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Report Corporate Policy 6 March 2007 4 WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 - 2012 1. Reason for Report This report asks Dumfries and Galloway Council to approve a new five-year strategy for Web and Digital Communication. The strategy is supported by a Business Case for a change process. This report is also looking for Committee to approve the funding and set up the structures to get the changes made within the strategy timescales. 2. Report Summary 2.1 The report provides Members with a comprehensive overview of the five-year strategy and supporting business case (appendices attached). This includes the assessment of the current and future need for change, information on issues raised, risks identified and options for roll out. 2.2 communications, recognising the Council websites as a prime service delivery channel. 2.3 The report explains how this strategy will help to improve service delivery. It shows how other key projects like the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project and DGDirect - Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Customer Call Centre will rely on the website for consistent up to date information. It demonstrates the links between making it easier for customers, Members and staff to transact business through the website and find the information they want - and continuous service improvement. 2.4 Communication Strategy 2007 - 201 2 and how the procurement process will be undertaken. The report highlights the need to plan for the future growth of digital The report provides recommendations on how to roll out the Web and Digital 3. Glossary of Terms WCM - Website Content Management System EMS - Enterprise Management System CRM - Customer Relationship Management DG Direct - Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Customer Call Centre w3c - World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to allow the Web to deliver its full potential. Scottish Executive Efficient Government Initiative EGI FES Council’s Financial Efficiency Strategy PID Project Initiation Document

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Page 1: WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 2012egenda.dumgal.gov.uk/aksdumgal/images/att12903.pdf · WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 - ... shows how other key projects

Report Corporate Policy 6 March 2007 4

WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 - 2012

1. Reason for Report This report asks Dumfries and Galloway Council to approve a new five-year strategy for Web and Digital Communication. The strategy is supported by a Business Case for a change process. This report is also looking for Committee to approve the funding and set up the structures to get the changes made within the strategy timescales.

2. Report Summary 2.1 The report provides Members with a comprehensive overview of the five-year strategy and supporting business case (appendices attached). This includes the assessment of the current and future need for change, information on issues raised, risks identified and options for roll out.

2.2 communications, recognising the Council websites as a prime service delivery channel.

2.3 The report explains how this strategy will help to improve service delivery. It shows how other key projects like the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) project and DGDirect - Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Customer Call Centre will rely on the website for consistent up to date information. It demonstrates the links between making it easier for customers, Members and staff to transact business through the website and find the information they want - and continuous service improvement.

2.4 Communication Strategy 2007 - 201 2 and how the procurement process will be undertaken.

The report highlights the need to plan for the future growth of digital

The report provides recommendations on how to roll out the Web and Digital

3. Glossary of Terms WCM - Website Content Management System EMS - Enterprise Management System CRM - Customer Relationship Management DG Direct - Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Customer Call Centre w 3 c - World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable

technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to allow the Web to deliver its full potential. Scottish Executive Efficient Government Initiative EGI

FES Council’s Financial Efficiency Strategy PID Project Initiation Document

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Report Corporate Policy 6 March 2007

Total Real Cost Total Cash

4. Recommendations Members are asked to:

4.1 Galloway Council 2007 - 201 2 as detailed in Appendix 1 ;

4.2 Case and at 12 below Le. purchase new Website Content Management (WCM) system, change information and content management networks and redesign information architecture;

4.3 that it should be funded through a spend to save initiative ( see detail at 6.2); noting that cash savings will accrue from year two resulting in total net cash savings of f 39,000 over the five year period; and

4.4 through the Customer First Programme Board and that the Corporate Policy Committee will receive progress reports.

Approve the Web and Digital Communication Strategy for Dumfries and

Approve the recommendation to progress Option 2 outlined in the Business

Approve a budget of f70,000 required to progress option 2 in year one and

Agree that the strategy implementation will be monitored and evaluated

2007/8 (f) 2008/9 (f) 2009/10 (f) 2010/11 (f) 2-1 1/12 (f) Costs (f) 70,000 6,000 6,000 21,000 6,000 109,000

0 37,000 37,000 37,000 37,000 148,000

5. Corporate Plan Links and Contribution 5.1 The recommendations and actions in this report have been cross-referenced to key priorities in the Corporate Plan, the ICT Strategy, the 2Ist Century Government Strategy, the Broadband Pathfinder Project and the Customer Service Strategy. There is a commitment to continuously improve services to better meet customers’ needs. The proposals in this report are intended to help achieve these aims.

Release Saving Net Cash Savings

5.2 Websites are now recognised as being a prime service delivery channel and this strategy will help us to improve service delivery and make it easier for the public, staff and members to find the information they need and want on the websites. The website is one of the fundamental building blocks for modern service delivery - Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and DGDirect - the Customer Call Centre will rely on it for consistent up to date information.

-70,000 31,000 31,000 16,000 31,000 39,000

6. ResourcesNalue for Money Assessment 6.1 enable potential savings through more efficient use of software and staff resources.

The implementation of a Website Content Management (WCM) system will

6.2 There are two areas where financial efficiencies can be made. The first is through a spend to save initiative that will buy and maintain a new WCM for the website. Fuller details are available in the Business Case. These cash release savings will be top sliced from existing central budgets. They can be summarised as follows:

I Buv New WCM I Year 1 I Year2 I Year 3 I Year 4 I Year5 I Total

2

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Report Corporate Policy 6March2007 4 6.3 The second area is through time-release savings. The Business Case shows that this investment will make it easier to update, maintain and develop the websites, as the new WCM will deliver a simple interface for direct content editing on the website. It is estimated that efficiencies of up to 50% of the time currently involved could be made once the redesign and implementation phase is complete and appropriate workflow procedures are put in place. The Business Case predicts potential time-release savings of up to f 184,800 in years two to five. These figures are best estimates at the moment and would be firmed up in year one as the Project Board develop the Project Initiation Document (PID) and the accompanying Action Plans.

-

This project will be run through the Technology Solutions Programme Office, using the Project Management Framework. One of the requirements of the Customer First Programme Board will be to look at time-release savings in the projects they are driving and to make sure they are realistically identified and where appropriate, captured as savings.

6.4 to save, which can demonstrate continuous service improvement for customers and/or also generate sustainable efficiency savings, contribute both to the strategic policy objectives of the Scottish Executive Efficient Government Initiative (EGI) and the Council's Financial Efficiency Strategy (FES). The capture of accountable cash and time releasing savings provides the future opportunity to redirect these resources into supporting frontline service development and/or to contribute to the FES.

