In pursuit of continuous improvement. How local authorities can create service improvement through self-innovation with Arcus Built Environment solutions
I think it is fair to say that most councils have got to a point where they have exhausted their ability to make any further significant steps forward in generating efficiencies and delivering service improvement with the legacy systems they have. They now need to do something more transformational to make the step-change required. Arcus… Read more »
Building the digital golden thread
By Robin Barber, product owner for built environment at Arcus Global Digital is becoming part of everything we do in the public sector. Significant work has already been undertaken to progress the digital transformation of the UK’s built environment, which is no exception to this. Earlier this year the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and MHCLG… Read more »
New public sector laws to have huge impact on built environment and planning
To many, the Queen’s speech might not sound like much but a rubber-stamping exercise. Yet what Her Majesty announced last week will impact planning and built environment platforms more than suppliers and public sector customers might initially realise. Here are the standout commitments from the Government this year, and what they mean for suppliers and the public sector alike.
Part Two – ‘Low Code to No Code’
Low Code sounds great: you (anyone) can use this magic tool, to create a full business application or part thereof, without having to use expensive techies, instead using a cheaper and less specialist resource. It is (mostly) completely visual, and can be achieved using a number of tools out there on the market. Sometimes it manifests as a toolkit on top of a platform like Salesforce or Dynamics.
Part One – The danger of Low code and a ‘Minimum Viable Anything’ approach
Over the last 5 years, there has been a shift in the consulting / advisory landscape in Public Sector and Local Government. It feels like many of the more traditional approaches are rebranding or disappearing altogether to be replaced by a fancy ‘Digital’ title, perhaps using a technical term or concept here and there, or quoting some newly created model for doing roughly the same thing.
Why the public sector should focus on the tech that will make lives better
It goes without saying that the past year has thrown up challenges that most of us never thought we would face, and the public sector is no exception.
No more excuses for cyber security failures in councils
Breaches of cyber security are a significant risk to every business and individual, but are increasingly affecting local government. Recovering from the February 2020 ransomware attack that reduced Redcar & Cleveland Council to using pen and paper for critical processes, was estimated to have cost over £10.5m – three times their 2019 central ICT budget.
Getting the data right: seamless data migration for the public sector
With the National Data Strategy setting out the Government’s desire to create a data-led public sector, as well as an appetite from local authorities to deliver data-driven services, many organisations now see that migrating from legacy systems to a new provider offers the ideal opportunity to improve data quality and use this investment to its fullest potential.
Managing grants in a post COVID world
There’s a huge amount of social value in getting grant money to where it needs to be as quickly as possible. Supporting people, families and businesses is a key COVID recovery thread. The flipside to this for most Local Authorities is ensuring that the right people get the right amount for the right things. Prudence with the public purse. Operating prudently with a sense of urgency in a dynamic environment is incredibly difficult.
CEO Speaks
I’ve recently finished Matthew McConaughey’s autobiography, Greenlights. I confess, I’m an avid fan of the guy’s screen work. Dallas Buyers Club anybody? what a film! Yet, I’m always sceptical with autobiographies, regardless of author. Am I getting the whole story, warts n all, if you like?
Greenlights is a pretty balanced read/listen. He talks about a lot of the issues that affected him over the years, good and bad. His story’s set against the context of world growth and massive social change in recent years. It runs right up to #metoo, BLM & COVID 19, so it’s current. It resonates. Through his life journey, McConaughey describes all the positives that headed his way. He was getting a go sign, a reason to carry on, a Greenlight!
Planning for the future
As the product owner for the Built Environment suite, it is my responsibility to understand market changes and trends. As such I’ve been closely watching the comments and responses to the Government’s Planning for the Future white paper. It’s been particularly interesting to see discussions going on around the newly proposed zoning concepts rather than the adoption of technology.
The key digital freedoms for the public sector
Much has been made of the unprecedented nature of 2020 and the innovation that accompanied the response to the demands of the pandemic. On reflection, I think last year changed the way we think about innovation (or at least the emphasis of it). We moved away from new entrants disrupting stale markets and faced a ‘stress test’ of the technology infrastructure that the public sector in particular had put in place in the latter half of the 2010s.