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Scottish DigitalGovernmentBest Practices

Scottish Government struggling to realizedigital ambition

Two years ago theScottish Governmentpublished a laudable,inspiring vision andambition to developScotland into a worldleading digital nation.However as  Audit Scotland reported,they are struggling to translate thisvision into reality. The report begins:

The Scottish Government hasnot yet shown the strategicleadership necessary to meet itsambition

In summary the main issues andrecommendations are:

 Incomplete �nancial oversight –There is not a complete handle onhow much investment is requiredacross the board to achieve thegoals. More robust assuranceprograms like those proposed byAudit Scotland should beimplemented. Incomplete progress ownershipand monitoring – There are manyde�ned goals that have no owneror reports on progress. As suchgaps and how to address them arenot being identi�ed. Joint actionplans should be developed acrossthe public sector to take ownershipof unattended projects. No strategic collaboration – Thereis no executive level, cross-sectorstrategic forum speci�cally fordigital and the ScottishGovernment needs to do more tounderstand and learn from whatother governments around theworld are doing. Bettercollaboration with the commercialsector is also needed and betteruse of collaborative, Cloudtechnologies.

Scottish Government struggling to realize digital ambition

Scottish Government struggling to realizedigital ambition

 Skills shortage – There is a shortageof key skills in areas like softwareand web development, commercialsupport, cloud computing,cybersecurity and data science. Thegovernment is struggling to o�eremployment that is competitivewith the commercial sector andneeds to develop a more completepicture of future requirements. Government as a Platform – Whilethe government has ambitions fora GaaP approach, they lack acomplete understanding of thesystems currently in e�ect thatcould be standardized this way.Better collaboration betweendi�erent initiatives to identify thesecommonalities such as DigitalIdentity and Social Security isneeded.

 Technology innovation – ScottishGovernment needs to develop amore innovative culture andaccelerate adoption of keytechnologies. For example currentlyit is not leading by example in theuse of cloud technologies, a keypart of its strategy, and innovationbuilding programs like CivTech arestill on a small scale and should besigni�cantly expanded.

vBPC – Virtual BestPractice CommunityOur contribution towards this goal willbe the development of a Virtual BestPractice Community.

Starting with our ebook we will organizea regular schedule of sharing casestudies and reference models of DigitalGovernment Transformation bestpractices, from around Scotland and theworld.

Scottish Government struggling to realize digital ambition

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

Dundee has published their updatedDigital Strategy report here, and what ismost notable is that it demonstrates anexemplar case study for the mostimportant part of Digital Transformation– Setting an initial, high level vision forwhat the transformation will enable.

Fundamentally the two drivers ofsuccessful digital transformation are aVision and Roadmap – Where are wetrying to get to and how do we getthere?

Dundee o�ers an excellent example ofan inspiring vision statement; inparticular it’s not overly technological(“we’ll migrate our servers to the Cloud”)but instead focuses on the broadereconomic perspective and opportunity,identifying and building on what theirparticular local strengths and growthopportunities are.

Equally importantly it doesn’t operate ina silo, it de�nes how they can be acomponent part of a larger overallnational strategy.

“Scotland’s digital landscape is changingrapidly and the Scottish Governmenthas recognised this through thedevelopment and support of a numberof digital strategies and programmeswhich all have their sights �rmly set onthe same target for building Scotland’sdigital future – 2020.

The Scottish Government’s vision forScotland is a country in which:

‘Digital technology provides afoundation for innovative, integratedpublic services that cross organisationalboundaries and deliver to those in mostneed, and for services for business thatpromote growth.’

Dundee City Council’s Digital Strategyoutlines how the Council aims toachieve a digital Council by 2020 to helpfeed into the wider aim of building aDigital Scotland.

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

Dundee is a leader in games & digitalmedia, is changing for the future andhas been three times listed as a topseven global Intelligent Community ofthe Year over the past decade. As aUNESCO city of design and the V&Abeing the centrepiece of a globallysigni�cant urban regenerationprogramme, Dundee’s digital credentialswill be another key component indelivering the City’s vision statement “toattract and retain talent, creating jobs,social fairness, quality of life andenvironmental sustainability”.

The vision for Dundee City Council is tobecome a Council which has enhancedits services through digital and hase�ectively promoted the use of digitalso that its citizens think digital �rstwhen requesting services because it isquicker and more convenient to do so.This vision covers more than just digitalaccess to services, it covers theprocesses behind the services, the wayour citizen’s �nd and access them, howwe communicate, how we continue toimprove but also aims to bring the citytogether by looking at a multiple digitalthemes.

By creating a digital strategy, the Councilwill be supporting other Changing forthe Future projects, providing thecitizens of Dundee with a full choice ofservice options which are convenientand �t into their lives as seamlessly aspossible regardless of age, location,time constraints or backgrounds.”

Digital ChampionsDundee are also pioneering a programof ‘Digital Champions’. The ScottishDigital O�ce o�er this case study,which highlights the very important nextstep of sta� engagement – Ensuring thatthe high level vision is translated intomeaningful action and progress at thefront line, particularly through skillsdevelopment support.

To address this Dundee implemented aprogram of ‘Digital Champions’, a surveyof sta� skills combined with an ongoingprogram of digital training and fromthat recruiting sta� to champion theinitiative, spreading it across theirnetwork of contacts, succeeding atmaking the sta� an integral part of itsrollout.