Business Transformation projects/initiatives like this one, funded under spend

7. Risk Assessment 7.1 Council websites will become progressively more inefficient as technology moves on and we will fail to capitalise on the opportunities to increase inter-action with our citizens and to provide lower cost delivery of many services.

The main risk of not progressing this project is that Dumfries and Galloway

7.2 A formal risk assessment, of the project itself, was undertaken by the task group, as a key process during development of the recommendations. The main risks identified were:

0 Lack of commitment and buy-in to the change programme from all partners, internal and external would result in the project not fulfilling its potential. In particular there are implications for the Broadband Pathfinder and the DG Connect contact centre where the website is a key delivery mechanism

0 Insufficient people, skills and financial resources would be applied to complete and maintain the changes because these resources

7.3 The group agreed that a full business case identifying resources for the programme of changes would be prepared to manage and lessen those risks.

8. Authorities and Legal Implications Freedom of Information Act 2000 sets specific challenges for all companies and public bodies to make information available to the public, and increase transparency. The Disability Discrimination Act also imposes accessibility duties. We are currently attending to visual accessibility and conforming to W3C guidelines for web pages, but there are issues that surround cognitive accessibility that are not being addressed. This will require attention and this need will be scoped separately.

3

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Report Corporate Policy 6 March 2007

The Scottish Executive Efficient Government Initiative (EGI) has set targets for local authorities to meet. This project contributes to these targets.

9. Consultations 9.1 The Corporate Management Team and Group Manager, Corporate Support and Governance have been consulted, and are in agreement with the terms of the report.

9.2 The Customer First Programme Board the Web Strategy Group, Technology Solutions Service Manager, the Procurement Manager, Consultancy & Applications Manager and inter-service communications group have been consulted during the development of the strategy and on this committee report and are in agreement with the content and the recommendations.

I O . Background 10.1 The strategy has been developed because of the need to plan the future growth and use of digital communications by the Council and its partners in the delivery of interactive services. In particular it takes into account the rollout of wide spectrum broadband across Council networks in 2008 and the switch over to digital television planned for early 2009 in Dumfries and Galloway. Both changes have implications for the way information is presented and transactions are undertaken through the Council website(s).

10.2 The Customer First Programme Board asked the Communications Unit to lead a short life task group to evaluate the Council websites and develop a strategy and action plan for the future. The task group presented an outline report to the Board in July 2006 and then commissioned an external usability audit by User Vision Limited of Edinburgh and a separate consultation with lntranet users that took place in August 2006.

10.3 In parallel, Technology Solutions were given a brief to evaluate a number of options for updating and future proofing current processes.

10.4 This research and a detailed risk assessment were used to develop the strategy and business case.

10.5 These proposals build on and supercede the Council’s original investment in the CORE Programme.

11. Key Issues 11 .I Communication Strategy and regularly evaluates and updates the programme of works planned to achieve that vision. It is important for a number of reasons.

It is important that Dumfries and Galloway Council agrees a Web and Digital

11 .I .I Technology changes rapidly. The current drivers are the introduction of wide spectrum broadband to council networks and the switchover to digital television signals. Technology exists that would allow web interfaces with our customers through their television sets. Other issues will emerge. The Council needs a mechanism to consider and respond to them.

1 1 .I .2 Developing the website to support self-service is an important business transformation Dolicv to adopt. Substantial savings can be achieved where citizens use self-service faciiities in meeting their needs for information and services via a

4

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Report Corporate Policy 6March2007 4

Chari Laurie Corporate Website Co-ordinator Communications Unit

Date of Report: 20 February 2007

website as opposed to phoning the council, or making a face-to-face contact. Councils that have good transactional and inter-active websites are at the forefront of transforming the customer experience.

Leslie Jardine Corporate Director of Corporate Services Council Offices, English Street, DUMFRIES, DGI 2DD

11.2 Dumfries and Galloway Council has adopted an ICT Strategy that sets out a new role for Technology Solutions, moving from developing in-house solutions to integrating bought in systems to meet the needs of its business (Presentation on the ICT Strategy was given at the Asset Management Committee on 16 May 2006). The Council websites are currently based on locally developed computer programs and Option 1 in the Business Case shows clearly that it will be more expensive if the current structure is continued. Logic dictates that the websites move to a different WCM system as soon as possible.

11 - 3 Evaluation of WCM systems currently available has shown that there could be significant time release savings generated by this spend to save move. The business case suggests that 50% of the time currently spent updating and maintaining the websites could be released in years 2 to 3. This has the potential to release time and cash release savings. This potential is at service level. The challenge for managers will be to aggregate this potential into actual savings or to use the flexibility in the related business transformation projects that will integrate this electronic channel with the contact centre and the customer relationship management project. These are all designed to radically re-engineer the way customers can access services over the next 12 to 18 months.

11.4 The measurement of savings will require to be undertaken at Service level and reported up to the Project team. Guidance will need to be issued as to how this will be undertaken in order that a full evaluation of the project, along the way and at completion can be undertaken to demonstrate the outcomes.

12. Summary Given the clear conclusions in the Business Case. The Strategy Task Group recommends that the Council adopts the Dumfries and Galloway Council Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007 - 2012 and that a project team to implement the strategy based on Prince 2 methodology is set up immediately. In phase one during 2007/8 the project team will tender and purchase a new WCM System, based on defined requirements gathered through a requirements analysis exercise at a net extra cost of f70,OOO; redesign the information architecture of the council website and lntranet (CIS) and change the information and content management networks within the Council.

Appendix 1 Appendix 2 - Business Case - DGC Websites to 2012

- Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007 - 2012

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07 4

Con tents

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. IO. 11. 12. 13.

I n trod uction Strategic Objectives Values and Principles Deve I o p m e n t P ro cess The next steps What the site will deliver Key Objectives and Tasks Risk and Impact Assessment Management Arrangements Marketing Review Arrangements Key linked Strategies and Plans Contacts

Pages

3 3 3 4 4 6 6

11 11 13 13 14 15

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

1. Introduction The Web and Digital Communication Strategy sets out the Web Vision for Dumfries and Galloway Council for the next five-years. It describes how the Council will achieve that vision and addresses the short, medium and long-term aims for the Council websites.

The Customer First Programme Board commissioned the Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007-2012. It has been developed with the aim of integrating the web elements of other important Council strategies and providing a strategic plan to achieve those aims.

