How the council will use its information and technology assets to achieve successful change
Contents Strategy Context 2 Digital Delivery and Citizen Engagement 4 Operational Excellence and Transformation 6 Information Access and Data Sharing 8 ICT Delivery and Innovation 10 1
Strategy Context Renfrewshire s Community Plan identifies the roll-out of a comprehensive digital and ICT strategy for the council and the wider Renfrewshire community as a key policy aim. The council recognises the importance of digital technologies in modernising services and also in wider enablement of citizens, communities and the economy of Renfrewshire. As with other major council strategies, Connect Renfrewshire is being developed in response to a new council plan, A Better Future, A Better Council (2014-17). The council plan positions ICT as an enabler of strategic change, providing more opportunities for digital access, supporting an agile workforce, offering new options for service delivery and generating powerful business intelligence to inform service planning and evaluation of outcomes. These and other business led drivers will determine the way in which the council invests in its information and technology assets under this strategy. Connect Renfrewshire is highly aligned with the Local Government ICT Strategy, Better Services for Communities. This strategy reflects the expectation that public services will be delivered effectively and efficiently through digital technologies and that on-line services should now be the norm. It set outs the outcomes all councils should be seeking to achieve as: Digital services more opportunities for people to access and shape services through digital channels, recognising the increased expectations of citizens; Reduced costs optimising spend on ICT through collaboration, sharing and exploring new sourcing options; Enabling reform digital technologies can enable lower service costs, more joined up delivery, new personalised services and a more flexible, productive and skilled workforce. There is a sense of urgency at national and local level about making better use of ICT. This is driven in part by the financial context in which all public services now operate and a self evident need to have smarter, more efficient systems and processes in place to support service delivery. There is an appreciation that significant changes such as health and social care integration will depend on a more innovative approach to provision of ICT. A desire for faster progress is also a reflection of frustration that public sector organisations appear slow in taking advantage of technology trends which are having a transformational impact in wider society. These trends, which can be collectively described as the consumerisation of ICT, include: Mobile Devices there has been a rapid growth in low cost smart-phone and tablet devices using wireless communications to access 24/7 digital services; Cloud computing this involves using internet technologies which are paid for when needed, scaled up and down on demand and shared by business users; Social media although often identified with leisure uses, the potential for social media to enable collaborative working and citizen engagement is being recognised by many businesses; Big Data making use of the exponential growth of data to bring new insights to trends improving prediction and prevention; Open data making information available to enable citizens to be more involved in service planning or delivery, or to encourage the development of apps which use available data in innovative ways. 2
The Internet of Things - Projections indicate that up to 100 billion uniquely identifiable objects will be connected to the Internet by 2020. For instance, the ability to connect everyday objects to the internet is transforming technologies supporting vulnerable people. The transformation in services, in service costs and service outcomes that the council wishes to bring about requires a different approach to ICT and in particular a strengthened partnership with front line service delivery. This requires a shift in emphasis toward technologies and services that will link strongly to the council s transformation plans and more explicit alignment between ICT planning and the Community Plan and Council Plan outcomes. Meeting the ambitions of the council and of front line service staff to enable moves toward prevention, toward service transformation and towards digitally enabled citizens means a shift in tone and pace. Business stakeholders consulted on strategy development were clear that there should be more online digital services, supported by greater integration of applications, processes and information. Stakeholders also want it to be easier and quicker to access information for a range of purposes, including the management of service performance. Further development and extension of Agile Working was one of the top stakeholder ambitions, including embracing technology to enhance collaboration and team working. In relation to the effectiveness of the council s ICT services, stakeholders communicated that they would like to see improvement in priority planning, response times and scope for innovation. The involvement of stakeholders in developing Connect Renfrewshire is part of a commitment to a refreshed approach to the council s ICT delivery. ICT in today s context is best understood as a joint venture between those involved in designing and delivering public services, including citizens and customers, and those who have the skills to exploit information and technology assets to best advantage. For this reason, a business relationship management model will characterise the further development of the council s corporate ICT service, encompassing the prioritisation of investment, capacity planning and accountability for results. The business partnership approach will extend to other organisations in the public sector (such as the NHS), to Higher/Further Education, the third sector and to businesses. There also needs to be partnership with the people of Renfrewshire. Whether that relates to the design of new digital services or broader objectives about the value of technology to the community, successful initiatives have to be developed from the citizen s perspective. All of this represents a complex agenda and it will be helpful to have a clear structure for the range of topics to be discussed in the ongoing engagement to define and implement a detailed action plan. The delivery priorities identified in each section of the strategy are therefore set out in the remainder of this document under four themes: Digital Delivery and Citizen Engagement Operational Excellence and Transformation Information Access and Data Sharing ICT Delivery and Innovation The Connect Renfrewshire strategy will cover the period 2014 to 2017, and implementation will be reviewed annually to take account of progress in delivering council plan priorities, changes in policy and legislative environments and fast moving trends within the ICT industry. 3
