Getting It up and Running: Practical Steps to Developing a Country Pay

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Getting It up and RunningPractical Steps to
Developing a Country Pay Employment Model

• Jana Orac
• May 2003

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Existing Excel-based models

• Custom-built, country-specific
• Indonesia, Macedonia, Afghanistan, Russia,
  Pakistan, Zambia, Kyrgyz Republic
• Generic templates
• Fully automated, or modifiable
• West Bank Gaza, Kosovo

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Four main steps

• Getting the data
• Building the model
• Developing client technical capacity
• Promoting client use

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1. Getting the data

• Optimal data set
• Current employment numbers, average base salary
  allowance by grade and entity
• Associated costs to budget (e.g. severance,
  pensions)
• Availability variesfrom computerized payrolls to
  scattered paper records
• Data cleaning is essential
• So
• Start early!

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2. Building the model

• Custom-built, country-specific 1 week
• Modifiable generic 1 to 2 days
• Automated generic 1 hour

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User-friendliness is a must

• Clear instructions in the file
• Input cells for variables marked
• Full disclosure of data or other issues
• Charts to convey results
• Local language versions?
• Information on broader context (national and
  international)

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3. Client technical capacity

• Working-level staff needed to maintain and run
  the model
• Skills in Excel, grasp of pay employment
  principles
• Challenges in finding the right people for
  hand-off

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4. Promoting client use

• Model new mindset and approach
• Managing expectations model as magic answer vs.
  tool to test policy options, promote deliberation
• Client use remains a challenge, but ongoing
  relationships help