Flowing from the Web and Digital Communication Strategy is an outline business case detailing the proposed project and options for redeveloping the Council websites in a phased programme over the next five years.

2. Strategic Objectives Dumfries and Galloway Council will present websites that are attractive, informative and simple for all people to use.

The Council will use all relevant current and emerging technologies to increase digital interaction with its citizens and staff. The websites will allow online transactions, including ordering, delivery, payment and posting of transactions. They will deliver services to citizens, visitors and local businesses using web technology to improve their quality of life and their experience of living in, or visiting the area.

0 Web pages will be understand and be The Council will investig eb technology that arises and determine how it

n in plain language that the customer can propriate for the intended audience.

e delivery of the website and the r, while still meeting accessibility standards, and

when appropriate.

3. Values and Principles The website will present a communications interface that has the following attributes

Professional; informative; friendly; simple; attractive, accessible; functional Clean and modern graphic design with appropriate use of colour, pictures and interactivity Sell Dumfries and Galloway as an area to live, learn work visit and grow Promote a positive perception of Dumfries and Galloway Use consistent and inventive corporate branding Maintain an intuitive navigation system that meets best practice and follows established conventions for local government websites. Include customer consultation and testing as part of the process Encourage enterprise and learning through the internet Use the medium to promote safe, healthy and inclusive communities in our region Encourage and grow a relationship of trust and openness amongst colleagues, customers and partners and develop a strong team approach across Council Services

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

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4 Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Ensure the highest standards of security for systems and customer data to meet the needs of customers and its obligations under the Data Protection Act, Deliver web communications on a 24/7 basis, with adequate provision for contingency back-up built in to all systems

4. This strategy arises out of an identified need to plan the future growth of digital communications in the light of the rollout of broadband in 2008 and converging technologies which will be enabled by the switch over to digital TV planned for early 2009 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Development process of the strategy

The Customer First Programme Board asked the Communications Unit to lead a short life task group to evaluate the Council websites and develop a strategy and action plan for the future. The task group presented an outline report to the Board in July 2006 and then commissioned an external usability audit by User Vision Limited of Edinburgh and a separate consultation with lntranet users that both took place in August 2006.

In parallel, Technology Solutions were given a brief to evaluate a number of options for updating and future proofing current processes.

This research and a detailed risk assessment were used to develop the strategy.

5. The next steps The Scottish Executive is committed to Modernising Government where by the delivery of public services and informati of means of acces nvenience, effe ess and continuous improvement.

The Council is equally committed to providing value for money services that meet customers’ needs. This is

nt of our Web a

characterised by citizen focus, a choice

ected in our Corporate Plan and is central to the igital Communication Strategy. Improving business

sure that the information is accessible on the web is vital to ects such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM),

Geographical Information System (GIs), Citizen Account, Leisure Management System, Online Planning, National Entitlement Card and Contact Centre.

Recent research by 0 spend more time an t communicate, consult and inter-act with this new generation in ways that they understand. It needs to prepare and generate digital information that can be used and displayed using technology that our communities will be using over the next 10 to 20 years. This is not just about everyone buying a personal computer and connecting to the Internet. It is also about getting to that information through your digital television, your mobile phone or downloading it to your lpod or your MP3 player or your portal music or video device.

M (Office of Communication) showed that under 25’s now ernet than watching television. The Council needs to

Dumfries and Galloway has 50% less household density than the rest of mainland Scotland and it is predicted the working population will decrease over the next 10 to 20 years. This is another pressure for change. Getting the web strategy right can help by:

4

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 0 6/03/0 7

Ensuring that the region presents itself as an exciting and vibrant community that will assist initiatives to attract inward population movement Automating wherever possible, procedures that enable people to be self- serving. This will enable us to continue to deliver effective services even if we experience staff shortages Providing a digital network that is inclusive and delivers the flexible working environment already in use by communities in other parts of the United Kingdom

0 Fostering local area communities that are inclusive, informed, responsive and forward thinking .

The South of Scotland Broadband Pathfinder Project will deliver high bandwidth connectivity to all our schools, libraries and most of our offices. This will improve services as access to information will be quicker and it will be designed, written and displayed to make it easy for people to understand and use. To achieve this, we need a robust website with intuitive navigation and a core network of people who are trained and committed to delivering the right information in the right format using the right technology.

The Council has adopted an ICT Strategy that sets out a new role for Technology Solutions, moving from developing in-house solutions to integrating bought in systems. This has implications for website development and the maintenance and upgrading of current sites, as they were dev Corporate Applications Strategy looks at rat functionality and application. This web strategy will complement that strategy and vice versa.

These are the main cultural and technological drivers for change. The adoption of the Web and Digital Communication Strategy will tie them together for the first time and allow this major change agenda to move forward.

e. The forthcoming integrating data,

The Council is a care member of an important Scottish project being progressed by the Improvement Service. This will develop a Scottish Services List and a Scottish Navigation List that will result in an A-Z composed of keywords. This will be promoted as the basis for organising information across all Scottish Local Government websites. Th will provide important changes to the information architecture of our sites th will be an essential part of improving navigation. It will require a planned and focussed piece of work across all sites and networks to make this happen.

This assessment of the current and future need for change has led to the development of an Outline Business Case and five year Action Plan for Change. This is detailed in section 7.

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4 Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

6 The website is central to delivery of the Council’s vision for e-Government. It supports and enables the development of new means of accessing the Council’s services, providing the Council’s customers with the opportunity to choose the time, method and location at which they access our services. The website can provide consistency of information and services, helping to meet our customers’ needs at the first point of contact, and provide seamless delivery.

What the site will deliver

There are a range of functions that the website has the potential to deliver and examples are detailed below: These will be developed over time, to provide increasingly sophisticated levels of interaction and examples are detailed below:

Wider range of local information relevant to the customers, including links to other public services, government and voluntary sector organizations, simple customer contact through e-mail Business transactions such as payment of bills, procurem services, applications for services and bookings, and elec

0 Seamless integration with ‘back-office’ systems to provide ‘ (e.g. online viewing of requesting and tracking to completi

0 More advanced feedback and intelligence gathering (including onli consultation, discussion forums, and rep0 of problems and complaints)

0 Personalisation of the custo te (e.g. the ability to define personal profiles for subscribing to inform and services, authentication of users, tailoring the site to meet individual needs, and ‘trusted partner’ access to sensitive information)

The Council’s website is steadily evolving, moving from being primarily information based with some online transactional, to being more transactional. Its future direction is the continued development of transactional services, providing more seamless integration with other data systems (both within the Council and externally) and to offer greater personalisation in delivery, including self-service access (see Section 7).

