Slough Borough Council IT Strategy
2015 - 2018
Document Control
Document detailsDocument name / IT Strategy
Document version number / 0.2
Document status / Draft
Author / Simon Pallett
Approved by
Scheduled review date
Version History
Version / Change/Reasons for Change / Date
V0.1 / Review by CMT / 03/03/2015
V0.2 / Revised draft / 24/04/15
V1.0 / Final
Approval history
Version / Approving body / Date
V0.2 / Internal Management Team
V1.0 / Corporate Management Team
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Contents
1.0Foreword
2.0Introduction
3.0Purpose of this Strategy
4.0IT Partnership Working - The Managed Service Model
5.0Scope of Strategy
6.0Vision
7.0ICT Strategy Themes
7.1 Theme 1: Strengthening Governance
7.2 Theme 2: Customer Focused / Digital By Default
7.3 Theme 3: Agile / Mobile
7.4 Theme 4: Secure and Resilient
7.5 Theme 5: Business Intelligence/Big Data
7.6 Theme 6: Collaboration
8.0Implementation and monitoring
Appendices
Appendix 1: Action Plan
Appendix 2: The National Context and Local Context
Appendix 3 : Communications Plan – IT Upgrade
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1.0Foreword
Slough Borough Council’s IT strategy has been updated to reflect current and evolving needs. It focuses on service improvements, efficiency, robust infrastructure and partnership working.
The strategy aims to build on existing technologies and investments, support Council-wide transformation programmes and initiatives, accelerates self-service digital delivery for the public, increase opportunities for a more agile, flexible and mobile workforce.
The IT Strategy reflects the role of IT as more than just a support service but as an enabler of transformational change.
The following themes will be incorporated to guide the delivery of the IT strategy to reflect requirements to fulfil the 5 year plan and statutory obligations:-
- Strengthening Governance
- Customer Focus/Digital By Default
- Agile/ Mobile
- Secure and Resilient
- Business Intelligence/Big Data
- Collaboration
The IT Strategy is aligned to support the Council’s 5 Year Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy outcomes.
2.0Introduction
ICT is critical for the effective operation of government and the delivery of the services it provides to citizens and businesses. ICT can release savings by increasing public sector productivity and efficiency. It offers key benefits by:
- allowing services to be delivered in new and more cost efficient ways
- enabling access to online transactional services, which makes life simpler and more convenient for citizens and businesses;
- freeing staff to work in new and more flexible ways
There will continue to be significant changes across the public sector. The size of the council may change but the need to provide high levels of service to our residents will remain. Public expectations of the Council services may increase set against a backdrop of reducing budgets.
The Council will need to ensure that its systems are not only robust and resilience enough to provide existing services, but can be used to transform the design and delivery of improved services. IT will underpin the delivery of the transformational 5 Year Plan
The Government ICT strategy is focused on driving real change and delivering better public services for less cost. The core objectives of the strategy are to:-
- Reduce waste and project failure
- Create a common ICT infrastructure
- Use ICT to enable and deliver change
- Strengthen governance
ICT is a key enabler for opening up public service delivery to a range of providers competing to offer better and more cost-effective services. ICT also provides an opportunity to change the relationship between citizen and government so that policy formulation and service design are developed in collaboration with citizens. However it should be noted that the success or failure of any ICT initiative depends to a large degree on business preparedness, competency in change management and effective process re-engineering.
3.0Purpose of this Strategy
The new IT Strategy will build on the foundation of the previous strategy. It reflects the significant change in role of the Council in moving to a new model of IT service delivery. The outsourcing of the Council’s technical IT functions to arvato reduces the need to buy infrastructure as this is now provided on a Managed Service basis.
The Technical IT delivery element will be provided by arvato based on the Council’s business requirements and agreed contractual Service Improvement Plans. It will also be influenced by central Government initiatives (i.e. PSN security requirement changes).
Departmental service initiatives and Service Plans will feed into detailed requirements and future IT business strategy. The Business Strategy element will be aligned with the Council’s “5 Year Plan” where the key outcomes are:-
- Changing, retaining and growing
- Enabling and preventing
- Using resources wisely - The Council will be a leading Digital transformation organisation.
The IT Strategy will be reviewed and revised annually in future to reflect the pace of change and to comply with the contractual commitment to agree capital investment plans with arvato on an annual basis.
In general, projects are funded from existing capital budgets. If new funding is required to deliver any future elements, it is anticipated that the initiative owner will seek funding via Invest-to-Save bids.
