions as :

(a) To regulate, control and plan development, use of land and buildings.

(b) To plan and coordinate development projects by MPPP.

(c) To carry out research studies to assist in planning and development control.

Tasks



In performing the above functions, it has further classified various tasks which it must undertake :

A. Planning Related

i. Prepare structure and local plans

ii. Formulate policies and guidelines for development control, land use, and conservation.

iii. Undertake research (data collection and analysis).

iv. Carry out project planning and coordination for MPPP.

B. Development Control

i. To processing applications for planning permission, subdivision of land and change of use of land and buildings.

ii. Assist in the processing of building plans and licenses (e.g. business licenses).

iii. Registration and coordination of applications for planning permission.

C. Advisory Services

i. Advice public and government agencies on matters related to development planning and development control.

Organisation Structure

Based on the above responsibilities, the department is structured into three technical services section with a supporting administrative unit (see Figure 2-2). The organisation is constantly evolving and as such, the department’s organisational structure as shown in the chart serves merely to highlight certain issues related to functional units and job specialisation. It must also be remembered that the activities carried out by a particular section or unit may be related to or have implications for others. The task of the Planning and Development Section is to undertake forward planning and policy formulation. In carrying out this task, it relies on data or information generated by the Development Control Section such as development pressures and trends in development. Conversely, the Development Control Section utilises the plans and policies formulated by the Planning and Development Section to guide decisions on approval of applications for planning permission.

The department is headed by a Director who is a professional town planner. He is currently assisted by three town planners with professional qualifications. Apart from technical and professional duties, the town planners (officially known as “Town Planning Officers”) also perform some administrative duties.



Figure 2-2

ORGANISATION CHART OF

TOWN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, MPPP

Functionally, each of the three sections have quite clear cut responsibilities and duties. Personnel are assigned to each of the sections or units with specific job assignments and designations. However, in practice the personnel often have to be temporarily assigned to urgent duties or jobs because of the lack of manpower. When some of the technical staff, especially the Assistant Town Planners, were asked the question “What tasks do you perform?”, the response was “Everything!”. In other words, they are expected to carry out any work order issued by their superior officers. While most staff would welcome the chance to have break from the monotony of doing the same tasks over and over again, the consequence is that other tasks would have to be temporarily put aside. In any organisation, it is also inevitable that such ad hoc assignments may lead to discontent because the staff may perceive it as additional burden beyond their job specifications which may not be given sufficient credits in annual performance evaluations. It is an issue of equitable workload distribution. A computer-based system which is properly designed could help to resolve some of the issues related to productivity and measures of performance. The issue of specialisation is discussed in greater detail later in this chapter. For the moment, suffice it to say that we must avoid trying to seek a direct transfer of current job descriptions and assignments into the computerised environment.

Administrative staff are not involved in the work of the technical sections. On the other hand, the Assistant Town Planner and Technicians carry out administrative tasks asssociated with development control such as file management and correspondence between applicants, agents and other departments. Previously, the town planners were not involved in the processing of applications for planning permission. They were given full responsibility to handle building plans, that is, to process the plans without having to refer the plans to the Director of Town Planning (unless it involves policy issues). Currently, all the town planners are involved in processing applications for planning permission ostensibly to keep them informed or up-to-date with development



approvals. This has not only resulted in re-introducing an additional layer in the “red-tape” but has distracted the town planner who would otherwise be able to spend more time on forward planning or the pursuit of office automation (computerisation). It must be noted that this situation arose out of the failure of the paper-based system to disseminate information in a timely manner. Ideally, with the computer-based system, information will be available on-line in real-time mode. This will allow greater flexibility for the department to structure and streamline job functions.

Turnover amongst the town planners is very high (four planners have resigned in recent months) primarily because of lucrative offers from the private sector on the one hand and the limited prospects for career advancement in local government service. At the supporting technical staff level, the staff turnover is not as critical but the department faces difficulties in retaining staff hired on contract. In one case, the staff being assigned to and having undergone on-the-job “training” with the USM Team resigned for a permanent position with a federal agency. In another case, the town planner put in charge of the department’s GIS project (prior to the appointment of the USM Team) left without any substantive development or progress.