7 Key Objectiv The following section explains how the five key objectives will be achieved. They

the tasks that flow from them. It will be the task of to implement this strategy to complete the detailed

action plan and to pilot the process within the Council before full implementation.

A WCM system will be deployed as part of the redesign. This is seen as central to the ongoing success of the site as an information source. It is crucial that site content is accurate, up to date and of high quality if we are to raise the use of the site. A modern, easy to use WCM that keeps pace with changing industry standards is essential to achieving this objective. Actions 0 Research, scope and implement new WCM system

0 Consultation with customer/stakeholders 6

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Carry out employee satisfaction survey by October 2008 with a target of 80% who consider it satisfactory or better

s completed by Service staff within 6 months -

GIS will allow us to develop interactive web services, using the Corporate Address Gazetteer. This will enable citizens and staff, to access GIS maps and search by postcode to locate their nearest council services, anything from when your bin will be collected. to school catchments areas or information on Councillors.

up working group to assist with integration of services on the

means of communication that benefits all employees of Dumfries and Galloway Council. It is currently very similar to the main Council website. Research shows that lntranets are more efficient when they concentrate more specifically on staff issues.

Objective 2: The websites will allow online transactions, including

The Scottish Executive’s Customer First Programme, in partnership with Scottish Local Authorities, has identified 46 Core Service activities that have been targeted for improvement, with the expectation that 75% of these service requests can be dealt with at first point of contact. Improved business processes will reduce the transaction time - and cost - of delivering these core activities through channels that citizens and customers choose to transact with their local authority, via the telephone, face-to-face or online.

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4 Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Timescale

Actions

0 Create a development plan April 2007 -April 2008

Timescale KPl’s

1. Review the 40 Council Services to make sure they have information online.

2. One-way interaction - a form can be downloaded, if there is a discussion forum, or if there is an e-mail address for individuals to send comments or queries to.

3. Two-way interaction - interactive service, if the form can be downloaded in and also be submitted electronically or if the comments or queries e-mailed in are also answered electronically.

4. Fully interactive - a service must be capable of being fully delivered electronically, including payment and delivery of the item where feasible.

April 2007 - April 2012 0 40 Core Council services have information online by October 2008 0 40 Core Council services to have One-way interaction by January

2009 0 40 Core Council services to have Two-way interaction by October

2009 0 40 Core Council services to be Fullv interactive bv October 201 1

Online Payments would provide an opportunity for services to deliver online - self- service - transaction, which can bring about benefits and efficiencies in the way the

Objective 3: They will deliver services to citizens, visitors businesses using web technology to improve their quality of life

develop a Scottish Services List and a Scottish Navigation List that will result in an A-Z composed of keywords. This will be promoted as the basis for organising information across all Scottish Local Government websites. This will provide important changes to the information architecture of our sites that will be an essential part of improving navigation. It will require a planned and focussed piece of work across all sites and networks to make this happen. Actions 1 0 Set up task group to carry out review

Increase visitors to dumgaLgov.uk who visit more than once from

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Timescale

voluntary services in Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries and Galloway Council manages the site on behalf of the partners that contribute to the site.

0 Create a development plan based on the outcomes of the review October 2007 - October 2009

The Council will carry out a full review of the community portal with its partners and create a development plan from the outcomes of the review. The aim is for internet users to experience “joined up” services via the community portal. Actions I 0 Set up a task group to carry out review

KPl’s 0 Repeat consultation shows improved customer satisfaction - increase visitors to dgcommunity.net who visit more than once from 8,207 to 16,000 per month - August 2008/2009

month by October 2009 0 Increase site visits to dgcommunity.net from 37,838 to 60,000 per

Objective 4: Web pages will be written in plain language that the customer can understand and be accessible and appropriate for the intended audience.

The Website Content Management (WCM) system ensures a devolved approach across the Council to creating and posting information on the web. The current systems are highly devolved and labour intensive. The review of the information architecture of the sites will require a root and branch review of the responsibilities and structure of the content management of the sites. This will ease the ability to

carrying out an external usability audit, a detailed report identified 40 issues to be addressed. The site was classified as being very content rich, but it needed revised information architecture and a consistent approach across the whole site to guide people to the information they need.

Conduct a comprehensive review of the information architecture and implement a more user focused and intuitive navigation and interface throughout the side. Actions 0 Carry out some user focussed research

0 Comprehensive review of information architecture 0 Plan re-organisation of the information architecture 0 Addressing content (Auditing existing content and Outlining content) 0 Creating a content delivery plan

Timescale April 2007 - April 2008

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Y 1 Writing and presenting informationfor the web and other digital channels is an emerging skill that requires continued training for our staff and other contributors. We will also look at technical areas to see how they can improve the delivery of

Deliver new training to web network, to enhance current skill sets in

tion in other languages - consultation with

4

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Objective 5: The Council will investigate any new web technology that arises and determine how it may be of benefit to the delivery of the website and the service to the end user, while still meeting

this strategy. During its implementation technology will evolve and develop. The Board will keep a watching brief on new ways of delivering information and services to our customers via channels such as digital TV, SMS messaging and portable devices.

8 Risk and Impact Assessment The main risk of not progressing this project is that Dumfries and Galloway Council websites will become progressively more inefficient as technology moves on and we will fail to capitalise on the opportunities to increase inter-action with our citizens and to provide lower cost delivery of many services

A formal risk assessment, of the project i a key process during development of th Business Case and the Project B action plan throughout the life of the project.

was undertaken by the task group, as mmendations. This is detailed in the age those risks and update the risk

9 Management Arrangements

Reporting and monitoring responsibilities The Customer First Programme Board will have responsibility for the strategic direction of the Council websites and will receive reports from the Communications Unit monitoring the imple ntation of the Web Strategy. They will liaise with the ICT Board to prioritise web d lopment in the context of corporate plans and work with the Communications Unit to make sure their service plans are aligned with the corporate priorities.

The Customer First Programme Board will report progress to the Corporate Policy Committee and seek authority from them for any policy changes or significant funding decisions.

This project will be run through the Technology Solutions Programme Office, using the Project Management Framework.

The Communications Unit has operational control of the content of the websites and will work through a network of dedicated staff in services who maintain that information and identify service needs for development.

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

4 They will set up and maintain channels for effective two-way consultation with customers to deliver continuous improvement.

