Business Process Framework for LMIS

Business Process Framework for LMIS

This document introduces a business process framework for an eLMIS in Malawi. It includes four primary business processes that were developed through a global consultative process led by PATH and with input from a variety of organizations and individuals with expertise in information systems and supply chain management. The business processes and related set of requirements were developed based on logistics management information system (LMIS) requirements of four countries initially (Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, and Vietnam), and formed the basis of the Common Requirements Development Methodology (CRDM). The CRDM was then tested and expanded in Tanzania and Zambia to develop eLMIS solutions for those countries.

The purpose of the framework is to provide sufficient detail to describe the domain as completely as possible and to provide a structure for the development of activities and requirements in each of these domains that are specific to Malawi’s eLMIS needs. The global working group that developed the common requirements for LMIS identified 12 business processes relevant to LMIS and developed detailed requirements for six of them. When applied in Tanzania, the local eLMIS team took this one step further by customizing the business processes for forecasting and supply planning. The Tanzania business processes and requirements represent the most comprehensive version of the CRDM to date and therefore were used as the starting point for Malawi. In Malawi, the order processing, transport and treatment business processes were removed due to the fact that these functions are fulfilled by entities outside the eLMIS. A treatment module is already being developed for facilities in the country by another partner, and order processing and transport is handled by the Central Medical Stores Trust (CMST). The order of the processes represents the logical order in which they are performed in practice as determined by the team.

Figure 2. Table of Business Processes Developed for the eLMIS.

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

Business Processes of Logistics Management

This section briefly describes the four key business processes and the associated objectives relevant to the operation of a national electronic logistics management system in Malawi. We used a "book-end" approach to each process with one end being a clear statement of its objective followed by a measurable outcome that could be used to determine when the process is performed successfully. A short narrative follows to provide additional context for the process. The business process is made up of activities that are necessary to successfully complete the process. These business process descriptions, detailed below, serve as the basis for elaboration of the activities and the associated requirements in the business process requirements section that follows in the next section of this report.

Business Processes for LMIS

1.Requisition Business Process

Objective: Ensure timely ordering of the right commodities in the right quantity.

Measurable outcomes: Stock levels are routinely maintained within the minimum and maximum thresholds and stock-out situations are reduced.

This business process provides the mechanism for calculating and ordering goods for stores at intermediate and service delivery points. Different rules and guidelines for estimating the need for stock are used to create the requisition, in order to account for different ordering process for ARVs, essential medicines, Diagnostics, TB commodities and vaccines in Malawi. Transmitted requisitions are submitted to the district and RMS and then go through a validation and process at each level.

2.Receiving Business Process

Objective: Receive verified quantity and quality of goods into store and determine need for remedial action when necessary.

Measurable outcomes: Goods are accepted or rejected. Those goods that are accepted are placed into stock, and those that are rejected are stored for disposition. Records are updated with appropriate information.

The receiving business process describes the process at all levels of the system in Malawi. An activity map is included for the receiving process at the central level as well as the receiving process at the district level or service delivery point. The manner in which arriving goods are handled depends on the requirements of cold storage and security. It is also completed by a notification of the arrival of the commodities at the receiving location.

3.Inventory Management Business Process

Objective: Maintain chain of custody and appropriate environmental conditions for stock and inventory.

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

Measurable outcomes: There is an absence of waste/damage to 1%. Stock records are accurate and detailed and inventory measures such as stock turnover and under stock situations are alerted appropriately. There is an adherence to environmental and security conditions and regulations. There is an ability to respond to requests in a timely manner.

Stock should be stored according to the manufacturer’s requirements, i.e., controlled temperature and/or humidity. Chain of custody implies the monitoring of the flow of stock items within the logistics system. Monitoring both stock environment and stock movement facilitate line of sight as well as proper storage which prolongs the life of the goods. Existing warehouse management systems linkages into the eLMIS for some of these processes. The majority however should be completed at during supervision.

4.Forecasting & Supply Planning Business Process

Objective: Provide accurate estimation of goods and material needs for a specified time period.

Measurable outcomes: Appropriate stock available at all levels based on appropriate estimation methods. Reduced wastage due to oversupply. Reduced missed treatment opportunities because of a lack of available stock.

Accurate forecasting of stock needs can aid the procurement process for ordering adequate stock and securing appropriate cold chain capacity throughout the health system. In Malawi, forecasting occurs at the national level. Many different methods of estimation are used to develop forecasts and supply plans, including target population estimation, previous consumption estimation, and estimation based on size of planned immunization sessions.

Once forecasts are done, there needs to be a process of developing and monitoring the supply plan to ensure that adequate quantities of commodities are continuously available at all times. This process will also ensure that adequate funding is available to support planned procurement activities.

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

User and Systems Requirements Supporting Business Processes

This section details functional user and system requirements for business processes 1, 2, 3 and 4 as described above. Functional user requirements are the statements that describe what an information system needs to do to support the tasks or activities that make up the business process. These requirements are things that a user will see and use and answer the question, “What needs to happen to support the user to comple te a work activity?” For the four business processes for which requirements were developed, there are a total of 27 activities and a total of 92 functional requirements. These requirements are organized under each business process and associated with each of the 27 activities they support. They are also labeled to indicate if they are user requirements at the national level (which includes CMS-T/RMS), district level, or service delivery point level.

Not all listed activities within the business process have associated requirements. By showing activities that do not have associated requirements, we capture the complete logical flow of work which will be useful in the subsequent step when translating functional requirements into technical specifications. Creating these technical specifications will then be the work of software engineers, not part of the requirement development process. Each of the business processes are illustrated in a task flow model showing the logical work flow.

This section also includes general system requirements which are not associated with a specific activity or business process but rather are requirements that impact the entire system. General system requirements differ from functional user requirements in another important aspect. These requirements most often are not visible to the end user but are essential for the system to be able to perform and support the functionality a user does see and use. These 75 requirements, detailed below, are organized into seven categories. These requirements and categories were derived by the core global technical team as a result of data collected throughout the entire global CRDM project. In some cases these requirements were informed by contributions from the technical advisors and stakeholder reviewers.

Figure 3. Numbering Schema for User and System Requirements

Functional and User Requirements

Functional User Requirements

Process 1 – Requisition

1HTSS is involved in requisitions for Special Patients

2See 1.2 – 1.4 for detailed requirements (duplicated at district level)

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

3For requirements in 1.3.x where SDP – District Hospital/Health Centre is selected, these activities are carried out at the district on behalf of the SDP, not at the SDP

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

4Assuming a data interchange with the CMST system with current/updated commodity prices

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

5This assumes CMST staff have access to the eLMIS to perform specific functions. Feedback process would include informing customers on what products CMST will be unable to provide out of those requested on the requisition. Final requisition will reflect changes based on this information.

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

6This would assume an interface with the CMST system (not expected in version 1)

7This assumes an interface or data interchange with the CMST system

8CMST and Program staff would have access to the eLMIS to perform some specific functions, provided that there is no interface with the CMST system

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

9Assuming a data interchange with the CMST system for current/updated pack sizes

10Assumes that CMST staff have access to the system to enter order summary information. Special storage requirements should be included in the remarks section of this report. This document is referred to as the Delivery Notification in the Receiving business process

Preliminary User and System Requirements for the Malawi Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS)

Process 2 – Receiving