SIX-MONTHLY MONITORING REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST VALUE REVIEWS:
 

 
 

ICT SERVICE.- updated September 2002
 

 
 

Task  (taken from Action Plan)

Officer

Date due

Date completed

Progress to date / Reasons for any delays

Revised completion date

1.1.1 Customer tracking and DIP – Project to specify and procure customer tracking system along with Council –wide DIP capability, and link to service application systems

Corporate Project Manager

Q3 2001

 

Revised Action Plan to Executive – cannot be started until completion of current projects.  

Will look at issues/options around DIP

 

 

October 2002

1.1.2 GIS

a)

Project to choose GIS software and link appropriate systems together.

b)

Put postcodes on all addresses in all service application systems to facilitate address matching

Corporate Project Manager

March 2001

 

 

a)

The Council has approved the project and the project has started with project manager appointed.

b)

Part of GIS will see the move away from postcode based address matching to ‘intelligent addressing’ and a land and property gazetteer.

c)

Contract signed.  Project information required from Project Manager

 

1.1.3  Committee Administration – change procedures so that all agendas, papers and minutes are stored and distributed electronically

A. Clark

 

 

Committee papers now stored electronically and distributed electronically on request.

 

Trove Committee Admin system agreed and currently being implemented.

 

Still issue with Planning papers

April/May 2002

 

 

 

 

September 2002

1.1.4  Development of Intranet – Project to decide on initial objectives and content for a Council intranet and implement accordingly

 

TB

Dec 2000

March 2001

An Intranet has been established using current staff resources and will be continually developed.

 

Ongoing/ Done

1.1.5     Further web site development –

a)

review role and responsibilities for web site

b)

Project to plan and deliver development path for e-government

AG

 

 

E-Govt officer appointed from October 2001 and is developing Website.

Function transferring to IT from September 2002 on resignation of E Govt Officer. New posts being advertised.

PS/TB to sort out future.

Ongoing

 

 

 

 

September 2002

1.1.6

Facilities for Members -

a)

specify and cost appropriate facilities

 

b)

establish views and needs for Members

 

c)

equip and train Members accordingly

 

TB/AC

 

 

 

MB

April 2001

 

Six month pilot commenced with these aims being progressed.  Review pilot in summer.

 

 

AG/TB to run a preliminary review

Pilot Sept 2002

 

 

September 2002

 

Final May 2003
 

1.1.7

a)

IT awareness training – plan and arrange a programme of IT training for all staff and Members

 

 

 

b)

Assess needs for basic IT and office automation  training as part of IIP assessment process, and arrange training accordingly

 

c)

Encourage informal learning networking between staff to help the transfer of skills

TB/MB

April 2001

 

 

a)

An ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) training programme for staff has been implemented. It aims to ensure all staff achieve a minimum standard of computer skills over a 3-year period. Programme now completed

 

b)

Launch of Self-Help service in September will help this.

 

 

 

 

c)

Ongoing.

 

 

Done

1.1.8     Extension of work covered by Customer Services

a)

assign switchboard operators to Customer Services section

 

b)

Plan for handling Planning enquiries by Customer Services

 

c)

Discuss with Bucks CC the rationality of Customer Services staff handling some of their customers

Corporate PM

2001/02

 

 

 

a)

switchboard now run by Bucks CC

 

 

b)

Implemented

 

 

 

c)

Bucks County Council do not want to co-operate.

Done

1.1.9 Call Centre – project to investigate the feasibility of contracting with an external body for call centre services

Corporate Project Manager

 

 

County and Districts in Bucks are co-operating on E Government initiatives. A call centre is one potential outcome as are longer term partnership arrangements.  

 

Awaiting results of Customer Contact Best Value Review.

BASP will be dealing with this.

