LGWP26 Case Study: Turning 270 Submissions into a Traceable Evidence Base

LGWP26 Case Study: Turning 270 Submissions into a Traceable Evidence Base

LGWP26 Case Study: Turning 270 Submissions into a Traceable Evidence Base

Turning messy submissions into a traceable evidence base (and a drafting assistant)

Between August 2025 and March 2026, I helped the LGWP26 team turn a high-volume pile of qualitative inputs into something the team could actually use under pressure:

  • a clean, traceable evidence base

  • a repeatable specialist review + reporting pipeline

  • and a searchable evidence assistant to support drafting through to finalisation

This wasn’t “run AI, get a summary.” The value came from the plumbing: structured capture, a consistent taxonomy, review loops, clear audit trails, and outputs you could regenerate as the evidence base evolved.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

What we produced (at a glance)

Inputs

  • 270 submissions received

  • 265 included in the cleaned dataset (after dedupe / scope / quality checks)

  • specialist comments on the synthesis pack

  • specialist thematic reports (written by domain experts)

Outputs

  • a clean claims database with a documented taxonomy and traceability back to source text

  • a 100-page integrated synthesis for specialist review and policy optioning

  • 11 thematic reports (plus cross-cutting synthesis) packaged for review and drafting

  • a triangulation layer comparing public vs specialist signals (alignments + gaps)

  • an interactive evidence assistant grounded in the curated corpus to support retrieval and structured drafting support

  • a handover-ready package: SOPs, data dictionary, QA approach, workflow map

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The problem

The White Paper team needed a coherent, defensible view of what people submitted—fast. And then they needed to bring specialist review and thematic expertise into the same picture without losing traceability.

The constraints were familiar policy-grade ones:

  • submissions arrive as PDFs, emails, scans, letters… all different formats

  • manual collation is slow, inconsistent, and hard to audit

  • late-stage “reconciliation” creates rework and dents confidence

  • specialists don’t want raw folders—they want structured packs and clear prompts

  • drafters need fast retrieval of evidence without rereading everything

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The approach

I used the same building blocks I use in other evidence-heavy policy and donor contexts: capture → structure → review → publish → retrieve.

1) Data capture & workflow controls

Even without a public intake form, the core job was the same: turn messy documents into structured records with clear control points.

What we set up:

  • repeatable intake from mixed sources

  • standard file naming + metadata capture + dedupe controls

  • status tracking across Ingest → Tag → Review → Publish

  • flags for needs_review, escalate_to_reference_group, confidential_redaction, out_of_scope

Result: the evidence base became consistent, trackable, and owned—no more “mystery folders.”


2) Evidence, insight & reporting engine

2.1 Turning submissions into a claims database

We converted each submission into discrete, reviewable claims (the unit of analysis). Each claim was tagged as:

  • Problem (what’s failing / what harm occurs)

  • Proposal (what change is recommended)

  • Solution (how implementation should happen)

Core fields (simplified):
source_id, claim_id, theme, claim_type, tags, quote, source_locator, status_flags

That created a clear audit path: submission → extracted claim → classification decision → report output.

2.2 AI-assisted coding, with real guardrails

AI helped with suggestions at scale (extraction, tagging, draft summaries). It did not publish anything on its own.

Guardrails that mattered:

  • controlled taxonomy + tag libraries (expandable, but changes logged)

  • mandatory human review before anything was used for reporting

  • quotes + locators attached to claims so reviewers could verify quickly

  • regeneration rules when taxonomy changed (so counts and outputs stayed consistent)

2.3 Reporting that was built for drafting and review

Outputs were packaged in consistent formats the team could reuse:

  • theme-level synthesis tables and ranked issue lists

  • cross-theme rollups of recurring levers and constraints

  • draft-ready summaries and “decision prompts” for policy optioning

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Specialist review and thematic expert reporting

Once public submissions were synthesised, the work shifted from “what was said” to “what it means—and what’s feasible.”

3) Specialist synthesis pack + structured commentary capture

Specialists reviewed a synthesis pack and commented on:

  • accuracy of interpretation

  • missing issues, risks, enabling conditions

  • feasibility and sequencing

  • trade-offs and implementation dependencies

Their feedback was captured in a structured, searchable way—so it didn’t disappear into margin notes.

