Digital HR Transformation Catalyst for HR Reforms

Secretary Ms. Taies Sansan told participants at the PNG Ascender User Group Seminar held in Brisbane Australia that the Digital HR Transformation Program being implemented by the Department of Personnel Management is envisaged to transform the Public Service into a modern, efficient, tech-driven workforce, ultimately leading to enhanced performance, reduced costs and a more responsive government. In her presentation at the seminar where she presented on the Ascender Pay in the PNG Government.

Ms. Sansan opened her presentation by providing a background on Ascender Pay in PNG and the Digital Transformation Program road map.

In her presentation, Secretary Sansan provided information regarding how the payroll system has evolved over the years under the different names. In 2001-2007 it was called CONCEPT [Ve8.06], 2008 – ALESCO, 2012 – TALENT2, 2015 – ASCENDER PAY, 2023 – CERIDIAN and 2024 – DAYFORCE.

Secretary Ms. Sansan presented that the Department of Personnel Management is a pivotal government agency responsible for overseeing human resource management and development within the public service.

“DPM plays a crucial role in formulating and implementing policies, systems, and frameworks that guide the recruitment, training, and management of public servants”.

She further stated that DPM is also tasked with ensuring the effective and efficient administration of public sector human resources, aiming to enhance productivity, accountability, and service delivery across government agencies. Through its initiatives, the department strives to align the workforce with the broader goals of national development and the public service reforms.

The annual PNG User Pay group conference had over a hundred participants from 31 Government agency who attended.

The seminar was themed Empowering HR & Payroll – People, Processes and Technology”.

The 2 day seminar had DPM and Department of Finance make presentations on the Ascender pay roll. Secretary Sansan also presented that the current version 12 being used is outdated, has poor data quality with the Business Process not being complied with and the lack of prudent monitoring coupled with poor HR Governance.