The statistics for all of the sites and pages will be collated and analysed and compared to previous periods. These will feed into the reporting process planned for the Corporate Policy Committee and the Customer First and the ICT Board.

The following reporting facilities will be put into place:

Statistical analysis of use of the three sites will be presented on the site using Web Trends software. This is a better and more accurate system of evaluating the web service and it will be used for marketing, reporting and auditing proposes.

To monitor the success of the development of the sites, continued use of customer consultation and user testing will be planned. This will also include assessment of all accessibility provision to make sure we deliver a focused and comprehensive accessible website.

Operational Management of the Council Websites All information and transactional services relating to Council functions will be delivered through dumgal.gov.uk.

Following the implementation of a n develop an external website.

All web develo the Communicati Customer First

The Corporate Web Team will:

WCM system, no Council service should

cisions should be submitted to the Corporate Web Team in nit. They will evaluate proposals and get the approval of the me Board before developments proceed.

re that the Council website dumgal.gov.uk is the only source of online cil information

Manage the day to day availability of the websites in line with agreed standards of servic Work with the Web ontent Development Group to assist with publishing of information Ensure that all information held on the website conforms to frameworks and standards set by the government Ensure that the website conforms to accessibility standards Ensure that the website continues to work in a range of browsers and maintain links within web pages Monitor website activity including, unique visitors, website availability and publish this information on the website Ensure that the website is branded in accordance with the Corporate identity guidelines

Effective content The Communications Unit has overall responsibility for ensuring that content:

Is in line with the web strategy Takes place in a clear and navigable website structure

12

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Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

Is consistent in style and accuracy Communicates effectively and meets users’ needs

10 Marketing

Branding Branding is important as a means of informing users that they are on the Dumfries and Galloway Council website. It must be present on all website information funded or compiled by Council services. This will ensure that the site:

0 Is branded in accordance with the corporate identity guidelines 0 Conveys the brand of the whole Council rather than the! identity of the

individual team or service area on the individual pages and areas

Promotion To find the website, users need to be able to find the URL easily. To help them do this, the website must be an integral part of the Council’s communications strategy. The website URL should appear on:

0 All forms, letters and promotional material 0 Business cards 0 Campaign, promotional and information leaflets 0 Press releases 0 Vehicles 0 E-mail signatures

Promotion of the website to staff will be carried out and this is assisted by the establishment of the web network. It is worth noting that the majority of staff are also customers and provide an impo use the site.

11 Review arrangements The Web Strategy revised Strategy a

nt role in encouraging their friends and family to

be reviewed and evaluated at year 2 and year 4 leading to a end of the 5-year period.

The reporting arrangements outlined in section 9 will ensure that change projects that are developed over the life of the strategy will be assessed for Best Value before approval and will be evaluated on delivery.

The web strategy must be flexible enough to respond to technological change as and when this takes place.

Reviews and any changes will need to be informed by: 0 Evaluation of present position in relation to future plans 0 Assessment of relevance of plans as technology changes 0 Ongoing customer consultation (internal and external) 0 Ongoing user testing 0 Statistical analysis of the website

13

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4 Web Strategy Dumfries and Galloway Council 06/03/07

12 Key Linked Strategies and Plans

SWViCeS Strategy

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Appendix 1 13 Contacts If you have any comments about this strategy please write to:

Corporate Website Co-ordinator, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Communications Unit, Council Offices, English Street, Dumfries DGI 2DD

E-mail: cis@dumgal .gov. u k

Or visit our website

www.dumgal.gov.uk

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4 Communications Unit DGC Websites to 2012

Appendix 2

Business Case I

~ Work Area

~ Project Title

- _ _ - - Financial Efficiency Strategy and Business Transformation Project

Dumfries and Galloway Council Websites to 2012

DGC Websites to 2012

To redevelop the Council website(s) to meet the continuing needs of the business and its customers. This will include the redevelopment of the information architecture of the websites and work to improve the design and intuitive navigation on the sites. A detailed options appraisal of buying a new Website Content Management (WCM) system is also provided.

. I __ . I _ _ _ -

- - - I I - I - _ _ _ _ _ I _ .-. - -. - - __ - ..

I

~ Chari Laurie / _ _ . _ . _ ^ _ _ _ _ I

" _

, - " - . POST IMPLEME~TAT~~N REVIEW (PIR)

I r e should take place by --- _ _ _ _ - . I -

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Table of content

1 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 3

2 Background ............................................................................................................................................ 3

3 Objectives ............................................................................................................................................... 4

4 Impact of Doing Nothing ....................................................................................................................... 4

5 Options ................................................................................................................................................... 5

6 AssumptionslSuccess CriterialMeasurement and Outcomes ....................................................... 11

7 Risk Assessment ................................................................................................................................. 13

8 Recommendation ................................................................................................................................. 14

9 Timescales ........................................................................................................................................... 14

10 Document details ................................................................................................................................. 14

Appendix 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 15

~~

Page 2 of 15 DGCWebsites-Business-Case

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4

1 Executive Summary

This report presents the Outline Business Case for redeveloping the Council websites in a phased programme over the next five years.

It looks at three options. These are:

0

Upgrading the current in-house system Buying a new web content management system, redesigning the information architecture of the sites and how the content of the sites is created and controlled and purchase online payment portal Integrating the redevelopment of the websites with the larger project to move to a Corporate Enterprise Content Management System that would cover many of the Council’s key electronic business processes

The benefits and drawbacks of each option were costed and assessed.

The project team is recommending that the Council agree to go forward with Option 2, however, consideration needs to be given to Option 3 in the future, where the bigger picture would offer integrated solutions and the wider business requirements (see appendix 1).

In year one the cash implications of implementing a WCM system is f70,000 and can be funded under spend to save, with cash savings of f37,000 in year 2, 3, 4 and 5. The net cash savings of implementing a new WCM at year 5 are f39,OOO. Potential total cashltime release savings are estimated at f184,800 in years 2, 3, 4 and 5.

This option has the added benefit of allowing the development to proceed immediately but retaining the option for the redeveloped websites to be integrated into the larger project outlined in Option 3 at a suitable future date.

Agreement to this recommendation will be followed by the immediate development of a Project Initiation Document (PID) for Phase 1 of the programme.

2 Background The Customer First Programme Board commissioned the Web Strategy. It has been developed with the aim of integrating the web elements of other important Council strategies and providing a strategic plan to achieve those aims.

