Efficiency Redefined: ARKAS 4 for Schools’ Administrative Tasks
The Team: Dendy Muharsyah Emiral, Ayu Temenggung, Wiysha Citra Riana, Bergas Bimo Branarto
For school treasurers or operators, ARKAS 3 is nothing new. They have been using the application for a while to manage administrative tasks. Yet, according to GovTech Edu field research, many schools did not experience a substantial decrease in their administrative workload as anticipated.
“After conducting comprehensive UX research on ARKAS 3, we identified several areas for improvement to facilitate schools in managing their Dana BOS (school operational assistance funds) more seamlessly. Centralizing the administration of Dana BOS into one platform is essential to boost efficiency and effectiveness, which, in turn, will improve the government’s decision-making given the participation of diverse stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Education and Culture and Technology (MoECRT), Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Home Affairs,” GovTech Edu Group Product Manager Dendy Muharsyah Emiral told us.
“We understand that ARKAS is also a compliance tool for Juknis (petunjuk teknis or technical guidelines) BOSP (Bantuan Operasional Sekolah dan Pendidikan). Therefore, we want our users to have a substantially enhanced experience when using the application. Our goal is to ensure Schools could focus on education while the load of doing Dana BOS administration is handled by ARKAS 4 efficiently and effectively” Dendy explained.
And that’s how they launched ARKAS 4, an enhanced iteration succeeding its predecessor, ARKAS 3. In addition to existing features in ARKAS 3, ARKAS 4 offers new features such as:
- Worksheet review to simplify the checking process
- Input and edit features for cash withdrawals/deposits in the financial reporting tool
- Tax editing feature in accordance with the latest tax regulations
- Automatic annual leftover fund retrieval
- Integration to SIPLah (school marketplace) to reduce the workload of doing bookkeeping
- Integration to SIPD (Sistem Informasi Pemerintah Daerah owned by Ministry of Home Affairs) through MARKAS (Manajemen ARKAS) platform so that ARKAS data that is all about Dana BOS would automatically flow into SIPD platform for monitoring and well-informed policy-making purposes by Central Government
Moreover, ARKAS 4 significantly enhances user convenience by providing:
- User-friendly interface & flow for easier learning
- Guidelines in each stage of the process
- Increased validations and messaging to prevent human errors
- Recommendations for selectable mitigations
With all these significant improvements, we are curious about the process prior to its launch.
It starts with research.
They say ‘no action without research’. So we first talked to GovTech Edu’s Research to delve deeper into ARKAS 4.
Ayu Temenggung (Ayu), Senior Researcher at GovTech Edu, explained their research process: “First of all, we did an internal UX Audit amid the pandemic where we learned about the application and its end-to-end flow. We collaborated with the MoECRT team to identify the pain points, crucial flow, use case, and other aspects.”
“During the UX Audit, we discovered users’ pain points that became potential improvements for the application, and we did the development based on that audit. This marks the beginning, not a final stage of development,” Dendy continued. “We invited around 400 users to test out the improved application in Lembang, West Java. They provided insightful feedbacks for our next development before conducting a trial in 3 regions, namely Samarinda, Lampung, and Ambon, to get more insights.”
Before the nationwide release, the team conducted a limited release to 10,000 learning units (schools) nationwide. These selected users had access to the application and were provided with a comprehensive user manual along with tutorial videos. Following this, users were invited to share their experiences and provide feedback. Their invaluable input will shape the forthcoming national release.
During the session, users appreciated the integration between ARKAS and SIPLah, a digital system developed by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Technology to assist educational units (Satdik) in procuring their necessities from suppliers of goods and services who joined SIPLah online market.
Technical development
In addressing technical concerns, the team has prioritized long-term product maintenance. For instance, the application was once developed using an outdated programming language that, while it remains functional, is understood by only a few. To avoid potential challenges in improving ARKAS 4 in the future, the team then decided to switch to a more widely adopted programming language, Bergas Bimo Branarto — Head of Engineering, told us.
Bimo added the team has also migrated its data and application services from physical servers maintained manually by a few technical persons in MoECRT to the public cloud. “Back then, MoECRT had to procure a new server when the existing one was nearly full, not to mention the risk of data loss in case of a crash. However, this is no longer necessary as all the data is now stored in the cloud.”
Regarding the technical infrastructure, Bimo highlighted that GovTech Edu has implemented a more efficient and scalable architecture. The team is developing a system to synchronize data and real-time data consistency monitoring to ensure data from the older ARKAS 3 servers are synchronized to the new cloud-based central data storage, which includes ARKAS 4 data as well as other data from related systems, such as SIPLah.
Having all data stored in central storage enables the team to monitor and control data quality and also for the Data Analytics team to conduct holistic analysis, which plays a significant role in data-driven decision-making for MoECRT stakeholders.
Communication Strategy: Not brand new, but it’s significantly refined.
Many users have been using ARKAS 3 for a while and adapting to its enhanced version, ARKAS 4, might need a little adjustment to get used to.
