LG Group InformImproving services through information
WelcomeMandy James
National Advisor – Local Performance
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
AgendaWelcome and overview Mandy James
Background and vision Tim AllenAudiences and their use of LG Group Inform Sarah JenningsHeadline metrics and early themes (exercise) Philippa LynchReporting and metrics Philippa LynchKey benefits and risks (exercise) Mandy JamesNext steps Mandy James
IntroductionsLearning Group
Barnsley Hampshire
Dorset Kettering
Durham Lewisham
Essex Stockport
Chief Fire Officers Association
LG Group Inform
Background and visionTim Allen
Programme Director – Analysis and Research
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
Background•Dismantle of centrally imposed national indicators and Audit Commission reviews it raises question of:
“What degree should the sector manage their own performance?”
•Message from the sector, want help to access and compare data
•Direction that the transparency agenda is heading, challenge of how to make data and performance transparent
•Should be driven by sector not central government
LG Group offers = Peer review process + Core service providing performance and contextual data on productivity
Productivity• Recent financial settlements prompted sector focus on productivity
• Deconstruct activity and services
• Cost analysis
• Case study of LB Hammersmith & Fulham Children’s services
• LG Group taking forward this work with the sector looking at what drives cost in other service areas e.g. Workforce, Adult social care…
• “Industry standards” on productivity to help understand how you are doing, prompt to asking questions
Vision• Yours not ours, LG Inform starts with the view from your authority
• Core performance and contextual data provided free of charge
• Access to national and local data
• Comparability
• Customise own dashboard of metrics and be able to drill down into detail
• Include productivity metrics
• Develop over time
Measures of success• Taking cost out of the system, basic data services should be free to the
sector
• Adoption of more sophisticated tools and approaches to understand the performance of services
• Help deliver services in a better way through better understanding
Real opportunity to work together withmutual support to shape the data agenda
Initial questions from learning group• How will LG Inform work with community budgets?
The accountability remains with the authority and so LG Inform will start from this point. The forthcoming Knowledge hub will be a portal where different organisations can share information and work together
• What will be accessible to the public, what will be password protected?The prototype will be password protected, the future is dependent on what the sector wants
• How frequently will the data be updated?This is dependent on the nature of the data, monthly or quarterly, but customer satisfaction would be real time
LG Group Inform
Designing the serviceSarah Jennings
Head of Online Communications
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
We start with a brain storm of how it might
look and how the online screens could link
together…
Overview
Login
My dashboard
LG Group reports
Report
Create report
Use components
Save Share
My reports Updates
Shared reports
Browse
Preferences
• My dashboard
• My reports
• Browse (theme, tags, search)
• Create
• Metrics library
• Help
User personas• The aim of LG Inform is to be user friendly and customisable
• LG Inform has a wide range of potential users all with different needs and technical abilities.
• To start the prototype design process we think of a few users who have different needs and abilities on this broad spectrum of potential users and create personas for them.
• See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_persona and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-centered_design
• We have 3 personas for LG Inform ranging from the Expert users, to the Stakeholder user to the casual/ non-technical user.
• When we design the prototype we think about how each of these users will use the service and make it user friendly.
Expert user
• Role: research analyst• Access: daily, perhaps more than once a day• Trigger: former ESD Toolkit guru• Goals: specific performance questions,
compare and benchmark different risk adjustment methods
• Benefits: context, customisation and speed• Barriers: needs light user experience to data
quickly, but responds to technical demands
Range of skill sets, different analytical users depending on their role in organisation.
Not every organisation has a guru
Stakeholder user• Role: Head of service • Access: Weekly• Trigger: Desire to measure departmental
performance• Goal: Analyse performance to understand
improvement opportunities, and also to gain an understanding of what ‘good’ looks like.
• Benefits: Convenience of having personal access to something that was previously difficult to obtain.
• Barriers: Culture of not sharing best practice between other stakeholders. Who will jump in first?
Could there be a briefing space for other users e.g. a member or the public?
A Head of service would want to know when would they use LG Inform?