The Customer First Programme Board asked the Communications Unit to lead a short life task group to evaluate the Council websites and develop a strategy and action plan for the future. The task group presented an outline report to the Board in July 2006 and then commissioned an external usability audit by User Vision Limited of Edinburgh and a separate consultation with lntranet users that both took place in August 2006.

This was a two-part exercise. The dumgal site was evaluated externally. The Council intranet - CIS - was evaluated internally using a survey approach. Together, they provided a detailed report that identified 40 issues to be addressed. They were classified as high, medium and low priority.

The site was classified as being very content rich, but in urgent need of revised information architecture and a consistent approach across the whole site to guide people to the information they need. There were also issues around design and layout and in particular the use of PDF documents instead of inserting text into web pages.

The rewards for getting our website right are high. Research has shown that substantial savings can be achieved where citizens use self-service facilities in meeting their needs for information and services via a website as opposed to phoning the council, or dealing face to face. Councils that have good websites are at the forefront of transforming the customer experience of local authorities and well on the way to achieving significant efficiency gains.

~~~~ ~~ ~~

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Websites are now recognised as being a prime service delivery channel; however, they also need to be given higher priority when developing strategies to achieve business transformation by enabling the delivery of more and better services using fewer resources.

Developing the website to support self-service is an important business transformation policy to adopt. It can bring much lower transaction costs. One example of this is Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC). The findings from Tameside MBC showed that the cost per ‘face to face’ visit to the council averaged f14.95, the cost per phone call to the customer call centre averaged f 1.39 whereas the cost per self-service transaction on the council website averaged f 0 . 2 5 ~ .

The Scottish Executive’s document Transforming Public Services - the next phase of reform (June 2006) strengthens the policies in the efficiency review and includes the need to design services around citizens, reinforcing the role of websites as fundamental to the delivery of customer-centred public services.

In summary, Dumfries and Galloway Council’s corporate web site is an increasingly important communication channel for the organisation. The current design was developed in-house and released in September 2004. Since that time use of the site has grown considerably, as has the breadth of content and, to a lesser extent, services available. After carrying out an external and internal evaluation of the website, a number of issues have been identified with the current design, both in visual and technical terms.

The Council is looking to improve service delivery and make it easier for the user to find the information they need and want on the website. The related aims are to increase site traffic and improve usability. This proposal aims to address these by creating a new structure, look-and-feel and technical infrastructure for the site.

3 Objectives

An accompanying Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007 - 2012 has been developed. This is the core vision from that document:

Dumfries and Galloway Council will present websites that are attractive, informative and simple for all people to use.

0

0

0

0

0

The Council will use all relevant current and emerging technologies to increase digital interaction with its citizens and staff. The websites will allow online transactions, including ordering, delivery, payment and posting of transactions. They websites will deliver services to citizens, visitors and local businesses using web technology to improve their quality of life and their experience of living in, or visiting the area. Web pages will be written in plain language that the customer can understand and be accessible and appropriate for the intended audience. The Council will investigate any new web technology that arises and determine how it may be of benefit to the delivery of the website and the service to the end user, while still meeting accessibility standards.

4 Impact of Doing Nothing

The current Website Content Management (WCM) system, CORE was developed in-house. The Council has adopted an ICT Strategy that sets out a new role for Technology Solutions (TS) where they will develop less in- house solutions and instead will integrate bought in systems. This has implications for council website development and means the Council must plan the maintenance of its current sites and their upgrading in a different way. If we do nothing, the website will progressively be left with legacy systems that require major changes and upgrades without the resources to achieve that.

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4

User Vision Limited carried out an external usability audit and a separate consultation with lntranet users that both took place in August 2006. They provided a detailed report that identified 40 issues to be addressed. They were classified as high, medium and low priority. Work has already been programmed through the ICT Board to address 17 of these issues by March 2007. The options outlined below identify ways of resolving the other priority issues and the resources required to achieve progress. Doing nothing would leave us with a number of identified problems and no solution.

There is a network of estimated 213 ‘Reporters’ across all Directorates who maintain and develop the information about their services and meet regularly to prioritise work. The devolved approach that has been implemented across the Council for creating and posting information on the website has been identified as needing to be tightened up or changed and doing nothing means that one of the core roots of the identified problems would continue and exacerbate the issues.

Benefits (of doing nothing)

Initial low maintenance costs Embedded in services

Users are familiar with the current structure and systems

Expertise has been built up on current system

Draw backs

No efficiency savings

Impact on TS resources to customise current system and maintain Users find system difficult to use (See research) Not flexible or scalable for restructuring the information architecture Incorporating interactive technologies will require major change No progression towards self service option Not meeting customer or staff needs More effort by the user to navigate Lack of consistency in the site interface

Work not consistently in job descriptions and seen as ’add-on’ Staff do not always tie in properly to decision making structures on how information should be displayed Service specific focus is a bar to integrating information for the customer Some reporters have not been trained on writing for the web, no budget to cover the cost of the course

5 Options

5.1

Brief Details The first stage of a WCM product comparison analysis has already been carried out. As part of this piece of work, CORE was compared along with several bought in WCM systems. Although CORE provides some of the functionality that is required, major work would need to be done to meet them all. CORE does not currently allow for a complete ‘single sign-on’ solution. It only provides a small subset of content types, and no automatic content conversion.

Option 1 - CORE: upgrade current system

Benefits (of upgrading current system) Users are familiar with current WCM software Specification to our own needs

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Drawbacks

0

No efficiency savings gained

Impact on TS resources to customise current system and maintain Users find system difficult to use Not flexible or scalable for restructuring the information architecture Incorporating interactive technologies will require major change No progression towards self service option Not meeting customer or staff needs

Technical/Developer staff 1 54,000 I 54,000 I 54,000 I 54,000 I 54,000 I 270,000

I 1 15,000 Server upgrade 1 15,000 I Software maintenance 1 15,000 1 15,000 I 15,000 1 15,000 I 15,000 1 75,000

Project Manager I 10,000 I 10,000 1 10,000 I 10,000 I 10,000 1 50,000

Option 1 Benefits I Savings

5.1.2 Option 2 - Purchase new WCM system, change information and content management networks and

redesign information architecture