“They’re already comfortable with the existing version, which makes trying ARKAS 4 quite challenging. Our approach emphasizes that ARKAS 4 isn’t entirely a new application, but rather an improvement,” Wiysha Citra Riana, Product Marketing Manager at GovTech Edu, told us. Therefore, the team had formulated three programs aimed at assisting users in familiarizing themselves with ARKAS 4.
ARKAS 4 originated as an idea from one of the government departments (dinas) in Gunung Kidul, DI Yogyakarta. Although the application is mandatory, it stemmed from grassroots innovation and was primarily designed to cater to the needs of its users. Hopefully, it will foster a sense of ownership among the users, highlighting that the application was developed with their interests in mind.
GovTech Edu introduces Sobat Inspiratif ARKAS (SIAR) as its second socialization program for users who are proficient in the application and passionate about content creation. SIAR serves as a platform to encourage peer-to-peer learning, aiming to cultivate an organic community and a sense of ownership among its users.
The team encouraged potential pioneers, such as school’s treasurers, to share tips on utilizing ARKAS 4 and how the application has positively affected their daily routines.
“One user specifically mentioned that the integrated system within ARKAS 4 significantly boosted her work efficiency. She no longer had to spend extensive amounts of time, around 6 hours or more, on tax-related tasks and other administrative duties,” Wiysha said.
In the limited-release session, Wiysha and the team found that users are more inclined to use such an application when they have a robust support system. This includes good communication with government officials regarding the application and dependable colleagues for troubleshooting and idea exchange. Therefore, the team continues to offer technical guidance (Bimtek) to government departments (dinas).
Moments to remember
Working on a big project like ARKAS 4, in fact, isn’t only about improving the application itself. Our sources expressed their pleasant experience collaborating with the civil servants.
“We had great times collaborating with the team at the MoECRT for the ARKAS 4 project. They are open-minded, collaborative, and remarkably competent in their field,” Bimo explained.
Ayu echoed similar sentiments with Bimo. “I sensed a strong camaraderie within the team, and their resilience during challenges was remarkable. It’s easy to regroup and discuss with the team at the MoECRT.”
Moreover, Dendy and Wiysha were impressed by the users’ enthusiasm and curiosity in learning about every aspect of ARKAS 4. Dendy specifically mentioned users in Sorong, Papua who were excited about ARKAS 4 launch. He admitted that such an experience made his heart full, knowing his works greatly impact others.
Wiysha also had a memorable moment during a trial session in Lampung. “A user from a small school in the province attended the session, carrying his old laptop that might not have supported our ARKAS 4 application. But, to my surprise, he managed to run ARKAS 4 on his laptop and read the guidelines before coming to the trial session,” Wiysha said, expressing her admiration.
Next moves
After its release, clearly, the mission doesn’t end here. ARKAS 4 will continue to evolve, aiming to serve over 400,000 users across the archipelago. GovTech Edu will maintain ARKAS as a part of its technical development plan. Bimo mentioned, “ARKAS has had over 500 regional databases since 2020, and we are incorporating them into a unified system.”
Moreover, the team has extensive plans for the first half of 2024. Their goal is to integrate the reporting system with the Ministry of Home Affairs, enhance the school’s budget planning efficiency, and facilitate a self-learning process for ARKAS 4 to ensure ARKAS would sustainably work even for new users.
About The Team
Dendy Muharsyah Emiral is making significant contributions as a Group Product Manager for the SDS Tribe at GovTech Edu. With a diverse background in the tech and banking industries, Dendy has worked with notable decacorn and unicorn startups. His journey into product management began in the digital banking sector, where he developed a keen understanding of user needs and product strategy. Dendy’s expertise lies in leveraging his experiences to drive innovation and enhance product development within the dynamic landscape of GovTech Edu.
Ayu Temenggung is a Senior UX Researcher in the SDS Tribe at GovTech Edu, focusing on the ARKAS Project. Prior to this, she served as a Researcher at Halodoc. Ayu began her research journey in 2016 while studying in London, United Kingdom. She has since developed a wealth of experience in understanding user needs and enhancing digital experiences within public, social, and health sectors.
Wiysha Citra Riana serves as a Product Marketing Manager at GovTech Edu. With expertise in marketing, which started in 2018, she has consistently specialized in product marketing within the tech industry, notably contributing her skills to unicorn startups. Wiysha brings a wealth of experience to her role, driving effective strategies for promoting and positioning educational technology products to users.
Bergas Bimo Branarto, Head of Engineering for the SDS Tribe at GovTech Edu, is a tech enthusiast and a true “Lego builder” in the industry. With a passion for creating tech products from the ground up, Bimo brings a wealth of experience to his role. Before joining GovTech Edu, he honed his skills in both decacorn tech startups and tech consulting, showcasing his ability to navigate and contribute to the dynamic landscape of technology development. Bimo is dedicated to building innovative solutions and leading engineering teams to success.