4) Specialist thematic reports

In parallel, domain experts produced thematic reports aligned to the same structure. These added:

  • operational realism and technical nuance

  • system constraints and dependencies that public inputs often miss

  • practical mechanisms and sequencing considerations

Specialist content was treated as evidence too: tagged, linked, and comparable in the same architecture.

enjoying this Free resource?

Get all of my actionable checklists, templates, and case studies.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Triangulation: public signals vs specialist signals

With both streams captured, we compared them to surface what the drafting team actually needed:

Where signals aligned (high confidence)

  • issues repeatedly raised across both public and specialist inputs

  • remedies that were both publicly supported and specialist-feasible

  • cross-cutting levers appearing across multiple themes

Where signals diverged (needs careful framing)

  • popular public proposals that required enabling reforms or higher-level changes

  • specialist “system plumbing” issues that were underrepresented in submissions

  • high-frequency issues that needed translating into implementable policy instruments

Result: the team got more than “what people said.” They got a clear map of where evidence converged, where it didn’t, and what that implied for sequencing and trade-offs.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Insight Copilot: evidence assistant for drafting support

After consolidation, we built an interactive assistant grounded in the curated corpus (submissions, synthesis, specialist reports). It supported the drafting team through March 2026 with:

  • quick retrieval of supporting excerpts for draft statements

  • organisation by theme, sub-theme, reform lever, implementation constraint

  • side-by-side comparisons of public vs specialist perspectives on the same topic

  • repeatable “recipes” like: “Show top issues + proposed remedies for Theme X, with supporting quotes.”

Important point: it was designed as retrieval + organisation over curated sources, so outputs stayed attributable. It wasn’t a substitute for judgement.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Drafting workflow: keeping claims tied to evidence

To reduce drafting churn, we supported a drafting-time workflow built around:

  • consistent section structure across themes

  • synthesis tables + narrative sections mapped to templates

  • evidence-to-claim linkage (quotes + locators)

  • human-in-the-loop review cycles (review → revise → verify)

That made it easier to defend statements, respond to comments, and keep drafts aligned to the evidence base.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Governance, QA, and audit trail

This needed to stand up to scrutiny, so governance was part of the system—not an afterthought:

  • two-stage review (reviewer + theme lead)

  • logged disagreements and change notes

  • versioned exports generated from the same dataset

  • redaction flags and data minimisation for sensitive content

  • controlled access to working datasets and exports (client environment where possible)

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Before vs after

Before

  • dozens of PDFs/emails in inconsistent formats

  • slow manual collation and late-stage reconciliation

  • weak traceability from synthesis statements back to source text

  • hard to compare themes reliably or regenerate outputs consistently

After

  • one structured evidence base (claims database)

  • consistent tagging with documented changes

  • filterable views by theme/type/tag and review status

  • quantified signals that could be regenerated as the taxonomy improved

  • specialist review and thematic reports integrated into the same architecture

  • drafting-time retrieval through an interactive evidence assistant

Limitations (plainly stated)

  • public submissions are self-selected; they aren’t statistically representative

  • frequency counts reflect what appears often in the dataset, not national prevalence

  • classification involves interpretation; we controlled this through review + quotes + audit logs

  • AI can misclassify; it was used for speed and suggestion, not final authority

Lessons you can reuse on other policy/donor work

  • start with a shared schema and taxonomy before using AI at scale

  • credibility comes from review + traceability, not shiny summaries

  • capture specialist feedback in a structured way so it stays usable

  • triangulation (public vs specialist) is where synthesis becomes decision-ready

  • build drafting-time retrieval early—this is where teams save real time

How this maps to my service offerings

If your team is drowning in documents, reviews, and late-stage reconciliation, this is the system pattern I build:

  • Capture & Automation Engine: structured intake, routing, status tracking, audit trail

  • Evidence, Insight & Reporting Engine: claims database, coding workflow + QA, traceable synthesis, standards-aligned outputs

  • Insight Copilot: evidence assistant over your curated corpus, with guardrails and repeatable queries

  • Report Writer System: drafting workflow with evidence-to-claim linkage and review loops


If you want a similar setup for a policy process, research programme, MEL work, or donor reporting workflow, book a 20-minute scoping call. We’ll nail down objectives, standards, constraints, stakeholders, and the fastest “capture → analyse → report” build that fits your environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How did you ensure POPIA/PAIA compliance while using AI?

