Sprint Notes #75
November 2023
Welcome to Sprint Notes #75! In our last issue of 2023, you can read about the progress of our project to improve the Local Digital Declaration and the latest news from our funded projects.
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News from Local Digital
Improving the Local Digital Declaration — an update on our progress
Back in October, we kicked off the next phase of a project to make the Local Digital Declaration a more useful tool for councils to use to bring about change and transformation.
It’s been a busy but productive few months, during which the team has:
- developed hypotheses (assumptions about what we know, to test with users) to guide our research
- carried out usability testing to identify issues in the current sign-up journey
- conducted a content audit of signatory commitments on the website
- developed ‘job stories’ and mapped these to the user journey of signing the Declaration
During the coming sprint, we’ll be:
- creating prototypes of initial content changes, to make the Declaration easier for users to understand and see the value it can bring
- scheduling user research interviews to test the content changes and dig into some of the broader research questions
If you’re interested in taking part in our research in the new year, keep an eye on our LinkedIn, Twitter or newsletter for more information on how to express interest.
We’ve come to the end of the Future Councils pilot
In November we wrapped up the pilot of the Future Councils programme, during which we worked closely with 8 councils to explore the root causes behind what’s blocking them from becoming modern and resilient.
We’ve gained some valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities for digital transformation in local government, and we’re now taking time to review what’s next for the programme.
Read more about what happened during the pilot in our Future Councils updates, in our blog posts on DLUHC Digital, and on our website. Stay tuned to our website, newsletter and LinkedIn for updates on what we plan to do next, and any opportunities to work together.
Meet the Team: Eloise Siani Djiakoua, Project and Admin Support Officer
Get to know Eloise Siani Djiakoua, Future Councils Project and Admin Support Officer, in our latest Meet the Local Digital Team blog post.
Eloise tells us about her role as a Project and Admin Support Officer as well as her journey from the LGA’s National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP) to joining DLUHC earlier this year. You can also read her advice for any recent graduates interested in a career in the Civil Service. Read Eloise’s blog.
Join our growing community on LinkedIn
Following our recent social media usage survey, we have identified that the majority of people are using LinkedIn more than Twitter for professional use. Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback.
You can follow our LinkedIn page to hear our latest news, engage with other local authorities on relevant topics, view job openings, and sign up for events we’re hosting and events from the sector.
We’d love to see you there. Follow our LinkedIn page.
News from our Round 6 funded projects
Digital smart flood warning system (Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council)
The project team held workshops with Service Providers and flood-related groups to explore LoRaWAN applications for flood monitoring and preparation.
Individual team members were interviewed to understand surface water flooding risks and needs for an improved warning system. Meetings with emergency services and Norfolk County Council provided insights into technology and system influences.
Presenting at the ICASP Confluence, the team gained interest from sectors like the Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service. Their focus now is on preparing a business case and user research report for the Local Digital Fund team by 14 December, summarising the final discovery phase progress.
Delivering an infrastructure mapping platform (Kent County Council)
During this sprint, the project team has engaged in follow-up sessions with two East Kent districts. They revisited the project’s objectives, showcased the platform (the first time the districts have seen it), and delivered a Q&A session. The districts will be given access to the platform so they can explore its functionality and feedback on the platform’s structure.
The team also expanded the East Kent districts on the platform and continued backend processes involving the data tracker and PowerBI data. They implemented Agile principles using MS Planner/Tasks and are constructing a matrix that aligns project objectives with user stories, an ongoing process through their engagement.
For the upcoming sprint, the team plans to conduct follow up sessions with internal stakeholders, reaching out through a mailshot and one-to-one sessions. Plus, they’re aiming to continue updating the Kent County Council sector information into map layers and dashboards.
Investigating a digital support hub for carers (London Borough of Southwark)
This sprint, the project team completed the internal governance processes required to award the contract and the successful supplier has been notified. Additionally, the team has refined their evaluation metrics for the discovery project.
Next sprint, their plan is to hold an introductory meeting with the successful supplier to finalise and agree on contract terms. They’re also planning a kickoff meeting with all key stakeholders and the supplier, scheduled for the week of 11 December.
Improving Local Authority Building Control Services (London Borough of Lambeth)
The project team at Lambeth are exploring what works and what doesn’t work in the existing system for Local Authority Building control services and how they might improve services in this area.
If you work, or have previously worked, at a Local Authority Building Control service — they would love to hear your feedback on your experiences. Complete the survey below to help them understand where issues may lie and inform future direction.
Improving the automation of the starters, movers and leavers process (Southampton City Council)
Between 13 and 24 November, the project team progressed through Sprint 2. They focused on setting up a proof of concept for the architecture behind the new Starter/Mover form. The form collects information, saves it internally and creates an attachment that can be emailed to a designated user.
Additionally, they analysed Line Manager and Starter/Mover/Leaver baseline surveys, conducted in-person sessions to establish user baselines, and gathered insights from back-office teams.
In Sprint 3, they aim to address technical challenges and transform the Starter/Mover proof of concept to cover the initial forms targeted for replacement in live operations.
Test scripts for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) are under development, along with a plan for go-live communication and management, contingent upon UAT outcomes.
Digitising bulk waste collections (North Tyneside Council)
The project team has been planning their user research approach, and are intending to meet users soon. This planning involves considering the timing, locations, and questions to ensure the collection of valuable information.
They’re also engaged in ongoing data collection and analysis to shape their baseline benefit measures.
In the upcoming sprint, they aim to kick off research activities. However, this plan relies on the availability of both customers and employees during the festive period.
Continuous funding model (CFM) projects
Children’s Placement Portal (Birmingham City Council)
The project team is currently progressing from Sprint 10 to 11, with work at various stages. Some features are in Discovery, Design, and Development. User research is ongoing throughout these stages, and the team is preparing a testing strategy once development concludes for all features.
The Private Beta is scheduled to take place in March/April and the team is hoping to pursue further funding opportunities around that time.
Low Code Digital Waste Service (Dorset Council)
The project team ran the final 2 sprints concurrently. Sprint 8, spanning from 4 to 17 October focused on:
- advancing BARTEC integration
- progressing GOV.UK pay integration
- refinement and estimation of quote-based journey tickets
Sprint 9, from 18 to 31 October looked at:
- launching the sandbox site with comprehensive documentation and user access
- finalising remaining BARTEC connector methods and GOV.UK pay integration with Commerce
- estimating the quote-based purchasing journey
- conducting technical refinement of one outstanding user story
- estimating the development effort required for two bugs
The project concluded on Tuesday 31 October. From 24 January onwards, each partner council will develop implementation plans for each of the new beta services being developed.
Housing Repairs online (City of Lincoln Council)
Members of the project team recently attended the UK IT Industry Awards, as Housing Repairs Online was chosen as a finalist in the User Experience (UX) Project of the Year category.
The awards are designed to celebrate and promote the organisations, projects, technologies, and individuals who continue to help shape the future of IT, the technology industry and digital society.
Well done to the team for being the only local authority-led project to reach the shortlist in any category!
That’s it for this sprint, thanks for reading! For the daily download on all things #LocalDigital, be sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and the DLUHC Digital Blog.
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