#DigitalInclusion

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

SVCO, author of the Scottish DigitalParticipation Charter, are also playing apart in extending this involvement to thegeneral public in Dundee, championingthe role of technology in health andwell-being, and running local workshopsto deliver hands on support andmentoring.

Dundee's Vision for a Digital Scotland

Aberdeen City Council - DigitalTransformation Blueprint

Digital TransformationBlueprintAberdeen City o�er a case studydetailing how to go about planningbusiness transformation driven bydigital strategy.

The full strategy plan is detailed in thisreport. Building on their DigitalTransformation Strategy Being Digitalthis report establishes the linkagesbetween the digital program and theCouncil’s overall strategy and goals,notably the Local Outcome Plan, whichseeks outcomes such as tacklingpoverty and inequality and acceleratingsmall business growth.

This will build on the developingapproach to regeneration priorities, thework of the Health and Social CarePartnership and the inclusive economicobjectives contained within the RegionalEconomic Strategy.

Target Operating Model

How the digital strategy will beimplemented to support these goals isarticulated through a comprehensiveTarget Operating Model, de�ning theDigital Transformation Blueprint,intended to achieve a primary overallgoal of delivering up to £125 million ofbene�ts realisation (or savings) over �veyears (2018/19 to 2022/23).

Digital ProgrammesDigital Programmes de�nes thecombined implementation of people,organization and technologies that arealigned towards the high level goalssuch as Aberdeen Prospers andChildren Are Our Future.

 Digital customer and community –Primary methods of engaging withcitizens and delivering onlineservices. Digital workforce – Sta� workingand collaboration. Digital supply chain and assets –The smart city framework for IoTasset tracking.

Aberdeen City Council - Digital Transformation Blueprint

Aberdeen City Council - DigitalTransformation Blueprint

Digital Outcomes describes the types ofbene�ts and results that the DigitalProgrammes are intended to achieve.

This explores high level use cases andbegins to ask the questions of how theywould be ful�lled, for example:

Digital OutcomeOutcomes focused delivery models,underpinned by Digital platforms.

What this could meanUsing digital solutions to enableServices to become a ‘broker’, matchingcustomer need with supply, rather thandelivering the service itself e.g.Homecare.

Enabling collaboration around a family,using digital solutions to draw key datainto a single place and allowprofessionals (cross-organisation) towork securely together to deliver betteroutcomes.

Key considerations

 Do we encourage and rewardcustomer driven service delivery? Are we ready to implement newbusiness/ delivery models? Where will these new modelsdeliver most value?

Capability MapThe Capability Map de�nes the businesscapabilities needed to ful�l theprogrammes, such as:

Customer Platform Information and advice – In andoutbound. Transactions and self-service. Assessment and eligibility.

Resource Management:

 Sta� portal, for self-service delivery Second/ third response –Transaction processing, casemanagement

Roadmap

Aberdeen City Council - Digital Transformation Blueprint

Aberdeen City Council - DigitalTransformation Blueprint

The Roadmap charts how Aberdeen willprogress from their current position tothis future state, across three mainphases, which encapsulate a number ofkey deliverables:

Phase 1 – Foundation

Establish the fundamental buildingblocks, such as:

 Skills audit and delivery planrollout. Procurement of new CustomerPortal and CRM. Agree Assisted Digital strategy.

Phase 2 – Transition

Begin implementation of digitalservices, such as:

 Implement ‘My Account’ forcustomers. Implement process automation.

Phase 3 – Optimization

Ongoing enhancement, delivering:

 Community engagement to deepencitizen participation. Expand ‘My Account’ to wider groupof stakeholders.

Aberdeen City Council - Digital Transformation Blueprint

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar casestudy – Registers of Scotland

Digital TransformationExemplarAt 400 years old the Registers ofScotland is the world’s oldest publicland register, but today act as a beaconof excellence in harnessing technologymodernization towards this goal, for allof Scotland’s public sector to follow.

They have embraced Agile developmentpractices, and this greater depth oftechnical skills enables more proactiveinnovation and development of newdigital services, such as ScotLIS, a “onestop shop digital database for land andinformation services”.

This is an online land and informationsystem that will ultimately allowcitizens, communities, professionalsand business users to �nd outcomprehensive information about anypiece of land or property in Scotlandwith a single enquiry.

Their Youtube channel provides thisintroduction, and a walk through of theservice for business users, as well as anequivalent for the ‘Digital DischargeService’.

This is a �rst key, notable point aboutRoS, their online engagement and‘brand’ imagery and resources are veryhigh quality. They also have in place thebasics of online engagement tools, suchas Facebook, Linkedin and Twitteraccounts, as well as a well stocked,nicely produced Youtube library.

Firstly this means a very informativeinterface for their public and customers.RoS has a range of customers includingsolicitors, estate agents, constructioncompanies, central government andlocal authorities among others, whoserequirements provide the focus of theiraward winning Digital Transformationprogram.

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar case study – Registers of Scotland

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar casestudy – Registers of Scotland

This includes better utlizing their data topersonalize online services, likeproducing bespoke reports for clientssuch as the Royal Bank of Scotland casestudy, which describes how they provideweekly reports to eliminate theconsiderable manual work�oad thebank mortgage team faced whenmonitoring their applications.

The registers are central to a range ofindustry work�ows, for example theDevelopment Plan Approval is used fornew housing developments, and theyhave improved this process by workingcollaboratively with key users like housebuilders and solicitors, as described invideo interviews with Taylor Wimpeyand Gillespie MacAndrew.

