Larry Stillman, Monash UniversityRichard Vines, Childrens’ Protection Society

Dean Lombard, VCOSS

IT Sustainabilityfor the community

sectorProgress and outcomes of

the Doing IT Better project

http://www.doingitbetter.net.au

Structure of the session

1. Overview of the project2. Its methodology 3. Case study example4. Interoperability project5. Getting the knowledge

and linkages out6. Conclusions and the future

Action Research Approach

The sectorGovernment,

funders, industry

academia

Aim: Build ICT capacity in the Victorian community services

sector • Generously funded by

a foundation. • Funded Project team:

Dr Larry Stillman (CCNR)

Dean Lombard (VCOSS) Rebecca French (CCNR) Dr Stefanie Kethers

(CCNR)

• Three-year project of: The Centre for

Community Networking Research (Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University); and

The Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS)

“Doing IT Better” Case Studies

A detailed exampleSpringvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau (SCAAB)

• Started by the community in 1971.

• Vision: A socially just community in which all people have access to resources, are empowered & have their human rights respected & protected.

• Mission: To provide information, connection & support services as a gateway into the broader community service system for people in the City of Greater Dandenong & surrounds.

• Two sites & staff outposted at other sites

• 31 EFT paid staff

• Approximately 40 volunteers at any one time. 6,000 hours per year.

• Nearly 15,000 clients, high number of disadvantaged, new arrivals etc.

• $2.2 million budget with income from all levels of government, over 10 funding sources.

SCAAB Services

Income & Personal Support

YouthServices

Settlement Services

Volunteering

Overview of the Case Study Process

Seven Steps to HeavenThere are no prescriptive answers in Information Systems. All organisations are different and special

1.Initial contact2.Short introduction at a SCAAB staff meeting3.13 in-depth interviews, using a formal process modelling method to understand how people work and what their issues are4.Analysis using interview data, additional documents, staff IT usage survey, and client IT usage survey conducted by SCAAB in June 20085.Staff workshop 6.Internal reporting to different constituencies — staff, committee of management7.Final report8.Post-report/unanticipated outcomes; for example, seeking further funding

Step 3. Interviews

Information Flow

Information Medium

Actor

Information Content

Information Quality

Step 4. AnalysisExample: “External Communications”—

Mailing Lists

Incorrect information(e.g. mailing lists out of date)

Conflict(between differentmailing lists)

Lots of things going wrong(database does not exist, incorrect information, etc.)

Step 4. AnalysisGrouping

Individual issues

Who said this?

Grouping /categorizing

Step 4. AnalysisFreemind

Initial, spaghetti complexities

Policies & Procedures

Whole-of-Organisation Picture

Reporting, Data Analysis,Mining & Presentation

Stakeholder Management and External

Communication

Client Outcomes

Efficiency

ITsupport

Staffskills

Volunteers

Data Storage(Electronic & Paper)

MultipleLocations

Community Outcomes

Staff Outcomes

Privacy

Meaning to disorder

Lessons Learned

By SCAAB• Importance of a Quality

Process• Hear from as many people as

possible• Regular communication to key

stakeholders• Champions within the

organisation• Access to people with ICT

expertise who understand the sector & can assist NFPs

• Action & outcomes take longer than you expect

By project team• Key contact to organise

interviews• Delineate perceptions from fact• Report sign-off by organisation• Importance of interaction across

NFP sector for sharing & learning

• Amount & richness of data: how to analyse with limited resources

• Methods change• Keep it all time-bound

• Action & outcomes take longer than you expect

Example: SCAAB Case Study Key Outcomes for SCAAB

• Increased understanding of the difference between technology & information management.

• Experience of a positive change management process.

• Report with recommendations that will form the basis of an ICT strategic plan.

• Opened SCAAB’s eyes & imagination to possibilities of how ICT can be used internally, with clients & with the community.

• Learning issues SCAAB are experiencing are common in the community services sector.

Thanks to Jinny McGrath for this slide

Example: SCAAB Case StudyLessons Learned for SCAAB

Quality Process•Regular communication to key stakeholders•Hear from as many people as possible•Champions within the organisation•Access to people with ICT expertise who understand the sector & can assist NFP.•Develop ICT strategic plan before rushing to change things

Thanks to Jinny McGrath for this slide

The Interoperability Working Group

Discussion paper downloadable here

Three background articles to give extra context.

VCOSS Congress paper 2007: http://tinyurl.com/yuby5m Part 1: Introduction to the Interoperability Working Group

Part 2 Cooperative Federalism, Social Inclusion and Interoperability

These papers reflect the knowledge of sector practitioners and the sorts of thinking that have gone into scoping the nature of the problems in relation in ICT infrastructure

Richard Vines

Quality / Knowledge ManagerChildren’s Protection Society

B. A good news story Listening to the voice of the child – why does ICT matter?

Acknowledgement

CPS Community Arts Program

A. Two challenging storiesICT and data management (p. 3) ICT and quality management (p. 4)

Department of Human Services (2007)Registration Standards for

Community Services Organisations.Training and Review Guide.