 

 

September 2002

1.1.10 Case-based reasoning

a)

Build up information on the types of information / service requests received by the Council

 

b)

Use this information to improve information on the Web site (and otherwise published/available to the public), and to train/inform customer-facing staff

 

c)

Project to incorporate case-based reasoning in handling contacts with the public, so as to minimise the demands on specialist staff

 

Corporate PM

 

 

Now linked with 1.1.9 and will be a BASP project

 

1.1.11 Liaison with partners for joined up services – Liaise with Council’s partners to establish protocols for methods of electronic communication

TB/MT

On-going

 

Bucks on-line portal established. The County now operate CDC’s switchboard. Various working groups exist around electronic communication issues.

 

BASP dealing with this

1.1.12 Work more closely with SBDC

TB/MT

2001

 

No action yet

 
 

1.1.13 Rationalise and simplify technology base

TB

June 2001

 

May not be done because of priority with BASP work

 

1.1.15 Assess impact of externalisation of Leisure

TB

March 2001

Dec 2001

This assessment has enabled the restructuring of ICT at no additional cost.

Done

1.1.16 Identify ownership and management of bought-in systems

TB/MT

March 2001

 

SLAs still to be considered.  User demand not apparent.

 

1.1.17  Review project management and systems development life cycle

TB/MT

June 2001

 

Partly done and driven by audit report – Management Team decision.

September 2002

1.1.18 Review Change Management procedures for the whole of ICT

TB

Dec 2000

Dec 2001

Help Desk is now fully operational.

Done

1.1.20 Review ICT staff training requirements

TB

Dec 2000

Dec 2001

All ICT staff training plans have been completed. Further training in their customers’ businesses to be agreed.

Done

1.1.21 More involvement in Best Value

TB/MT

Dec 2000

Dec 2000

ICT staff will be made available to discuss IT issues during BV Reviews.  BV project managers not proactive.

 

1.1.22

Business Process Redesign –

a)

aquire skills internally and / or find external suppliers of BPR

b)

incorporate BPR as a standard phase in every Best Value Review

TB/MT/MH

 

 

Management Team is reviewing the Council’s change management processes overall. BPR will be one aspect which will be considered. It is therefore not appropriate to make a commitment to this extent at this time.

 

1.1.23 Improve network and desktop services – investigate means and costs of increasing availability to 100% together with transparent back-up / maintenance activity. Improve systems availability and fix times.

TB

April 2001

March 2002 onwards

SOCITM key performance indicators being used.  Results to go on the Intranet.

Done/

2002/3 onwards

1.1.25 Identify further opportunities for cost savings

TB

March 2001

Dec 2001

 

Done

1.1.27 Improve the accessibility of ICT support

TB

Dec 2000

July 2001 onwards

Help Desk Administrator started in July 2001.  Focus group created

Done

1.1.28 Improve communications between ICT and it customers. Improve customer care skills. Improve interpersonal skills

TB

June 2001

July 2001 onwards

Done see 1.1.27 and 1.1.34

Done

1.1.29 Improve communications within ICT

 

TB

Oct 2000

January 2001

Some staff training has been completed. Staff meetings have been formalised.

Done
 

1.1.30 Improve Local Agenda 21 awareness

TB

Nov 2001

March 2002

 

Done
 

 
 

1.1.32 Persuade all business unit managers to have ICT included on their DMT meetings

TB

Dec 2000

Dec 2000

Outstanding. TB has asked AG & GG if he can attend DMTs / team meetings.  Only once for other departments so far.

Done

1.1.33 Introduce comprehensive change management procedures

TB

Dec 2001

 

 

 

1.1.34 Repeat Customer Satisfaction survey

TB

Q1 2002

Dec 2001

Repeated in December 2001 – results show significant improvement

Done

1.1.35 Repeat comparisons with Benchmark Club

TB

Aug 2001

March 2002

Benchmark Club of limited value – now using SOCITM -  Base of LA’s.

Done

1.1.36 Define and collect performance statistics to meet SOCITM KPIs

TB

April 2001

March 2002

Help Desk monitoring P.I..S.

Done

1.1.37 Review level of improvement

TB/MT/MH

Aug 2002

 

Improvement increased by 12%.

Further review in 2004

Done
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

G:\DATA\CS\TYPING\WP\ps\Best Value\BV Sub ICT - July 2002.doc