Regional Productivity Roadmap

Extended Abstract
Introduction: Productivity is a common discourse of all economic schools, and the belief in its importance in the modern development discourse has advanced to the point that some thinkers have introduced productivity improvement as the most important key challenge of economic systems in the twenty-first century. Productivity in Iran is also emphasized by the Seventh Progress Plan law, and it is necessary to carry out systematic planning to achieve it. This study attempts to use the roadmap, which is a common tool in the planning system with a future-oriented approach, and to draw an example of regional productivity roadmaps, focusing on Yazd province in Iran.
Methodology: This qualitative research has been conducted with a descriptive survey approach and is in the applied research group. The research strategy in this study is an expert panel; thus, by organizing four specialized sessions, the opinions of seven experts about the content of the roadmap for improving productivity in Yazd province were received and summarized through group discussion. In order to validate the roadmap, the opinions of four national-level experts in the productivity decision-making system, who are managers of the National Productivity Organization of Iran, were received through interviews.
Discussion and Results
The findings of this study can be presented in three sections:

Functional mapping: The main functions for improving productivity at the provincial level are: problem identification, solution finding, platform development, problem solving and verification. In fact, the first main function for improving regional productivity is to identify and prioritize inefficiency issues, for which purpose indicators should be developed to understand critical points in areas such as production or consumption, and based on data collection mechanisms, it should be determined in which sectors or resources there is a productivity problem; while it is necessary to prioritize these issues in a reliable way. Next, finding operational solutions to solve each of the priority issues will be pursued, and in this way, subsidiary measures such as idea generation and selection are also necessary. Providing the preparations for implementing the solutions is the next step, which should be pursued in areas such as administrative, legal, financial, insurance and executive. In the next stage, the selected solution must be implemented and its operationalization process monitored so that a decision can be made about the effectiveness of implementing the solution and its effects on solving the province's productivity problems; while recording the experiences from this process will also be pursued in the form of a knowledge management mechanism.
Institutional Mapping: In order to follow up and implement the aforementioned functions, it is necessary to provide a set of roles by key actors, which include: leadership, reporting, implementation, financing and exploitation. At the highest level, a set of permanent or temporary decision-making structures are necessary to “lead” the process of solving inefficiency problems in the region. In addition, it is necessary to create institutions (such as productivity observatories or productivity whistleblowers) to report productivity data. It is also necessary to activate institutions (such as knowledge-based companies or productivity consultants) to advance the process of implementing solutions to solve inefficiency problems. Some new or existing structures should also cooperate in order to sustainably provide the financial resources needed to implement productivity solutions so that, ultimately, the entire community of producers, distributors and consumers can benefit from the achievements of the process of solving productivity problems in the province.
Time Mapping: Implementing this roadmap at the regional level (Yazd province) requires time planning. This performance calendar can be followed in four consecutive time periods. In the short term and during the first year of implementing the roadmap, it is necessary to lay the administrative, legal, and structural foundations to prepare the administrative and executive system of the province for implementing this roadmap; for example, new organizational structures (such as the Productivity Observatory) should be created and local regulations governing the implementation of the process of solving productivity problems should be approved by relevant authorities (such as the Productivity Improvement Working Group or the Provincial Planning and Development Council); for example, regulations can be developed and announced to reward industrial units implementing water recycling projects. In the medium term, by the end of the third year of the roadmap’s implementation, it is essential to follow the process outlined in the roadmap to address the province’s inefficiencies (such as inefficient water use in the agricultural sector, or the abundance of mining waste, or energy waste in the steel industry). In the long term (by the end of the fifth year), it is hoped that the effectiveness of the roadmap can be analyzed and, if necessary, revised based on diagnostic reports. In addition, the analysis of the long-term effects of resolving the province’s inefficiencies can be followed over a ten-year period to analyze the environmental, social, and economic consequences of implementing this roadmap.

Conclusion: In order to develop a provincial productivity roadmap, five main functions (including problem identification, solution finding, platform development, problem solving and verification) are necessary, which can be followed in the form of twenty sub-functions. These functions must be followed by a set of institutions (eighteen titles) that can be distributed in five groups (including leadership, reporting, implementation, financing and exploitation). Thus, the "leadership" and "reporting" institutions are responsible for the main function of "problem identification" and the responsibility for realizing the "solution finding" and "problem solving" functions will be with the "implementation" institution; while the "financing" and "leadership" institutions, in assisting the "implementation" institution, will pursue the function of "platform development". Finally, the "verification" function will be realized with the responsibility of the "reporting" institution and the participation of the "exploitation" institution. Implementing and utilizing this roadmap over a ten-year time horizon requires implementing measures that are foreseen in four time periods: short-term (one year), medium-term (three years), long-term (five years), and very-long-term (ten years).