Digital Delivery & Citizen Engagement Aim: All appropriate council services will be available through digital channels and citizens will be supported to use digital options for access and engagement. Putting customers and citizens first is central to the council s approach to service delivery and its role in the community. Customers and citizens should have a positive experience of well designed council services, which in today s world is expected to include smart use of technology. Connect Renfrewshire will deliver greater capability for customers to use accessible, self-service digital channels to engage with the council at a convenient time and place. Queries and requests for service will be resolved faster by improving access to information for customers and the staff who serve them. Greater exploitation of digital channels for service delivery can provide significant financial savings whilst offering a better service. However, this can only be achieved if the service is convenient, efficient and user friendly. The council has already created a powerful platform for digital delivery having upgraded its website, launched the Looking Local smartphone app and digital TV channels and implemented a modern digital telephony system with a simplified 0300 numbering scheme. A Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) holds customer information on contacts across multiple channels and frontline services. Renfrewshire will develop a Customer Access strategy to advance further in this direction, to expand the services delivered using these platforms and in particular to extend and promote online self-service. The scope of the strategy will include: the use of data to understand customer preferences and their potential use of digital channels; improved business process design to achieve greater automation, minimise cost and enhance customer experience. This will be supported with the ICT skills and assets that can quickly facilitate digital access options and implement customer registration and authentication processes in response to need. Customer Access strategy development will create a digital services road map, setting out priorities and timelines for new digital services. Targets will be set to measure the uptake of digital services and feedback will be sought on how customers and citizens experience the services offered. The council s web presence will be improved. We will make it easier for customers to find information and on-line services in the fewest possible steps. Options for completing transactions on-line will be increased. Further effort will go into the delivery and promotion of mobile access, digital TV and use of social media. ICT development plans will be predicated on the on the recognition that most people now access internet services via mobile devices rather than desktop or laptop computers. Increasing access to council decision making processes and strengthening consultation and engagement methods can also be enabled by digital technologies. For example, early in 2014 the first live webcast of a council meeting was broadcast. Providing citizens with easy access to council information relating to their community will increase engagement and expand the views available to the council when developing services. In addition to the web site, the council s use of social media and awareness of other digital platforms for consultation and engagement will increase. There will be a presumption of digital first in delivering council services, but there will also be other options for those who don t have access to, or don t wish to use digital technology. Those who want to use digital services but who need support, will have opportunities for learning in the community and will benefit from measures to improve access. The council will help define and actively contribute to a 4
community wide Assisted Digital agenda that will explore for example: public access Wi-Fi; one-toone support in libraries and community hubs; training courses or drop in surgeries; digital advocates and a volunteer network. This work will be conducted in tandem with Council initiatives on tackling poverty to maximize uptake and effectiveness. The council has an important stake in promoting and enabling the wider benefits of the digital economy for Renfrewshire. As a community planning partner the council will foster collaboration and sponsor a strategic approach to address structural issues, such as broadband and WiFi coverage, and to ensure that opportunities for digital participation are available to all citizens. This commitment recognises that technology will play an important part in individual and community empowerment. It will increasingly be a key factor in helping citizens gain employment and create and grow businesses in Renfrewshire. Using digital channels, citizens can improve their access to services, increase civic engagement and develop community capabilities. The Connect Renfrewshire strategy will benefit from regional or national initiatives where opportunities are identified. For instance, the council is engaged with the national myaccount service (formerly the Citizens Account), which is one of a number of potential ways to make on-line services more interactive, joined up and personalised. The