Impact Assessment Report

IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT Service E Government Lead Person: Mark Lansbury Date: March 2007 1. General Comment E-government as a programme finished in March 2006. This programme sought as part of the Governments transforming government strategy to transform the delivery of public services using technology and through greater focus upon the customer’s perspective. Unfortunately the impact assessment provides little evidence that this customer perspective was sought or used. 2. Impact identified- Potential or negative impact(s) from initial survey The impact of e-governments programme is felt throughout the organisation. However the Customer Focus, and the need to keep this at the fore, was not recognised, particularly the fact that customers are ‘complex’ and the need for good ‘customer intelligence’ to drive policy and service delivery.

The Transforming Government Strategy identified: “Many systems are structured around the "product" or the underlying legislation rather than the customer (sometimes because, at the time, each system was big or difficult enough to do by itself). Often the customer experience is not joined up, especially when it crosses organisational boundaries.”

The E Gov assessment provided no evidence that consultation with stakeholders, customers or relevant groups took place to ensure this joined up approach. This means that relevant aids and important perspectives have not been included as standard.

3. Context – Links to Equality Goals and other Policies As the programme has finished it will be for those services using the products of the programme to link to programmes (see customer service centre and communications) 4. Approach – comment on approach Unfortunately there is no evidence that any approach to understand the equality aspect of this work was included.

Again the Transforming Government Strategy identified Services enabled by ICT must be designed around the citizen…. to improve the customer experience, to reduce duplication, to achieve important social policy outcomes…

5. Findings See Above

6. Proposal – suggested actions 1. Large projects and programmes should be asked to complete an impact assessment at the start of the project to identify the type of consultation needed amongst other issues.