Our Technology and Digital Offer

Our Technology and Digital Offer

Enabling better services through digital, innovation and partnership

At North Northamptonshire Council, technology is about far more than systems, devices and applications. It is about enabling our services to work more effectively, equipping colleagues with the right tools, and ensuring we can continue to deliver excellent outcomes for residents.

To support this ambition, the Technology and Digital Service has developed a comprehensive Technology and Digital Offer that underpins our wider Technology and Digital Strategy. The offer has been designed around the needs of our services and focuses on partnership, innovation, continuous improvement and value for money. It has already been positively received across the organisation, with strong engagement from services through our Digital Relationship Leads and leadership team.

1. A Strong Foundation of Support

At the heart of everything we do is our support service.

Providing reliable, secure and efficient technology support remains fundamental to the success of the organisation. Our support and cyber security teams work together to ensure colleagues have access to the tools and services they need while maintaining the security and resilience expected of a modern council.

Without this foundation, none of the innovation and transformation work we deliver would be possible.

2. Strengthening Internal Partnerships Through Business Relationship Management

One of the newest elements of our offer is the Digital Relationship Team.

Acting as dedicated business partners, the team works closely with services across every directorate. Their role is to understand challenges, identify opportunities and bring forward ideas for improvement and innovation.

By maintaining regular engagement with services, they help ensure that technology priorities reflect real operational needs and that opportunities for improvement can be developed collaboratively.

3. Turning Ideas into Action with Service Roadmaps

Capturing ideas is only part of the process. A key function of our Digital Relationship Leads is developing service and directorate roadmaps that provide clear visibility of what is being delivered, when it is being delivered and how priorities are being managed.

This approach helps us align resources, make informed decisions and provide services with a clear understanding of their future technology plans.

4. Moving to a Shared Product Ownership Model

We are also changing how we manage and improve our core business systems.

We are introducing a shared product ownership model that ensures we are moving to a more dynamic and proactive approach to our management of key applications. Working collaboratively with service areas, our Applications Team is helping to create development roadmaps for key systems and applications.

This ensures systems continue to evolve, adapt to changing legislation and support the future needs of the organisation through continuous improvement rather than periodic replacement.

5. Driving Innovation Through Our Productivity Team

A major addition to our Technology offer is the new Innovation and Productivity Team.

The team focuses on identifying opportunities around:

• Automation
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital workflows
• Process improvement
• Service redesign

Their goal is to help services work more efficiently, improve customer outcomes and identify opportunities for financial savings through smarter use of technology.

Interest in this work has been significant, reflecting the growing opportunities that digital innovation can bring across local government.

6. Building Digital Skills Across the Organisation

Technology alone does not deliver transformation: people do.

That's why a key part of the technology offer focuses on knowledge sharing, learning and upskilling. We want colleagues to feel confident using the technology available to them and understand how digital tools can help address everyday challenges.

By creating networks of digitally enabled colleagues and providing access to skills and knowledge, we can support staff to become active partners in innovation rather than passive recipients of change.

7. Enhancing Our Digital Front Door

Our website and online services continue to be a major focus.

While our digital front door is already a strong platform, we are looking to enhance it further through a move towards LocalGov Drupal. This will provide access to a wider local government community, increased functionality, improved development opportunities and greater flexibility in how we design and deliver online services.

It also opens opportunities to bring more services into a consistent digital experience for residents.

8. Supporting Better Technology Procurement

Technology procurement can be complex. Working alongside procurement colleagues, we provide specialist guidance and strengthened support to help services navigate the marketplace, assess supplier capabilities and risks, and make technology purchases consistently, compliantly and with confidence.

9. Strengthening Supplier and Contract Management

Our support continues after a contract is signed. We are enhancing how we provide active supplier and contract management. We will support services to monitor performance and future developments, identify opportunities for service improvement, maintain alignment with organisational objectives and help the council secure lasting value from its investments.

A Technology Offer Focused on Better Outcomes

Ultimately, the technology offer is about enabling services and colleagues to achieve better outcomes.

It is about helping services solve challenges, supporting colleagues to make the most of technology, simplifying engagement with digital teams and ensuring we maximise the value of every investment we make.

Through strong partnerships, continuous improvement and a relentless focus on outcomes, we are creating a technology service that is not only responsive to today's needs but ready for the opportunities of tomorrow.