council is also engaged with the Superfast Broadband programme and will develop understanding of how this new capability can be used to improve the delivery of council services and benefit the wider community. Delivery priorities Work with partners to develop a strategy for Customer Access that takes full advantage of options for digital service delivery and creates more self service opportunities for customers Increase support for customer access and community engagement across a range of digital channels, existing and new web, mobile, social media, public access Wi-Fi Improve customer experience and overall efficiency through process re-design, to deliver more streamlined, right first time services Deliver solutions for customers to register and use fully digital, transactional services Work with community partners to develop an Assisted Digital strategy to ensure that no individuals or sections of the community are excluded from the potential benefits of digital public services Develop performance and quality measurement to understand and continuously improve the impact of digital public services, including service delivery and customer satisfaction indicators 5
Operational Excellence & Transformation Aim: All staff will benefit from adopting new, agile ways of working and the streamlining of business processes to eliminate wasteful bureaucracy. Exploiting technology to enable all council staff to make a difference in the lives of the people of Renfrewshire is the focus of the Operational Excellence & Transformation element of the strategy. Operational excellence means staff and customers benefit from smart, modern ways of delivering services. Transformation is about redesigning and refocusing services to ensure they are sustainable in the strategic context set out in the council s business plan A Better Future, A Better Council. Staff at all levels of the organisation comment on the gap between their experience of technology in everyday life compared with the technology available to them at work. This is known to be an issue for the public sector as a whole and a new Local Government ICT Strategy has been created with the aim of helping all councils invest in better services while also reducing costs. This aim compels the council to consider how technology can be used to reduce complexity in the organisation, increase flexibility and help people collaborate to do more within given financial constraints. The aim is clearly linked to the aspiration that the council will evolve to be a more modern, efficient, much less paper dependent and satisfying place to work. To date, the council s Worksmart project has been a success in enabling mobile/flexible working for some parts of the workforce, driving an increase in technology awareness and skills. The Use IT campaign has helped many staff to make better use of available technology. A new model working environment has been established on the lower ground floor at Renfrewshire House, with very positive feedback from staff. The development of wireless networking and the introduction of a new digital telephony system have also increased scope for staff to access information and services from multiple locations. All of this has generated a demand across the organisation for Agile Working to become the new normal. This would mean all staff having access to the information and support services they need regardless of time and place. Moving forward, this will require a more strategic, whole council approach to change working practices, introduce smarter, paperless business processes and make effective use of existing and new technology solutions. Agile Working in this sense becomes an integral part of service design, rather than an add-on to essentially traditional delivery models. Renfrewshire will produce an Agile Working strategy as an early deliverable of its Better Council strategic change programme. The Better Council programme will set the business led priorities for delivering the enablers of agile working in terms of policy, procurement, and technology investment. Opportunities for doing this collaboratively with partners will be explored recognising that across councils there will be common business drivers for agile working. Options for enabling Agile Working will include extending the range of ICT end user devices provided by the council and also allowing staff to use their own device, within recognised and understood security and confidentiality constraints. Agile Working will also be enabled by providing easy access to new collaborative technology tools that allow colleagues to work together without traditional administrative overheads. The Agile Working strategy will highlight that, in order to realise the intended benefits from ICT investment, the council s business processes have to be designed to work smarter, be less time intensive and where possible, be automated. This strategy will also recognise there is no one size approach to equipping, locating and supporting staff different solutions will apply to distinct job roles. There will 6
be development of the council s HR policies and guidance specifically in support of increased and normalised Agile Working. Across all job roles, the development of Agile Working will enable greater opportunities for team/partnership working and an increased focus on performance and outcomes. Increased adoption of Agile Working in the council will also allow a new assessment of the scope for reducing accommodation and energy consumption costs. There will be increased scope for more modern and innovative approaches to the design of workspaces as few people will require a fixed desk location. As staff at all levels become aware of the new opportunities created by Agile Working, it is anticipated that more opportunities for different ways of delivering service will emerge and be championed. Delivery priorities Work with partners to develop a strategy that identifies all the changes needed for organisation wide adoption of Agile Working as the new normal Build a plan for the implementation of Agile Working, linked to the Better Council programme and other strategic priorities Develop smarter, paper free business processes that allow staff to access the information they need to do their jobs as effectively and efficiently as possible Identify new and better ways of supporting collaboration and partnership working, within the council and externally Design more efficient and flexible utilization of office space and other property assets Develop performance and outcome measurements to understand and continuously improve the impact of Agile Working, including productivity and satisfaction at work indicators 7
