Search Results

Environmental sustainability sits at the forefront of Australian communities' priorities, as evident in national council strategic plans. Extending on the theme of sustainability, the continued widespread use of paper in council meetings poses a dual challenge – environmental impact and unsustainable operational inefficiency. Our recent Insights Report, The Unrealised Potential of Council Meetings highlighted council concerns about paper wastage, sustainability and struggles with the inefficient management of large agendas and attachments. In this blog, we delve into the potential of paperless governance and showcase some real-life examples of councils who have made the transition. Paper Wastage a Key Concern Across Councils Council business papers often exceed 2000 pages monthly, equivalent to 40 reams of paper for a council with 10 councillors. This not only raises environmental concerns but also hampers operational efficiency. The sheer magnitude of paperwork can be overwhelming, requiring significant time and resources to manage, distribute and store. On top of this, it involves substantial printing costs, further straining council budgets and wasting administrator time with hours spent at the photocopier. Council business papers often exceed 2000 pages monthly, equivalent to 40 reams of paper for a council with 10 councillors. This not only raises environmental concerns but also hampers operational efficiency. While many councils have invested heavily in making the move to digital, the revelation that almost 75% of councils still maintain some level of reliance on hard-copy business papers, as stated in the Insights Report, underscores the slow progress in adopting more sustainable practices. Frustration With Staff and Councillors Navigating Long PDFs In the same survey, almost half of councils said helping staff and councillors navigate large PDFs was their biggest frustration during council meetings. The complexity of standard electronic pdf formats makes it challenging to keep up with proceedings, leading many to prefer traditional hard copies. One of the primary issues with navigating large electronic PDFs is the potential for information overload. With business papers often containing a plethora of documents, reports and attachments, it can be overwhelming for users to locate specific information quickly. These challenges can be addressed when councils invest in user-friendly digital solutions that simplify the usage and offer "single-click" navigation for large documents containing multiple attachments. Meeting Management solutions that provide robust search functionality and user-friendly interfaces can encourage self-reliance and assist councils to move away from hard-copy business papers.  This frees up administrator time to focus on other valuable activities, like supporting councillors with complex procedures related to the code of meeting practice. Real-world Challenges: Tweed Shire Council's Experience In a recent interview, Stephanie Papadopoulos, Corporate Governance Manager at Tweed Shire Council, highlighted the struggles her and her team faced with large agendas. “Our papers can include thousands of pages, and within those, there’s large attachments and files made up of plans and diagrams,” she said. “We found our previous system would regularly not cope with the large and diverse attachments.” Discover how Tweed Shire Council took a holistic approach to meeting management resulting in a more straightforward, more efficient meeting process - Read more here A holistic approach to paperless governance became essential for a seamless transition beyond simple PDF bookmarking. The Resolve Meeting Management Platform offers a comprehensive solution, simplifying widespread adoption. “I’m glad we took the leap to a more holistic solution rather than something that might have been a minor improvement,” she admitted. “It’s definitely made our meeting process easier and more efficient, and I’m so pleased the organisation and councillors have adopted it.” A holistic approach to paperless governance became essential for a seamless transition beyond simple PDF bookmarking. The Resolve Meeting Management Platform offers a comprehensive solution, simplifying widespread adoption. Improving Access to Information for Better Decision Making Paperless governance extends beyond sustainability; it enhances transparency and government effectiveness. Kurtis Redman, Solution Lead for Resolve Meeting Management, emphasises the platform's role in providing real-time access to information, reducing the reliance on meeting administrators as a single source of truth. “It’s difficult to manage council without real-time access to information related to the history of agenda items or visibility on actions and resolutions. Councils typically lean heavily on meeting administrators for this information. This can tie up hours of time that could be spent on other tasks and frustrates stakeholders who feel they should be able to easily self-serve accurate information. It’s difficult to manage council without real-time access to information related to the history of agenda items or visibility on actions and resolutions. Councils typically lean heavily on meeting administrators for this information. Impact Beyond Sustainability The Unrealised Potential of Council Meetings report also uncovered that traditional systems don’t leverage technology to automate resolution management, this leads to limited reporting capability which makes managing council very difficult. Transposing information into Excel and leaving it to administrators to chase departments for updates is a duplication of work and adds another failure point to the process. Digital systems with robust reporting functionalities empower managers and administrators, ensuring transparent and efficient communication of necessary details between council and operations. Embracing paperless governance not only contributes to sustainability goals and cost savings but also enhances transparency and decision-making. Imagine the positive impact on your council's decisions and budget if you transform the accessibility of meeting information and reduced the administrative workload, printing and paper usage by 50% or more? A paperless future is not just eco-friendly; it's a strategic move towards more sustainable governance practices. For more information, you can download The Unrealised Potential of Council Meetings report here, and read discover how Tweed Shire Council took a holistic approach to meeting management resulting in a more straightforward, more efficient meeting process here.