Data minimisation, redaction gates before publishing, and a register of lawful bases for processing. We followed the Information Regulator’s PAIA guide and POPIA guidance notes.

2) What counts did you publish?

Per theme: most-cited problems; top proposals/solutions; and cross-theme roll-ups—grounded in the 265-submission dataset documented in the integrated analysis.

3) How do AI outputs get verified?

Every auto-tag is reviewed by a theme lead; disagreements are logged; prompts evolve. This mirrors OECD advice on accountable AI in the public sector.

4) Which global frameworks guided the digital workflow design?

World Bank GovTech materials (shared platforms, service digitisation) and OECD public-sector AI guidance.

Turning messy submissions into a traceable evidence base (and a drafting assistant)

Between August 2025 and March 2026, I helped the LGWP26 team turn a high-volume pile of qualitative inputs into something the team could actually use under pressure:

  • a clean, traceable evidence base

  • a repeatable specialist review + reporting pipeline

  • and a searchable evidence assistant to support drafting through to finalisation

This wasn’t “run AI, get a summary.” The value came from the plumbing: structured capture, a consistent taxonomy, review loops, clear audit trails, and outputs you could regenerate as the evidence base evolved.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

What we produced (at a glance)

Inputs

  • 270 submissions received

  • 265 included in the cleaned dataset (after dedupe / scope / quality checks)

  • specialist comments on the synthesis pack

  • specialist thematic reports (written by domain experts)

Outputs

  • a clean claims database with a documented taxonomy and traceability back to source text

  • a 100-page integrated synthesis for specialist review and policy optioning

  • 11 thematic reports (plus cross-cutting synthesis) packaged for review and drafting

  • a triangulation layer comparing public vs specialist signals (alignments + gaps)

  • an interactive evidence assistant grounded in the curated corpus to support retrieval and structured drafting support

  • a handover-ready package: SOPs, data dictionary, QA approach, workflow map

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The problem

The White Paper team needed a coherent, defensible view of what people submitted—fast. And then they needed to bring specialist review and thematic expertise into the same picture without losing traceability.

The constraints were familiar policy-grade ones:

  • submissions arrive as PDFs, emails, scans, letters… all different formats

  • manual collation is slow, inconsistent, and hard to audit

  • late-stage “reconciliation” creates rework and dents confidence

  • specialists don’t want raw folders—they want structured packs and clear prompts

  • drafters need fast retrieval of evidence without rereading everything

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The approach

I used the same building blocks I use in other evidence-heavy policy and donor contexts: capture → structure → review → publish → retrieve.

1) Data capture & workflow controls

Even without a public intake form, the core job was the same: turn messy documents into structured records with clear control points.

What we set up:

  • repeatable intake from mixed sources

  • standard file naming + metadata capture + dedupe controls

  • status tracking across Ingest → Tag → Review → Publish

  • flags for needs_review, escalate_to_reference_group, confidential_redaction, out_of_scope

Result: the evidence base became consistent, trackable, and owned—no more “mystery folders.”


2) Evidence, insight & reporting engine

2.1 Turning submissions into a claims database

We converted each submission into discrete, reviewable claims (the unit of analysis). Each claim was tagged as:

  • Problem (what’s failing / what harm occurs)

  • Proposal (what change is recommended)

  • Solution (how implementation should happen)

Core fields (simplified):
source_id, claim_id, theme, claim_type, tags, quote, source_locator, status_flags

That created a clear audit path: submission → extracted claim → classification decision → report output.

2.2 AI-assisted coding, with real guardrails

AI helped with suggestions at scale (extraction, tagging, draft summaries). It did not publish anything on its own.