4.0IT Partnership Working - The Managed Service Model
In December 2013, the Council outsourced its IT Services and Customer Service Centre to arvato under the Thames Valley Transactional Service Centre (TVTSC) Partnership Phase 2 Project. The objective being to achieve revenue savings in operational costs to contribute to the Council’s savings targets, and to leverage the advantages of partnership working allowing the Council to strengthen its services with enhanced skills and knowledge.
The solution is based on a managed service delivery model. As part of the provision, arvato owns and manages the ICT infrastructure delivering services to Slough Borough Council, and controls the procurement, supply and maintenance of end users devices on behalf of SBC. Arvato will identify technical solutions to meet Slough Borough Council business requirements.
The objective is to establish an IT service to meet the demands arising from organizational change and provide new enabling technology to deliver the service levels necessary. Arvato’s Service Delivery Plan targets the improvement of resilience and performance of the IT service creating a robust and scalable platform to enable corporate and front line services to be delivered more effectively. The comprehensive end to end managed service provision includes management of desktops, data centre, networks, corporate and line of business applications, service desk, telephony and internet services.
The contract provides an initial 3-year Technical Strategy to refresh the existing infrastructure. Arvato will align with the aspirations and transformation agendas providing solutions in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. The IT service will be engineered to meet the external facing requirements of partners and citizens and the internal needs of the wider Council departments. The ICT service supported by arvato solution architects will create a Council-wide reference architecture that directly realizes the business strategy. arvato will analyse business requirements from SBC and jointly agreed investment plans will be established for future developments.
arvato will maintain an IT Technical Strategy to support SBC business requirement. arvato’s strategic aim is to continue to reduce the number of smaller bespoke systems, increase the use of industry standard well-supported systems in order to concentrate system administration, support and training on a reduced number of key core systems. The IT architectural principle for new solutions or developments will be to focus on existing applications and to expand use of corporate application solutions that allow departmental configurations rather than customized developments. This best practice approach for potential re-use and reduced complexity with minimized niche developments maximizes efficiency savings and returns value for money through reduced ongoing support costs. By adopting a coherent integration strategy with well-defined interaction channels, information and applications functionality can be combined and shared across the whole enterprise enabling the business to maximize reuse and efficiency of data.
The initial three year technical infrastructure investment plan is funded from existing capital and includes upgrade of thin client environment, upgrade of wintel environment, upgrade of back-up environment, implementation of operations bridge/monitoring systems, storage project, and business continuity/disaster recovery project.
5.0Scope of Strategy
This Strategy highlights the business IT requirements identified to drive the organisation to achieve its goals. It has been developed from projects already in transit, projects commissioned, and from discussions with senior management as to future direction. It will be revised annually after each corporate Service Planning exercise.
The Strategy does not concentrate on specific core infrastructure hardware. The technology solutions are supplied to Slough Borough Council by arvato on a managed service basis and are measured on outcomes not specific hardware.
TheStrategy indentifies the key outcomes that we seek to achieve and identifies the key projects to contribute to the successful realisation of the vision for IT Services.
6.0Vision
“Slough Borough Council should be recognised
as an IT exemplar and a leading Digital Transformation organisation - providing the best customer experience”
The following strategy sets out how IT can shape itself to best support the organisation as it goes forwards into an era where service budgets have, and are continuing to be reduced, and where new and innovative service delivery models are being derived. The need for a flexible but robust IT environment has never been greater, nor has the need to ensure that robust IT Governance is in place to ensure that investment, in terms of resources and money, is targeted at the key core strategic systems that support the business of the authority, and enable the achievement of the council’s 5 Year Plan.
7.0ICT Strategy Themes
ICT Strategy Themes1. Strengthening Governance
2. Customer Focus/Digital By Default
3. Agile/ Mobile
4. Secure and Resilient
5. Business Intelligence/Big Data
6. Collaboration
7.1Theme 1: Strengthening Governance
Aim:Strong governance will be essential to ensure the successful delivery of the Council’s Strategy to ensure that projects are delivered on time and that there is reduced risk of project waste/failure.
