5:35pm to 6:05pm
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Business Transformation and Customers and the Head of ICT Improvement attended to provide an update on the ICT Improvement Programme.
The Head of ICT Improvement delivered a presentation regarding the current position of the outcomes of the programme.
The first outcome, related to enhance service levels in the theatre box office, had been achieved.
The second outcome to increase skills and knowledge within the ICT department was on target to be achieved. All of the new posts which would improve the versatility and capability of the ICT department had been recruited to apart from one, a Platform Lead.
The third outcome was to achieve the Cyber Essentials + and the Public Services Network accreditations. A decision regarding the Cyber Essentials + accreditation was awaited and the Public Services Network accreditation had been achieved.
The fourth outcome related to increased ICT resilience and was on target to be achieved. New upgraded storage had been procured and the servers had been migrated. The previous storage had been recycled and to provide increased resilience for the Stonegravels site. The back up software had been improved and given geographical distance in line with good practice. The internet connection had been upgraded and a second connection point had been established.
The fifth outcome related to implementation of end to end digital services. The digital platform for customers was scheduled to go live in June 2020. The Environmental and Regulatory Services were testing processes to identify any issues or stresses with the platform.
The future outcomes of the programme were explained to the members, these included:-
· More end to end services being available, on target;
· Greater visibility for progress of member casework, some slippage against the target;
· Enhanced security levels including server containerisation and upgrade technology in Town Hall;
The Head of ICT Improvement concluded that excellent progress had been made and he would maintain a tight grip on the scope, to prevent any scope and budget creeping, while allowing for agility.
Members noted that after the box office upgrade the booking system was robust enough to include market events but it was not possible to print out invoices and asked that this issue be investigated.
Members asked about the position of the budget for the programme and how often the budget position was reported. The Head of ICT Improvement advised that the budget was ringfenced and all budget codes had been set up to ensure that the budget could be closely reviewed. The Head of ICT Improvement RAG rated the current position of the budget at amber. This was due to some additional elements which needed to be carried out, such as the server upgrade, but it was believed that the additional spend could be absorbed into the overall budget. Monthly budget reporting to the ICT Improvement Board took place, along with regular meetings with the finance department and reporting to the Executive Board.
The Head of ICT Improvement was asked how often backing up occurred and advised that this took place every 15 minutes.
RESOLVED –
1. That the update be noted.
2. That an update on the ICT Improvement Programme be brought to the Overview and Performance Scrutiny Forum on 21 November, 2019.