Meetings

Anna Daniel and Mark Neilson presented a joint paper, supported by James Griffin, to enable the Board to gain a shared understanding of how the MySenedd and ICT programmes were enabling increases in the Assembly’s efficiency and effectiveness, in light of a number of drivers, such as the Digital News and Information Taskforce Report. The Report set out the next steps and the potential of the digital transformation agenda.

Management Board were asked to consider how it might help raise awareness and create the culture, capability and capacity for digital ways of working. The Board welcomed the joined-up approach, and emphasised the importance of clearly setting out the benefits of digital to Commission staff, Members and AMSS, and providing training – including through the Learning Needs Analysis work being undertaken by HR.

Management Board agreed to become Office 365 champions themselves, as well as identifying and empowering digital champions in their teams, and use every opportunity to encourage and engage staff with the training provided.

The Information Management Strategy, covering archiving, customer information, classification and open data for the Assembly Business Directorate, would be presented to Management Board at a future meeting with a view to its adoption for the whole organisation.

Commissioners were provided with information about the MySenedd programme, which has been established to drive and deliver important elements of the Commission’s strategy.

Commissioners considered the overall aim of the programme and how it is developing. They discussed the underpinning need for data to be managed in a way that enables it to be usable. They also recognised that to deliver Assembly business services that are better placed to support the Assembly to be a world class, open, digital parliament will need culture change as well as technological change.

Commissioners supported the aims of the programme and the approach being taken to its delivery. They recognised that the MySenedd programme will be a key vehicle to help make the step change needed to deliver the Commission’s public engagement objectives and the recommendations of the Digital News and Information Taskforce.

Anna Daniel and James Griffin gave an update following the establishment and early work of the MySenedd Board, on the programme to create a world class digital parliament, its vision to make engagement easier and faster and the roadmap to deliver the vision.

Management Board was asked to consider how the key challenges affecting delivery of the programme might be faced, the implications for services areas and level of ambition and pace of change the Board was willing to support; and the role MySenedd might play in future of a reformed Assembly.

The programme was working to deliver practical improvements with pace and was having to respond to the Assembly’s ever-changing context and the evolving priorities of the Commission. Service areas were feeling the pressure of delivering with pace and although the responsibility remained with Service areas to integrate and implement the relevant aspects of the programme, the Strategic Transformation team could need additional skilled project managers in future. The Board agreed that this should be kept under review and a case brought to the Investment and Resources Board if necessary.

It was important that the MySenedd Board matched the ambition of the programme to the resources and ability to deliver, but bearing in mind the expectations of the Commission and Chief Executive to progress with pace.

The use of the Agile project management method was proving effective and would help to deliver that pace, but staff needed a better understanding of the way it worked.

The programme would be discussed at the Commission meeting on 27 February along with the Public Engagement Strategy and the Board commented that it was important that both described the ambitions of the Assembly consistently.

ACTIONS:

·         Non Gwilym to join the MySenedd Board to support effective communications.

·         Dave Tosh and Gareth Watts to raise awareness and understanding across the organisation of the way Agile project management works, including the need to pay attention to governance matters, ahead of staff becoming involved.

·         Dave Tosh to ensure that the support services, in particular HR and Estates and Facilities Management, are prepared for the consequential work that flows from the programme.

·         All Service areas to consider the resources required to support and deliver the programme and build into service and team plans and staff objectives.

·         An update on the programme to be published internally, with the table ‘translating our vision into practical improvements’ and the ‘personalised portal view’, to help staff understand the practical benefits.

·         Service Heads to arrange communication to staff through team meetings or with reference to the online update.

Claire Clancy congratulated the team on the very good work so far.