Things we should have read but probably did not

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Things we should have read but probably did not

• Tony Riding
• Socitm West Midlands
• 17 September 2008

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Purpose and scope

• To identify and promote good practice in the
  management of ICT in the local public sector
• To provide information and advice in the form of
  publications
• To influence decision-makers locally and
  nationally
• all in the support of Socitms objectives

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Some facts and figures

• 10 to 12 publications per year (over 1,100 pp of
  new content)
• 25 subscriber workshops in 2008
• 4 major events in 2008 (over 620 delegates)
• 525 subscribers
• 200 to 300 participating in other services
• Core team of four supported by another 20
• Some 70 projects / activities in annual programme
  

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Gross income
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Additional services
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Subscriptions
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Subscribers from outside local government
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Transformation

• ICT governance good practice
• in directing investment and resources
• Raising the game in transforming
• local public services (17 Jan, 102 delegates)
• Coming shortly
• Managing major change programmes
• Practicalities of being CIO

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Information Better connected

• Better connected 2009
• A world denied supplement on accessibility
• Website take-up service 90 subscribers
• 2 briefings
• 2 workshops
• SPiN conference (24 April) 107 delegates
• Building a perfect council website (16 July) 290
  delegates
• Web 2.0 what it is and why it matters
• Launch workshop (10 September) 130 delegates

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Technology

• Technology challenge for 2008
• Planning for ICT (Version 2)
• And now part of Insight for the first time
• Application software index
• IT trends (report and supporting event)

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Performance Benchmarking services

• Benchmarking ICT services 85
  participants in 2008
• Benchmarking user satisfaction Target 50
  participants
• Improving service performance set of 10 guides
  completed
• Benchmarking club in Wales for another 3 years
  (2008 /10)
• Similar club in Scotland wef Jan 2009?
• Customer access improvement service

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Report 1 governance

• ICT governance good practice
• in directing investment and resources
• Our research shows that governance
• of ICT in the UK public sector lacks
• maturity. At best, this impairs the
• exploitation of ICT to enable service
  transformation. At worst, it equates to
  poor-decision-making leading to wasted resource
  and inappropriate expenditure.

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Governance contents of report

• 1 The key enabler of service transformation
• Understanding ICT governance
• Securing engagement
• Designing a governance framework
• Learning from case studies
• Implementing ICT governance
• Conclusions

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Governance ten key factors

• The organisation has a clear, documented
• corporate strategy (or community plan)
• Services have clear service plans
• Service plans support the corporate strategy
• There is a clear, documented ICT strategy
• The ICT strategy supports the corporate
  strategy
• and service plans
• gtgtgtgtgtgt

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Governance ten key factors

• Top managers are involved in ICT governance
• and can describe these arrangements
• There are clear service objectives used for
• evaluating every type of ICT investment
• The councils ICT governance framework has
• few changes year on year
• There is a well-defined ICT process for
  handling
• exceptions
• ICT has formal channels to engage with
  services

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Report 2 Improving service performance guides

• 1 Meeting the needs of customers
• (Oct 2005)
• 2 Managing service delivery
• (Apr 2006)
• 3 Managing procurement (Aug 2006)
• 4 Influencing strategy (Oct 2006)
• 5 Developing user capability
• (Nov 2006)
• 6 Managing projects (Jly 2007)
• 7Making ICT facilities secure
• (Jly 2007)
• 8 Exploiting technology (Feb 2008)
• 9 Managing ICT employees (Jly 2008)

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Improving service performance guides

• To publish September
• Vol 10 Managing the improvement process

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Improving service performance guides

• From measurement to service improvement
• Offers broad benchmark of good practice
• Focuses on what really matters in improving
  service
• Provides checklists and short case studies

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(No Transcript)
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Nothing short of a revolution!

• Citizens are in control, and there is nothing
  you can do about it.
• Young peoples brains are neurologically
  different from those of previous generations.
  They are actually wired differently, so no
  wonder they think differently!
• Talented young people may be unwilling to work
  for frumpy public sector organisations who deny
  them access to social networking and Web 2.0
  facilities.
• Change happens when people feel comfortable
  using technology in their ordinary lives then
  ordinary tools have extraordinary effects.

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Key messages

• A key tool for engaging communities
• Building virtual communities
• Can be done within existing budgets
• Avoids need for detailed, rigorous business case
• Big savings from reduced transaction costs
• Need a reason to deploy
• Strategy, economics
• Need top level or political engagement
• Need to monitor social networking sites
• Engage issues positively, non-defensively

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Some Web 2.0 components

• user-generated content
• Interactivity
• use of rich content
• re-use of information

• search and retrieval of information
• business networking
• mobile access
• e-learning

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Points to reflect upon

• Keep an open mind
• Dont block access
• Have a strong clear usage policy
• Punish offenders, not everyone
• Organisations can do a lot with little or no
  extra resource
• Monitor what others are saying about you in
  cyberspace
• Respond positively, not defensively

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Two contrasting examples

• Redbridge i
• First radical whole council example in UK local
  government
• Web 2.0 deployment does not demand huge resources
• Does need leadership
• Does need a rationale for exploiting Web 2.0
• We are not advocating everyone follows Redbridge
  approach

• Stratford-on-Avon DC
• Incremental change to council website using
  Flickr, Twitter and FaceBook
• Minimal cost
• Implemented as result of initial workshop (June)
  and
• final report (September)

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Web 2.0 what it is and why it matters

• Different approach from Socitm Insight
• Full package available at www.socitmweb2.net
• Web 2.0 resource including a blog, forum and
  other facilities to encourage discussion,
  feedback and networking
• Accessible from today via Insight user name and
  password

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Areas of change

• Customer access improvement service (with
  GovMetric)
• Application software index migration to
  National e-Government Register (Brent) in next 12
  months?
• Need to raise subscriptions in 2009 by more than
  the cost of living
• Need for new strategy 2009 to 2011

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The future

• We need a new strategic view about direction for
  Insight in line with changes in Socitm overall
• Changes in pipeline
• Customer access improvement service (with
  GovMetric)
• Application software index migration to
  National
• e-Government Register (Brent) in next 12 months
• Benchmarking to focus on use of ICT, rather than
  just ICT itself
• Increases likely in subscriptions as result of
  reorganisation of some county areas

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Technology challenge 2008

• Strategic issues
• Planning for IT
• Implementation planning
• Security
• Information
• Delivery of the IT service
• Shared applications
• Application support tools
• Common infrastructure services
• Infrastructure

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Planning for ICT (Version 2)

• Information
• architecture

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Planning for ICT (Version 2)

• Technology
• architecture

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Technology challenge 2009

• We need your help

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Things we should have read but probably did not

• Thank you