Brief Details

Purchase new WCM system

All of the WCM products investigated can manage multiple sites and share content between them. Interwoven, Percussion and Vignette provide the best solution to this requirement via their Portal offerings, which allow administrators to manage the site layout, and ‘look and feel’ via a web-based interface. All of the products investigated provide the ability to meet our Accessibility requirements.

Interwoven, Percussion and Vignette provide all the minimum requirements. They also offer the best set of solutions that go beyond just basic WCM. In an industry standard ‘Gartner’ report dated 2005, these were the three most recommended products.

~

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Redesign information architecture

The research in August recommended that DGC undertake some user focussed research to help develop a more robust and intuitive website that will serve the Council and the Dumfries and Galloway community.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is a member of an important Scottish wide project being run by the Improvement Service to create an A-Z of Council and Other Public Services and a Knowledge Base. The project aims to deliver a fully comprehensive common A-Z of council and other public services and a Knowledge Base of FAQ's and Forms that are customer facing in design and implementation to be rolled out to all Scottish public agency websites. CORE does not have the functionality to integrate this important piece of work without a major and costly in house redesign.

Change information and content management networks

The current systems are highly devolved and labour intensive. The current network is made up of 213 staff within the Council and their responsibilities are to add and update the information on the website.

The 213 network of staff have access to the toolkits to change information on the website. The majority of this network actively update the information on the website, however, some may only provide information for content. This assessment has confirmed that the network is hard to manage in its current format. It has also showed that some staff spent more time updating the web than others, due to other work commitments.

An assessment of the manpower costs of the current system has taken place, with only 30% of the network responding to the survey. On average 68% of who replied are on the scale API-5, with the majority on AP3 grade. The average time spent on the web is 2.5 hours per week.

The review of the information architecture of the sites will require a root and branch review of the responsibilities and structure of the content management of the sites. Research has shown a variety of approaches to a change of this kind, but some are more successful than others. The recommended network is:

0 Restructuring and reducing the current devolved team to fit in with the Scottish Navigation List (SNL) on the website. This would break down the silo service information created by the current structure and create a network driven by topic. This would provide the opportunity to integrate information, join up services and reduce the maintenance required on the current site.

This has implications for all directorates and is flagged up now as a potential pressure in 2007/8

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Benefits I Drawbacks

~~

2,000 3,000 Technical resource - 2wks & half day a wk

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

2,000 2,000 11,000 2,000

Multi-site capability Custom built in search engine Developer created templates to allow customisation to look and feel Stats logging and reporting Other reporting Document management purely for web site(s) Automatic transformation to PDF and HTML from Office file uploads Forms, blogging, forums LDAP integration allowing single sign-on Pre-release environment where changes are made. Non-TS administrators manage releases. Releases can be rolled back. Efficiency savings Lower short-term costs One business area being addressed Inexpensive short to medium-term solution

0 Staff need to be trained to use the new WCM system -this could be costly

0

Multiple paths to information 0

0

0

0

Improving access to local information

An information architecture geared to Council and customers’ needs Mappings from services list to forms and FAQ’s Improving access to local information More robust and intuitive website

Large implementation project before benefits are fully realised

I

0 Integrated information

I I IAnalyst/Programier ~ ~ I 27,000 I 27,000 I 27,000 I 27,000 I 27,000 I 135,000 I

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4

O,Ooo 10,000 10,000 Software savings (stats and search) **

Consultancy & Training Fees *

Technical Project Manager

10,000 40,000

Contractor to carry out Usability Testing & Information architecture analysis *

User Needs Assessment Groups

5,000 5,000 5,000

20,000

I 1 5,000* I 5,000 1 5,000 I 25,000 I

10,000 1 10,000 I 120,000 I

User savings: 50% savings (time release) ***

1 184,800 1 184y800 1 184’800 1 184,800 1 739,200 1

. . ... . . . . - .... . .... . ..... - . . . __ .. .. - .. . . . ... . . . . I I I I I 1 J . . ... .. . . - .... ..... . ..... - . . . __ .. .. - .. . . . ... .. . .

* Denotes new costs The first two rows will make savings from year 2 onwards. The AnalysVProgrammer will result in a real reduction and the software saving will be recovered from existing software costs. The third row is unlikely to make cash savings, however, time release savings could be achieved from year 2 onwards. User savings: 21 3 people, 2.5 hrs per week, on an average grade of AP3 - 50% time release could be achieved to make available 1 % hours in the medium to short term, however, unless departments could aggregate these hourly savings to then equate to an FTE, e.g. 2.5 hours per week and 16 people do this in a department then aggregate that so it becomes 1 person doing it and then true 50% savings can be made by cutting half a post.

**

***

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5.1.3

Brief Details An Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) is part of the ICT Strategy. It takes a holistic approach and caters for areas beyond traditional website content management to include solutions for enterprise document management, digital asset management, records management, business processes, content integration, collaboration, knowledge management and data mining.

Option 3 - Corporate Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS)

Most of these areas are under consideration within other projects of the Council. Although the total solutions for ECM may be large in scale and cost as a single item, consideration should be given to taking account of these types of solutions when considering other solutions individually.

Benefits Multi-site capability is available via their Portal product add-on Searching tools included Stats logging and reporting, Other reporting Customisation of look and feel does not require developer input Document and Record Management add-on provides image libraries, email and document storage and management, and tools for conversion between format types. Document management is corporate repository Document creation workflow Forums SharePoint style collaboration Pre-release environment where changes are made. Non-TS administrators manage releases. Releases can be rolled back. LDAP integration allowing single sign-on Long term efficiency savings Suite of integrated solutions High level of user flexibility

Drawbacks Short-term costs Complexity of the solution Sheer scale and tie in

Hardware I 100,000 I I I I I 100,000 1

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Year I Year 2 Year 3 Option 3 Benefits I Savings

Software savings (search, stats 1 10,000 1 10,000 1 10,000 1 10,000 1 10,000 1 40,000 1 1 User savings (WCM) I 170,000 I 170,000 I 170,000 1 170,000 I 170,000 I 850,000 1

1 200,000 1 2oovoo 1 2oolooo 1 200,000 I 200,000 I 1,000.000 1 Doc, records management savings (user efficiency corporate)

6 Assumptions I Success Criteria I Measurement and Outcomes

Assumptions The Council Finance Sub Committee have recently agreed to identify a “core priority programme” of Business Transformation projects under the Scottish Efficient Government Initiative, which will generate financial efficiency savings towards annual financial targets already set by the Scottish Executive. This project is a strong candidate to be given the status of a core priority project and for funding to be allocated.

Success Criteria and Measurement

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Objective ""l..l..."..."., ,,,.......,.., " .,..,....., " ........... " .... " .......... .......,..

