Introduction

The BICIS Project reported its first stage in the autumn of 1997. The report of this stage is available from LGMB. It arrived at a range of 'coarse' and 'medium range' benchmarking areas within which detailed parameters could be identified for measurement of a CIS, and proposed a set of broad measurement criteria which could be applied to those parameters.

Work on Stage 2 began in the early spring of 1998 and has extended the benchmarking areas into detailed parameters with indications of the broad standard of Minimum/Good/Best which accords to the standards of 'best practice' which can be identified in local authority work today, either from existing work or from plans to extend the capability of a specific existing service.

Structure of this Report

» Part 1 - The Brief Guide

The assumptions which underpin the identification and development of these parameters are expressed in Part 1 - The Brief Guide. This is intended to offer a straightforward introduction to the whole body of work, and to inform senior managers and elected members in an unequivocal way about the 'state of the art' in Community Information Services.

Part 1 is designed to give a rapid overview to the whole project and also to offer a resource which can be used directly as the base for seminar presentations. Many decision-makers will not need to move beyond Part 1 to the detailed tables in Part 2, although we would encourage at least one reading of the Tables to gain a fuller understanding of the degree of detailed planning and management which a successful 'best value' Community Information Service is likely to require.

» Part 2 - Identifying Best Practice

The detailed parameters have been assembled into 13 tables. These Tables form Part 2 of this publication - Identifying Best Practice. The Tables can be used in a number of ways:

The aim in each Table has been to identify a key parameter. From the discussion and debate in the working group Minimum/Good/Best practice/standards have been identified.

The 'Minimum' represents more than a simple starting point for anyone considering development of a Community Information Service. It points to a provision which you cannot manage without and it implies that a not in-considerable degree of 'joined-up working' is present in the authority.

In some cases there is no 'Good' although the general principle is that these are steps which have been found of value by authorities who have some experience.

In each case the 'Best' is either a standard which is being achieved, or strived for, in one or more authorities, or can be identified as an appropriate standard based on the known experience of either the private sector or other public sector services. In no case is it anticipated that 'Best' is necessarily an objective that someone designing a service from scratch will necessarily be able to achieve in one-step. In many cases services which are well established may be unable to achieve 'Best' on their own because of factors within the local authority, or partners, which are currently beyond their ability to influence.

For this reason we would wish to emphasise that a 'whole council' view should be taken when using these tables, and it may be appropriate in any single instance to modify the targets accordingly before formal use of the Tables in a benchmarking or performance measurement exercise on an existing CIS.

Part 3 - Measurement Criteria

The third element of this publication is Part 3 - Measurement Criteria. Many of the services offered by a local authority are not measurable by methods which a commercial operation might employ. Quality of service and statutory demands which are based on meeting a customer's whole needs are not simply assessed and do not easily lend themselves to simple statistical measures such as 'average time to resolve'. Nor do measures such as 'average queuing time' stand up to a process of comparison between different service areas, or different local authorities meeting needs in slightly different ways.

Part 3 thus looks at different ways of applying a more subjective, qualitative approach to identifying benchmarks. It is intended as a guide and, while it is focussed on some specific elements of the tables in Part 2, it is not currently available.

» Appendix

The final part of this publication is an Appendix. This puts forward an examination of the approach taken in the project, starting with a view on the context of change in local government since the first stage BICIS project report was published (summer 1997).

It also examines some of the discussion which took place in the various working groups contributing to the project.

It does not aim to offer a comprehensive record of debate, or to provide detailed guidance to the ways in which each of the Tables was developed. The aim is to offer a wider perspective of key issues which will allow those using the notes to assess their own priorities against those which existing practitioners have identified.

Part 1 - The Brief Guide

Reaching Communities (Table 1)

Analysing Services (Table 2)

Location Based Services - The Location (Table 3)

Location Based Services - Attract and Greet (Table 4)

Location Based Services - Qualify and Transact (Table 5)

Information Standards and Management (Table 6)

Information Processes in the Organisation (Table 7)

Partnerships (Table 8)

Infrastructure and Technology Choice (Table 9)

Supporting the Service (Table 10)

Public Access Technology (Table 11)

Supporting Public Access Technology (Table 12)

Information and the Organisational Infrastructure (Table 13)

» Part 2

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Last updated

08/11/2006