Building Digital SkillsCultivating the skills required to achievethese improvements highlights theimportance of other Scottish initiativessuch as CodeClan.

Noting that they didn’t have the rightskills and experience in place they tookthe following actions:

 Internal sta� and contractors tookpart in an ongoing Agile trainingprogramme which aimed atproducing a number of accreditedpractitioners. The executive management teamreceived introductory Agile training.This helped them understand theprocess and the information theyneeded to oversee the project. RoS recruited an Agile coach tohelp make this approach anintegral part of its organisationalculture so that it can be used forfuture projects.

RoS is now using Agile delivery for itsmajor Business TransformationProgramme. It has established Agiledelivery, supported by investment andtraining, as its preferred route tomaintain quality, customer focus and�exibility. RoS has continued to provideAgile training to all levels of theorganisation, with around 150 sta� nowtrained in Agile and six in Agilecoaching.

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar case study – Registers of Scotland

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar casestudy – Registers of Scotland

As described in this blog, RoSundertakes a program of ‘Developingthe Developers’, building skills acrossessential functions such as Agile Scrummasters, UX design and BusinessAnalysis, and have sourced some ofthese talented individuals by recruitingCodeClan graduates.

Government as aPlatformThis combination of skills developmentand innovation culture yields keyprogress steps and assets.

For example RoS are also pioneering‘Government as a Platform‘, the centralfeature being a software API thatenables third parties to build upon yoursystems and extend them in new,innovative ways, a key goal stated by theScottish Government in their DigitalEconomy action plan.

RoS presents API Services, withsupporting documentation, o�eringprogrammatic access to services suchas the Land Register. As explained inthis blog this enables their customers toembed their services directly into theirown work�ow systems, such as legal�rms like Russell & Aitken who haveleveraged the API to integrate theprocess into their own internal casemanagement application to betterstreamline their own businessoperations.

Innovation FuturesEqually and very importantly RoS alsoproactively engenders an overall cultureof innovation, an entrepreneurial focuson how these technology developmentscan best impact and help theorganization and its customers.

As they highlight on their blog RoS hasestablished innovation centres, tocultivate exactly this type oforganizational brainstorming, through avariety of activities such as hostingguests to share their experiences.

Agile Digital Transformation exemplar case study – Registers of Scotland

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Across Scotland public sectororganizations are pioneering‘Government as a Platform’ (GaaP).

This means a modular, plug and playapproach to building digital services,rather than the traditional enterprisemonolith approach.

The  Scottish Digital Economy actionplan de�nes a number of goals that thisapproach will achieve:

“Deploy common technologies that canbe built and procured once rather thanmultiple times” and also “Mandate theuse of common platforms andinfrastructure.”

This is so that the government can“Simplify and standardise ways ofworking across the public sector so thatit becomes easier to use our servicesand we don’t waste time and moneyreinventing wheels.”

and also “Create common digitalplatforms for services that willencourage Scottish public and voluntarysector organisations to innovate in thedelivery of public services.”

with speci�c use cases such asPayments: “Introduce shared technologyplatforms, starting with commonapproaches to publishing information,applying for services, andmaking/receiving payments.”

The need for these types of bene�tswere identi�ed as far back as2011,  speci�cally the  McLelland Reportwas a major review of IT spending,concluding that:

“The key �nding of the report was thatthe public sector is lagging where itshould be and there is an opportunity tocapture a multiplicity of bene�ts inradically changing how ICT is adoptedand deployed and in how it enhancesaccess to and improvements in thequality and value of services. 

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Shared ICT platforms, a connection andspread of exemplar projects andenhanced engagement with the industrywould reduce the proportion of costinvested in ICT by individualorganisations and deliver local savingswhich might be partially reinvested inadvancing the progress of ICT. It wouldalso open the door to signi�cantadditional and wider savings in publicsector costs by providing a platform forthe operation of other shared servicesand better support sustainability goals.”

Platform BusinessModelIt’s a concept �rst implemented in thecommercial sector, by the sharingeconomy digital giants.

Massive new startups like Uber taxis,Airbnb and many more are pioneeringthe ‘On Demand Economy’,implementing a Cloud-based OnDemand Business Framework whichoverlays a ‘digital mesh’ across amarketplace of vendors, such as taxidrivers or travel accommodation.

The repeatable secret sauce is thePlatform Business Model, described indetail through academic literature andpopular business books.

For example the MIT book ‘PlatformRevolution‘ describes these hyper-scaledisruptors like Net�ix, Uber, Airbnb,Facebook, Twitter et al, as the bookdescribes:

“Facebook, PayPal, Alibaba, Uber-theseseemingly disparate companies haveupended entire industries by harnessinga single phenomenon: the platformbusiness model.”

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

The book builds on prior MIT research,such as this detailed 2007 researchreport on Platform Networks, this highlyrecommended presentation PlatformStrategy and Open Business Models,and in a simpler format in thispresentation, which de�nes:

“A “Network platform” is de�ned by thesubset of components used in commonacross a suite of products (Boudreau,2006) that also exhibit network e�ects.Value is exchanged among a triangularset of relationships including users,component suppliers (co-developers),and platform �rms.”

Government as aPlatformApplying the concept to the publicsector is de�ned as ‘GaaP’ –Government as a Platform.

