Staff at Cairns City Council are on a steep learning curve, as Council corrects mistakes made with IT products in the past to build new skills and systems for the future. In June 1999, Council tried to implement a ‘best of breed’ suite of IT products. Despite significant investment in consultants, system performance was dysfunctional and staff acceptance of the new systems was still poor 18 months after implementation.
It took until February 2001 for Council to be able to analyse what the priority issues were and how they might be addressed. Council took a phased approach to solving the problems, which were significant and would not be overcome quickly or cheaply. The options included fixing the existing systems, starting again with an integrated product that was already being used by Council, or starting again with an entirely new product.
Council decided to work to improve the systems they had, which included the following.
- Authority – property, rates, and revenue management.
- Oracle Financials – general ledger, assets, projects and accounts payable.
- Matman – purchasing, stores management and maintenance management.
- CHRIS – human resources and payroll.
- To date Council has achieved the following outcomes.
- Daily costing capability.
- Improved definition of how works costing systems are to be used.
- Improved business process associated with most of the systems.
- Implementation of a kiosk front end for payroll and human resources data.
- Better security for all financial transactions.
- Accruals and committals reporting.
- Implementation of software to administer credit card use.
- Improved interface between payroll, general ledger and works costing products.
- Improved integration of all products, including the systems and the platforms they are run on.
Attention has been paid to understanding system capability, reviewing business process, ensuring adequate training exists, putting in place user groups to address any issues being experienced, monitoring the performance of the changes and modifying processes where required.
General Manager Corporate Services, Jo-Anne Scarini, said the achievements of staff to date were significant. “One of the most gratifying aspects is that it has largely been achieved through the use of Council staff, supplemented by some very capable experts from time to time,” she said.
For further information contact Jo-Anne Scarini, email j.scarini@cairns.qld.gov.au or telephone (07) 4044 3502.
