Software Engineering to Automate Processes in Low-Budget Decentralized Autonomous Governments

Abstract

The digital transformation of local governments in Ecuador, particularly those with limited budgets and medium or small-scale structures, faces significant challenges such as outdated administrative processes, resistance to change, and technological dependence. This research aimed to design and implement an automated revenue management system tailored to the specific needs of the Lago Agrio municipal government. The primary objective was to improve process efficiency, ensure public financial transparency, and increase taxpayer satisfaction. The study employed an applied and descriptive research approach, using the Extreme Programming (XP) methodology. A total of 29 municipal employees from strategic departments—such as revenues, collections, treasury, water services, property valuation, and planning—participated in the iterative development process. The implementation was carried out using free and open-source software tools, with a strong focus on autonomy and sustainability. As a result, key municipal procedures experienced radical improvements: registration of municipal licenses, which previously took up to five months, was reduced to just two days; overdue account monitoring was shortened from months to minutes; and water billing operations reached 95% recovery efficiency with real-time control. Furthermore, user service time decreased from an average of 25 minutes to just one minute, significantly improving the citizen experience. The study concludes that agile software engineering methodologies, when applied in close collaboration with public sector actors and supported by appropriate technological tools, can transform public administration at the local level. These results are scalable and can serve as a model for other decentralized autonomous governments across the region, contributing to greater transparency, efficiency, and digital sovereignty.