GPSJ - SPRING 2024 LATEST - Journal - Page 37
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
GPSJ
Reinventing Local Authorities To Leverage
Transformative Ability Of Software
Sascha Dobbelaere, founder and CEO at Tweave, gives his insights into how local authorities can
leverage the transformative ability of software. Tweave Is a specialist in optimising businesses results
through digital means by becoming part of the team, developing intelligent software tools and
supporting the change.
opportunities.
Workflow management software
could support workers with timeconsuming, monotonous tasks.
Automating routine processes would
free up your team’s time, allowing
them to concentrate on strategic
tasks - reducing time and budget
costs on unnecessary activities.
Software that can replace paper
forms with a digital system, would
significantly speed up data entry,
and manage document filing. This
one-stop shop would enable all
departments to store, search, and
retrieve digital records – creating
a super slick user-friendly efficient
system that not only reduces the
risk of human error and but also
increasing the overall accuracy of
data.
Increased transparency is another
invaluable benefit. With digital
tools, every action and decision will
become traceable. This produces
a place of significant accountability
- which leverages trust among your
team and your community.
Sascha Dobbelaere – Founder
and CEO at Tweave.tech https://
www.tweave.tech
Local authorities across the
country are struggling to fully
embrace the use of software to
improve efficiency, streamline
operations and optimise
decision-making. Historically,
new software has been
introduced to a process or
system that has been used for
decades. Bolt on approaches
can work but in recent years,
across the public sector, there
have been huge failings in
doing this which have caused
chaos and mistrust around the
use and reliability of software.
Rather the simply implementing a
‘software solution’, local authorities
need to reinvent themselves to
leverage what software, and big
data, can do to help them deliver a
greater service for public whilst also
increasing the level of transparency
and efficiency. But how can this be
done?
How To Choose The Right
Software Solution
Streamlining Operations with
Automation
Automation offers local authorities
the ability to overhaul operations,
amplify efficiency, and significantly
mitigate the risk of human error.
AI serves as a powerful ally to local
authorities, significantly empowering
their decision-making capacities.
By analysing and processing
huge amounts of data quickly, AI
provides an impressive platform for
accurate predictions and robust
risk management. This allows local
authorities to approach decisionmaking with a level of confidence
and precision previously unseen.
AI also offers the ability to model
potential outcomes, exploring
different scenarios and their possible
implications. From urban planning
to social services and everything
in between, AI can be a gamechanger for local authorities in
helping anticipate challenges and
Finding the perfect software
solution can feel like navigating a
maze, and it’s crucial to choose
a solution tailored to your local
authority’s requirements. But where
do you start? Once you have a
organisational structure ready to
integrate a software solution, ease
of use is essential. The more userfriendly the system, the quicker your
team can get up to speed and see
its benefits.
Scalability is also a key element
of your chosen software - it
needs to be able to grow with
the organisation to ensure the
investment remains future-proof.
Customisation also plays a crucial
role. A one-size-fits-all approach
might not necessarily suit your
local authority’s specific needs – a
system that can be tailored to your
operations will ensure a better fit and
higher user acceptance.
The ability of your new system to
integrate with your existing software
infrastructure is another important
consideration. Seamless integration
facilitates a smooth flow of data
across your systems, eliminating
data silos and duplication of effort.
Software, AI and automation
have the ability to collectively
deliver seamless public services,
AI intelligence guides impactful
decision-making, and automation
refines operational efficiency. It is
a challenge to merge old and new
systems together – but it is not
impossible. Successful software
integration isn’t just about installing
the latest version of a software
programme. What is key, is aligning
this new way of working with the
organisations key objectives - and
its community’s needs.
Looking Forward
In the face of the digital revolution,
local authorities are presented with
a unique opportunity to transform
whilst embracing the strengths of
software, AI and automation. It’s
about more than just keeping pace
with the times; it’s about optimising
service delivery, enhancing decisionmaking, and streamlining operations
for a more effective, efficient future.
However, it’s key that the
approach to this transformation is
strategic, measured, and gradual.
The integration of digitalisation must
align with the overall goals of the
local authority - and must be tailored
to suit the unique needs of the
community.
By adopting a proactive approach,
local authorities can effectively ride
the wave of the digital revolution.
However, it’s important to remember
that digital transformation isn’t just
about adopting new technologies;
it’s about changing mindsets and
fostering a culture of innovation and
agility.
By reinventing how local
authorities communicate, engage,
and serve their communities,
we have the essence of truly
transformative public service.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL WINTER 2023/2024
37