The Council will use all relevant current and emerging technologies to enhance, grow and increase digital interaction with its citizens and staff.

The websites will allow online transactions, including ordering, delivery, payment and posting of transactions.

They will deliver services to citizens, visitors and local businesses using web technology to improve their quality of life and their experience of living in, or visiting the area.

Web pages will be written in plain language that the customer can understand and be accessible and appropriate for the intended audience.

Success Criteria A fully functioning, consistent WCM system across the Council

other Council systems

0 Full integration with

Demonstrate the potential to achieve efficiency savings as a result of dealing with customers/delivering services more effectively.

e Reduce the number of steps a customer takes in their journey to complete their transaction with the Council Content will support Customer Relationship Management system, ensuring that at least 75% of service requests can be dealt with at first contact

0 Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Level AA Compliant

0 Increase site visits e People finding the

website useful

Measurement 0 Carry out employee satisfaction survey by October

2008 e 50% of updates completed by Service staff within 6

months - October 2008 e Task group in place by xxx to look at where GIS could

integrate with Services on the web 0 Carry out employee satisfaction survey by October

2008 e Increase site visits to lntranet from 62,452 by 80,000

per month by April 2009 0 40 Core Council services have information online by

October 2008 0 40 Core Council services to have One-way interaction

by January 2009 0 40 Core Council services to have Two-way interaction

by October 2009 0 40 Core Council services to be Fully interactive by

October 201 1 0 Task group in place by October 2007 0 Deliver payments online for the 40 Core Council

Services by April 2012 Increase visitors to durngal,gov.uk who visit more than once from 23,127 to 40,000 per month - April 2009 (shows people are finding the site useful)

0 Benchmark consultation establishes current status of project with stakeholders and influences development plan - November 2007

0 Repeat consultation shows improved customer satisfaction - increase visitors to dgcommunity.net who visit more than once from 8,207 to 16,000 per month - August 2008/2009

e Increase site visits to dgcommunity.net from 37,838 to 60,000 per month by October 2009

0 Carry out customer satisfaction survey by October 2008 (Customer satisfaction with the quality of Information) Carry out employee satisfaction survey by October 2008 (Employees satisfaction with web network)

0 Increase site visits to dumgaI,gov.uk from 125,911 to 150,000 per month by April 2009

0 Increase visitors to dumgaLgov.uk who visit more than once from 23,127 to 40,000 per month by June 2009 (shows people are finding the site useful)

0 All new joiners to the council are inducted into the web delivery of council services and our plans for this through the Corporate induction process

0 All of the web network complete the essential web communication skills training programme by December 2007

0 Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Level AA compliant

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Investigate any new web technology that arises and determine how it may be of benefit to the delivery of the website and the service to the end user, while still meeting accessibility standards

Demonstrate the potential to achieve efficiency savings as a result of delivery information and services via new access channels

Translation of key information into 7 most common foreign languages in Dumfries and Galloway by April 2009 Carry out customer satisfaction survey by October 2009 10% of Information and services identified and delivered on the web via different access channels by July 2009

Outcomes This will result in a more robust and intuitive website that will serve the Council, its staff and citizens. This will lead to a more focused and intuitive navigation and interface throughout the site. The benefits will also lead to more efficient workflows, more flexible cost effective service delivery and better coordination.

7 Risk Assessment

Very High

High

Significant

Low

Very Low

Almost Impossible

Likelihood

Risk Matrix

Negligible Marginal Critical Catastrophic

Impact b

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Risks: 1 No fit-for-purpose strategy 4 Scopecreep 2 3 Insufficient stakeholder buy-in 6 Ineffective Change Management

Council does not have the skills to deliver 5 Lack of Resources, (personnel or financial)

6 March 2007:

6 March 2007

8 Recommendation

Option 2 is the preferred option however consideration needs to be given to Option 3 in the future, where the bigger picture would offer integrated solutions and the wider business requirements (see appendix 1).

Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007-201 2 and Business Case submitted to Corporate Policy for Approval

See Web and Digital Communication Strategy 2007-2012 - Key Objectives and Tasks

The website is one of the fundamental building blocks for modern service delivery - CRM and DGDirect will rely on it for consistent up to date information. Many benefits and substantial savings can be achieved by opting for Option 2, which will achieve the aim of presenting websites that are attractive, informative and simple for all people to use.

10 Document details

Filename and location - \CSDATA\ComUnit\Web Content\Web Strategy Development\DGCWebsites-Business-Case. doc

Appendix 1

Option 2 - implement Web Content Management (WCM) System Option 3 - implement Enterprise Content Management (ECM) System

The decision around which choice to make of the two options above is discussed in some detail in the forthcoming Corporate Applications Strategy. The Strategy builds logical arguments towards satisfying the Vision of the Strategy. This Vision comprises of four parts and of relevance for this choice is the minimisation of data and functional duplication in the Councils applications, and then the integration of corporate applications into suites of software solutions, such as ECM.

The pros of taking option 2 revolve mainly around lower short-term costs - for software, hardware, analystlprogrammer, technical resource and consultancy and training requirements. This option would provide a suitable solution for the business requirement.

Cons of this option are that only one business area is being addressed and there is a lack of big picture, longer- term thinking and solutions provision. There would be a need in future years to integrate the WCM with other applications and this may prove costly and take time.

In summary, this option offers a relatively inexpensive short to medium-term solution but only looks at one business need in isolation. If this approach was selected then it would very much need to consider other similar developments in areas such as document and records management, workflow etc.

The pros of taking option 3 are that a suite of integrated solutions would be available that did consider the bigger picture and the wider business requirements. Having a fully integrated suite would reduce potential future integration costs and would provide re-usable components for other business requirements, as they became ready to be introduced to these solutions.

Also, there would be a high level of user flexibility in the use of different modules within the suites and thus familiarity of the tools would be greater than having a number of separate applications

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Page 35: WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 2012egenda.dumgal.gov.uk/aksdumgal/images/att12903.pdf · WEB AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2007 - ... shows how other key projects

The cons of this type of solution really revolve around short-term costs but these would be outweighed in the longer term by efficiency savings. This is described further in the Corporate Applications Strategy. The complexity of the solution and its sheer scale and tie-in to possibly one provider may also be seen as negative aspects for this type of solution.

The decision largely comes down to what the Council feels able to do - the short term, lower cost, small gains option versus the medium to longer-term, higher initial costs but larger gains option.

The draft Corporate Applications Strategy discusses this in more detail.

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