Casual, non-technical user
• Role: councillor• Trigger: needs to understand how ward,
council, portfolios are performing• Goal: readily available data and benchmarks• Benefits: can find comparable data quickly
and easily• Barriers: time and technical ability
This is an example, not all councillors are non-technical
Scrutiny members would need a narrative element of the reports
Another key user group identified
• Chief executive and Heads of performance• Overall purpose of the authority• Want a strategic overview• Be able to filter information• Want a space to be able to qualify the reports
and charts with explanation statements• Flag up items, text message alerts
LOGIN
[Forgotten Password]
Information available when open website, but then login for more detailed information
Concern raised that the sector will need to be “ready” for this type of information
The prototype will need a login screen
Concern raised regarding the rules of engagement for political interface
Concern raised that cabinet portfolio holders would want to know what is available to public/ potentially nervous about this
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
LG Group reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My dashboard
My reports ?-
• Housing report for committee Apr ’11• Quarterly social care report• SMT summary report• more…
Shared reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber healthy living• North East smoking cessation• Productivity ideas• National workforce figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid year pop’n estimates• Claimant count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
Change the name Could we archive reports to a library after set time period
Could we have a search facility for existing reports
Boxes shown can be tailored
Updates box very useful, perhaps add more such as news
We want to be able to share templates within organisation
Could we have folders/ categories of reports, be able to sort/ order reports
Could we have SMS/ RSS trigger feed on a set performance level
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
REPORT TITLESave | Share | Print | PDF | Export
Title ?-+
Title ?-+
Title ?-+
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Title ?-+
Suggestion that title contains description of data Can change the elements that
appear in reports
Suggestion of version control
Would like to know if looking at latest version of data
Include a table of data to identify version of data in charts
Could the data be locked
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
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REPORT TITLESave | Share | Print | PDF | Export
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+
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All reports can be saved for later use, amending, sharing, printing, saving as PDF, or exporting with the detail behind the report.
Suggestion to be able to add properties to report when save
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My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
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REPORT TITLESave | Share | Print | PDF | Export
Title ?- Title ?-+ +
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Each component can be maximised, minimised or have its properties adjusted.
Like the Audit Commission approach for reports using direction of travel for NI setSuggestion of being able to
see past, present and future data, not just a snap shot
Most authorities already have colour coded excel tables for performance reporting
LGG Predefined Reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My Dashboard
My Reports ?-
• Housing Report for Committee Apr ’11• Quarterly Social Care Report• SMT Summary Report• more…
Shared Reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber Healthy Living• North East Smoking Cessation• Productivity Ideas• National Workforce Figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid Year Pop’n Estimates• Claimant Count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
[RSS]
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
Access all the reports you have created.
LGG Predefined Reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My Dashboard
My Reports ?-
• Housing Report for Committee Apr ’11• Quarterly Social Care Report• SMT Summary Report• more…
Shared Reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber Healthy Living• North East Smoking Cessation• Productivity Ideas• National Workforce Figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid Year Pop’n Estimates• Claimant Count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
[RSS]
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
View all the reports you have access to - your own and those shared with you.
LGG Predefined Reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My Dashboard
My Reports ?-
• Housing Report for Committee Apr ’11• Quarterly Social Care Report• SMT Summary Report• more…
Shared Reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber Healthy Living• North East Smoking Cessation• Productivity Ideas• National Workforce Figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid Year Pop’n Estimates• Claimant Count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
[RSS]
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
Create reports and analyse data for your own use and to share with others.
Report componentsTitle ?-+
My new report
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
Title
Title
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Title
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TitleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In eu velit est, sed condimentum enim. Morbi tempus luctus eleifend. Cras condimentum libero id elit sodales at lobortis velit interdum. Etiam non dictum justo. Curabitur pellentesque accumsan magna ut eleifend. Inte
LGG Predefined Reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My Dashboard
My Reports ?-
• Housing Report for Committee Apr ’11• Quarterly Social Care Report• SMT Summary Report• more…
Shared Reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber Healthy Living• North East Smoking Cessation• Productivity Ideas• National Workforce Figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid Year Pop’n Estimates• Claimant Count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
[RSS]
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
• A list of the metrics available for this service.
• Permitted local authority users can upload local metrics.
LGG Predefined Reports ?-
• Demographic profile• Social care performance• Housing• Efficiency• Asset management• Workforce• more…
My Dashboard
My Reports ?-
• Housing Report for Committee Apr ’11• Quarterly Social Care Report• SMT Summary Report• more…
Shared Reports ?-• Yorkshire & Humber Healthy Living• North East Smoking Cessation• Productivity Ideas• National Workforce Figures• Latest IMD (map)• more…
Updates ?-
• Mid Year Pop’n Estimates• Claimant Count• more…
16/01/201101/02/2011
[RSS]
My dashboard | My reports | Browse reports | Create | Metrics library | Help | Preferences
Set up and manage preferences, including:- my personal information
- my dashboard content
- etc.
