Steering the digital transformation plan and defining its roadmap
Digital transformation calls into question the citizen's relationship with his or her local authority and with the staff who administer it. Digital technology is also changing the way local authorities operate and the working environment for their staff.
What role should local authorities play in this digital wave?
How can we transform this revolution into digital evolution?
How can we regain the initiative and take full advantage of digital technology to simplify and improve the expectations of users and local authorities?
Find out more in this article:
Digital challenges for local authorities
Clearly define your digital roadmap and objectives
Feedback from the Ile et Vilaine local authority and its webinar
Key points for a successful digital transformation
PPM software to facilitate project management
What are the challenges digital opportunities for local authorities?
The digital roadmap is the concrete expression of a territory's digital ambitions. It is the embodiment of digital levers at the service of strategies for each of the local authority's competencies, such as education, transport, culture and infrastructure. The roadmap is therefore a managerial tool for setting action in motion.
Originally, political impetus was the key starting point for implementing digital project roadmaps. To avoid undergoing a digital "revolution", local authorities have chosen to carry out a chosen transformation, adapted to the specific characteristics of their territory. This also guarantees thatbudgetary resources are aligned with ambitions.
The digitization of France's regions is a necessary change for a number of reasons. Citizens are increasingly connected to public services, and expect high-quality digital services to enable them to interact with their local, departmental or regional authorities. They want to benefit from digital solutions capable of facilitating their lives as citizens.
Local authorities also see digital technology as a tremendous opportunity toimprove public efficiency. Digital technology is an essential lever in their development, enabling them to simplify and increase efficiency in their areas of responsibility.
To successfully manage change within local authorities, it remains essential to mobilize all players around clear, shared objectives. Create a win-win relationship between the user, the agent and the local authority, in a project that simplifies processes and adds value for all.
The benefit to the community will be immediate with:
Greater transparency for a better understanding of public action
Save time and money
Better understanding of users and effective translation of their needs into new services
Better inter-team and inter-departmental collaboration on a daily basis
Define the digital roadmap to support change management
Today, local authorities are taking action to transform this change into an opportunity, by developing digital roadmaps. This strategic and visionary document summarizes :
the priority themes that will give structure to the roadmap
the expected impact of digital transformation
the development of projects to build new services and uses
the timing of major IT projectsrollouts and organizational changes
Resources allocated and budgets voted to implement the roadmap
The traditional IT master plan is gaining in scope by becoming a "digital roadmap" and broadening its basis to include a digital offering geared towards citizens and businesses.
This strategic roadmap gives all stakeholders (CIO, DGA, agents and citizens) a clear understanding of the territory's major challenges . It creates the conditions for commitment and contribution to a shared vision of a voluntary digital project for the region.
The digital roadmap must be seen as a genuine new communication tool, enabling local authorities to "make people aware", "get them on board" and "get them to use it". It must give meaning and inspire collective commitment.
This collaborative communication tool is the cornerstone of the change process. Without communication, and above all, without effective communication, no change can be implemented. The digital roadmap is the key to success, as it structures and organizes contributions, whether IT, organizational or financial.
The key points of a successful digital transformation for a local authority
It's obvious, but always important to remember for any strategic dynamic: success is not possible without political and managerial sponsorship.
Having said that, a successful digital roadmap involves :
Clear, inspiring architecture
The roadmap must be broken down into themes that make sense for citizens and employees, and reflect the region's strategy. Common roadmap themes include the modernization and dematerialization of administrative procedures, the deployment of collaborative practices, the provision of new "nomadic" digital services to employees, IT security, data management and availability, geographic information systems, etc.
Strong involvement of professions and citizens in roadmap projects
If it's digital, it's because it's not just about IT. In fact, it's not uncommon for IT departments to be attached to general transformation departments.
Dedicated resources for the digital roadmap
A dedicated, voted budget will guarantee the financing and implementation of our digital ambitions.
Setting up a roadmap management system
You won't be surprised to read that we recommend applying the principles of project portfolio management to the digital roadmap. If a project portfolio can be defined as a grouping of projects sharing the same resources, the digital roadmap is a grouping of projects, sharing the same purpose: to make digital an opportunity to serve the community's objectives.
Positioning within time limits
A digital roadmap must have a beginning and an end. The deadline is a formidable driving force. As soon as it is launched, the appointment is made to take stock and measure the expected impacts. This is the fundamental difference between a roadmap and a project portfolio, which is a continuous framework. In most cases, the roadmap will be for three years, but it can also be synchronized with the term of office of the local authority's elected representatives.
