Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you all the latest from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. In this newsletter, we bring you a detailed update on what has been happening across the Digital Partnership throughout the last month and details of upcoming activities.
If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.
Council of the Future - The Digital "To Be" State.
The Digital "To Be" State is a project that the Digital Office is leading on behalf of SOLACE as part of the SOLACE/IS Transformation Programme. It aims to provide a clear and compelling vision for a future digital-enabled local government. We have co-developed a framework that outlines the key elements of the desired future state. This framework is based on the input and feedback from various stakeholders, who have been working with us directly and who have contributed to workshops such as the one we held during the last Partnership Forum. The framework consists of:
A vision statement that articulates our purpose and direction
Statements of how our vision will benefit our key stakeholders, such as citizens, communities, businesses, and staff
Objectives and outcomes that align with our three strategic priorities: operational effectiveness, customer experience, and improved outcomes
A target operating model that describes what this means in terms of how we might need to organise ourselves, in terms of workforce, process, information, and technology, manage resources, and deliver services
"From...To" statements that illustrate the changes and improvements we will make across different aspects of our organisation
Design principles that guide our decision making and ensure consistency and quality as we progress towards the To Be State.
We have already developed some content for the stakeholder benefits and the target operating model through a series of workshops and we have now formed four subgroups to further develop the content and plan wider stakeholder communications and engagement. The subgroups will focus on the following:
Developing a communication and engagement plan that will inform and involve our internal and external stakeholders
Finalising the target operating model
Developing the "From...To" statements that will highlight the gaps and opportunities between our current and future state
Developing the vision statement that will capture our ambition and inspire people
We are extremely excited about this opportunity to work with SOLACE and colleagues from across local government to co-develop a clear vision for the future for digital-enabled local government that helps the sector to reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and improve outcomes for all. If you would like to find out more, or would like to get involved in the project, please contact us at info@digitaloffice.scot
Data Priorities for Impact.
Further to recent feedback on the importance of enhancing strategic alignment within the Data community, we organised an in-person session, which took place on 11 June, to identify key priorities and explore the most effective ways to support these moving forward. During this workshop we mapped the data landscape, aligning to:
Programmes
Policy and Strategy
Architecture Assurance
Capability Building
Opportunities
We have now captured all the initiatives from the discussions and progressing to the next stage of agreeing these priorities, identifying the formation of working groups and onboarding individuals who would like to be involved. The sheer volume and variation of opportunities across the data landscape is exciting and the benefits of storytelling and measuring impact to inform decisions, even more so.
Invitations to get involved and support delivery will be sent soon, therefore please stay tuned for further information. If you would like to find out more or be kept informed of progress, please do contact Verity Hislop. in the meantime.
Digital Champions: Bitesize Overview and Next Steps.
In collaboration with Aaron Slater of Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), we have been exploring the possibilities of cross-organisation Digital Champions.
Before we begin a series of stakeholder discovery workshops around this initiative, we requested that councils self-assess the maturity of their existing Digital Champions networks, if they have one. Further to this request, here are the bitesize insights based on the responses so far:
Do you have Digital Champions within your organisation?
Yes = 71%
No = 29%
After completing a few questions, we asked respondents to self-assess the maturity of their Digital Champion networks.
40% of respondents assessed their Digital Champions network to consist of no or few recognised Digital Champions with minimal engagement and some training/development.
40% of respondents confirmed having Digital Champions but with ad-hoc engagement and supported with ongoing learning and development.
20% of respondents highlighted an active and engaged Digital Champion network with regular meetings and development sessions in place, where feedback is driving improvement.
One of the areas of focus for this initiative is to measure the impact and success of Digital Champions. The need to understand the impact of Digital Champions and support continuous development has been confirmed, with the majority (80%) of councils who responded having no measures or tracking in place.
We will shortly be sending out invites to a series of discovery workshops to explore what a cross-organisation Digital Champion network could look like, how this could work and how we could ensure built in continued upskilling and development.
It’s not too late to get involved in shaping this initiative! Please provide us with your insights and suggestions using the survey below. If you would like further information in the meantime, please do contact Verity Hislop.
Maximising our Microsoft investment - National Community for Microsoft Power Platforms.
Further to the launch our National Community for Microsoft Power Platforms on 14 June 2024, we requested 5 minutes of your time to capture your ideas and suggestions and confirm the priority focusses for the group.
