# Guide: Event configuration ### 1. Introduction The role of OpenCRVS is to enable **efficient, high‑quality civil registration services**. That starts with smart business processes that make the most of what digital technology can offer, instead of simply copying existing paper workflows. Use this page when you are: * Reviewing current CRVS processes before introducing OpenCRVS. * Designing new or improved workflows (for example, late registration, corrections, certificate issuance). * Preparing material to support legal or policy updates. *** ### 2. Do’s and don’ts #### 2.1 Do 1. **Use technology to enhance processes and satisfaction** Design workflows that reduce travel, waiting time, and manual re‑entry of data. 2. **Explore digital options even if laws are not yet updated** Consider features such as **digital signatures**, QR‑code verification, and electronic notifications as target end‑states. 3. **Use process redesign to inform legal change** Let improved workflows and service standards guide future **legislative updates** rather than being constrained only by existing law. 4. **Design with real users** Co‑design with registrars, health workers, and community leaders. Validate each step against what they can realistically do. 5. **Design to improve service delivery and experience** Optimise for faster registration, fewer visits, clearer responsibilities, and better communication with families. #### 2.2 Don’t 1. **Do not simply digitise paper processes** Avoid 1:1 replicas of forms, signatures, and approval chains that were designed for a paper world. 2. **Do not design based on legislation alone** Start from real operational needs and pain points, then check what must change legally to support better service. 3. **Do not dismiss features just because they are not yet legal** Treat these as a **vision** to work towards and as input to law and policy reform. 4. **Do not ignore what you already know is broken** If something causes delays or confusion today, redesign it. Do not carry known issues into your digital system. *** ### 3. Key CRVS terms Get comfortable with core terms used in CRVS workflows. Countries sometimes use these words differently, so always confirm what each term means locally. * **Notification** The **minimal set of data** relating to a vital event, often created by someone close to where the event occurs (for example, a health facility or community leader). *Note: Some countries use “notification” and “declaration” interchangeably. Clarify how each term is used in your context.* * **Declaration** The **complete set of data** required to register a vital event (for example, all fields in a birth or death registration form) plus supporting documents. * **Validation** The process of **checking the declaration** against rules and evidence. This includes verifying that data is complete, consistent, and supported by appropriate documents. * **Registration** The **legal act** of adding a validated event to the civil register. After registration, the event becomes an official record and can be referenced in certificates and extracts. * **Certificate issuance** The process of **generating, printing, and issuing a certificate or certified copy** from a registered record, following defined business rules and fees. *** ### 4. Designing the end‑to‑end process When mapping business processes that OpenCRVS will support, think about the **full journey** from the moment an event occurs to the final issuance of a certificate, including who does what, where, and using which device. Below is a simple example using the core CRVS steps. Adapt the actors and locations to your country context. #### 4.1 Example mapping **Step: Notification / Declaration** * **Who is best placed to complete this step?** Health administrator, health worker, or community leader close to where events occur. * **Where should this be done?** At or near the **place of occurrence** (for example, health facility, community meeting point, outreach visit). * **Why them?** They know when events occur and can notify promptly, reducing delays and under‑registration. * **Using what device?** Mobile phone or tablet (online or offline), or a simple web form if connectivity allows. **Step: Validation** * **Who is best placed to complete this step?** Registration clerk or registration agent. * **Where should this be done?** At the **registration office** or service point where documents can be checked. * **Why them?** They handle daily administrative work on behalf of the Registrar and can follow clear validation checklists. * **Using what device?** PC or laptop with access to OpenCRVS, supporting review of both data and uploaded documents. **Step: Registration** * **Who is best placed to complete this step?** Registrar (or a designated official with legal authority). * **Where should this be done?** Wherever the Registrar can securely access OpenCRVS (usually at the registration office, but potentially remote if allowed by policy). * **Why them?** They hold the **legal mandate** to register vital events and are accountable for the accuracy of the register. * **Using what device?** PC or laptop with secure access and appropriate scopes in OpenCRVS. **Step: Certificate issuance** * **Who is best placed to complete this step?** Registration clerk or front‑office staff. * **Where should this be done?** At the **registration office** or service point where citizens collect certificates. * **Why them?** They handle most day‑to‑day interactions, payments, and printing on behalf of the Registrar. * **Using what device?** PC or laptop connected to a printer, using OpenCRVS Print actions. *** ### 5. Questions to guide process design Use these prompts when mapping or refining your business processes: * **Access and proximity** * How close is the person completing each step to where events actually occur? * Can some steps move closer to the community (for example, outreach, health facility notification)? * **Roles and responsibilities** * Is the right level of staff doing the right work? * Can clerks and agents handle more of the routine tasks so Registrars focus on decisions? * **Timing and deadlines** * How will processes support legal time limits for registration? * Where can reminders, flags, or workqueues help staff prioritise cases? * **Channels and devices** * Which steps can safely be done on mobile devices, and which require office‑based PCs? * How will offline work be handled and synced? * **Quality and fraud prevention** * Where in the process should additional checks or approvals be added? * How will you use flags, deduplication, or audit trails to manage risk? * **Citizen experience** * How many visits, documents, and signatures does the citizen currently need? * Which of these can be reduced or removed with better process and digital tools? Use the answers to these questions to propose **simpler, more reliable workflows** before you begin detailed configuration in OpenCRVS. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://documentation.opencrvs.org/v2.0/implementation/your-opencrvs/configuration/guides/guide-event-configuration.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.