Guardrails that mattered:

  • controlled taxonomy + tag libraries (expandable, but changes logged)

  • mandatory human review before anything was used for reporting

  • quotes + locators attached to claims so reviewers could verify quickly

  • regeneration rules when taxonomy changed (so counts and outputs stayed consistent)

2.3 Reporting that was built for drafting and review

Outputs were packaged in consistent formats the team could reuse:

  • theme-level synthesis tables and ranked issue lists

  • cross-theme rollups of recurring levers and constraints

  • draft-ready summaries and “decision prompts” for policy optioning

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Specialist review and thematic expert reporting

Once public submissions were synthesised, the work shifted from “what was said” to “what it means—and what’s feasible.”

3) Specialist synthesis pack + structured commentary capture

Specialists reviewed a synthesis pack and commented on:

  • accuracy of interpretation

  • missing issues, risks, enabling conditions

  • feasibility and sequencing

  • trade-offs and implementation dependencies

Their feedback was captured in a structured, searchable way—so it didn’t disappear into margin notes.

4) Specialist thematic reports

In parallel, domain experts produced thematic reports aligned to the same structure. These added:

  • operational realism and technical nuance

  • system constraints and dependencies that public inputs often miss

  • practical mechanisms and sequencing considerations

Specialist content was treated as evidence too: tagged, linked, and comparable in the same architecture.

enjoying this Free resource?

Get all of my actionable checklists, templates, and case studies.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Triangulation: public signals vs specialist signals

With both streams captured, we compared them to surface what the drafting team actually needed:

Where signals aligned (high confidence)

  • issues repeatedly raised across both public and specialist inputs

  • remedies that were both publicly supported and specialist-feasible

  • cross-cutting levers appearing across multiple themes

Where signals diverged (needs careful framing)

  • popular public proposals that required enabling reforms or higher-level changes

  • specialist “system plumbing” issues that were underrepresented in submissions

  • high-frequency issues that needed translating into implementable policy instruments

Result: the team got more than “what people said.” They got a clear map of where evidence converged, where it didn’t, and what that implied for sequencing and trade-offs.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Insight Copilot: evidence assistant for drafting support

After consolidation, we built an interactive assistant grounded in the curated corpus (submissions, synthesis, specialist reports). It supported the drafting team through March 2026 with:

  • quick retrieval of supporting excerpts for draft statements

  • organisation by theme, sub-theme, reform lever, implementation constraint

  • side-by-side comparisons of public vs specialist perspectives on the same topic

  • repeatable “recipes” like: “Show top issues + proposed remedies for Theme X, with supporting quotes.”

Important point: it was designed as retrieval + organisation over curated sources, so outputs stayed attributable. It wasn’t a substitute for judgement.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Drafting workflow: keeping claims tied to evidence

To reduce drafting churn, we supported a drafting-time workflow built around:

  • consistent section structure across themes

  • synthesis tables + narrative sections mapped to templates

  • evidence-to-claim linkage (quotes + locators)

  • human-in-the-loop review cycles (review → revise → verify)

That made it easier to defend statements, respond to comments, and keep drafts aligned to the evidence base.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Governance, QA, and audit trail

This needed to stand up to scrutiny, so governance was part of the system—not an afterthought:

  • two-stage review (reviewer + theme lead)

  • logged disagreements and change notes

  • versioned exports generated from the same dataset

  • redaction flags and data minimisation for sensitive content

  • controlled access to working datasets and exports (client environment where possible)

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Before vs after

Before

  • dozens of PDFs/emails in inconsistent formats

  • slow manual collation and late-stage reconciliation

  • weak traceability from synthesis statements back to source text

  • hard to compare themes reliably or regenerate outputs consistently

After

  • one structured evidence base (claims database)

  • consistent tagging with documented changes

  • filterable views by theme/type/tag and review status

  • quantified signals that could be regenerated as the taxonomy improved

  • specialist review and thematic reports integrated into the same architecture

  • drafting-time retrieval through an interactive evidence assistant

Limitations (plainly stated)

  • public submissions are self-selected; they aren’t statistically representative

  • frequency counts reflect what appears often in the dataset, not national prevalence

  • classification involves interpretation; we controlled this through review + quotes + audit logs