Information Access & Data Sharing Aim: The council s information resources are managed as a high value asset, readily available to support strategic and operational needs Councils exist now in an information age economy, in which digital technologies have transformed the basis of delivery for most businesses. The challenges that the council faces today are different from those of previous years and it will be important to use all our assets in meeting these challenges. Valuing information as an asset is perhaps a relatively new concept, but it is evident the council s operations depend everyday on access to reliable, up to date information on customers and services while planning for the future equally requires good quality insight and evidence. Within the council at present the hard reality is that, despite significant investment in ICT systems, information is often challenging to access and collation is staff intensive. There is a proliferation of software applications, file systems and documents (paper and electronic) that currently hold the council s vital business information. This position in turn drives inefficient practices where bespoke systems and workarounds are created for individual services and projects, exacerbating issues of information quality and ease of access. Connect Renfrewshire will establish the principle that information is a business asset - as vital to front line service delivery and the management, planning and commissioning of services as human resources, finance or property. This will mean taking steps to ensure that the council s information assets are exploited to support the delivery of excellent public services, through the analysis of operational performance and evidence based policy and strategy development. An Information Strategy will be developed in partnership with internal and external stakeholders. This strategy will build on existing work to compile an Information Asset Register and a portfolio of all the council s business applications. The information strategy will support the recent work to organise and make accessible information on Renfrewshire Today and Renfrewshire Performs as part of a Knowledge Bank, which is a significant step in recognising the value of information assets. Other elements of an information strategy will include creating and promoting master data sources and a common data classification scheme. The information strategy will recognise where all stakeholders have a shared interest in specific information assets (e.g. data about employees, finance and property) and where information relates to specific services or client groups and ensure appropriate data sharing protocols are in place. An example of the latter would be the aspiration for a single view of the child to enable effective cross-agency collaboration in supporting vulnerable children. The council has many reporting and enquiry tools and access to analytical information is often highly dependent on individual specialist knowledge. This will be addressed through increasing capability to share information between applications and by developing a strong Business Intelligence capability. Modern approaches to commissioning public services, e.g. shifting investment towards prevention and early intervention, needs greater capability to bring information assets together in new ways to enable the use of predictive analytics and exploit the potential of big data. Information access and data sharing is far from being a specialist or back-room concern. Some of the important, outward facing outcomes of successfully managing and valuing information as an asset will include: citizens will feel confident that personal data is shared responsibly to create better outcomes and more responsive services which meet their individual needs 8
citizens will be able to readily check information held about them and endorse appropriate data sharing service delivery failures will not be attributable to a lack of appropriate sharing of data safeguards to protect privacy and security will operate effectively and efficiently at the individual level and when using council data sets for research and development purposes non-personal information held by the council will be viewed as a public good and will be accessible citizens, partners, third sector organisations and businesses will be engaged in debate on the most effective use of collective information assets. This new way of looking at information as an asset underpins radical developments like smarter cities initiatives around the world. These focus for example, on the growth of internet enabled devices (the internet of things) to support better traffic management and improve energy efficiency and a growing range of other projects. There is every incentive therefore for the council to set its ambition high in transforming the way information is stored, analysed and shared to drive modern public service delivery. Delivery priorities Develop an information strategy that sets out improvements in the way information assets are managed and shared, enabling staff to turn information into improved outcomes for citizens Review and update information assurance and governance policies to keep pace with the changes in the capture, storage, analysis and sharing of information driven by Connect Renfrewshire Develop an approach to future ICT procurement that is led by business information driven requirements, ensuring a deep understanding of the business problems to be addressed Rapidly develop business intelligence initiatives targeted at supporting delivery of the council s strategic change priorities Develop plans with partners to show how business intelligence, open data, big data etc. can support the work of the Community Planning Partnership and support community empowerment aims 9