Elections are a significant time for anyone who works in, or around Government. This post is written specifically for Local Government but is similar for all levels of Government. This year is a significant one for councils as Queensland (16 March 2024), New South Wales (14 September 2024), and Victoria (October 2024) have council elections. The year also includes the Queensland state election on 26 October 2024. This means many things for many councils. Some may be unable to make significant decisions in the immediate leadup to elections as they are in caretaker mode, and others may defer decisions until new councillors have been inducted into the council and have had a chance to understand council operations. Councillors need to be aware of the long-term impacts of decisions and will already have priorities in mind when deciding to run for council, so this is often prudent. Of course, the number of councillors expected to be re-elected also needs to be considered when making these decisions. This means many things for many councils. Some may be unable to make significant decisions in the immediate leadup to elections as they are in caretaker mode... Councils often have mixed feelings and debates about what projects should be approved prior to elections as they want to ensure any long-term direction of council is endorsed by the people who are elected. This is a good discussion point as this process ensures that the councillors have the ability to ensure that contracts and expenditures are focussed on council objectives - based on the revised objectives of the new council. This is often based on whether the expenditure is material, although it should not get in the way of a council providing services to the community or improving its operations. The area that is often debatable is improvements to the experience of councillors themselves. Certainly, the significance of the expenditure should be considered, but giving a good impression to councillors and making their job easier should be taken into account. So how can the Councillor experience be made easier? Meeting Management software is technology that councillors use as part of their council duties. They need to be trained when inducted into council, and it is advantageous if they only get trained once on a system that is easy to use and gives them the information they need. Meeting Management Software ensures Councillors are prepared for meetings. These tools (when implemented properly) ensure they are fully prepared for meetings. If they are trained on a solution that council staff don’t believe will give them a good experience, then a decision to move to a new solution should be investigated and should be considered in time to implement before a change of councillors. Audio visual solutions should also be considered. These are the solutions that will make the role of councillors easier. With elections happening this year, I think this is something that councils considering changes should prioritise. Of course, I am biased as I believe these solutions improve the Councillor experience, improve transparency for council officers and the public, and make the job easier for the council staff who run these meetings. With elections happening this year, I think this is something that councils considering changes should prioritise. The next council elections for each geographic location is QLD:16 March 2024 NSW: 14 September 2024 WA: 19 October 2025 VIC: October 2024 Northern Territory: August 2025 New Zealand: 12 October 2025 WA: 19 October 2025 Tasmania: October 2025 SA: November 2026

In an era where technology is reshaping the way we interact with information and our communities, local governments in Australia are facing the imperative to incorporate audio and video streaming into their meeting processes. As Australian communities demand increasing levels of trust from government, the integration of video streaming into council meeting systems is emerging as a transformative force, enhancing transparency, accountability, and community engagement. We explore the advantages of streaming council meetings through video and how this practice can improve transparency, ultimately fostering greater trust within the community. State-based transparency mandates are driving live-streaming activity in council The increasing emphasis on transparency and accountability in Australian local government is driving the mandate for live streaming and recording council meetings. This initiative aims to make the intricate workings of council proceedings more accessible to the public. By embracing video streaming technology, local governments aspire to foster increased community involvement while instilling a greater sense of trust in the decision-making process. Implementing robust systems for live streaming and recording becomes paramount to ensure seamless accessibility and information retrieval. Without good systems, the challenges of hybrid meetings increase pressure on governance and IT As local governments in Australia transition to hybrid meetings encompassing physical and virtual attendance, a new set of challenges emerges. Meeting administrators face complexities in managing various aspects, from minuting and bookmarking videos accurately, to coordinating motions and requests to speak to navigating voting procedures and integrating video conferencing. These challenges, particularly for new councillors, underscore the necessity for comprehensive systems that streamline processes and ensure a seamless hybrid meeting experience. However, Resolve offers integration features that enable users to automate many of these aspects, including video bookmarking, and conveniently access, edit, and view everything from a single location. This streamlines the process, making it more user-friendly for both staff and communities. As Eve Newbegin from Baw Baw Shire Council states, it has been a game-changer for council in terms of streamlining their council meeting process. “I instantly loved that it was browser-based and it could be accessible for everyone when they needed it – this became invaluable when working in a hybrid environment. The integration was also impressive. We no longer had to work from various portals to upload agendas, minutes, or streamed video – it was all accessible in one place and just seemed so much easier.” - Eve Newbegin, Baw Baw Shire Council Breaking down video information ensures the right information can be found by all stakeholders, on-demand While live streaming and video conferencing enhance transparency, they also introduce complexity to the in-meeting experience for councillors and the community. This demands robust technological systems that facilitate efficient bookmarking and navigation, allowing councillors and residents to quickly locate and access relevant agenda items, reports, and minutes. To authentically increase transparency, meeting information must be easily consumable by the public who often only want information on specific items. Councils utilising this feature in Resolve have found that it also brings advantages for council staff. Instead of relying on administrative feedback for council decisions, interested parties can access information within minutes of the meeting by viewing the live stream, reducing frustration. Kurtis Redman from Redman Solutions further explains how this functionality benefits users. Platforms