BOROUGH OF POOLE
Decision of the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Operations, Customer Services and Benefits
18 November 2015
Digital Services Review
PART OF THE PUBLISHED FORWARD PLAN:
- Purpose
1.1.To summarise the work required over the next 18 months to develop our current digital services delivery channel and enhance the service offering to the citizens of Poole.
1.2.To seek approval for the allocation of £95,000 in 2016/17 funded by the Council’s Corporate Capital Contingency which stands at £1.722m at the time of writing this report.
- Decisions required
2.1The Portfolio Holder:-
2.1.1Agrees to the Vision, Principles and actions to be completed over the next 18 months to transform and enhance our digital services offering. Section 3.7
2.1.2Agrees to the outcomes as set out in section 4.
2.1.3Approves the allocation of £95,000 in 2016/17 funded by the Council’s Corporate Capital Contingency which stands at £1.722m at the time of writing this report. Section 6.4 b.
- Background
3.1Currently, poole.gov.uk as a website is capable of giving information on request and completing more detailed transactions, but customer experience cannot be described as consistent.
3.2Data demonstrates that poole.gov.uk has 52% rate of access from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet devices. This trend is increasing in Poole and across the country.
3.3Digital By Default is a UK Government service standard demanding that public sector transactional services are designed to meet 18 distinct criteria, in order to be effective in their delivery.
3.4Part of the start-up activity for this initiative has focussed on the current website and its content. A significant amount of the content is questionable, in terms of its relevance, need to be there, accessibility and usability. What we see is a website that is too large to be managed effectively by two central FTE and not managed consistently across the organisation.
3.5The current system offers uncontrolled editorial rights of a large part of its content to Web Icons out in service units. This model has been unchallenged for a number of years and the brief review of content demonstrates that it is not helping us deliver a consistent experience.
3.6Poole.gov.uk needs to be respected as the primary source of information supporting self-service and assisted self-service customer contact channels. By establishing this principle we will be able to deliver change to content quickly and reduce costs currently associated with scripted change.
3.7Set out below are the vision and principles which guide and inform the activities required to make the much needed changes to our digital services.
The Vision
To create and maintain digital services that meet the needs of our customers in the most efficient way.
The Principles
- To build digital services, not websites
- To constantly seek to improve through public feedback
- To be consistent, not uniform
- To recognise less is more, poole.gov.uk is part of a web of information, not an isolated repository
- To start with customer need
- To build for access by all
The Activities
- Mobilisation of poole.gov.uk
- Re-design borough wide digital service support model
- De-commission of Lagan Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, replacing with Firmstep Customer Experience.
- Outcomes of the change activity.
4.1Digital transactional services optimised for mobile devices – Self-service completion of transactional Borough of Poole services from any internet enabled device.
4.2Support service dedicated to management of poole.gov.uk -A support function empowered and capable to manage web content to meet goals of continuous improvement and day to day operation. A strategic function empowered to manage the roadmap of the technology supporting digital services delivery channel.
4.3Reduction in the IT systems deployed to provide customer contact - De-commission of Lagan system has a positive impact on revenue budgets without detracting from the continuous improvement commitment to the core services provided to citizens of Poole.
- Legal Implications
5.1There are no known legal implications at this point. All procurement will adhere to out financial and procurement regulations.
- Financial Implications
6.1Exhibit 1 below identifies the principal indicative costs associated with the activities outlined above. In advance of full project plans, which would be developed following the appointment of appropriate governance, these costs are based on known tasks and recent experience. We have estimates from 3rd party suppliers for website mobilisation and replacement of Lagan CRM system. We have also estimated costs of using internal resources to manage, deliver and continue live support during change period.
6.2It should be noted that several of the costs listed are likely to be internal staff, for which the costs listed above represent an internal recharge. All programme staff who are not Borough of Poole employees will be employed on flexible contracts or through agencies such as the professional register so that their time can be used only when the programme demands.
EXHIBIT 1 - INDICATIVE COSTS / £/k1 / Website mobilisation – 3rd party costs
External spend - Estimate of developing an EasySite Version 7 mobile responsive website in response to our design brief and providing administrative level training to Borough of Poole to enable us to be self-sufficient in content management.
Funding - provided by ICT Investment Plan 15/16 / 16
2 / Website mobilisation - Consultancy
An expert facilitator to raise the quality of start-up card sorting exercise to deliver the best information architecture for new mobile responsive website.
Funding - ICT & CS Revenue budget for 2015/16 / 2
3 / Website mobilisation – Digital Services Team resource (spread over 2 years of change programme)
Additional permanent member of digital services management channel. Aptitudes required to develop Webmaster role. Current incumbent is resourced until February 2016. Resilience to team required to keep up pace of change and deliver effective central management service on change completion.
Funding - ICT & CS Salary budget from existing vacancy 15/16 & 16/17 / 60
4 / Website mobilisation – Project Management
Internal additional resource to co-ordinate sprints, organise appropriate working environments, manage 3rd party deliverables, manage communications plan and stakeholder engagement, co-ordinate testing and training, through all phases including website migration.
Also see this resource as key to delivery of re-design of website support function within BoP
Funding – No funding stream identified 15/16 & 16/17 / 40
5 / Lagan Replacement – 3rd party costs and Lagan operation cost
- To purchase the license to use new Customer Experience platform and receive implementation support during year of change - £51,175
- To continue to receive support for legacy system during 2016-17 period of change.£37,265
6 / Lagan Replacement – Project Management
Internal additional resource to lead period of change managing relationship with 3rd party, co-ordinating internal resource to achieve milestones, co-ordinate flow of information for governance and stakeholders. Includes estimated £5k internal technical resource.
Funding – No funding stream identified 16/17 / 35
7 / Digital Services Change Delivery – Line of business back-fill, training and change management
- Engage Corporate Change resource on completion of current assignment to lead service re-design bringing together service professionals and customer services. £30,000 over 12 months
- Make allowance for support resources to come into service areas undergoing change to release key staff. Estimate £20,000 over 12 months.
Total of which £125,000 has no identified funding stream. / 254.2
6.3A summary of the projects expenditure and current funding requirements is set out in exhibit 2.
6.4Following consideration and agreement in principle to the project at the Council’s Officer Corporate Change Board the following strategy has been developed to address the £125,000 funding gap.
a)£30,000 in 2015/16 will be incorporated as an in-year pressure and funded as part of the Council 2015/16 Base Budget position with the latest position to be considered by Cabinet on the 8th December 2015.
b)£95,000 in 2016/17 will be funded by the Council’s Corporate Capital Contingency which stands at £1.722m at the time of writing this report. Further details of the latest position will be reflected in the latest Medium Term Financial Plan update report also due at considered by Cabinet on the 8th December 2015.
Exhibit 2
- Risk Management Implications
7.1A key outcome of the review is to improve the accuracy and content of tour digital information and services.
- Equalities Implications
8.1The impact of these changes is neutral in terms of social, equality and diversity issues. The websiteis and continues to be designed to meet the Priority A, AA, and selected AAA guidelines of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The website is tested on a regular basis using a combination of automated tools to identify potential problem areas and manual testing to ensure we meet the spirit as well as the letter of the W3C's accessibility guidelines.
- Conclusions
9.1The work will improve and provide sound foundations for the delivery of digital services. It will provide change support to work with service units to improve the digital service offering, identify potential cost savings, waste demand and improve the customer journey.
Report Authors
Katie Lacey – Head of ICT & Customer Support
Andrew Milner – ICT Programme Manager
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