Tim O’Reilly coined the concept in thispresentation and documented in thisbook section, describing how traditionalIT for government should become morelike Facebook, Twitter and the otherInternet pioneers who have beenharnessing the evolution of the Cloud tobecome ‘platforms’, doing so forgovernment would enable a sharedinfrastructure that enables more rapiddigital transformations.

As Francis Maude, Minister for theCabinet O�ce, described in this articleone of the biggest cost drivingchallenges government faces is thisduplication across departments, such asthe MOJ writing o� a £56m project whenit discovered the same system wasalready being developed by the samesupplier with the Cabinet O�ce, andGaaP o�ers to eliminate theseine�ciencies through a shared platformmodel.

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Writing for Computer Weekly MarkThompson asks ‘What is Government asa Platform and How Can We Achieve it?’where he examines the key principlesand how they might be implemented. Inanother he explores the distinction withPlatforms for Government, one beingstill the traditional ‘cathedral’ mode oforganizing government, versus the trulydisruptive approach of ‘bazaar’marketplaces.

In his Code for America video TomLoosemore describes the backgroundand philosophy in making it a centraldesign model for GDS, the UKGovernment’s digital team. Their latestprogress update is available from theGDS GaaP blog, detailing adoption casestudies such as How the Department ofTrade is basing their digitaltransformation strategy upon themodel.

PPaaS – PaymentPlatform as a Service

As they write on their blog the ScottishGovernment is now pioneering aplatform approach for a singlePayments system, what they call ‘PPaaS’– Payment Platform as a Service.

They are in the early prototypingstage,  awarding a �rst stage  to ScottLogic.

This approach is intended to yield thebene�ts described by the digitaleconomy strategy:

“That means building somethingcentrally that is easy for service teamsto plug in to and re-use, withoutadditional procurement. That savesthem time, money and hassle.

Building a single platform also meanswe can establish standards that willwork across government. That will cutdown on bureaucracy and needlessrepetition of work.

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Finally, a platform will make thingsbetter for public servants and forcitizens. It will be quicker for us to setup new services, or retire old ones.When new payment technologiesemerge, we’ll be able to securely addthem to the platform once, for thebene�t of everyone.”

A similar system has already beendeveloped at the UK Government level,Gov.UK Pay, as part of their GaaPstrategy.

Asked on their blog why they don’tsimply reuse this capability, the SGPayments team explain that:

“the programme is designed to considerthe opportunity to develop a platformthat could support both outbound andinbound payments. At present, theGOV.UK Pay platform only carries outinbound payments.”

National DigitalPlatform

The NES Digital Service (NDS), the newdigital team for the NHS in Scotland, arealso setting out to take a platformapproach, for Health and Social Careacross Scotland:

In this blog CTO Alistair Hann describesthe component parts, including a digitalidentity strategy of integration with theNHS-wide O�ce 365 directory for sta�identities and the ‘CHI number’ forpatient identi�ers. with future plans totie in with the Identity Assuranceprogram, and implementing a ‘clinicaldata repository’ (CDR) using theopenEHR standard.

UKAuthority reports how the platformwill be implemented on the publicCloud, a 10-year £15m procurement.

In this video NES Director Geo� Hugginsexplains that their key goals areachieving the best quality data tosupport clinical care, to enable theinnovation of new digital services acrossScotland and to support researchthrough using data at scale, to �nd newways to treat illnesses.

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Geo� explains the team is multi-disciplined, including clinicians and datascientists as well as software engineers.

Geo� describes how one of their �rstservices is the ‘Respect’ app. As theyexplain on their blog,  “ReSPECT is aprocess that creates personalisedrecommendations for a person’s clinicalcare in a future emergency in whichthey are unable to make or expresschoices.”

It’s an example of the importantmodernization needed for digital publicservices, where currently muchduplication of manual, paper-basedwork is needed.

By developing it on their platform, theapp becomes available to any one inScotland who are connected to theplatform, and it enables the furtherdevelopment of new services using thedata and combining it with other data,such as emergency care summaries.

Over the next 12 months they plan aseries of meetings with otherstakeholders to identify how theplatform may be further developed tosupport new services.

Registers of ScotlandThe keystone central to the GaaP modelis the use of open APIs,  enabling thirdparties to build upon your systems andextend them in new, innovative ways.

Registers of Scotland o�er an exemplarfor this approach. They publish APIServices, with  supportingdocumentation, o�ering programmaticaccess to services such as the  LandRegister.

As explained in  this blog  this enablestheir customers to embed their servicesdirectly into their own work�owsystems, such as legal �rms like Russell& Aitken who have leveraged the API tointegrate the process into their owninternal case management applicationto better streamline their own businessoperations.

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

GaaP in Scotland - Government as aPlatform

Conclusion – Buildinga GaaP DeveloperEcosystemThese technologies only provide half ofthe Platform equation – The real secretsauce is the business model thatempowers and enables a surroundingdigital ecosystem.

As the Registers of Scotland exampleshows, opening up access to systemsvia APIs enables third party developersto then build upon your systems,creating new innovations that haven’teven been thought of yet.

Scotland could unleash a massivegrowth boost for the digital industrythrough all government agenciesopening up this way, and throughsupporting local developers with theskills and tools needed to create newapps that utilize these APIs.

Not only would these new apps bringgreater value to the people of Scotland,but given these use cases are commonto all governments across the world,would also forge new products that aresold internationally, a sector known as‘GovTech’, a $400 billion opportunity.