that provide bookmarked video recordings automatically timestamp agenda items corresponding to the discussion held in your meeting. This means your community can quickly access topics of interest to them making it more inviting for them to engage with your meetings. Information is instant, and finding content about issues that matter to them can be achieved without having to sift through mountains of irrelevant information. - Kurtis Redman, Redman Solutions Councillors’ need support to manage increased transparency in decision-making Councillors are primary decision-makers in the transparency equation. Ensuring transparency involves not only the accessibility of information but also the effective communication of decisions. As councillors navigate their roles in decision-making, preparing them for the video medium becomes imperative. Many find this aspect intimidating, and efforts should be directed toward easing this transition. This underscores the crucial need for comprehensive systems that not only facilitate transparency in the overarching council proceedings but also consider the individual comfort and preparedness of councillors for the video format. Systems must keep up with evolving transparency practices in council meetings Both community members and councils in Australia share a common emphasis on open and honest information sharing. Beyond mere visibility, transparency is understood as the clear communication of decision-making processes, prudent spending of taxpayer money, and declarations of conflicts of interest. Open, digitally accessible council debate is a significant way for councils to demonstrate their commitment to transparency. It necessitates ongoing efforts needed to refine transparency practices and embed them as an integral aspect of governance through well-designed and efficient systems. In conclusion, the integration of video streaming into council meeting systems is not merely a technological upgrade but a catalyst for cultural change. As Australian local governments navigate the complexities of a digital and hybrid environment, prioritising transparency and accessibility will shape a future where community members can actively participate in the democratic process, informed and empowered by easily accessible information.

Goodwill is the difference between the price an organisation is acquired for and the net value of the assets. Specifically, a goodwill definition is the portion of the purchase price higher than the sum of the net fair value of all the assets purchased in the acquisition and the liabilities assumed in the process. The value of a company’s name, brand reputation, loyal customer base, solid customer service, good employee relations, and proprietary technology represent aspects of goodwill. This value is why one company may pay a premium for another. Companies that are either looking to sell or are trying to understand their value will calculate their enterprise value based on these factors, and it is often a component of executive pay structure. A vital component of enterprise value is goodwill. As public organisations, councils do not calculate goodwill as they are not going to be sold, and they are mostly service-based organisations. This blog is not advocating that they should account for goodwill, but looking at how government and, particularly local government could calculate. The first difference that should be noted is that most organisations have customers, and councils have stakeholders and, importantly, voters. Most people paying councils do not have a choice as to whether to use council services, so in my crude judgement, they should not be considered ‘customers’ - so terms such as customer experience do not really hit the mark, I think it should be called ‘government experience.’ Most people paying councils do not have a choice as to whether to use council services, so in my crude judgement, they should not be considered ‘customers’ So, what are the factors for calculating the goodwill a council would have? And how would we calculate it? It should be based on customer satisfaction, which will be judged at council elections, but how do we value the change in goodwill? Stakeholder satisfaction is one of the most important components. This could be measured with surveys, this would be arbitrary and often based on point in time considerations, so what components would increase satisfaction? The goodwill factor could be calculated by looking at areas such as: Transparency and Trust Open and honest decision making and openness about the operations of council. Letting the public understand the considerations of council, and their relationship with council, including what happens at council meetings, the financial situation the council is operating within, and the strategic objectives. Levels of Service How quickly are problems resolved when reported to council, and how good is the communication back to the community on the status of the resolution, including if that is unwelcome news? Giving information on the approvals of regulatory functions such as development approvals, including timing, and ensuring the public understands that the process is fair. The ability to engage using different channels would be a strong factor in any rating, as many people like to engage using their preferred methods and a time that is convenient for them. Financial Management How well does the council manage the finances of the council? And how do they ensure they provide services and maintenance without raising rates to a level that the community will accept? This can often be based on engagement with the community on budget priorities. It will also be important to understand the considerations and transparency of the long-term strategy and budgets, including the stewardship of assets. A key consideration will be the perception of value for money. How well does the council manage the finances of the council? And how do they ensure they provide services and maintenance without raising rates to a level that the community will accept? Community Engagement How well does the council engage with the community? This may include understanding the priorities of the council, which may include budget but could also include priorities on many issues, including economic growth, infrastructure, environmental, or social. It could also include the ability to get information in a timely way, submit issues, and track areas such as personal water usage. What has council achieved over a meaningful period? Have they improved the lives of their community, built playgrounds, built roads etc? Outcomes What has council achieved over a meaningful period? Have they improved the lives of their community. Have they built playgrounds, built roads, reduced congestion, improved library services, improved economy, etc There may be many other factors that would need to be considered in the calculation of the goodwill between a council and their community, but the government experience will be an essential component. This blog has been entirely hypothetical, but these factors and others are essential in assessing the mood of the community towards the council. They are factors in the re-election of councillors, harmony in the community, and community relations with council staff. I would love to be able to do a calculation on the value, but that will be a consideration for the future.