The permanent staff are mostly preoccupied with the “bread and butter” duties of the department such as processing of applications for permission. Most of the staff have indicated a willingness and enthusiasm to learn new technology. However, many have also expressed scepticisms on the possibility of success due to numerous previous efforts (studies) with no tangible results to improve productivity in the office. Another problem for the staff is that many are still ignorant as far as office automation and use of IT in the office is concerned. Some staff have actually expressed fears that they may inadvertently destroy expensive equipment due to their ignorance. It is important therefore that IT be introduced incrementally and progressively assimilated into the work culture to make the staff comfortable with IT.

Responsibilities of Sections

Each of the sections and units are assigned specific activities as listed below :

I. Development Control Section

a. To process applications for planning permission, subdivision and amalgamation of land.

b. To comment on applications for land titles, category of land use (under NLC), and change of use of building and land.

c. To comment on application for trade, business and other licenses.

d. To answer enquiries on development control (planning enquiry).

e. To record and monitor the processing of applications for planning permission, building plans, subdivision and amalgamation of land.

II. Planning and Development Section

a. To collect and analyse data and statistics related development control and preparation of development plans.



b. To formulate policies, guidelines and manuals for development control and preparation of development plans.

c. To disseminate data and information to staff, government agencies and the public on matters related development control and land use planning.

d. To prepare and monitor the implementation of development plans.

e. To prepare and coordinate action area plans and MPPP projects.

f. To prepare urban conservation plans.

III. Plan Registry Unit

a. To carry out the registration and monitoring of applications for planning permission, building plans, building extensions and renovations, and landscaping plans.

b. To undertake the first round referral of applications to various departments for comments.

c. To serve as the secretariat for weekly CLAP meetings and technical committee meetings.

IV. Administrative Unit

a. To undertake file management, correspondence, typing, secretarial services, clerical work and administration.

b. To coordinate financial services such as call for quotations, purchase orders, billing, preparation of annual department budget, and control of expenditure.

c. To take charge of the maintenance of office equipment and office security.

d. To handle personnel matters and staff discipline.

SPECIALISATION AND OBSOLESCENCE

Departments are created to undertake specific or specialised functions usually based on the amount of workload, urgency, staff skills and visibility associated with the services provided. It is important to note that an examination of the organisational structure is meaningful to extent that it helps to identify the tasks required to be performed by the computer-based system. Each local government structures itself differently. For example, building and planning control in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru are placed under the charge of the Director of Planning while these two functions are the responsibility of two different departments in MPPP. In addition, departments are further organised in units or sections according to job functions or major activities.

While specialisation has its benefits and advantages, there are also many drawbacks. In designing the computer-based system it is important that these are recognised.



Most organisations are structured according to major areas of responsibilities or job functions. The underlining rationale for well-defined job descriptions (or specialisations) are several:

a. The staff knows what they are expected to do (i.e. they are expected to recognise and perform specified duties with little or no instruction). This ensures that a job gets done.

b. The staff cannot deny responsibility if the work is not executed.

c. Conversely, the staff cannot be accused of not doing something which is not within their job description.

d. Specialisation facilitates the acquisition of a high level of skill and knowledge in a certain function which in turn promises higher accuracy, efficiency and productivity. This is especially so in non-computerised environment where personal knowledge, experience, memory and repeated execution of the same task creates a walking databank.

e. Specialisation facilitates a more equitable allocation of workload.

f. Specialisation is necessary for certain jobs which requires extensive education and training prior to appointment with emphasis on the necessary paper qualification. This is of course a modern alternative to on-the-job training which used to characterise the means by which a person “learns the trade”. In the early history of the town planning service, planners worked their way up from technicians. The department even had a division devoted to creating the curriculum, examinations and conducting of in-service training.