GaaP in Scotland - Government as a Platform

North Lanarkshire Council - ExemplarBlueprint for Digital Local Government in

Scotland

This G-Cloud RFP de�ned NorthLanarkshire Council’s request for asystem integrator to help realize theirdigital vision.

Via their digital strategy document theydescribe a compelling vision for LocalGovernment digital transformation:

“North Lanarkshire Council has theambition to be a leading Scottish LocalAuthority. To deliver services tocustomers and businesses usingmodern platforms and technology,across a range of channels, to meetchanging customer demand. 

The technology which underpins thechange, service redesign and deliveryfor North Lanarkshire must be �exible,scalable, and able to evolve quickly tosupport new services, new workingstyles and integrate with, or takeadvantage of, new, disruptive, relevanttechnologies as they mature.”

This will be achieved through a DigitalDelivery Model that encapsulates theuse of technologies such as dataanalytics, CRM, RPA, Identity, IoT andO�ce 365, and the transformation workto migrate to them from legacy systems.

Cloud-powered digitaltransformationExamining some of the componentparts we can see the di�eringcapabilities sought and the bene�tsexpected from them.  For example amigration of legacy systems to newCloud-based alternatives is a key theme,including personal collaboration:

“A key part of the transformation is tobuild digital capabilities through cloud,a digital platform and a collaborationsuite”

This is to achieve heightened sta�productivity through more mobileworking:

North Lanarkshire Council - Exemplar Blueprint for Digital Local Government inScotland

North Lanarkshire Council - ExemplarBlueprint for Digital Local Government in

Scotland

“Files are stored in the Cloud; chatplatforms enable sta� to communicatewith one another and maintain a recordof conversations. Workers are highlymobile and not tied to Council o�cescreating less need for public buildings.”

and also to play a central role inachieving more integrated businesssystems:

“Move the existing IT systemsintegrations to the cloud and invest in astrategic, cloud based integrationsolution which is the central, controlledconduit for automation of informationtransferral around the Council;”

Identity ArchitectureThe foundation role of digital identity inachieving this system integration isde�ned:

“The change in delivery model requiresthat identity is paramount to securesolutions;

Establish single indexes for people,place and sta� to allow manyapplications to leverage these singlesources of truth. The indexes wouldreplace our current master datamanagement tool with a more �exible,technically aligned solution;”

RPA for Local GovernmentThey articulate a case for RPA for LocalGovernment, where they describe:

“The back o�ce is fully digitised.Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is acommon feature at the Council, takingover repetitive rules-based tasks e.g.invoice payments.”

as part of a general adoption of AIcapabilities across the Council:

North Lanarkshire Council - Exemplar Blueprint for Digital Local Government inScotland

North Lanarkshire Council - ExemplarBlueprint for Digital Local Government in

Scotland

” arti�cial intelligence (AI) can already beused to respond to customer queriesthrough chatbot features or even virtualassistants. By 2029, it is predicted AI willbe at about the same level ofintelligence as adult humans. Thistechnology and others unlockpossibilities for delivering services inradically di�erent ways – if we invest inthe necessary infrastructure.

“the use of data analytics, predictivealgorithms to identify, analyse, andanticipate problems. Services such asinfrastructure, customer contact, wasteand welfare are responsive to NorthLanarkshire customers and proactivelyrespond to them, where necessary,based on data driven decision making.”

Strategic Context –Building a ScottishDigital Ecosystem

We can also view this project within anoverall strategic context of Scotland’soverall needs and sector plans, inparticular the intersection with theambitions to build an Integrated Healthand Social Care ecosystem, the detailsof which are explained through two keyreports from the Auditor General : LocalGovernment in Scotland: Challengesand performance 2019, and Health andSocial Care integration: Update onprogress.

In short what these reports describe isthe need for di�erent governmentagencies to no longer work in isolatedsilos, but instead form the componentparts of an overall single digitalecosystem, very e�ectively conveyed invisual form by Angie Sparks in hertweet:

North Lanarkshire describes features ofthis ecosystem:

North Lanarkshire Council - Exemplar Blueprint for Digital Local Government inScotland

North Lanarkshire Council - ExemplarBlueprint for Digital Local Government in

Scotland

“Digital platforms support �exible andrapid improvements and supportcustomers and businesses to connectmore e�ectively. Connections to otherwebsites (e.g. Blue Badges) pull ininformation on all past appointmentsand interactions from the Local Healthpartnership and there are links to anecosystem of third party apps (e.g.sharing tools, volunteering, socialmeetups) and to paid-for services (e.g.tutors, dieticians, personal trainers). NLCacts as a broker, linking people to thirdparty support that they can bene�tfrom.”

in particular how it will act as a broker,to enable cross-organization virtualcollaboration teams:

“NLC is highly networked with otherorganisations – Multi-agency working isthe norm. Council services – and oftenpartners too – share a digital platform,so much of their data is sharedinstantly. As a result, NLC now organisearound particular problems as we needto tackle them – teams are highlystrategic, �uid entities that form intoteams based on local needs. NLC worksclosely with experts, customers andinnovators to generate new ideas. Forinstance, rapid response teams form for�xed periods to address speci�c cross-cutting challenges. Direct serviceprovision by the Council is prioritybased as NLC acts more as a broker.”

with the primary capability for enablingthis being a new Case Managementsolution, one that replaces their existinglegacy system.

