Greater efficiency while improving customer service in local authorities is possible through end-to-end process streamlining and joining up technologies but managers in councils don’t have the complete skill sets required to progress change programmes they are asked to implement.
Richard Steel, chief information officer, Newham Council, said: "The challenges facing local authorities in transforming citizens services are not down to technology but management problems."
"You have surveyors becoming managers who have not been given the right training and are under-resourced. It’s no wonder councils are struggling to make transformation work."
"In a service that was suffering "IT problems", of the 57 issues we identified in managing the problem only 12 could be assisted through IT. The rest were process management-related."
Andrew Withey, business change manager, Reading Borough Council, said: "I think we sometimes need to question the received wisdom that technology is the easier part of transformation."
"Where strong leadership and a clear business vision is in place the difficulty of joining up different systems and the ‘nuts and bolts’ of getting them to work together to deliver improved services remains and shouldn’t be underestimated."
"Processes can be mapped and technology identified to help drive efficiencies but there is often a considerable gap between the outputs of the high level process review work and translation into detailed requirements that can be handed over to the technical folk to implement."
"Local authorities need to develop their business analysis capacity to support service led transformation and ensure that predicted benefits are realised."
Colin Whitehouse, senior advisor, Local Government Transformation and Efficiency team within the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and chair of the National Process Improvement Project, said: "Constructing a business case for process change is possible and there are proven examples of activity-based costing measurements that demonstrate the clear case for transformation such as the emerging corporate shared services agreement between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire County Councils, which is based on common core processes."
"We should also not underplay the role that the Comprehensive Spending Review will play in driving efficiency targets in local government later this year. In high spending areas such as building and social care hitting these targets is critical."
Richard Steel added: "We are undergoing a communications revolution which is causing major change the likes of which we have not seen since the industrial revolution. As local councils have to be all things to all people, the challenges ahead still remain massive."
"Starting with the right technology infrastructure is critical as different applications can easily be built on top."
"But even if you have worked out the processes you want to change and how you will measure the improvements, it’s still people that make them happen and at present managers are under-resourced, under-trained and overworked."
Val Earle, senior consultant, Civica, said: "Real transformation of public services can only be achieved with buy-in from the top of the organisation and an understanding that additional resources or training may be required."
"Authorities can also realise the power of process-led change by integrating processes and systems around services as part of a wider change programme."
Autor(en)/Author(s): Ryan Davies
Quelle/Source: 24dash, 06.07.2007
