A concessão de diárias e passagens na Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora: os desafios dos solicitantes de viagem e de passagem

Abstract

This study, developed as a management case within the scope of the Professional Master's Program in Public Education Management and Evaluation (PPGP CAED/UFJF), addresses the context of granting per diems and travel tickets and the challenges faced by travel and ticket requesters within the Daily Allowances and Travel System (SCDP) at Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF). The SCDP is a computerized tool used in public administration for planning, execution, and control of per diem and ticket payments. These procedures cover multiple stages, the interaction of various agents, and require the management of deadlines, budgetary resources, and the application of specific legislation. Such complexity demands continuous improvement and efficient coordination among the agents involved, especially the requesters who operate and register leaves of absence in the system. Based on the research question: What challenges do travel and ticket requesters face while using the Daily Allowances and Travel System (SCDP) at UFJF?, the study’s general objective is to investigate the difficulties faced by travel and ticket requesters in the SCDP at UFJF. Moreover, the secondary objectives are: i. to describe the process of granting per diems and tickets and the management of the SCDP at UFJF; ii. to analyze the existing difficulties in granting per diems and tickets at UFJF from the perspective of SCDP travel and ticket requesters; iii. to propose an educational action plan capable of mitigating or solving the challenges experienced by the studied group. The research’s theoretical framework draws on Information Management, Knowledge Management, and the principles of efficiency and efficacy in public administration. As related concepts and principles, it belongs to administrative sciences and the improvement of processes, services, and organizational maintenance, and it must be linked to the purposes, strategic objectives, and institutional mission of the public agency (Batista, 2012). The adopted methodology combines bibliographic and documentary research, the application of an on-line questionnaire to institutional agents with user profiles of Travel Requester and Ticket Requester in the SCDP, and semi-structured interviews with SCDP sectoral managers at the university. The relevance of the study relies on the impact that the granting of per diems and tickets has on teaching, research, and outreach activities within higher education and the institution, in addition to the need to expand the body of research on the subject. By highlighting the main existing challenges, the research provided subsidies for the development of an Educational Action Plan (EAP) aimed at proposing strategies to improve administrative practices related to leave requests and the enhancement of SCDP management at the institution, grounded in the principles of Information and Knowledge Management.