It’s no secret that we love Envisio, and their dashboards play a significant role in our appreciation. Public dashboards help local governments craft compelling narratives about their fantastic work. They quickly and automatically transform raw data into engaging stories using visualisations, scorecards, and progress updates. Envisio helps connect your community and key stakeholders with the work being done, and their beautifully created and well-maintained dashboards can help to build trust through transparency and manage expectations by communicating progress. They allow the community to see the progress that council are making on strategic objectives rather than the strategic plan gathering dust. But once you’ve designed, created and implemented your dashboard, how do you tell it to the world and launch it? Here’s 15 practical, proven tips and tricks to help you successfully launch, promote, and gain engagement for your dashboard. Preparing for Launch 1. Define clear goals for your dashboard (and use analytics!) Be specific about what you want to achieve with your dashboard and what you want to show. This will help you to measure success, celebrate accomplishments, and improve as you go. 2. Install Google Analytics Data is like gold, and we recommend tracking your dashboard visitors and how they interact with your dashboard content. Google Analytics is a fantastic (and free) way to measure success, understand engagement, and get baseline metrics for improvement. 3. Identify key stakeholders and involve them from the beginning Gaining buy-in from key stakeholders and making them feel part of the process is critical for a smooth launch. Ensure the people closest to the information being revealed on the dashboard have all the required information and talking points for the reveal. 4. Internally announce the launch date of your public dashboard and train staff This is important! The key to ensuring your dashboard is more than just a transparency box-ticking exercise is to maintain and update it regularly. Anyone updating your dashboards must be comfortable with when and how to do that. Inform staff about the submission deadlines for updates before public release. Ideally, you want to allow staff to have a couple of rounds of updates to refine their plans and performance measures based on feedback. 5. Soft launch the dashboard to your councillors This is an excellent opportunity to ensure your councillors know how to navigate your dashboard, understand the value, and are enthusiastic about promoting it! It allows them to explore, ask questions, and give feedback. 6. Work with your Implementation Team Team Redman is there to support you through it all, including as you prepare to launch. Once you’ve gone through implementation and understand how the dashboard works, it’s a good idea to share your plan with us so we can help. We can provide promotional templates, tips for writing press releases, free training sessions, and best practice feedback on your dashboard–well before you hit “publish”. 7. Consider scheduling a live, internal launch lunch You did it, and everyone involved should be celebrated. Create some hype and show your appreciation with an internal celebration. It doesn’t need to be anything big - a simple office ‘Lunch and Launch’ or afternoon snacks will go a long way - plus, this is the perfect opportunity to get everyone on the same page while boosting staff morale. 8. Craft your press release statements and get them ready for review Everyone loves a good news story! Be sure to leverage press releases and local news sources when preparing for your dashboard launch. You have a great story to tell, and it’s an excellent way to engage your community. Team Redman can help you draft a release and provide quotes and testimonials. 9. Craft initial social media posts Get social and spread joy among your stakeholders and community. Work with your marketing teams to leverage your social media followers and provide visual examples of what you’ve achieved. Consider creating short videos to demonstrate how easy your dashboards are to interpret; it will go a long way. 10. Encourage council involvement: Draft sample social posts for elected officials. The idea is to make it easy for everyone to help you during the promotion stages. Share a  sample post with councillors to encourage their active involvement in your dashboard launch. Be sure to make the process easy and un-intimidating by providing them with ready-to-share content on their social channels, fostering a united promotional effort. Build Engagement Through Promotion Whether it’s the first reveal, regular updates, introducing something new, or seeking valuable feedback, promotion and marketing is your friend. 11. Use hashtags on social media Remember, for social media, your hashtag game is crucial! We recommend leveraging two to three of the following tags when posting on platforms like LinkedIn: #YourDashboardName, #DataDriven #DataRevolution, #CommunityEngagement…  Let’s make your dashboard’s presence felt! 12. Consider mailouts (with a QR Code) These days, receiving letters in the post is rare, so why not leverage the uniqueness of this special occasion? Send a postcard or small letter with an eye-catching design and a prominent QR code to your residents. 13. Choose strong web placement Elevate your dashboard’s visibility by placing it prominently above the scroll line on your website page. Craft an intuitive title and complement it with an eye-catching image to capture visitors’ attention immediately. You also want to ensure that the website page that includes your dashboard is easily found in your website navigation. Try not to bury it five levels deep! Make sure it’s discoverable, just like Cloncurry Shire Council has: https://www.cloncurry.qld.gov.au/council-documents/operational-plan 14. Create an informative walk-through video This is a great way to increase engagement and show how easy your dashboard is to navigate. Consider creating a screen recording walk-through of your public dashboard and share it on your website and social channels for an informative and engaging visual presentation. 