From complex legislation to efficient case management

Developing and implementing a case management system before the relevant legislation is in place sounds like a near-impossible task. However, with the right specialists on the team and an agile set-up, NNIT and ATP succeeded in gearing the system for paying out maternity/paternity benefits to the new rules.

Preparation is everything. But it is not possible to prepare for everything. Especially not in the public sector, where legislation is often dynamic and the direction of projects can rapidly change. However, NNIT still succeeded in developing and going live with ATP and Udbetaling Danmark’s system for supporting the legislation on equal sharing and earmarked paternity leave in record time.

The ATP/NNIT project arose out of a new EU Directive imposing an obligation on all member states to introduce earmarked paternity leave by 2 August 2022. As a result, the payout system needed to be able to handle leave under both the old and the new rules. However, there was a challenge: The legislation to be supported by the system was not yet in place when NNIT, in close cooperation with ATP, began the development process. Therefore, while legislation and lawyers proceeded along one track, IT architects, business managers and developers moved along another track.

This put huge demands on all team members. However, the shared goal, an agile set-up, and dedicated project members on both sides made it possible to juggle amendments and return flows speedily and efficiently. Therefore, when the new legislation entered into force, ATP’s system was ready to handle both the new and the old rules on maternity/paternity leave. Today, the system supports citizens’ rights while also making the task of administering the rules easy and intuitive. At the same time, NNIT and ATP are working on new features that could not be included from the start as the focus was on incorporating the amended legislation.

A tailored IT application

For all public sector bodies, it applies that the sector is constantly evolving. From citizens’ rights and complex legislation that is continuously being amended to the GDPR rules and rising demands for streamlining and optimizing procedures and case management. Add to all of that the high expectations that citizens have when interacting with the public sector.

While there are many similarities, each body also has its own challenges and specific legislation and procedures that the supporting IT systems and solutions must take into account.

In the cooperation between ATP and NNIT, functionality and practicality were high on the list, and so there was a strong focus on creating an easy and intelligent user interface that could meet citizens’ requirements and facilitate case management. An easy-to-understand system with a high degree of automation was required – without the final legal framework being in place in the project phase.

IT systems such as ATP’s system for paying out maternity/paternity benefits naturally have a high degree of criticality, especially for citizens, who depend on a well-functioning and operationally stable system that can handle both the application and payout processes. Therefore, just like NNIT’s other case management solutions and self-service solutions, the system architecture is modular. This provides a solid, but adjustable, foundation with a high degree of adaptability. This was necessary in order to ensure fast and agile implementation of changes once the legislation had been passed – but also in order to future-proof the solution for a sector where legislation, benefits, and reporting dates can change at short notice and require rapid system updates.

Automated case management

To optimize and streamline case management, it was essential that the system had a strong automation engine. We succeeded with that. Today, a large share of the cases relating to maternity/paternity benefits follow the automated reporting and payout flow.

At NNIT, we have more than 15 years of experience in developing case management systems for heavily regulated areas where the complexity is high and where many integrations are often required so that both case management and cash flows are automated.

We know how important it is to have robust and secure systems that function smoothly for both citizens and administrative staff and ensure easy, transparent processes for all parties involved.

How can we help you?

Is case management too complex or time-consuming for you? Is the user experience not optimum? Is the underlying technology outdated, thereby making it difficult for you to maintain and develop when new requirements arise?

Contact us today for a talk about how NNIT’s BorgerIT solutions can streamline your case management.