Conquering Document Management
Conquering Document Management
Tasmania's Launceston City Council races towards a single point of access for key documents. Stuart Finlayson reports from the finish line
Local government authorities typically have many different areas of activity in their business (community development, water and waste management, financial administration – to name a few). The boundaries between these areas are not always clearly defined, and documents used in one area are often shared by other areas, leading to potential problems in keeping track of original documents and making sure the latest version of a document is always available as a shared resource for staff.
Such was the case at Launceston City Council in Tasmania. The Council has recently completed a major project designed to eliminate document duplication and provide a consistent, shared repository of version-controlled documents for its users working across multiple areas of activity.
The Council
Established in 1806, Launceston is the third oldest city in Australia and the northern regional centre of Tasmania. With a population of 68,000, 28,500 rateable properties and revenue of $80 million, Launceston City Council is the largest local government authority in the state. Its main administrative centre is located in the city with 10 remote sites providing construction, cultural, recreation and community services.
Launceston wanted to develop a system to manage the organisation's key policies, procedures, forms and reference material. The system would provide a single point of access to the current version of all internal documentation for Launceston’s 550 employees.
A primary requirement was that the system use an existing corporate software application to maximise return on investment; achieve cost neutrality (by designing and maintaining the system in-house, without needing external consultants) and minimise training needs for users (already familiar with the software).
"Like other local government authorities, Launceston City Council is a complex organisation that provides an extensive and diverse range of services to our community,” says Rhonda Cabalzar, manager, Information Management, Launceston City Council.
“The Council recognised that its physical structure, workplace and service providers would change from time to time but the core range of services would remain relatively constant. This gave us the cue we needed to design an information management system around our main activity areas, and to use an existing application to ensure maximum compatibility and integration with our existing IT infrastructure."
A design was required for a document framework to initiate and maintain the currency of documents; separate the different levels of documentation, from formal policy to departmental reference material; separate the What or Why (policies) from the How To (procedures); establish approval responsibility for different levels of documentation and maintain standardisation with templates.
Coming together
Launceston established a project team comprising representatives from three departments: Systems Improvement, Information Management and Information Technology. The team identified Launceston’s core business activities then grouped like activities together under 34 key functions, including: catchment management, community development, economic development, environment and public health, fleet management, governance, information management, land use and development, recreation services and facilities, and road management, among others.
The key functions were mapped against the organisational structure according to three levels of involvement: policy and direction, implementation and operation, and support roles or low volume input.
"Traditionally we have often tried to contain our services or activities to departmental or divisional boundaries,” reveals Cabalzar. "In reality, many key functions are delivered by a range of activities carried out across these boundaries. In the past, what has often not been clear is who had what level of involvement in one or more key function areas, and where that involvement took place.”
As a long-standing Advanced Data Integration customer, Launceston turned to the vendor's DataWorks product as the electronic document management software (EDMS) of choice for the project.
The team used the key function map in DataWorks to identify and gather people to undertake a risk assessment on each activity within a function, to establish the depth of documentation needed, and to conduct a gap analysis on existing and missing documentation, commencing with high impact risk activities.
“The 'Key Function/Involvement' matrix clearly maps out who does what in the organisational structure," says Cabalzar. "It also allows for an audit of the activities to be undertaken either horizontally from a key function aspect or vertically through a physical area."
A separate index was created in DataWorks to replicate the key function and document hierarchy framework. Business rules were established with regard to the creation, approval, distribution and review of every document registered into the index.
“All users have read-only access to the system, with elevated security rights given to a group of key users for creation and editing,” explains Cabalzar. “Mandatory metadata is captured with each document, including the assignment of a unique reference number which indicates the type of document and the key function it relates to. Review cycles are established by workflows.”
Launceston also designed an intranet search function to facilitate access for employees who did not have direct access to the DataWorks application.
The results
Launceston was able to meet the initial project criteria using DataWorks and to develop a dynamic document control system, with the following major benefits to the organisation:
- Full audit trail of a document's draft, approval, distribution and review cycle
- Reporting on due and/or overdue for review status for different levels of documents - Correct assignment to an officer, department and division for document creation and review
- Complete version control
- Stock control for forms and published brochures
- Format and content control of Launceston’s key documentation
- Major reduction in hardcopy distribution and storage
- Ease of access by users to all current approved policies, procedures, forms or reference material
- A continuous improvement culture
“In some high risk activity areas, legal accountability requires us to demonstrate that not only is documentation current, but also that a reasonable effort has been made to convey to relevant employees any new policies and procedures, or changes to existing ones,” outlines Cabalzar. “This is one area that the future use of DataWorks cannot be understated in helping us meet this obligation, with a resultant reduction in exposure to penalties or litigation.”
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