Vision
By 2025, technology underpins public services, communities and the local economy, leading to better outcomes for local residents and businesses. The borough will have secured fundamental improvements across the following areas.
Digital transformation design principles
While the world of technology moves quickly, these 10 guiding principles will remain consistent through the life of this strategy to help us achieve our goals.
1
A whole Council, whole borough approach
To achieve the maximum impact, the strategy cuts across all services and activities across the borough. Digital solutions will be designed to ensure silos are broken down within Council services, between organisations and across communities.
2
Digital by design
If a process or service can be digitised, and delivers against our strategic priorities, it should be taken forward. This should be done by re-imaging how a service can work rather than automating existing, traditional processes. Each change should aim to move the highest proportion of people to digital channels. We should be careful that digitisation does not create exclusion.
3
Redesign via customer insight
Using evidence of our customers’ needs, service use and customer journeys, we will establish the current gaps in service provision and opportunities for improvement. Moving away from office hours, face-to-face contact and telephone-based services, toward automation, will allow service use 24/7. Through rapid feedback and meaningful insight, service and communication must be targeted to provide the right content at the right time.
4
Through a coordinated, partnership approach, support and training will be put in place for those that want and need to use digital services. Non-digital services will always be available for those that need them.
Digitally included
5
Security and protection
Solutions will be designed to be robust against external threats, and data protection will be designed into future approaches.
6
Digital investment
Our application of digital will see decisions based on business cases and clear benefits to the customer and the Council. Digital change requires investment. The benefit must reflect the fact that investment can save the Council money and/or improve customer experience. The Council has full understanding of its total expenditure in this area, and the return on investment, and will continue to seek maximum value for money.
7
Learning by doing
We will adopt an agile approach to implementing this strategy. We will adopt new processes and technology in an iterative way and learn from the benefits before we scale up. We won’t be afraid to experiment and fail, delete things that don’t work, learn from them and try new approaches. There is no off-the-shelf manual for digital transformation and solutions need to reflect local learning and innovation.
8
Best practice
We will learn from and drive national best practice. Following our Commitment to the Local Digital Declaration, we will play our part in ‘fixing the national plumbing’ across the public sector, using the ‘Technology Code of Practice’ when we implement our systems. Our aim is to work as openly as we can on all of our projects.
9
A digital mindset
Culturally, our organisations must embrace digital as the standard way of working. Staff should think digital-first and have the confidence to self-serve, self-fix and come forward with ideas for digital innovation.
10
A strong platform
The Council will ensure that it has the right ICT and change management delivery model, the right infrastructure, and the right tools to deliver this strategy.
Bringing the vision to life
The following areas will see fundamental improvements.
Communities
Customers
Commerce
Connectivity
Co-production
Care
Capabilities