15. Display, Display, Display Don’t be shy - you’ve done all the hard work, so show it off in as many places as possible. Consider creating a carousel on your news webpage, utilising digital displays within your communities, and contacting local media outlets to help generate some buzz. Remember, if using hard copy marketing material, always include a QR Code so people can easily navigate to your online dashboard. Looking for more? Take a look at our recent dashboard examples and be inspired! https://info.redmansolutions.com.au/envisio-dashboard-e

Local Government is government at a grassroots level. It is the level of government that is the closest and most accessible to the community and the one that understands the will of the people much better than most. The councillors and staff of a council are talking to their community more than anyone else, and if they don’t represent those views accurately, they could be punished at the ballot box. The centrepiece of these great democratic organisations is the council meeting. These meetings are where important decisions are made, and the community can see democracy in the geographic location in which they live. The council meeting includes council staff who are putting up recommendations for councillors to make decisions on, as well as providing information on council operations. These opportunities to present at council meetings should be viewed as an honour and a privilege, and an opportunity to showcase the work they have done and present ideas for the direction of the community. A Glimpse into the Demands Faced by Governance Professionals The council meeting requires a lot of preparation, and ensuring these meetings reflect the professional nature of council operations requires a lot of work from several people, usually the governance professionals. These small groups of people often must chase up multiple people to ensure reports are submitted with enough time to be reviewed by councillors and executive staff before the meetings. They are often doing this blindly without the ability to see what the status of the reports is and often must change wording and formatting to meet the professional standards they are expected to meet. This is a challenge, especially when agendas must be made available well before the meeting date, and deferring items after publishing the agenda can create scheduling issues, as well as damage to council's reputation. I recently met with a council who mentioned they moved from fortnightly to monthly meetings. They mentioned that they didn’t know how they managed fortnightly meetings as the workload was immense. After each meeting, there is a lot of follow-up work to ensure the resolutions are distributed to relevant council staff and actions are tracked based on council decisions. Discover more challenges and opportunities in our latest Insights Report - The Unrealised Potential of Council Meetings Tailoring Council Meetings to Increase Engagement Council meetings are showcases to the public. They are an opportunity for the public to view their elected officials and council staff in action and to see debate on issues that are important to them. So, the agenda is important to indicate if they should attend in person or view either the entire meeting or areas of relevance to them. Another problem is that these meetings often take a lot of time, and the public often only wants to see the debate in areas that concern them. Some want to live stream, while many don’t need to see the discussion in real time and only want to view it when it is convenient for them. It is also important to remember that the actions of these meetings are important for the public record, so taking the minutes when there are so many people talking (often over each other) is often arduous. Making this easy is important, as accurately recording the voting is a key outcome. While council meetings serve as vital forums for public engagement, there is a pressing need for modernisation to enhance accessibility. Modern Solutions for Streamlined Council Meetings This process seems complicated and time-consuming, but it mostly comes together well with experienced and dedicated staff making it work, often working many extra hours to ensure timelines are met. Councils are working through digital transformations. Isn’t it time this centrepiece of democracy was modernised to allow: Governance professionals to be able to automatically build agendas. The status of reports to be viewed. Information available to councillors and executives at relevant times The ability to choose areas they want to focus on, especially resolutions that need a decision. Easy to use tools so resolutions are recorded accurately. Electronic voting so decisions are accurately recorded. Livestreaming of meetings to make them accessible. Bookmarking of the video so the public can view areas of interest. Resolutions to be distributed and then tracked. This technology has been available for a long period of time, but take-up often lags as other areas of council operations are prioritised. By embracing these technological advancements, councils can not only meet the diverse needs of their communities but also ensure a more transparent and effective democratic process for all. Isn’t it time this showcase of democracy is given priority?

