Administrative Systems as Data Infrastructures: Rethinking State Capacity Through Work Management

Abstract

This article examines how administrative systems for work management can be reconceptualized as data infrastructures within the state, contributing to the development of analytical capacity in public organizations. While digital transformation in the public sector has largely focused on service delivery and citizen-facing platforms, less attention has been given to internal administrative systems through which governments generate and structure organizational data. To address this gap, the study adopts a qualitative single-case design, analyzing the development of the Integrated System for Attendance and Activity Management (SIGFA) in the State Secretariat for Planning of Piauí (SEPLAN/PI), Brazil. The methodological approach combines document analysis, observation of organizational routines, and exploratory interviews with key actors involved in the system’s design and implementation. The findings reveal structural limitations in traditional time-control systems, particularly their focus on presence-based monitoring and their limited capacity to generate structured data on institutional activities. In contrast, SIGFA illustrates how administrative systems can be reconfigured to integrate time registration, activity monitoring, and data visualization into coherent data flows, enhancing organizational visibility, coordination, and decision-making. The article advances three contributions: it conceptualizes administrative systems as institutional data infrastructures; proposes an analytical model based on data generation, integration, and utilization; and provides empirical evidence from a Global South context. It also highlights tensions between data-driven management and data-based control, contributing to debates on digital transformation, state capacity, and public value.