One third of councils don't involve IT team in early stages of digital transformation
Senior decision-makers agree that focus for IT function needs to extend beyond cost cutting
Just over one third (34 per cent) of councils do not involve the IT function in the early stages of strategic planning around business and digital transformation, according to research by Eduserv, the not-for-profit provider of technology services to local government.
The findings are contained in a new report, "Putting IT at the Heart of Local Government Strategy", and are based on quantitative research among 108 senior decision-makers in local government between November 2014 and February 2015, in addition to four qualitative interviews with IT leads in local government.
The report found that three quarters of councils (74 per cent) question the IT capabilities within their council to drive through any proposed changes. It also finds that the majority of senior decision-makers agree that the focus for the IT function needs to be broader than simply cutting costs.
Senior decision-makers believe that IT should focus on areas such as information sharing (67 per cent), and systems to support the delivery of services (65 per cent). But alarmingly, just under half of the councils said that current information sharing (46 per cent) and IT systems (47 per cent) were not suitable for their current or future needs. Despite this, just over half of the senior decision-makers (55 per cent) believed their organisation would address the shortfall in capability.
However, the vast majority of decision-makers (85 per cent) said that a lack of investment is undermining the quality of services.
But a key challenge for council IT leaders is to ensure that projects such as those involving a shift to cloud services aren't just seen as quick fixes or primarily cost-saving projects.
"I don't want cloud to be seen as a budget-driven necessity; I want it to be seen as a new business opportunity," said Ian Gale, ICT service delivery and integration manager for Bristol City Council.
Jos Creese, chief digital officer (CDO) of Hampshire County Council, said that the cost savings from the cloud are marginal, and the focus for business leaders should be on flexibility and business agility.
"Whenever I talk to our services about sourcing options, I talk about the agility that cloud might bring, the rigour it will probably require and the integration needs, especially around identity management," he explained.
"I downplay the economics because time and again savings are not there. We're using cloud to invest differently as much as to save money. The more important thing to get across is that we're investing time and resources in cloud services because we know it's right for the future," he added.