From the responses received please see below a screenshot of the Menti, highlighting the priorities we will share knowledge, resource and best practices on throughout our regular meetings and collaborations, driving transformation and maximising our Microsoft investment across Scotland.
For those of you who were unable to attend the initial session but would like to join the community, please do get in touch with Verity or Chris Wright of Perth & Kinross Council.
Power Apps in Action from Perth & Kinross Council.
Transforming Citizen Services with Power Apps: A Digital Leap Forward
In our pursuit of innovation and service excellence, we've taken a significant step forward with the deployment of a self-service kiosk being piloted in public areas, designed to empower our citizens with the ability to self-serve. This initiative is not just a leap in technology; it's a leap in our approach to serving the community.
The Challenge: In the past, our legacy systems, while functional, incurred costs and lacked the flexibility and efficiency we strive for. We needed a solution that could not only reduce expenses but also enhance our service delivery.
The Solution: Enter Microsoft Power Apps. By harnessing the power of this versatile platform, we've developed a kiosk that not only meets our needs but exceeds them. The kiosk has been instrumental in allowing us to decommission the old system, leading to a saving and operational efficiencies.
The Impact:
Cost Savings: The shift to Power Apps has proven to be a strategic move, optimising our financial resources, and enhancing the value we derive from our Microsoft assets.
Enhanced Safeguarding: A key feature of our app is the advanced safeguarding it provides. Staff are now informed in advance about who they will be meeting, ensuring better preparation and security.
Seamless Integration: The app's integration with Microsoft Teams is seamless, notifying the relevant teams when a citizen is awaiting service, thus improving our responsiveness.
Data-Driven Insights: With Power BI, we've gained a detailed breakdown of service usage, providing insights that were previously unattainable. This data is crucial for accurate forecasting and understanding our citizens' needs, enabling us to tailor our services more effectively.
The Future: As we look ahead, we're excited about the possibilities this opens for us. The detailed reporting from Power BI allows us to build a better picture of our citizens' needs, informing our future strategies and service offerings.
National M365 Cross-Organisation Collaboration Programme.
Welcome to this month’s update on the National M365 Cross-Organisation Collaboration Programme. Here’s a brief overview of our current status and upcoming plans:
Current Status: The M365 Skills Hub continues to gain momentum, with 26 organisations currently being on-boarded as part of the second cohort. The technical implementation has been completed and we are expecting to complete the initial testing sessions with two councils next week before scheduling further testing sessions for the remaining organisations.
Phase 1 Wider Rollout: We are pleased to announce that 24 councils are now fully live with Phase 1, with 4 councils currently in progress and the project team is working with the councils in progress to support them on their journey
. Phase 1 National Health Boards: We have made progress during the past month in our federation efforts with national health boards and councils. Public Health Scotland (PHS) is moving forward, with testing meetings being scheduled for PHS and Aberdeen City. However, due to resourcing challenges, the State Hospital has decided not to participate in the programme at this time.
Upcoming Communications: In the next couple of weeks, we will be sharing substantial updates through various communications campaigns. These updates will cover:
The Device Optimisation Initiative
Overall Programme Progress
Collaborative Procurement for GovRoam
The M365 Landscape Review
These detailed updates will provide comprehensive insights into our strategic plans and next steps across these key areas.
Stay tuned & Get involved: Please keep an eye out for these upcoming communications for more in-depth information. For any questions or further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Monika Ivanova.
Shared ARC Programme Shortlisted for a COSLA Excellence Award.
The Shared ARC Programme has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Service Innovation and Improvement category for the 2024 COSLA Excellence Awards!
The Shared ARC Platform is a revolutionary step forward in the telecare sector that champions a collective approach to implementation. Co-designed with Scottish Telecare Service Providers to meet the pressing needs of the sector, this ground-breaking solution offers a simplified pathway to adopting digital telecare, ensuring a seamless transition without compromising service quality.
This will be more than just an efficient transition tool; it provides a dynamic platform for innovation. By empowering service providers and stakeholders to collaborate and drive transformative solutions, we have the potential to reshape the way we deliver telecare and support.
. Interested in finding out more about our Digital Telecare Programme? Check out the teams latest newsletter below.
The Digital Office has continued to support COSLA with the development of guidance that will be made available to councils. This will include topics on implementation period, visitor levy forum, business costs, remittance information requirements and worked examples. Testing has been undertaken of the guidance, with a view of it being published in August. For further information on this initiative, please contact info@digitaloffice.scot.
Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, COSLA Verity House, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh, United Kingdom EH12 5BH, Scotland
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