A Local Government Digital Quality Model

This is a summary of the work I have been doing recently to develop an openly-licensed digital quality framework for local councils.

I’ve been beavering away recently on a thing I am calling the Local Government Digital Quality Model. Don’t call it a digital maturity model… but that’s basically what it is.

Other companies have created such things in the past, so why do we need another one?

For me, it’s about providing an open framework for improvement in digital design, data and technology within councils, and then wrapping a collaborative community around it.

The aim is to foster quality conversations in and between councils about the different elements of digital, and to help them decide which areas require their focus, and what realistic aims are.

It isn’t about getting the highest score possible, but instead about identifying areas for improvement, using a common model that can be compared and benchmarked with other councils.

The model is made up of 10 dimensions, which are rated at 5 different levels. These then produce a level for the councils overall.

Councils either self-assess, or get another council to do it (peer assessment) or can pay someone to do it (I guess). This is done by completing an assessment pack, basically considering various prompts around each dimension, then rating the council as it currently stands, giving reasons and evidence to back up those choices.

When that is done, the council should then decide where they want to get to next for each dimension during the next period (could be a year, I guess that’s down to individual choice). It could be that a council chooses just one or two dimensions to focus on, or perhaps would prefer to be more broad in their approach.

All these numbers get entered into the very simple calculator spreadsheet to produce the overall ratings for the council.

The next step is action planning. An action plan template will be produced along with a community maintained library of action items. These action items will be examples of things that councils can do to progress within each dimension.

So, if a council wants to make an action plan around the culture dimension, action items could include “Start a community of practice” or “Get your team to start blogging” or “Run some show and tells”, for example.

That is basically it! I think it would be good to fine a way to collect scores and some details about the councils, so benchmarking is possible.

So far we have a great gang of around 15 different organisations who are getting involved, and we had our first online meet-up last week, where feedback, ideas and challenges were shared.

Broadly speaking, this is where the model is at, and what happens next:

• I have brain farted out v0.1 - the initial draft
• It will be full of howlers. Please check and feedback via community or email. No point is too small to make.
• I’ll then produce 0.2 based on that.
• When that it done, we will role play an assessment online, picking a ‘volunteer’ to be our guinea pig.
• We will iterate again based on feedback and how it flowed.?
• 0.3 will then be produced. That will be effectively the beta.
• We then have a go (quietly) at peer reviewing to test it again.
• More feedback, more iterating, and maybe then we will be at 1.0

If you would like to be involved with this project, in whatever capacity, just get in touch and let me know!