Additional design comments• Accessibility: AA (as min.) AAA (where possible)
• No integration (at this stage) with existing performance management systems
• Need to reduce burden on providing information
• Authorities do not want to hunt around for information, LG Inform bring together
• Comparisons: existing benchmarking clubs lack comparisons with all authorities
• Aggregate information (at this stage) but in future disaggregated information
Summary
• Navigation• My dashboard• Create and analyse reports• Share reports• Alerts and updates• Usable prototype available 16 February
LG Group InformLunch time exercise: Headline metrics and early themes
Philippa LynchAdviser – Data and Information
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
Your views over lunch!• The first prototype of LG Inform will include a number of 'ready made' themed
reports to demonstrate and test out the potential scope and functionality of LG Inform; and to provide useful benchmarking information for the sector.
• Some key themes will be presented as ‘headline reports’ detailing core sets of comparable metrics.
• We would welcome your views on:
• what themes would you like to see highlighted in the early releases of LG Inform?
• how many metrics should be included in each headline report?
• what should those key metrics be?
• what comparison groups would you like available in the system?
Themes identified by the learning group
• Areas of public and member interest: Road maintenance, Education, Waste, Social care, Council tax
• People, Place, Support• Community safety• Cultural services (as no coverage in data list) Libraries, Museums,
Outdoor facilities• Adult social care• Children & young people’s services• Transparency (FOI; DP; EIR (Environmental information regulation)• Efficiency / VfM• Economic regeneration• Environmental services• Frontline service areas (i.e. benefits)• Corporate capacity (i.e. sickness)• Finance (UoR / VfM)
Themes cont.• Contextual / activity data (i.e. population)• Fire• Framing and selection of indicators by theme: e.g. risk and vulnerability• improving life chances• quality environment• interest to the public (currently defined within LAPS model)• Value for money• Unit costs / productivity• Safeguarding / vulnerable people• Public favourites – road condition etc• Performance data• Demographics• Customer insight• Consultation
Number of metrics in each headline report identified by the learning group
• Only just as many as we can cope with running properly. The top, top priorities we all know we will measure / compare.
• The minimum
• Core datasets: CLG, Health; Equalities; IMD
• Up to 10 thematic areas; and up to ten metrics per theme. Don’t get too hung up on just outcome measures – volume of transactions / per population; business and costs vital too (e.g. changes in benefit claimants).
• The metrics need to be as simple / easy to interpret as possible.
Key metrics identified by the learning group• Unit cost data• Headline report – summary of key metrics would be useful• Cost data – RSX data is at too high a level – need to use the RO data (but
outturn data could be 18 months old!)• How efficient is the organisation?• Service / output measures• Demographic / trends• Impact / outcome measures• National• Corporate reports• Spatial dimension? (ward / neighbourhood)
Key metrics cont.
• Planning• Housing• Benefits• Sickness (overall, long term, short term)• Invoices paid• Benefits – time to process claims• FOIs responded to in 20 days• Unit cost measures• ‘Cluster approach’: performance output / outcome; time to get service;
quality of service….linked with supporting PIs: caseload (over time and per head of population; staffing (numbers, vacancies)
Comparison groups identified by the learning group• Family• Nearest neighbour• Customer profiles• AC nearest neighbour or similar• Upper tier authorities• Counties• Ofsted, CQC• Geography (National; region, sub region)• Service types
Comparison groups cont.
• Regional• Authority type• Similar socio demographic areas• Current AC ones (i.e. on their website (Oneplace includes: All English
councils; Children's services statistical neighbours; Geographical neighbours; Nearest statistical neighbours; By organisation type: Districts, metropolitan districts, counties, unitaries, London boroughs, single tier and district councils, single tier and county councils)
• and ability to customise• Indices of multiple deprivation• How performance is linked to costs
LG Group Inform
Reporting and metricsPhilippa Lynch
Adviser – Data and Information
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
LG Group Inform: an overview• LG Group Inform is an online service that will allow councils to
collate and compare essential data at both high and detailed levels.
• LG Group Inform will draw data from other councils and central sources, such as ONS.
• Users will be able to gain insights from the results of data comparison to ensure more rigorous and informed decision-making based on the available evidence.
• Longer term, the service will be hosted within the LG Group’s forthcoming Knowledge Hub environment which will help the sharing of best practice through the community it serves.
Why are we developing this service?
• Information is valuable, but it can create a burden through the effort of :
– Keeping up to date with the latest information and knowing where to find it
– Collecting it – either from external sources or through your own services and activities
– Processing it so that you can use it
– Analysing it so that you can make sense of it
– Creating reports so that it can be shared and discussed
– Making contact with others so that you can share, compare and learn.
• LG Inform aims to minimise this burden and maximise the opportunities and value added.