FOCUS - Digital transformation of the Ille et Vilaine local authority
The Conseil Départemental uses PPM Project Monitor software for its IT project management, printing department project management and building department project management.
One of the strong points of what has been put in place at CD35 is the interaction between the Project Monitor software and our financial management to monitor actual costs (which is not always easy to implement). General management now has a real decision-making tool, with comprehensive metrics and indicators integrating the weight of projects.
Let's take a closer look at steering the digital roadmap and transposing best practices from the PPM. Digital ambitions will mainly be delivered in the form of projects. This cornerstone of the roadmap must therefore be carefully managed:
Choosing the right projects
As soon as the roadmap is drawn up, it's important to make the right choice of projects: digital technology offers a continuous stream of technological opportunities, but not everything is possible. For this, the PPM and its criteria of capability and strategic alignment will be invaluable tools. And as the roadmap is limited in time and resources, its scope will be marginal. The launch of new projects under the roadmap will remain marginal.
Appoint a roadmap manager
No project without a project manager, no portfolio without a PMO, no roadmap without a manager. The first job to emerge from a digital roadmap is its manager. And it's not CIO (whose title has now been renamed DSN). It's a more cross-functional role, integrating an interface with business lines, agents, elected representatives and citizens.
Providing the roadmap with its own financial resources
The roadmap budget is not the CIO budget. And its management is generally entrusted to the person in charge of the digital roadmap. A specific budget must be voted. As far as resources are concerned, they will be allocated according to the nature of the project. Resources will not be exclusive to the roadmap.
Setting up comitology: steering bodies specific to the digital roadmap
In addition to project-specific bodies, it is essential to monitor the roadmap as a whole. Frequencies of monthly for operations, quarterly for tactics, and half-yearly or yearly for strategy are classic. Care should be taken to limit duplication with existing project portfolio bodies. On the other hand, these forums should be opened up to a wider audience than for the CIO project portfolio.
The role of the local authority's IS function
The Information Systems Department (CIO), or more recently the Information Systems and Digital Department (DSIN), is the entity responsible for putting the digital roadmap into practice. The aim of the local authority's information system is to provide digital services and the infrastructure to make them available to all. The digital roadmap will complement the information system. In particular, it will provide the keys to harmonizing and enhancing these services. There's nothing fundamentally new here, apart from the new technological situation: mobile computing, the hyper-connectivity of citizens and SaaS or Cloud-based offerings.
Expectations are growing, and digital services are no longer necessarily "physically" integrated into the local authority's technical infrastructure. The information system is positioned as a digital service counter, either directly integrated or interfaced with third-party platforms offering digital services. And if the IT department doesn't take on the role of "digital orchestra conductor", it exposes itself to the emergence of "shadow it".
The resources of IT services - increasingly renamed digital services (hardware, software, personnel, data, procedures...) enable the acquisition, storage and communication of information to meet the information needs of users.
The role of a local authority's IS function is based on a wide range of missions, such as :
Manage the community's digital evolution, anticipate technological developments
Provide project management expertise
Develop an IT policy and a digital transformation policy - Define a master plan and financial, technical and human resources - Study and propose IT, technical and organizational solutions - Guarantee the reliability and security of the information system - Implement the digital transition, e-administration, and develop the smart city
Supervise IT implementation - Select equipment (hardware, software, networks) and monitor technological developments - Define and manage budgets, plan and control all projects - Supervise relations with external partners and service providers - Ensure compliance with specifications, deadlines and budgets - Maintain information systems in operational condition
The support of PPM software in this digital transformation plan
Many local authorities use PPM (Project Portfolio Management) software to facilitate and support their digital transformation.
Today, a wide range of offers are available, but it is essential to find the right partner who can provide optimum support for your PPM project throughout the entire process: - from audit to implementation of tools and processes - from parameterization to application maintenance
If you want to remain competitive and innovative, you need to opt for a project management software recognized by many local authorities.
Project Monitor, project portfolio management software, has been adopted by over 50 leading local authorities.
The Eurométropole de Strasbourg and Bordeaux Métropole have put digital technology at the heart of public action, while more than 20 départements like Nord and Ille et Vilaine have articulated a strategic vision and developed a digital roadmap, and regions like Nouvelle Aquitaine and AURA have made digital technology a key part of their public performance.
Would you like to implement software to support your transformation plan?