  • AI can misclassify; it was used for speed and suggestion, not final authority

Lessons you can reuse on other policy/donor work

  • start with a shared schema and taxonomy before using AI at scale

  • credibility comes from review + traceability, not shiny summaries

  • capture specialist feedback in a structured way so it stays usable

  • triangulation (public vs specialist) is where synthesis becomes decision-ready

  • build drafting-time retrieval early—this is where teams save real time

How this maps to my service offerings

If your team is drowning in documents, reviews, and late-stage reconciliation, this is the system pattern I build:

  • Capture & Automation Engine: structured intake, routing, status tracking, audit trail

  • Evidence, Insight & Reporting Engine: claims database, coding workflow + QA, traceable synthesis, standards-aligned outputs

  • Insight Copilot: evidence assistant over your curated corpus, with guardrails and repeatable queries

  • Report Writer System: drafting workflow with evidence-to-claim linkage and review loops


If you want a similar setup for a policy process, research programme, MEL work, or donor reporting workflow, book a 20-minute scoping call. We’ll nail down objectives, standards, constraints, stakeholders, and the fastest “capture → analyse → report” build that fits your environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How did you ensure POPIA/PAIA compliance while using AI?

Data minimisation, redaction gates before publishing, and a register of lawful bases for processing. We followed the Information Regulator’s PAIA guide and POPIA guidance notes.

2) What counts did you publish?

Per theme: most-cited problems; top proposals/solutions; and cross-theme roll-ups—grounded in the 265-submission dataset documented in the integrated analysis.

3) How do AI outputs get verified?

Every auto-tag is reviewed by a theme lead; disagreements are logged; prompts evolve. This mirrors OECD advice on accountable AI in the public sector.

4) Which global frameworks guided the digital workflow design?

World Bank GovTech materials (shared platforms, service digitisation) and OECD public-sector AI guidance.

Turning messy submissions into a traceable evidence base (and a drafting assistant)

Between August 2025 and March 2026, I helped the LGWP26 team turn a high-volume pile of qualitative inputs into something the team could actually use under pressure:

  • a clean, traceable evidence base

  • a repeatable specialist review + reporting pipeline

  • and a searchable evidence assistant to support drafting through to finalisation

This wasn’t “run AI, get a summary.” The value came from the plumbing: structured capture, a consistent taxonomy, review loops, clear audit trails, and outputs you could regenerate as the evidence base evolved.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

What we produced (at a glance)

Inputs

  • 270 submissions received

  • 265 included in the cleaned dataset (after dedupe / scope / quality checks)

  • specialist comments on the synthesis pack

  • specialist thematic reports (written by domain experts)

Outputs

  • a clean claims database with a documented taxonomy and traceability back to source text

  • a 100-page integrated synthesis for specialist review and policy optioning

  • 11 thematic reports (plus cross-cutting synthesis) packaged for review and drafting

  • a triangulation layer comparing public vs specialist signals (alignments + gaps)

  • an interactive evidence assistant grounded in the curated corpus to support retrieval and structured drafting support

  • a handover-ready package: SOPs, data dictionary, QA approach, workflow map

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The problem

The White Paper team needed a coherent, defensible view of what people submitted—fast. And then they needed to bring specialist review and thematic expertise into the same picture without losing traceability.

The constraints were familiar policy-grade ones:

  • submissions arrive as PDFs, emails, scans, letters… all different formats

  • manual collation is slow, inconsistent, and hard to audit

  • late-stage “reconciliation” creates rework and dents confidence

  • specialists don’t want raw folders—they want structured packs and clear prompts

  • drafters need fast retrieval of evidence without rereading everything

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

The approach

I used the same building blocks I use in other evidence-heavy policy and donor contexts: capture → structure → review → publish → retrieve.

1) Data capture & workflow controls

Even without a public intake form, the core job was the same: turn messy documents into structured records with clear control points.

What we set up:

  • repeatable intake from mixed sources

  • standard file naming + metadata capture + dedupe controls

  • status tracking across Ingest → Tag → Review → Publish

  • flags for needs_review, escalate_to_reference_group, confidential_redaction, out_of_scope

Result: the evidence base became consistent, trackable, and owned—no more “mystery folders.”


