Overview

Client: Falkirk Council

Sector: Public

Services: Data Strategy and Modern Data Platform

Technology: Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power Platform 

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Introduction

Falkirk Council, in partnership with Sword Group, have transformed their ability to make informed business decisions across the full range of Council priorities from tackling school absences to managing pothole repairs, by pivoting their operations to be data-driven. 

Falkirk Council recognised that managing operations via thousands of spreadsheets was hindering their ability to best serve the people of Falkirk. To prioritise community-centred services and budget investment, they focused on the need for quality data and insights to help promote opportunities and tackle inequalities.  

Working in partnership, a data strategy and modern data platform were designed and implemented, with a series of current reports and dashboards that address challenges across Workforce, Finance, Education, Roadworks and Performance Reporting.  

The partnership focuses on maximising the value of data, ensuring the Council can make better decisions and deliver better services aligned to their vision of “strong communities where inequalities are reduced, and lives are improved.”

Challenge

Falkirk Council set themselves the ambition to excel in the disciplines of data, insights, performance, and strategy. Although data rich, they relied on a mixed bag of quality insights, using a variety of tools and approaches including thousands of spreadsheets to capture, analyse and report on Council-wide performance.  

By achieving a clear data strategy and high standards across key priority areas, the Council recognised this would give them the right skills and the right information, at the right time, to make informed decisions, and better serve the people of Falkirk.  

Solution

Our data strategy encompassed a maturity assessment, technology selection, target operating model and roadmap for delivery of a technical platform. 

Together Sword and Falkirk Council have implemented a modern data platform, OneSource, which enables the Council to base decisions on data that is accessible, trusted, and updated in a timely manner aligned to their vision and priorities. The Council now produces Council-wide performance results to track the delivery of its vision, tracking targets against actual results to demonstrate performance levels at any given point in time. 

On a technical front, automation includes connection from the Local Government Benchmark Framework (LGBF) platform – Falkirk are the first Council in Scotland to work in partnership with the Scottish Government Improvement Service to do this, negating the need for manual duplication of data entry on multiple systems. 

The interactive Performance Dashboard pulls information from OneSource and is not only used for internal review and scrutiny within the Council, but is also available on the Council’s website for any member of the public to review and keep abreast of Council actions. 

Outcomes

The collaboration between Falkirk Council and Sword Group has succeeded in delivering a data-driven platform on which to base trusted, operational decisions. Actions can now be informed by accurate data, to prioritise finite resources for those who need them most. 

Positive outcomes that the Council report include: 

• A modern data platform, OneSource, that supports the growth of the Council’s strategic ambitions and allows them to track tangible progress.  

• Interactive reporting through OneSource Dashboards. This enables the Council to set up reports that effortlessly give them key information on operational areas such as school absences and road repair maintenance priorities.  

• Efficient and accurate knowledge sharing, as dashboards are produced from structured, accurate data that is in one place to provide improved control. 

• Upskilled staff – a focus on professional knowledge and skills development using existing Council skills and the professional development opportunities provided by Sword to embed the new technology into daily operations. 

Tangible Impact

The solution was designed to enable the Council to better plan, manage and design services across Workforce, Finance, Education, the Roads Service, and collectively, publicly report on how they were performing. The feedback from those using the system on a daily basis includes: 

“As the head teacher of Scotland’s largest secondary school, I can access timely data I did not have before. I can support my pupils better.” 

“As an asset management officer, I have insight into pothole reporting and repair across the Council and I can respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests more efficiently.”  

By improving use of analytics and insights, the Council can better respond to the needs of their communities and focus resources on priority initiatives aligned to their vision of reducing inequalities and improving lives in their communities.