Envisio helps local government leaders to drive better community outcomes through the delivery and transparent communication of their most important plans. And now, their new suite of project management tools is available to help manage, deliver, and communicate your Projects. Envisio Projects allows you to centralise the management and communication of your capital improvement projects while seamlessly connecting with your organisation’s strategic plan. It’s now easier than ever to manage, collaborate, and communicate your project progress. Here’s what it’s all about: Provide a Unified Vision for Your Teams with Strategic Plan Integration Envisio Projects seamlessly integrates with Envisio Plans, allowing you to connect projects directly to the most granular level of your plan. Consequently, your projects and their progress seamlessly contribute to your strategic objectives, promoting a cohesive vision for your teams. Gone are the days of searching for progress updates or grappling with data discrepancies—every project status and written update will now automatically sync within your comprehensive plan. Envisio Projects seamlessly integrates with Envisio Plans, allowing you to connect projects directly to the most granular level of your plan. Detailed insights With a Simple Click Gain access to the project details that are displayed as linked plan elements. These details are readily available, delivering powerful insights into project progress and alignment with your strategic goals. Plans Public Dashboards: A Window to Success You can seamlessly embed your project summary and map into your overall Envisio public-facing dashboard. This provides your community with visibility into your strategic initiatives, projects, and even geographical mapping. Effortless Reporting: Tailored Insights When linked, your projects seamlessly become part of your plan progress and performance reports, granting you access to the same robust reporting functionality that Envisio is known for. You can also customise your reports by including or excluding linked plan elements, and filter them by department, tags, timeframes, and more. Drive Success from Within Everything you need to deliver any project – with ease and transparency. Review projects and tasks within a comprehensive Gantt chart, offering a visual representation of timelines of projects and tasks. Easily download Gantt charts for collaboration, and apply filters to streamline project views. The Gantt view provides an in-depth look at task timelines, dependencies, and project phases to help you with project management and planning. Review projects and tasks within a comprehensive Gantt chart Master Details With Ease Create unlimited projects, and assign project types with customisable phases and fields to meet the variety across departments. Easily filter and sort projects by phase, department, status, and more. Level Up Your Organisation with Task Management Create an unlimited number of tasks or subtasks, assign owners and observers, set start and end dates, and establish dependencies effortlessly. You can also easily identify tasks that may be blocking others, and see which ones are being stalled by dependencies. Transparency in Action Transparency in project reporting is critical for building and maintaining trust, both among community members, and internal stakeholders. Ensuring that every stakeholder has access to critical project data, progress tracking, and detailed analytics, Envisio’s new project management features facilitate informed, data-driven decision-making and communication. Interactive maps make it easy for project teams to plan and track projects while residents can easily see what’s happening in their community. Increase Visibility with Public Dashboards Projects Public Dashboards make it easier than ever to improve trust and transparency with your community. Simply select and unselect projects to tailor each dashboard to your audience’s needs and enable stakeholders to delve into project details right from the dashboard. It’s an engaging and informative way to explore projects aligned with their interests. Put Projects on the Map and Increase Visibility into Budgeting Interactive maps make it easy for project teams to plan and track projects while residents can easily see what’s happening in their community. The interactive map allows residents to explore projects relevant to them and drill-down into the project overview to see the budget, status, and phase so they understand how their tax dollars are being allocated. We can’t wait to see this new module in action! Envisio Projects is sure to improve communication and collaboration between internal and external stakeholders - and that’s powerful! Get in touch for more information.

He's the newest member of Redman Solutions and already feels like part of the family. Meet Hamish Burnett - our problem-solving tech whiz who has traded life on the farm for the big city. Tell us a little about you, where you're from and your family I grew up as a country boy on a 500-acre lifestyle farm in Far North Queensland. I have 3 brothers, so you can imagine how fun (and sometimes crazy) our childhood was. I moved to Brisbane to study Computer Science - Artificial Engineering at QUT. I’ve gone from being a very active farm kid to working in an office environment, so it’s been quite the adjustment. You’re part of the IT team, tell us a little about your role. I work in a great team and spend my day helping people who need assistance with any of our solutions. I also help with security checks and am always trying to figure out the best way to do things - I tend to wear a bunch of hats. You seem to love helping people; is that what you love about your role? I love problem-solving. When our clients need a solution, I enjoy figuring out what they need and how we can get there. There’s plenty of opportunities for this in my role, and I’m learning so much on the job. Our workplace is also great - it’s so flexible and autonomous, and the culture suits me perfectly. We’re like a family here, and it’s pretty clear that we all enjoy coming to work. Your Favourite Food/Movie/Travel Destination: Food: You can’t beat a good crumbed steak with lemon. It needs to be medium rare and come with crispy roasted potatoes. Movie: John Wick Travel Destination: Austria - my family is originally from there, they have amazing ice caves and why not? What do you get up to in your spare time? Between uni and work, I don’t really have a lot of spare time, but when I have it, I love to cook and make cocktails. I love shaking up a Sea Breeze and cooking up a nice steak - medium rare, obviously!

