Amendment to RMO No. 50-97 to Clarify the Procedural Process of the Validation of the Enhancement Deliverables Under the BIR TAX Computerization Project (TCP) and to Further Define the Roles and Responsibilities of the Concerned Personnel

February 24, 1998 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 23-98 SUBJECT : Amendment to RMO No. 50-97 to Clarify the Procedural Process of the Validation of the Enhancement Deliverables Under the BIR TAX Computerization Project (TCP) and to Further Define the Roles and Responsibilities of the Concerned Personnel TO : All Enhancement Project Managers, BIR Project Management Office (BIR-PMO), and Other Internal Revenue Officers and Employees Concerned I. Definition : User Validation is the process of validating enhancements to ensure that the enhancement satisfies the Bureau's requirements. II. Objectives/Scope : In line with the BIR-Philippine Tax Computerization Project (PTCP) popularly known as System for Philippine Internal Revenue Information Technology (SPIRIT), this Revenue Memorandum Order is issued to: prLL a) Ensure that enhancement deliverables are validated uniformly across the BIR; b) Ensure that enhancement deliverables conform to an acceptable standard and meet the Bureau's requirements and relevant User Validation Criteria; c) Provide policy guidelines and procedures in processing all pending and future enhancement deliverables; and d) Designate Revenue Officials and personnel to validate enhancement deliverables and sign User Validation documents. III. Roles and Responsibilities : A. Information Planning and Quality Service-Quality Assurance Sector (IPQS-QAS) has primary management and staffing responsibility for the conduct of the User Validation. IPQS-QAS shall: 1. Be responsible for monitoring the overall status of the deliverable and ensuring that all issues raised are properly addressed. 2. Identify the Receiving User. 3. Prepare the RSO for the Receiving User and schedule the User Validation test. 4. Assist the Receiving User in the performance of the User Validation test. 5. Follow-up resolution of issues raised. 6. Be responsible for the issuance of a completely signed User Validation Certificate, providing one set of the User Validation documents to the following: Systems Investigation Division (original copy) Planning Policies and Standards Office (PPSO) B. Systems Investigation Division (SID) SID shall: 1. Notify the Information Planning and Quality Service-Quality Assurance Head when an enhancement is ready for testing. 2. Prepare and transmit all supporting documents (User Validation Certificate signed by the Expert User/s, Acceptance Checklist, Conditions List, and packets containing the list of enhancement, its objectives and functional requirements) to the IPQS-QA Head. 3. Orient the Receiving User/IPQ Reviewer with the enhancements for review, its objectives and functional requirements. 4. Make available to the User Validation testers the testing documents used in the Quality Test. 5. Provide and maintain the necessary environment for the Receiving User and the IPQ Reviewer to execute testing. 6. If so requested, assist the Receiving User in the performance of User Validation tests. 7. Resolve issues/conditions raised on the deliverable. C. Receiving User The Receiving User shall: 1. Be an ITS champion who is not involved in the development of the enhancement for review. 2. Determine that the enhancement satisfies the Bureau's requirements, performing hands-on tests as deemed necessary. 3. Together with the IPQ Reviewer, log additional issues that require resolution. IV. Guidelines and Procedures : A. Policy/Guidelines for Validation of Enhancements : 1. All enhancements to the Integrated Tax System/Internal Administration System (ITS/IAS) that: a) involve a change in functionality b) have an impact on other applications c) materially change the user interface, or d) add a new module require a completely signed User Validation Certificate before migration to production. 2. The Bureau can use enhancements in production only when there are no outstanding major issues or when remaining outstanding issues are minor. Nevertheless, the Bureau strongly discourages the use in production of enhancements with outstanding issues, regardless of severity. The Systems Investigation Division is enjoined to exert all necessary efforts to resolve all issues before issuance of a User Validation Certificate. 3. Procedures for User Validation, including the classification of issues into Major/Minor are prescribed in Attachment A , "User Validation Procedure". 4. A completely signed User Validation Certificate allows for migration of an enhancement to production. B. The following documents are attached for the guidance of all concerned : 1. Acceptance Checklist ( Annex A ). 2. List of all Issues/Conditions raised on the deliverable ( Annex B ). 3. Classification of Issues by Severity ( Major/Minor ) ( Annex C ). 4. User Validation Certificate for enhancement deliverables with no outstanding conditions ( Annex D ). 5. User Validation Certificate for enhancement deliverables with outstanding minor conditions ( Annex E ). 6. User Validation Procedure Flowchart ( Annex F ). C. Classification and Timeframe The User Validation timeframe will be based on the following classification. Classification Conditions Timeframe Implementation of the User Validation of the enhancement is enhancement is estimated at: estimated at: Simple (minor) 0-10 Mandays 1-3 Mandays Moderate (major) 11-100 Mandays 4-10 Mandays Complex (outsource) Over 100 Mandays 11-15 Mandays This Order takes effect immediately and will supersede previous RMO. LIWAYWAY VINZONS-CHATO Commissioner of Internal Revenue