Digital strategy

We will provide devices and applications that are fit for purpose and reliable and we will support all colleagues to have the skills and confidence to use them.

In order to fully describe the aim of this theme it can be considered in three areas; that our team has the devices, applications and skills to enable digital transformation and innovation.

Devices

We will have the devices we need to provide services and enable us to deliver the customer promise. These devices will be cost effective, connected and maintained, underpinned by a robust technical strategy which will deliver a stable and reliable infrastructure, providing a foundation which services can innovate from. Rather than limiting what is possible, our devices should spark imagination, showing how technology can enable new, connected services to be delivered, including advancing the use of assistive technologies and smart devices. Devices should allow our Teams to complete their job at point of delivery rather than having to move to technology to carry out their roles. We will source and operate all our devices and infrastructure with sustainability in mind, ensuring that wherever possible our device choices actively contribute to our ambition of being a carbon net-zero Borough by 2030.

Applications

Software applications are key to the day to day running of most Council services, and to the capture of data and information for analysis and planning. Applications that are intuitive, integrated and fit for purpose can: enable continuous business improvement, enhance the customer experience and deliver timely information at the point of need.  Data captured by business applications can provide valuable customer insights and feed analytics to inform strategic planning. As support for customers through technology develops, applications linked to assistive technology and smart devices can provide increasingly powerful insights into ‘what works for individuals and at the strategic level. 

Applications will utilise leading technologies and platforms, but our focus will always be on outcomes, with technology in a supporting role. The strategy for applications will have direct links to the customer and data themes so that development is driven by business ambitions rather than supplier priorities. Applications must be responsive to changing business needs, both large-scale business transformation and enabling smaller improvements, so that change is not hampered by software capability. Access to applications will be scalable and cost-effective and key applications will be securely available anytime, anywhere and on any supported device. 

High quality applications will make it easy for customers and partners to interact with the Council across all business processes and will be integrated, allowing Council systems to behave as a single ‘information system’. Colleagues and customers will be supported to get the best possible use of applications through good quality support, guidance and training.

Application will be delivered using a capability-based model by selecting applications which can be used by multiple departments focusing on the applications functions not the specificity to any individual department. This approach will reduce the overall number of applications and reduce the overall overhead of IT provision.

Skills

The term ‘digital skills’ covers a wide array of ability, knowledge and skills in order to maximise the use of technology such as the Internet, computers, tablets, smartphones, automation, artificial intelligence, video and a host of other things. The use of technology is ever changing, and it is crucial that colleagues are able to change and adapt. Service baseline and aspirational measures within this theme are aligned to and will inform the Council’s workforce digital skills delivery plan.