North Lanarkshire Council - Exemplar Blueprint for Digital Local Government inScotland

North Lanarkshire Council - ExemplarBlueprint for Digital Local Government in

Scotland

“Standardise on a single, comprehensivecase management solution that allowsinternal and external service requests tobe tracked across the Council,regardless of entry point or line ofservice. This will replace the existingLagan Case Management solution;”

Lagan is installed across many councilsand so in conclusion what we’re seeingfrom North Lanarkshire is the de�nitionof a digital transformation strategy forScottish Local Councils that can act asan exemplar blueprint – Both in termsof well articulated high level vision andalso the practical steps required toachieve it.

North Lanarkshire Council - Exemplar Blueprint for Digital Local Government inScotland

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Councilto o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Single

sign on

As documented in this Civica casestudy North Lanarkshire Councilimplemented their ‘Multivue‘ solutionto achieved a ‘golden record’ of eachcitizen giving them the ability toaccess all the services they needthrough only one login.

In their Digital Roadmap the councildescribe their ambitions and vision formoving to a Digital delivery model,including key objectives such as:

We aim to empower and activatecustomers to be self-managing,direct them to the rightresources, and anticipate theirneeds. This will make NorthLanarkshire an attractive placeto live, work and do business,both improving outcomes forresidents and fostering economicgrowth.

and the case study documents the typeof challenge they needed to overcometo realize this goal:

The Citizen Portal is an onlineservice in which citizens of NorthLanarkshire can sign in to accessa variety of tasks and services,from having a pet microchippedto learning the recyclingschedule in their neighborhood,to arranging repairs on theirhome or accessing council data.

Prior to the Citizen Portal going live inMarch 2017, there was a verydisconnected online presence. Citizenshad the ability to conduct their businessonline, but tasks were disjointed anddi�cult to �nd or access, and oftenrequired that they sign in multiple timesto access various departments andservices.

As they highlight in the Roadmap, a newdigital platform was needed to addressthese types of issues:

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Council to o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Singlesign on

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Councilto o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Single

sign on

We will reduce the cost basethrough the removal ofduplication and fragmentationthrough consolidation ofcommon activity/processes. Dataand digital are key enablers tothis model of service delivery.They provide access for ourcustomers as well as theevidence base to change ourservices and respond to need onan ongoing basis. This willincrease customers’ use of self-support whilst allowing us totarget our resources at thosewith greatest need.

To turn this into reality requires animproved IT architecture. This means anew digital platform on which we buildthe new technology and ways ofworking.

The transformation outcomes included:

 Improved user experience andsimpli�ed process for the citizen Single sign-in and integration withmygov.scot online account One ‘golden record’ for each citizen Tangible cost savings and e�cientservice delivery Used MDM solution to increasecomplete and accurate datarecords from 7,000 customers to86,000

Roadmap : MDM-based Single SignonThe Civica solution de�nes ‘MDM’(Master Data Management) as akeystone foundation to this new digitalplatform.

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Council to o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Singlesign on

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Councilto o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Single

sign on

The MDM system sits at the heart of thePortal, creating one “golden record” ofeach citizen, generated from thedisparate information in the separatesystems. The e�ect is that now, whenthe citizen logs on, that information canbe called forth only one time, instantly.This gives the citizen access to all theservices they need, through only onelogin.

It’s a common requirement for allgovernment agencies operating multiplebusiness systems storing citizen data.

The Aberdeen Digital TransformationBlueprint describes a plan to implementa ‘My Account’ feature for users, thatsimpli�es and streamlines services forthem across the 400+ di�erentapplications that Aberdeen operates,and in this document de�ne theirbusiness case for their own investmentinto an MDM capability.

Their Digital Plan lists a number ofspeci�c objectives towards this goal:

  1.  Our Sta� will spend less timeinputting and updatinginformation in systems as wejoin them up so they do itautomatically.

2.  Our Sta� will have the rightinformation to help customers,as we improve the way weshare and join up our data.

3.  Use our data to identify you sothat you do not need toprovide the same data manytimes.

4.  Hold one set of customerinformation across all keysystems.

5.  Implement a single accountfor external customers.

6.  Introduce a Single and sta�account to allow for thefederation of core systemswith other organizations suchas Aberdeenshire Council andthe NHS.

A critical point to highlight is that theseare common requirements across allScottish authorities.

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Council to o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Singlesign on

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Councilto o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Single

sign on

For example in their roadmap plans EastAyrshire describes “Uni�ed CustomerAccounts / Single-View – Whereverpossible, services will be provided thatallow a single ID to enable a consistentuni�ed view of the customer”, andsimilarly Dundee City Council describethe same functionality requirements intheir roadmap:

“Delivering on online customerportal and working towardscreating a single identity for ourcitizens to make requestingservices simpler, all linkedthrough our citizen account,MyDundee.”

Civica enables North Lanarkshire Council to o�er a Citizen Portal with SSO - Singlesign on

Using Agile in Scottish Local Government

Agile Best PracticesThis Youtube video o�ers a recordedwebinar featuring presentations fromJonny Cormie of Angus Council, JudithQuinn from Fife Council and AlexRodwell from Orkney Islands Council,showcasing the use of Agile practicesacross these councils.

Topics include:

 The skills gap challenge across theScottish public sector, as many areat the earliest stages of Agileadoption. Case studies from Angus, Fife,Orkney and Renfrewshire. An introduction to the keyprinciples, methods, techniques,frameworks, tools, challenges andbene�ts.