Quite often, IPR Practitioners are asked to develop executive level dashboards or reports to portray the health of the organisation. Stakeholders expect timely reporting and delays can impact their confidence in the organisation's ability to manage its IPR responsibilities effectively. Late reporting can also render the data irrelevant or make accurate interpretation difficult. This can lead to a loss of stakeholder interest and engagement and a lack of ownership and involvement in the reporting process. In our latest Insights Report, 68% of NSW IPR Practitioners said pulling reports easily vs having to do a lot of manual handling was their biggest challenge when it comes to reporting on IPR to external stakeholders. Despite efforts to improve data collection and reporting across councils, there are still isolated pockets of information and failures in processes that hinder accurate reporting. For example, data on workforce statistics and unplanned leave may be getting collected, but more time and resources are required to analyse and draw actionable insights. “Most report generators are really boring, they don’t look at how important it is to create the story that goes with the data, and when you’re reporting externally, you need to think about the story”. - NSW IPR Practitioner This is partly due to the manual nature of the data collection, analysis and reporting process, which involves cutting and pasting data from various sources and creating graphs and reports. This creates a major bottleneck, preventing organisations from being able to access data for timely decision-making. Download a copy of the Insights Report here To solve this problem, council systems must make interpreting and visualising data from multiple sources as simple as possible. Creating simple but powerful visuals will help to tell the story of the status of strategies, projects, plans or services as a whole, quickly and easily. Templated reports and dashboards tailored to a wide range of stakeholder groups’ needs should only be “one-click” away. “I’d like visual access to that data, so I would love to be able to have some dashboards, some indicators, some like one page summary, something that kind of means that anyone that's looking for the status of the operational plan over all of the asset works program has got one spot they can go look at.” - NSW IPR Practitioner Best Practice Tips for removing the burden Understand Stakeholder needs and capability Interview stakeholders and ensure their needs are fully articulated so that reporting meets their specific needs. Map out requirements of different stakeholders and address any potential conflicts upfront. Don’t shy away from addressing conflicts or assume that they cannot be managed as this will lead to vague reporting. Automated visual aids Develop dashboards and indicators that enable stakeholders to quickly assess the status of projects or services as a whole to better understand and interpret complex data effectively. Automate data collection and integration, based on the ongoing needs of various stakeholder groups, to help speed up the reporting process. Ensure systems eliminate the need for manual data manipulation. Training and capacity building Encourage staff to think more critically about the data they collect and how it can be used to improve services and decision-making. Providing training and capacity-building opportunities for staff members to improve data literacy and foster a culture of data-driven decision-making. Uncover all the insights in the latest report - IPR and Technology. Download a copy of the Insights Report here

Gathering and analysing data for IPR can be challenging. Fragmented systems make it difficult to gather data from multiple sources and centralise it in order to effectively analyse across silos. This makes it difficult to provide management with information that tells an accurate story for data-driven decision-making. In our latest Insights Report, 58% of NSW IPR Practitioners said that fragmented systems posed the biggest challenge when it came to their council using technology. Financial systems, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and complaints databases are just a few examples of the various data sources available. However, the centralisation of valuable data from different sources is necessary to provide a comprehensive picture of the organisation's situation. This is rare among councils. The research highlighted situations where data was calculated differently by different people, showing that councils struggle to maintain consistency in the analysis and interpretation of information. To leverage the value from key datasets, councils must clearly understand where their data is stored and how to access it. This requires a significant business intelligence effort to centralise the data and ensure consistency in tracking and collection, along with identifying the appropriate data steward. Download a copy of the Insights Report here To overcome these challenges, organisations should adopt a "report once" approach, where the system reporting on IPR become the corporate record of truth. "We can't tell people to go look in one place to find stuff. If we want to know how this particular service is travelling, I can't say to a director, 'Here’s where that information is' because it's in 16 different places." - NSW IPR Practitioner Systems should be designed for users to see their objectives and be able to add data and updates easily. Systems should also make it easy to draw data from other systems to allow for “slice and dice” data analysis across council services. This would ensure consistency in how data is stored, calculated, and analysed and help councils more effectively utilise data to guide activity. "The data collection process itself is so ridiculously manual. There's a lot of cutting, pasting and dragging stuff out of systems and moving it around. The real ‘integrated’ approach will be difficult simply due to some historical silos within the organisation where plans etc, may have been developed without broad consultation or consideration of other plans/strategies etc.” - NSW IPR Practitioner Best Practice Tips to overcome these challenges Implement a system that pulls data into one place for analysis Ensure relevant IPR data is collected and stored in a central location that serves as the authoritative source for that information. Ensure systems allow for simplified analysis, searching, filtering, and visualisations. Intuitive systems ensure staff can easily input their data and view reports in real time to help local government be more agile and responsive. Develop a standardised data collection process Create a standardised data collection process that is consistent across all data sources to ensure data is accurate and reliable. Aim to compare data across different departments and programs using industry approaches where possible. Define consistent terminology and educate staff to ensure better communication between stakeholders and increase ability to identify areas for improvement or success. Enable staff to utilise data and visualisations Train staff on how to collect data and analyse and present it simply, as well as ensuring consistency and accuracy in what is being collected and analysed. This will help staff with reporting responsibilities to understand how they can identify trends and patterns that may not have been apparent otherwise. Uncover all the insights in the latest report - IPR and Technology. Download a copy of the Insights Report here