Outcome: Applying measures to ensure appropriate control exists to reduce wastage and maximise efficiency
Success Measures:
- Reduction in project failures. More projects delivered on time and within budget
- Increase transparency of all IT projects
- Partnership working to deliver successful IT Services
- Robust Information Governance Policies
- Risks Minimised
7.2 Theme 2: Customer Focused/ Digital By Default
Aim: Changes in employee and customer expectations about the role and use of IT, and the increase in technology aware users, will drive channel shift providing for the new opportunities for provision of services. The Government Digital Strategy sets out ambitions for redesign of government services to make them so straightforward and convenient that all those who can use them prefer to do so.
The Council will be a leading digital transformation organisation. We will use technology to redefine the way customers contact the council, and streamline customer journeys to deliver savings.
Innovations in online commercial services have set high standards for an increasingly mobile population. The expectations of many citizens have shifted from traditional face-to-face, telephone or paper channels to more responsive 24/7 digital services, including delivery through mobile devices.
It should be recognised that there is a very clear cost imperative behind encouraging digital access and self-service as well. Figures supplied by SOCITM suggest that the average cost of a face to face transaction is £8.62, whereas the average cost of a telephone transaction is £2.83 and a web transaction on average costs 15p.
To make the lives of citizens simpler and easier, and to deliver services more sustainably, we need to establish a principle of digital by default for all information and services. However recognising the diversity or our population, we need to ensure that choice still remains for those that are less confident or able in the use of IT.
Outcome: Utilising technology to deliver more and better online services to customers focussed on customer preferences
Success Measures:
- Extensive range of online services available
- Reducing the number of face to face and telephone enquiries to the Customer service centre.
- Increasing the number of customer queries resolved first time with the customer service centre.
- Better care provisioning for citizens
- Greater efficiencies and user satisfaction
7.3 Theme 3: Agile / Mobile
Aim: Flexible technology and an adaptable workforce will support rapid business change. The Council will invest in technology to enable staff to work smartly wherever they are located. Staff will have access to the devices and software they need to deliver a high level of service. Councillors will be equally enabled to work in a mobile and efficient way. The Council successfully introduced iPads for Councillor use in 2014 and this scheme will continue to be expanded.
Outcome: Providing technology to support multiple work styles.
Success Measures:
- Greater flexibility in workforce with technology appropriate to their work style
- Increased flexible working.
- Reduce the number of devices currently being supported.
- Access to legacy back-office data in a mobile environment
- Reduction / reuse existing office space
7.4Theme 4: Secure and Resilient
Aim: To continue to improve information management and internal and external security to provide protection of personal data.
Outcome: Providing the environment and framework for appropriate protection and availability of Council data
Success Measures:
- Establishment of robust security policies.
- Continued PSN Compliance
- Tested disaster recovery facilities
7.5 Theme 5: Business Intelligence/Big Data
Aim:To investigate the maximisation of existing council data to improve planning and informed decision making.
Outcome: Providing technology to support business intelligence use of data to improve services by pre-empting demand and identifying needs.
Success Measures
- Increased usage of business intelligence data in planning future services.
- Compliance with the transparency agenda
- Using internal data to identify needs earlier and pre-empt demand
- More council services joining up to take advantage of GIS technology.
7.6 Theme 6: Collaboration
Aim: The emergence of joint working initiatives will enable new models of service delivery through increased collaborative working with Health, the Police, other local authorities and public/private sector agencies.
Outcome: Providing technology and data sharing environments for collaborative working with partners.
Success Measures:
- Increased input from IT when planning shared services.
- Increased capability to work and share data appropriately in a secure manner with a range of partners.
- Better safeguarding and health decisions enabled by speedier access to key data.
- A more secure method of exchanging emails with non-GCSX account holders.
8.0Implementation and monitoring
The Strategy will be monitored via an Action Plan. Each strand of activity will be run as a project and activities assigned to those responsible for delivery. Each project will have its own governance structure appropriate to the size and complexity of the project.
All projects will report monthly to the IT & Information Governance Board who will be responsible for the implementation.The Chair of the IT & Information Governance Board is the Director of Customer & Community Services.
Appendices
Appendix 1: The Action Plan
Appendix 2: The National and Local Context
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Appendix 1: Action Plan
Our Outcomes / Key actions to achieve outcomes / Partners who will contribute to the outcomeTheme 1: Strengthening Governance
Applying measures to ensure appropriate control exists to reduce wastage and maximise efficiency
Contributing to the 5 year planned outcome Using Resources wisely. /
- Enable the IT and Information Governance Board to make informed decisions
- Ensure partnership governance is adhered to.
- Monitor and maintain key performance indicators / service level agreements
- Develop and deploy policies to meet the needs of the council.