Judith Quinn of Fife Council describeshow the main use of Prince2 wasproving problematic due to in�exibilityand lots of paperwork and a build up ofsiloed working, and moving to Agileencouraged more dynamic, customer-centric �exibility, with a lighter touch fordocumentation and a more responsiveculture vs rigid following of plans.

Alex Rodwell of Orkney Islands Councilrelates how Agile �ts within Prince2governance models, how they make useof key practices like SCRUM and Sprintsand how your organization might bestadopt Agile.

Using Agile in Scottish Local Government

Audit Scotland: Principles for a DigitalFuture

Principles for a DigitalFutureWithin their role of giving independentassurance to the people of Scotland thatpublic money is spent properly,e�ciently and e�ectively, Audit Scotlando�er this report Principles for a DigitalFuture, that de�nes due diligence bestpractices for digital transformationprojects.

In this video Gemma Diamond shares apresentation of the keynote points,emphasizing the insight that the samemistakes are made repeatedly and thatthey can be addressed by commonsense practices, and as ever the digitalskills gap is a huge challenge, especiallyso at the top:

“Senior level engagement may actuallybe the most important factor in ICT-enabled projects.”

Ensuring value formoney

In the past �ve years, the Scottish publicsector has spent around £4 billion onICT, with over £856 million spent onprocuring ICT in 2015/16 alone.

Setting the scene they describe:

“Digital technology o�ers hugepotential for improving andtransforming public services.Services are now designed to bedigital:

 organisations are movingfrom paper-based to digitalprocesses data is used and shared tohelp decision-making andservice delivery citizens’ expectations ofdigital services areincreasing.

For this reason, the principles inthis document are relevant toeveryone working in publicservices, not just those workingin ICT departments.”

Audit Scotland: Principles for a Digital Future

Audit Scotland: Principles for a DigitalFuture

Lessons LearnedBuilding on the NAO report Deliveringsuccessful IT-enabled business changethey identify the common causes offailure of public sector ICT projects,pulling this together with the main�ndings from their series of recentreports on ICT project failures inScotland and to o�er recommendationsto avoid them in the future.

Mostly these are common sense projectmanagement practices: to clearlyidentify the need and bene�ts,understand and appreciate the likelycomplexity, identify people with theright skills and experience, and breakthe project down into manageablesteps, and critically:

Put users at the heart of theproject

The examples of previous failuresinclude:

 Universal Credit – An underinvestment in policy design andplanning, a lack of dialoguebetween policy designers and thepeople who implement them,leading to unrealistic predictionsabout how people will behave >Digital and policy specialists needto work together, not in relay. Theproject was also hampered by alack of senior leadership. i6 Police Scotland – A failed coreassumption that the i6 systemcould be based on the suppliersexisting system, underestimatingthe complexity of such anassumption. CAP Futures – Similarly theCommon Agricultural PolicyFutures identi�ed that theprogramme underestimated thecomplexity of the policy. NHS24 – Not enough done toinvolve users at the planning andtesting stages, incorrect designassumptions meant problemsintegrating new and existingsystems, and poor training meantoperational sta� lacked con�dencewith adopting the new system

Audit Scotland: Principles for a Digital Future

Audit Scotland: Principles for a DigitalFuture

Agile BusinessTransformationAgile software development o�ers a keyskill set to combat these issues, throughbreaking complexity down into smallmanageable chunks, but as AuditScotland point out this is only onedimension of successful delivery –Overall public sector agencies needteams capable of Agile BusinessTransformation, which also includes:

 Programme and projectmanagement and senior leadership Negotiating and managingcontracts Capturing user experience Business analysis

Quoting from the Australian reportCommon Causes for Failure in MajorICT-enabled Programs and Projects, theydescribe that:

Public servants typically don’thave enough commercialexperience and consequentlythey often fail when it comes toprobity and contractmanagement. Get people withthe right skills and experience tomanage commercialrelationships.

Best practices case study:Registers of ScotlandProviding a best practice example ofhow to address this requirement theycite Registers of Scotland, who havesourced expert Agile developers fromCodeClan, documented in detail in thisarticle:

Agile Digital Transformationexemplar case study – Registersof Scotland

Audit Scotland: Principles for a Digital Future

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards andinnovations

Digital IdentityScotlandDigital Identity Scotland is the programto de�ne and deliver the Digital Identitysection of the overall ScottishGovernment digital strategy.

There are a number of componentteams and projects, including aProgramme Board, Expert Group, anational stakeholder group. As recentlyexpressed by Cabinet Secretary MikeRussell at the launch of the OpenGovernment Action Plan in January2019:

“We are proactively publishingmore information than everbefore, and taking an openapproach in our policy-making,particularly with the DigitalIdentity Scotland team,developing a common approachto how people demonstrate theiridentity for accessing publicservices online. Why do I usethat example? Because it’s a keyexample of making sure thedigital age serves the needs of amodern democracy.”

Program Board PapersThe main documents underpinning thework are listed here.

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards and innovations

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards andinnovations

1. Product Vision – TheCommunications Update detailsthe Product Vision and UserEngagement plan. The UserResearch Update Document reportson the user research undertaken.

2. Progress updates – The ProgrammePlan – Update document describesthe project and delivery strategy,organized into a �rst Discovery andPre-Alpha stages of development,with their current position beingAlpha stage.