Quality as a records and information management challenge

A model of a system

Evidence collation as a records and information management challenge

Family services standard

Quality as building an evidence base within a social system (the archival

perspective)

Show

cas

e

What happens to the IM challenge when there are more than 2

standards?

Jen McKinleyOffice for the

Community Sector

Introduction

Better Integrated Standards and Quality Assurance Systems

(BISQAS) project

An overview of the whole quality system

ICT (informatics) infrastructure

There are big and important

sustainability questions that arise

from the cost / revenue models

moving forward to a new quality system

New models of governance

Sector publishing system for

standards and regulations

Provides a map of the complexity

across the different standards

Cross linking of evidence between different standard

elements

The interoperability challenge

• Family Services / Out of Home Care• Homelessness Standard (HASS)• Home and Community Care (HACC)• Family Relationships Services Program (FRSP)• Disability services

A sector publishing system — quality standards

Show ca

se

Visualisation of the different standards

Cross linking of the “see also” relationships

This represents only about 40%

of the complexity

Cross mapping of possibilities

to re-use evidenceAcknowledge the efforts of other members of the

BISQAS project team:

•Gavan McCarthy•Michael Jones•Mark Graham•Joanne Evans

•Ailie Smith•Helen Morgan•Simon Porter

From the University of Melbourne

eScholarship Research Centre

Also thank you to Chris Kirk (Exact

Data) for his intellectual

contribution to this thinking

Conclusion• Now is the time to reflect on the long term ICT (and

informatics) infrastructure needs of the community sector

• Currently, there is more convergence in the practice standards specifications than the organisational management standards

• The degree of outsourcing to auditors, and the split of on-going resource allocations to the sector will have a big impact on the knowledge capacity across the community sector as a whole

• In principle, quality systems and regulation interventions can be used to build a substantial evidence base for practice

• New governance and data gathering practices are required if we are to realise opportunities to build a sector orientated knowledge/evidence base. HSPIC may provide such a vehicle.Thank you - Richard Vines

rvines@cps.org.au

Interoperability — where to now?

Information management reform• Service data reform including standardising data definitions and formats to

enable full interoperability.

• Quality assurance reform to allow harmonisation between different frameworks and streamlined reporting processes.

Leadership and coordination• A governance group comprising government and community sector

representatives to plan and oversee the implementation of the reforms.

• A research and technical forum to keep abreast of innovative work in the academic and ICT sectors that is relevant to information management and system integration.

Capacity building• An affordable information and training program targeted to community

sector needs in information management and ICT.

• A community sector ICT leadership group focused on facilitating technical sustainability and change management within the sector.

Conferences…2007...• Facilitated by Randy Stoecker,

University of Wisconsin – Madison

• A participatory process mapping issues to be pursued by the project

2008...• Keynote by John Davies

(iT4Communities) about a skilled volunteers program

• Reports from agencies involved in case studies

• Workshops on establishing an ICT Pro Bono service and a sector-based ICT support service

2009...•Panel discussion about ICT education and training issues in the sector

•Workshops on strategies for addressing the issues

•Demonstrations of free and cheap productivity tools

Seminar series• Educational and capacity-building

• FREE! with afternoon tea in a central city location every six weeks or so

• Presentations and notes posted on the website (www.doingitbetter.net.au)

• Sponsored by Multimedia Victoria

Topics covered...

• Integrating records, information, knowledge and quality management

• Assessing your ICT needs

• Developing an ICT strategic plan

• Innovative ICT use in the sector now (20 Aug) and in the near future (15 Sep)

• Knowledge and information management for community organisations (27 Oct)

• Choosing a client/contact records management system (3 Dec)

Project Outcomes Overall• Individual organisational

change

• Identified or confirmed issues common to the sector

• Established a shared language and understanding of problems and opportunities

• Increased awareness in government about the ICT issues facing the sector

• Advocacy on some significant systemic issues

• Established a ‘community of practice’ with an interest in IT issues in the sector

• Shared learnings and information across the sector

• Encouraged interaction across the sector

• Confirmed need for some capacity building programs aimed at the sector• A sector-based ICT support service

• An ICT Pro Bono service

• Developed a robust model for ICT-related knowledge and information sharing

• New academic and practical research partnerships($, brains and long-term relationships)

Final Report

• Look for Government endorsement and direct support

• Recommendations for Community & Sector Government — Policy, Implementation,

FundingOther funders, philanthropistsICT Industry & providers Educators and Trainers

• New projects & programs 2010 +

That’s all for now

Questions?

For more information:Visit the website: www.doingitbetter.net.au

Email Dean: dean.lombard@vcoss.org.au

Email Larry:larryjhs@fastmail.fm