Projects listed in order of appearance in the programme
CRM National Programme
The CRM National Programme has launched its new CRM Academy website to provide support to local authorities in planning and implementing Customer Relationship Management. The website (www.crmacademy.org) website holds a portfolio of 41 tools to make planning and implementing CRM easy. This is 15 more products than were originally planned by the CRM National Programme, and were developed as the team worked with councils to identify and address their particular needs. By mid-March 2004, 313 council representatives had registered to use the 13 draft products, (released on www.crmnp.org in December 2003), downloading 2,337 copies of the products to help them implement CRM and meet Local e-Government Strategy targets by 2005. The Academy website also provides a short term help desk facility to help councils with their CRM journeys, answering the expected influx in demands for help in choosing and using the tools, experienced after the release of the draft products.
To access the 41 tools and learn more about the CRM National Programme log onto www.crmacademy.org, For queries relating to the CRM Programme or the CRM Products, contact us on 020 7364 3212 or
crm.pso@towerhamlets.gov.uk
RYOGENS
Stand 13
Ryogens has built and tested a web-based system to capture professionals’ concerns about children and young people in order to identify, assess and refer vulnerable individuals before they reach crisis point. Our aim is to protect vulnerable children and reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. Pilots in Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Warwickshire have been evaluated by Oxford University. The findings suggest that practitioners believe RYOGENS could be an important step towards delivering improved information sharing between agencies and the early identification of young people at risk. Alongside the IT solution, a toolkit is available which provides guidance for local authorities wishing to implement RYOGENS. The first version of the toolkit is available online and contains: RYOGENS Overview; Project Implementation Guide; User Forum; and Technology Overview. We are now looking for early adopters to implement RYOGENS.
For further information call the programme office on 020 7007 2048.
Enterprise Workflow National Project
EWNP has been set up to help local authorities transform themselves into ‘Councils of the Future’ by automating the scheduling and delivery of processes involved in the provision of council services. At the present time councils mainly use workflow to streamline existing process within a department or service, whereas adoption of workflow across the whole ‘Enterprise’ could lead to the transformation of service delivery. The Project’s primary deliverables are the Workflow Toolkit which provides a step by step guide to the adoption of Workflow; a survey by PA Consulting which looked at existing take-up of workflow and best practice exemplars of workflow within Local Authorities; the learning from six transformation partners; the proof of product project; and a number of authoritative papers. The supplier community has been consulted on issues like interoperability standards and are contributing to a national suppliers register of local authority interest in, and implementations of, workflow. EWNP has provided key deliverables that enable Councils to assess the benefits possible with Enterprise Workflow, and a comprehensive set of resources to ensure successful implementation.
Further information: www.workflownp.org.uk; peter.wrigley@knowsley.gov.uk or call 0151 443 3748.
The Working with Business National Project
Stand 21
WWB NP is developing a range of products to help local authorities improve the online provision of information and transactional services for local businesses. These outputs will also benefit councils’ economic development functions by enabling them to deploy support for local businesses more effectively than ever before. The Project has four main outputs. The Single Business Account toolkit will help local authorities evaluate, develop and implement the SBA, a mechanism which works alongside the authority’s CRM system to manage information about council to business interactions, and which can also support improved access for businesses to council services. The model website is a set of tools, knowledge and content to enable a local authority to create a fully customisable business area on their website. A series of process maps describing interactions between councils and businesses is available for councils looking to re-engineer these processes, and the project is also delivering a range of research, survey information, demonstrators, and other useful material on various aspects of working with business.
Further information: enquiries@workingwithbusiness.org.uk
The Local Authority Websites National Project (LAWS)
Stand 15
LAWs will help local authorities deliver a wider range of higher quality services online by providing tools to make the process easier. At the core is a suite of website and infrastructure technologies and standards which can be implemented in a modular fashion dependent on local circumstances. Implementation will be supported by a comprehensive knowledge base and best practice guidelines to manage the organisational change required. Products include: generic structure and website content (covering all ESD toolkit services); a secure email hub; message brokering middleware; APLAWS development; community modules; usability and accessibility testing and best practice guidelines; local authority category list; website architecture and metadata standards; syndication standards for local authorities; process maps for APLAWS+ related tasks; roles and responsibilities related to processes identified.
Further information: info@laws-project.org.uk.
The e-procurement National Project
Stand 16
NePP aims to enable all English local authorities to take full advantage of e-Procurement and to raise the profile of procurement in all authorities in line with the National Procurement Strategy. The project is delivering a structured programme of real practical support, guidance and actions including: an e-Procurement toolkit to help plan the stages of implementation and select the relevant elements of e-Procurement; a programme of local authority experience sharing including interaction with other public and private sector early adopters; and a Guidance Summary document designed to engage decision makers and provide a reference guide to NePP material on the web. Guidance has been produced on: building the business case for e-procurement; benefits realisation; developing clear requirement specifications and profiling service provider offerings; supplier adoption; standards; change management; and regional solutions.
Further information: www.nepp.org.uk or call: 020 7 828 7300
The National Digital TV project
Stand 23
DigiTV is investigating this emerging medium to understand its potential in complementing other local authority access channels. Alongside business case work, a comprehensive ‘How To Guide’ and bespoke DiTV research, DigiTV has created a base level technical product that allows all Local Authorities to actively consider DiTV for their area. The Starter Kit product comprises centrally hosted technology which allows content to be created and maintained locally, then repurposed appropriately on the various DiTV platforms. Alongside the technology DigiTV has negotiated a much reduced cost and standard contract across all three platforms – Sky,Telewest & ntl: – and allows up to 12 Local Authorities to work together and share costs and learning. DiTV is addressing the digital divide and has created a situation in which all local authorities can easily and affordably assess DiTV for their citizens and evaluate the hard, but also the numerous soft, benefits which DiTV can afford.