2) Evidence, insight & reporting engine

2.1 Turning submissions into a claims database

We converted each submission into discrete, reviewable claims (the unit of analysis). Each claim was tagged as:

  • Problem (what’s failing / what harm occurs)

  • Proposal (what change is recommended)

  • Solution (how implementation should happen)

Core fields (simplified):
source_id, claim_id, theme, claim_type, tags, quote, source_locator, status_flags

That created a clear audit path: submission → extracted claim → classification decision → report output.

2.2 AI-assisted coding, with real guardrails

AI helped with suggestions at scale (extraction, tagging, draft summaries). It did not publish anything on its own.

Guardrails that mattered:

  • controlled taxonomy + tag libraries (expandable, but changes logged)

  • mandatory human review before anything was used for reporting

  • quotes + locators attached to claims so reviewers could verify quickly

  • regeneration rules when taxonomy changed (so counts and outputs stayed consistent)

2.3 Reporting that was built for drafting and review

Outputs were packaged in consistent formats the team could reuse:

  • theme-level synthesis tables and ranked issue lists

  • cross-theme rollups of recurring levers and constraints

  • draft-ready summaries and “decision prompts” for policy optioning

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Specialist review and thematic expert reporting

Once public submissions were synthesised, the work shifted from “what was said” to “what it means—and what’s feasible.”

3) Specialist synthesis pack + structured commentary capture

Specialists reviewed a synthesis pack and commented on:

  • accuracy of interpretation

  • missing issues, risks, enabling conditions

  • feasibility and sequencing

  • trade-offs and implementation dependencies

Their feedback was captured in a structured, searchable way—so it didn’t disappear into margin notes.

4) Specialist thematic reports

In parallel, domain experts produced thematic reports aligned to the same structure. These added:

  • operational realism and technical nuance

  • system constraints and dependencies that public inputs often miss

  • practical mechanisms and sequencing considerations

Specialist content was treated as evidence too: tagged, linked, and comparable in the same architecture.

enjoying this Free resource?

Get all of my actionable checklists, templates, and case studies.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Triangulation: public signals vs specialist signals

With both streams captured, we compared them to surface what the drafting team actually needed:

Where signals aligned (high confidence)

  • issues repeatedly raised across both public and specialist inputs

  • remedies that were both publicly supported and specialist-feasible

  • cross-cutting levers appearing across multiple themes

Where signals diverged (needs careful framing)

  • popular public proposals that required enabling reforms or higher-level changes

  • specialist “system plumbing” issues that were underrepresented in submissions

  • high-frequency issues that needed translating into implementable policy instruments

Result: the team got more than “what people said.” They got a clear map of where evidence converged, where it didn’t, and what that implied for sequencing and trade-offs.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Insight Copilot: evidence assistant for drafting support

After consolidation, we built an interactive assistant grounded in the curated corpus (submissions, synthesis, specialist reports). It supported the drafting team through March 2026 with:

  • quick retrieval of supporting excerpts for draft statements

  • organisation by theme, sub-theme, reform lever, implementation constraint

  • side-by-side comparisons of public vs specialist perspectives on the same topic

  • repeatable “recipes” like: “Show top issues + proposed remedies for Theme X, with supporting quotes.”

Important point: it was designed as retrieval + organisation over curated sources, so outputs stayed attributable. It wasn’t a substitute for judgement.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Drafting workflow: keeping claims tied to evidence

To reduce drafting churn, we supported a drafting-time workflow built around:

  • consistent section structure across themes

  • synthesis tables + narrative sections mapped to templates

  • evidence-to-claim linkage (quotes + locators)

  • human-in-the-loop review cycles (review → revise → verify)

That made it easier to defend statements, respond to comments, and keep drafts aligned to the evidence base.