Defining measurable outcomes is a complex activity and the pressure to get it right amidst increased community interest in environmental, social, and governance issues is growing. In our latest Insights Report, IPR and Technology, we interviewed 20 NSW councils to understand their IPR frustrations and uncover emerging best practices in terms of process, systems and technology. When it came to gathering and analysing data for IPR, 78% said creating meaningful measures for internal and external stakeholders was their biggest challenge. Councils have been encouraged to use the United Nations Social Development Goals as measures, but localising them and making them specific enough to be meaningful for local government is a challenge. Further, Council’s level of control or influence over affecting change can vary. Additionally, measures aimed at achieving community objectives may focus on something other than day-to-day business operations, and this lack of meaning for internal stakeholders can deter engagement. For example, waste management staff may be more focused on operational issues such as the number of people on the trucks and missed waste calls rather than on the exact weight of waste picked up or waste diverted into recycling, which may be of greater concern to the community. Download a copy of the Insights Report here "No one likes community backlash, so to avoid that, we make the measures fluffy so we can say we did more than we did. Rather than committing to doing something really specific, we report that we just did something general.” - NSW IPR Practitioner To enhance the quality of measures and manage conflicting needs, councils should work collaboratively with subject matter experts, external reporting bodies, internal stakeholders, and community members to establish a structured process for defining and prioritising measures. Councils that develop a framework for measuring outcomes that considers both community and business objectives will have a more comprehensive set of specific, locally relevant, and strategically sound measures that cater to the needs of all stakeholders. Best Practice Tips for creating meaningful measures for internal and external stakeholders Develop clear and specific measures based on stakeholder needs Know your audience and their “why” for consuming the data you’re measuring. Define the measures that can be controlled or influenced by council actions. Develop clear, specific measures that reflect the council's goals in relation to the community goals. Focus on operational outcomes Focus on operational outcomes that reflect the day-to-day activities of the council so measures are relevant to staff. Don’t be afraid to track adverse outcomes, even if just internally. While these can be politically challenging, they can be critical for driving impact. Understand performance trends Ensure systems support the visualisation of measures that need to be tracked and compared over time. Incorporate this data into continuous improvement efforts to support more evidence-based decision-making and efficient allocation of resources. Use individual or group benchmarking to observe, analyse, and report on performance over a specific period. Uncover all the insights in the latest report - IPR and Technology. Download a copy of the Insights Report here

As councils face the challenge of doing more with less, the feasibility of resourcing for Community Strategic Plans (CSPs) is in focus. CSPs are highly strategic and comprehensive. As visionary documents with an extended timeframe for delivery, they are optimistic by nature. We recently interviewed 20 NSW councils to understand their IPR frustrations and uncover emerging best practices. When it came to their challenges, 58% of respondents said resourcing was their biggest challenge when it comes to preparing and managing the suite of IPR plans. Here's an overview of the results as well as some key tips. Download a copy of the Insights Report here To bring practicality to council goals, a clear understanding of resourcing is critical. The integrity of Delivery Programs and Operational Plans rely on the ability of the Resourcing Strategy to articulate the council's resources to implement the projects and programs over time. "There's always greater expectations about what we should do or could do versus what we can financially afford.” - NSW IPR Practitioner However, these plans are often not well-integrated and obtaining accurate data to ensure council has sufficient financial capacity to execute on plans can be difficult. Political pressure for change adds complexity to the situation, as changes in councillors and senior staff can trigger a shift in priorities and innovation. However, councils tend to be risk-averse due to their inherent stewardship role, making change slower and more complicated than desired. To achieve more with limited resources, councils must navigate the challenge of reducing service levels or exiting certain services, which can be operationally and politically difficult. "Everyone is trying to just get on with their day-to-day work, and then having this extra layer of work that's required is difficult - just getting the time and the resources to dedicate to that activity is hard.” - NSW IPR Practitioner To manage the associated risks, councils need consistent data collection on their services and simplified means of analysing and interpreting them to support decisions for or against such changes. Best Practice Tips Improve integration and coordination of IPR Plans Ensure clearer integration and coordination between the different layers of plans and strategies. Cross-reference or link between plans and strategies to help avoid gaps and duplication and ensure accurate oversight. Optimise the outcomes for mandatory service reviews Identify services where demand is decreasing or are being duplicated by other service providers to examine resourcing options. Identify KPI's that will help improve service delivery, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, achieve better outcomes for the community. Ensure decisions account for the evolving needs of the community over time and set time frames to revisit resourcing decisions. Invest in data and information management Invest in data and information management systems to ensure the correct information is available and easily accessible. Ensure systems reduce the overall time to gather data and report and eliminate the duplication of effort. Report once is ideal. Ensure relevant data is available to all necessary stakeholders. Uncover all the insights in the latest report - IPR and Technology. Download a copy of the Insights Report here