LG Inform will help you spend less time doing these activities
…and more time to do these activities
What are we offering in the prototype?• Access to a wide range of metrics and data across a number of services
• A number of ready made reports – summary and detailed views of the local authority relative to other authorities
• The flexibility to develop, modify, view and export reports to suit your local requirements
• Easy access to the underlying data
• The ability to input and share your own data for comparable metrics where there is currently no existing collection facility, including provisional data for national sets
• Easy access to the latest published data from a number of providers such as NHS IC, ONS, NOMIS
Suggestion to concentrate on doing a smaller number of metrics well then build on this
Our approach so far• The approach so far has been to focus on the functionality:
– Testing our capabilities and relationships with providers – can we get timely access to the wide range of information
– Getting a critical mass of information
– Testing the capacity of the system
– Exploring and demonstrating the functionality and ease of the reporting
– Demonstrating the potential range of reporting
• Once we have explored and tested out the possibilities, then we can refine the content.
Getting a balance• We need to get the balance of provision right:
– How many metrics should we include? How many ‘themes’ covered?
– Focus on a broad overview or drill into very detailed aspects of delivery?
– Include just existing ‘published’ data collections? Just fill in the gaps with new metrics defined by and relying on input by the sector? Or somewhere in between?
– Provide light touch benchmarking through on line comparison and analysis? Support data analysis with wider sector knowledge and research? Provide face to face support?
Suggestion to reduce burdens, start with single data set and perhaps update quarterly or monthly
Benefits• In summary, the key benefits of using the service are:
– it is a free to access service
– the core common metrics shared online allow meaningful comparison with other councils
– it will draw together information from not only other councils, but national sources such as ONS, to provide a context for the metrics
– the council can choose to stay ahead of the transparency and open data requirements and publish information for residents
– when this application is linked to the new Knowledge Hub, it will allow councils to quickly access relevant resources, and share analysis, issues and expertise with other councils.
Your views?• From what you have heard…..
– Do you think this service has the potential to be useful to you and your authority?
– How much information do you want in the system?
– What themes and functionality would you like to see covered?
– What support would you be looking for to help you make good use of information?
– How much resource would you and your authority want to put in to support and contribute to such a service?
• And finally, we would like to see examples of the reports that you use locally.
Feedback and commentsFrom work undertaken by London councils
the metrics used need to be real, for example improving life chances, to show
politicians it is worth using the service
Definitions of metrics need to be clear, many use former BVPIs
Benchmarking is really a way of publicising the council, by
producing “nuggets” of information for the politicians
Including productivity measures would be useful to see where the
cuts in funding to a service have had expected (and unexpected) effects
Use clusters of metrics to help understand performance and
productivity
Show volume and trend data over time
We would expect to see existing performance indicators as a minimum; cost, productivity and customer profiling to be added
LG Group Inform
Exercise: Key benefits and risks Mandy James
National Advisor – Local Performance
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
Benefits: identified by the learning group• Free • All information in one place• Transparency• Public information• Save on FOI requests
• And more on the LG Inform community wiki page
Risks: identified by the learning group• Credibility• Sufficient data• Lack of buy in• Rubbish in = Rubbish out
• And more on the LG Inform community wiki page
LG Group Inform
Next Steps
Mandy JamesNational Advisor – Local Performance
19 January 2011 www.local.gov.uk/inform
Next steps• Feedback on indicators questionnaire (via LG Inform Community of
Practice) by Friday 28th January
• What measures do you currently have for productivity in your organisation?
• Feedback on the suggested 33 indicators from the London Councils (list to follow early February)
• Share your current performance reports
• LG Group will assign buddies
• Date for next workshop 16th February
Timescale for developmentNovember December January February March April
2010 2011
Share proposals with sector
Identify participating councils for prototype development
Storyboard Reviewed
Establish ongoing support services for the sector
Launch service
Accelerated prototypingAccelerated prototyping
Council engagementCouncil engagement
Major milestonesMajor milestones
Jan 19th
Project start
Nov 5th
Prototype of service
launch
Apr 1st
Core metrics agreedSystematic approach to assessing productivity developed
PrototypeDemo
Feb 16th
LG GroupInnovations
event
Mar 22nd
Technical Specification and build of platform
Prototype “App” building and test with “Learning Councils” input
Showcase the results
User Testing
March 2nd
Buddy list
Mandy James [email protected] Tel. 020 7296 6834
Durham Essex Lewisham
Claire Tomlinson [email protected] Tel. 020 7664 3270
Dorset Hampshire Stockport
Chris Bowron [email protected] Tel.
Barnsley Kettering
Juliet Whitworth [email protected] Tel. 020 7664 3287
Chief Fire Officers Association
LG Group Inform: Find out moreLG Inform web page• www.local.gov.uk/inform
LG Inform CoP• http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/c/9045727/home.do
Knowledge Hub• www.local.gov.uk/knowledgehub
Claire Tomlinson or Mandy James• [email protected] or [email protected]