However, in the age of IT many of the rationale for rigid job specialisation as well as the job itself has become blurred or even obsolete. One classic example is that of the typist. A combination of factors including overall increase in wages, the search for a better quality of life and job satisfaction as well as the vision of software developers have combined to make the typist a dying breed in certain countries. Notably, wordprocessing, desktop publishing and office productivity tools are targetted at the source or document-generator (i.e. writer or author). This report is in fact prepared without the assistance of the professional typist with the authors preparing the text, formatting and graphics using various software. But more than merely a high-tech version of the typewriter, wordprocessors promote the process of creative thinking as the ideas flow during report-writing.

It is recognised that most people who are not trained in typing skills are intimidated by the QWERTY keyboard and find it slow. On the other hand, specialisation has also bred a mentality that some jobs are to be undertaken only by the properly designated person. In other words, typing must be done by the typist.

But there are several indicators that the professional typists will eventually be obsolete in Malaysia. First, there is the drive by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mathathir Mohamad to create a paperless (i.e electronic) government starting with the Prime Minister’s Department when it moves to Putrajaya in 1998. The new Sungei Buloh Hospital will also reportedly be entirely paperless. Amongst others, civil servants (and doctors, nurses, etc) will have to communicate through email and this will require that they develop their keyboard skills. In the paperless office, it would be ludicrous if the government servant drafts a letter or reply on paper and pass it to a typist (or personal



assistant) to key-in. A change in working environment will force a corresponding change in work culture and norms. The key to successful use of IT is in matching job functions to the IT tools with IT as the only accepted means of performing the tasks.

Government departments are already facing difficulties in filling vacant typist posts even after numerous advertisements[7]. The available typists are unable to handle the workload and this in turn forced the government servants to prepare working papers or briefs using their PCs with the final formatting done by the typists. Voice recognition technology may in future relief the burden of typing but future generation will themselves become familiar the the keyboard and pointing devices (mouse, touch screens) even from a very young age as they interact with educational software and multimedia.

On the flip-side, the embrace of technology will redefine job description. At some departments which have automated certain labor intensive functions, the typist have become under-utilised and must be reassigned to other duties. The typist (as well as many low paying jobs) is in fact a dying breed in countries where labour is expensive. Typically, an office assistant will carry out typing, clerical, and office administration duties all rolled into one.

Apart from the above issues, the integration of IT must recognise that the paper-based system cannot be directly transferred wholesale into a paperless environment. In particular, the question of redundancy is most prominent. For instance, in many pre-IT organisations, special units track the movement of files or record data in several formats in anticipation of various uses or request for statistics. With proper systems design, these specialised units can be considerably reduced in size and function or even abolished because such functions are integrated in the system. For instance, the job of tracking the movement of plans will become redundant (but not obsolete) if there is no physical movement of files and also because the system automatically tracks the movement of the “file” within the system. Similarly, statistics will be captured as part of the process of completing a task rather than as a separate exercise.

Another job description which will be obsolete is that of “colouring”. Currently, technicians have to spend days and weeks using small brushes paint zoning and other maps using the very difficult medium of planning (Ecoline) colours. Colour plotters together with mapping software or GIS will eventually take over these tasks more efficiently.

The above discussion serves to highlight three important observations and reminders to the integration of IT for office operations. First, technological advances will make certain jobs obsolete. Secondly, new skills will have to be acquired to take advantage of the technology. And finally, a paper-based system must not be directly transferred into the IT environment without a proper understanding of the limitations imposed by the paper-based system.

[1] As contained in structure and local plans and other policy documents.

[2] Its other statutory duty is to undertake research and publication on matters related to planning. It must also undertake any other function specified by the State Authority or State Planning Committee.



[3] The instrument for planning control was submission and approval of layout plans provided for under the Town Planning Enactment 1923.

[4] They could be a city council, municipal council or district council as the case maybe.

[5] The term development control is often used inter-changeably with planning control which would include control over the erection of structures which is provided for under the Uniform Building By-Laws formulated under the Local Government Act 1976. Planning control is used in the context of the provisions of the TCP Act 1976.

[6] For example, simple standard plans which comply with Council policies could be approved by officers immediately without having to wait for the Council to be convened.

[7] Apparently, support staff (including typists) have found it more financially attractive to work as production workers in the factories.

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