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Governance, QA, and audit trail

This needed to stand up to scrutiny, so governance was part of the system—not an afterthought:

  • two-stage review (reviewer + theme lead)

  • logged disagreements and change notes

  • versioned exports generated from the same dataset

  • redaction flags and data minimisation for sensitive content

  • controlled access to working datasets and exports (client environment where possible)

AI Data Analysis & Digital Workflows for SA White Paper on Local Government

Before vs after

Before

  • dozens of PDFs/emails in inconsistent formats

  • slow manual collation and late-stage reconciliation

  • weak traceability from synthesis statements back to source text

  • hard to compare themes reliably or regenerate outputs consistently

After

  • one structured evidence base (claims database)

  • consistent tagging with documented changes

  • filterable views by theme/type/tag and review status

  • quantified signals that could be regenerated as the taxonomy improved

  • specialist review and thematic reports integrated into the same architecture

  • drafting-time retrieval through an interactive evidence assistant

Limitations (plainly stated)

  • public submissions are self-selected; they aren’t statistically representative

  • frequency counts reflect what appears often in the dataset, not national prevalence

  • classification involves interpretation; we controlled this through review + quotes + audit logs

  • AI can misclassify; it was used for speed and suggestion, not final authority

Lessons you can reuse on other policy/donor work

  • start with a shared schema and taxonomy before using AI at scale

  • credibility comes from review + traceability, not shiny summaries

  • capture specialist feedback in a structured way so it stays usable

  • triangulation (public vs specialist) is where synthesis becomes decision-ready

  • build drafting-time retrieval early—this is where teams save real time

How this maps to my service offerings

If your team is drowning in documents, reviews, and late-stage reconciliation, this is the system pattern I build:

  • Capture & Automation Engine: structured intake, routing, status tracking, audit trail

  • Evidence, Insight & Reporting Engine: claims database, coding workflow + QA, traceable synthesis, standards-aligned outputs

  • Insight Copilot: evidence assistant over your curated corpus, with guardrails and repeatable queries

  • Report Writer System: drafting workflow with evidence-to-claim linkage and review loops


If you want a similar setup for a policy process, research programme, MEL work, or donor reporting workflow, book a 20-minute scoping call. We’ll nail down objectives, standards, constraints, stakeholders, and the fastest “capture → analyse → report” build that fits your environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) How did you ensure POPIA/PAIA compliance while using AI?

Data minimisation, redaction gates before publishing, and a register of lawful bases for processing. We followed the Information Regulator’s PAIA guide and POPIA guidance notes.

2) What counts did you publish?

Per theme: most-cited problems; top proposals/solutions; and cross-theme roll-ups—grounded in the 265-submission dataset documented in the integrated analysis.

3) How do AI outputs get verified?

Every auto-tag is reviewed by a theme lead; disagreements are logged; prompts evolve. This mirrors OECD advice on accountable AI in the public sector.

4) Which global frameworks guided the digital workflow design?

World Bank GovTech materials (shared platforms, service digitisation) and OECD public-sector AI guidance.

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  2. Share a link to a resource with a colleague or community group

  3. Credit or link back to the post if you use a template in your own materials

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  2. Share a link to a resource with a colleague or community group

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Book a 20-minute scoping call with Romanos

Book a 20-minute scoping call to map your reporting requirements, data reality, and delivery risks. You’ll leave with a recommended scope (Capture Engine, Evidence & Reporting Engine, or full system) and next steps.

Helping agencies, consultancies, and delivery teams turn raw inputs into structured evidence and reporting-ready outputs.

Based in Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦

© Romanos Boraine 2025.

All Rights Reserved

Romanos Boraine Consulting Logo

Book a 20-minute scoping call with Romanos

Book a 20-minute scoping call to map your reporting requirements, data reality, and delivery risks. You’ll leave with a recommended scope (Capture Engine, Evidence & Reporting Engine, or full system) and next steps.

Helping agencies, consultancies, and delivery teams turn raw inputs into structured evidence and reporting-ready outputs.

Based in Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦

© Romanos Boraine 2025.

All Rights Reserved

Romanos Boraine Consulting Logo

Book a 20-minute scoping call with Romanos

Book a 20-minute scoping call to map your reporting requirements, data reality, and delivery risks. You’ll leave with a recommended scope (Capture Engine, Evidence & Reporting Engine, or full system) and next steps.

Helping agencies, consultancies, and delivery teams turn raw inputs into structured evidence and reporting-ready outputs.

Based in Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦

© Romanos Boraine 2025.

All Rights Reserved