Further information: www.digitv.org.uk
The Planning and Regulatory Services Online National Project
Stand 22
PARSOL aims to provide assistance to all local authorities in the implementation of seamless, consistent and integrated online planning and regulatory services (including the areas of environmental health, building control and trading standards). It has developed guidance, standards, specifications and operational systems to support these areas and will use these products to help deliver e-planning across all authorities. PARSOL is working with a range of suppliers to ensure that commercially available products are enhanced to meet the standards specified by the project, and it will ensure the interoperability of delivered systems through the use of XML standards and integration with a wide range of back-office systems. Demonstrator systems are being implemented at selected pilot authorities within a range of technically different environments and provide guidance material for the implementation of such systems at any local authority.
Further information: www.parsol.gov.uk or smelvin@wandsworth.gov.uk
Or call 020 8871 7945
The Local e-Government Standards Body
Stand 01
The Local e-Government Standards Body is run by and for local government. It has been set up to provide councils, their partners and suppliers with easy one-stop access to the best and most current thinking, information, practice standards and advice available - so that we can all learn from, collaborate with, and fully exploit the latest e-initiatives, nationally, across the UK. Central to the work of the e-Standards Body is Custodian - the national repository for local e-government standards - a new on-line database of key projects and information. Custodian is a living resource that, through continual collective updating, contributing and consulting, will become the first port of call before embarking on any e-government initiative. Custodian will give local authorities access to a wealth of information about the outputs from the National Projects and other innovations created within the local government family.
Further information: www.legsb.gov.uk ; info@localegov-standards.gov.uk or call: 07971 600 450
The National Project for Knowledge Management
Stand 37
The National Project for Knowledge Management will develop a comprehensive range of toolkits and processes which local authorities will be able to use to deploy knowledge management within their authority. The work streams link together with the aim of helping: improve democratic accountability; increase the number of well-informed community leaders; raise public service standards; empower communities. The programme will take into account the multiple layers of knowledge requirements in order to: carry out an exploration of the role of knowledge’s impact on public policy; identify the organisational relationships that are necessary to underpin effective knowledge management systems; develop legal protocols for data sharing; develop systems for greater learning and mutual problem solving with the community and community leaders; and develop technical products that offer a single point of access and can 'hold' complex layers of information
Further information: www.knowledgemanagement.org
Mobile technology National Project
Project Nomad - the National Project aims to create a comprehensive set of deliverables to enable any local authority wishing to establish a mobile computing operation to do so with ease and confidence. The deliverables will cover: research and background material; business case design; organisational impact; staff and management issues; technical planning; technology selection; data integration to back office systems; evaluation and benefits realisation. These deliverables will be trialled in a range of settings designed to: showcase the technology potential; demonstrate implementation in a range of operational settings; prove the robustness of the overall toolset provide opportunities local authorities to participate; and provide a focus for suppliers to respond to local authority needs. Anticipated settings include: social care assessment; housing repairs and benefits; street scene reporting; use by members; trading Standards; environmental health; and building control.
Further information: www.projectnomad.org.uk or info@projectnomad.org.uk
Or call 01223 717710
The Valuebill National Project
Stand 10
Valuebill aims to enable electronic exchange of data between local authorities and the Valuation Office Agency, and to enhance the collection of Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates through faster, more transparent processes. Implementation of the project outputs will deliver value through enhanced use of shared data by a government agency and local authorities; reduced duplication across the sectors; identification of previously missing data enabling billing to all billable properties; improved processes for incorporating changes to data; faster exchange of data and updating of property valuations; clearer and quicker property valuations for the customer. Additional benefits arise from more effective utilisation of staff; enhanced internal and external process, and follow-up improvements in all property-related transactions. While some of these benefits may accrue from the adoption of the Local Gazetteer, the full benefits might only be realised through completely matching the requirements specifically for revenue collection.
Further information: valubill@idea.gov.uk or call 020 7296 6877
The National Smart Card Project
Stand 26
This project has joined up a number of existing local authority smart card schemes and initiatives to create a model scheme offering citizens across England access to seamless service delivery using the latest technology. The project’s key deliverables are to: improve access to services for citizens and promote social inclusion and opportunities for life; put forward the business cases for smart cards; develop business and financial models; produce a standards framework that supports recognised standards; produce best practice guidelines and toolkits for purchasing and procuring smart cards and smartcard technology; produce a Smart Card Starter Pack for use by local authorities wishing to implement smartcard technology; identify links with Government departments; and to provide information and advice to interested parties about the work of the project.
Further information: www.nationalsmartcardproject.org.uk
National Benefits Project
Stand 20
The aim of the National Benefits Project is to provide an improved service for people entitled to claim benefits by developing a more co-ordinated, streamlined approach, which will enable data to be exchanged far more efficiently and effectively. The project will allow Citizens Advice Bureaux and other intermediaries access to tools to assist their clients to make a claim. Individuals will have a wider choice of how and where they make a claim for their benefits, reducing the fraud and error rate (£750 million in 2002-03) as more accurate information will be provided to advisors. The project has the potential to give local authorities the ability to offer increased choice of access channels to citizens; to improve flexibility and response times to customers; to streamline business processes and reduce costs within both local and central government organisations; to integrate and improve front and back office processes; to improve performance against key national and local indicators; and to make organisations more robust and able to deal with changes in legislation and reform packages.