ICT Delivery and Innovation Aim: The council s investment in ICT delivery will be fully aligned with its strategic priorities as a modern, innovative and successful public service organization. In today s information age economy many organisations derive great benefit from the use of ICT, gaining decisive advantage in pursuing their objectives. Council staff, elected members and other stakeholders however often highlight frustration with what is felt to be clunky technology and persisting paper based processes, which means that the council s use of ICT compares unfavourably with what is now the normal experience in the outside world. In the course of consulting on the development of this strategy, the requirement for ICT to enable change in the way the council operates at an increased pace was widely articulated. The research conducted in support of the strategy development identified two major characteristics of ICT in successful organisations which point to the key changes necessary in the way the council s ICT service works in supporting the council to achieve benefits from business critical investment in modern technology. Senior stakeholders indicated that depth of business knowledge in the ICT service and ability to engage with the priorities of frontline services are vital in determining the ultimate value of ICT. This matches up with the research finding that many successful organisations have moved away from the traditional positioning of ICT as an internal supplier of technology solutions and services to defining ICT as a full business partner, helping to make and take forward the organisation s strategic plans. In this latter role, ICT acts as an intelligent client on behalf of the organisation, on the basis of developing relationships which enable a deep understanding of the priorities ICT is intended to support. This does not remove the conventional role of ICT staff in supplying services in response to explicit business requests, but develops and strengthens the ICT role by providing increased capability to: explore and introduce new technologies relevant to the council; act as the agent of technology-enabled change within the council; advise and guide service managers and other business partners on the strategic impact of IT. This new positioning of ICT places great emphasis on customer service and engagement with business challenges. All ICT staff will be supported to act as ambassadors and advocates of the use of ICT in support of the council s objectives. During consultation, stakeholders also highlighted the complexity and timescales involved in existing processes for the type of ICT development projects that enable positive change in service delivery. Again this aligns with research findings which showed that successful organisations have adapted their approach to ICT delivery to take full advantage of the consumerisation trend in the wider ICT industry which is referred to in the Strategy Context section of this document. In practice this means developing a more strategic, cost aware approach to a mixed economy of ICT provision. It also means making choices about ICT delivery which allow the council to shift the balance of effort from keeping the lights on type activity to higher value development and innovation projects. Such an approach will also address issues arising from an established pattern of developing bespoke ICT infrastructure and software applications including extensive customization of off the shelf packages. All these aspects of existing practice constrain the ability of the ICT service to be flexible, adaptable and to offer sustainable options in response to continuous and increasing demand. All changes to ICT delivery under Connect Renfrewshire will therefore be directed at strengthening the strategic positioning of the council s ICT service, improving its capability and capacity to enable change 10
and deliver on the range of priorities set out in the previous sections. The detailed roadmap for ICT that will be developed on the basis of this strategy will create a technical architecture for the council designed to assure the long term reliability, scalability and affordability of ICT provision. This architecture will encompass information, infrastructure (data centre, networks, end user devices) and software applications. The roadmap will also set out how the shape of the ICT organisation, its key processes and people resources will evolve to achieve the aim of fully aligning ICT investment with the council s policy led priorities. The repositioning of ICT envisaged will result in a number of outcomes. Customers will see a clearly defined ICT service delivery model and understand the route map for improvement. That service delivery model for ICT will be designed to deliver excellent customer service and enable innovation. New ways of delivering ICT services will ensure that all available resources are used to best advantage from a whole council perspective. This will include continued positive engagement with the ICT Shared Services programme, where Renfrewshire is working with East Renfrewshire Council to identify opportunities to collaborate on the approach to transformational change enabled by ICT. Delivery priorities Complete strategic reviews of the council s applications and infrastructure portfolios to inform the design of a target ICT architecture matched to the council s public service business needs Develop an End User Device strategy and associated information assurance and usage policies, covering council issued and staff owned devices Produce an ICT service catalogue and embed/extend the adoption of industry recognised service management standards Create an up to date development programme for ICT staff, focusing on Information Age methods and skills including business partnering, customer service and effective innovation Review ICT Service Desk operations and explore opportunities to streamline and automate high volume services requests and tasks 11