3. The Alpha Update Report describesthis early prototype work, which isto provide a technical prototype forthe creation and re-use of digitalidentities for access to Child DLAand the Single Person Council TaxDiscount.

4. Speci�cations – The ServiceDescription for RelyingParties  details the main operatingand technical model for the IdentityService.

OIX White Paper

On Jul 3rd 2019 the team issued an OIXwhite paper, which provides a snapshotof all of these developments, within acontext of adopting OIX standards.

Identity ServiceProviderAs they announce on their blog, Yoti isan Identity Service Provider workingwith the Scottish Government’sImprovement Service to help deliverdigital services to Scottish citizens.

Scottish residents will, in the future, beable to use Yoti to:

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards and innovations

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards andinnovations

 Prove who they are to businesseswithout showing or photocopyingpaper documents. Prove their age on nights out andwhen buying age-restricted goods. Prove their entitlement to use localservices, including leisure andsports facilities. Show their age on transportservices to qualify for travelconcessions. Con�rm the identity of people theymeet online. Log in to websites more securelywithout passwords.

Mygovscot –MyaccountA key feature that Yoti describe is‘Securely access online public servicesby applying for a myaccount’, theScottish Government’s identity service.

As the Improvement Service siteexplains:

myaccount provides peopleliving in Scotland with the abilityto set up an online account. And,to use that online account –using a single user name andpassword if they choose – toaccess a range of online publicservices, such as paying counciltax, requesting a parking permitor paying for school meals, madeavailable by service providers.

They also o�er a number of helpful casestudies of how MyAccount is used toenable new digital services – such ashow Aberdeen utilizes the service forimproved online school payments.

Use CaseRequirementsPaypers reports on and de�nes thescenario:

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards and innovations

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards andinnovations

To sign-up to the app, citizenstake a sel�e on their smartphonewhich is matched to a scannedID document. This information isthen transformed into theirunique digital identity, securedby 256-bit encryption.

The app will have a variety ofuses for citizens and o�cials,from displaying date of birth forthe purchase of age-restrictedproducts to displaying eligibilityand entitlements when applyingfor public services. Moreover, itwill give users greater controlover their data, enabling them toprovide only the informationrequired for each situation andalways with the user’s consent.

Digital Identity in Scotland - Standards and innovations

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World ClassDigital Government in Scotland

World Class DigitalGovernmentA key observation and recommendationin the recent report from Audit Scotlandon how the nation is lacking digitalleadership, is the need for inspiringexemplars of Cloud computingadoption:

The Scottish Government needsto do more to put the rightinfrastructure in place to supportchange. Currently it is not leadingby example in the use of cloudtechnologies, a key part of itsstrategy.

This is a particularly illustrative point ofthe challenges facing the ScottishGovernment, as their Digital Economyplan de�nes it’s adoption as one of thekey accelerators towards achieving thegoal of becoming a world leading digitalnation:

“Mandate the use of common platformsand infrastructure, including cloudhosting, as appropriate across theScottish Government.”

“Make better use of cloud-basedsolutions as a source of both costreduction and service innovation, andmove public sector data hosting to acloud environment wherever this isappropriate in terms of security ande�ciency.”

It is a technology central to their digitaltransformation goals. For example thisScottish Parliament document on NHStechnology innovation describes:

“The adoption of Cloud technology andAgile delivery methodologies throughthe digital transformation at NES hasproven that the fundamentals of the UK& Scottish Government digitalstrategies, when fully adopted, deliverreal and lasting transformation ofservices.”

and

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World Class Digital Government in Scotland

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World ClassDigital Government in Scotland

“By fully adopting the Cloud �rstapproach for applications and systemsto deliver redesigned services insupport of the Health & Social CareDelivery plan, the data that underpins allaspects of improved care and qualitycan be made accessible to whomeverneeds it, whenever they need it fromwherever they need it.”

Cloud First bestpractices – Building aScottish CCOE: CloudCentre of ExcellenceAs they detail in this blog the ScottishGovernment is now developing a bestpractice community for Cloud Firstadoption in Scotland.

As the name suggests a requirementthat all new IT procurement opts �rst fora Cloud service if possible. It was �rstpioneered by the USA Govt in 2010 andis today recommended as the defaultstarting point for CIOs.

They have established a Cloud Centre ofExcellence (CCoE), with aims of:

To help organisations across theScottish public sector realisebene�ts associated with usingcloud. Sharing best practice tosupport the delivery of cloud-based public services. Providingaccess to knowledge, key skills,cloud events, training,information and guidance.

This will provide thought leadership andguidance to Scottish Public Sectororganisations as they plan, progress andmanage their adoption of cloudservices.

In their session they identi�ed theheadline topics most in demand thatthey plan to cover through this group:

 Cost management SecDevOps & Automation Security Architecture Infrastructure-as-Code Monitoring

They also polled attendees to determinewhere they are on their Cloud maturityjourney, highlighting there is still amajor wave of migrations required:

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World Class Digital Government in Scotland

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World ClassDigital Government in Scotland

and also that the major obstacle toovercome to achieve this is appropriateenhancement of sta� skill levels:

As part of this they also identi�ed thesingle most important factor in buildinga Cloud-centric public sectororganization:

There was also widespreadrecognition that Non-ICT sta�and Board-level stakeholdersmust be engaged to make itclear that cloud adoption was abusiness transformation, andnot simply an IT transformation.

Cloud First Adoption to Drive World Class Digital Government in Scotland