When Goulburn Mulwaree Council began updating its technology systems in 2005, it made an important decision to concentrate on the contributions that staff could make to the process, in addition to the capacity of the software and its price.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council was formed in February 2004 through an amalgamation of Goulburn City with part of the Mulwaree Shire. As a consequence, all information technologies being brought together from the former entities required a review. Council assessed the capacity and effectiveness of the existing systems to meet the needs of the new organisation, and also considered whether their business processes could be improved through the implementation of a new system. The review confirmed that there were numerous different systems, limited integration and lack of capacity to meet even the current needs of Council. Council therefore agreed to invest $1 million and considerable staff resources to implement a single integrated software solution to meet its information needs.
“From the beginning, Council recognised that the key to a successful purchase and implementation lay with its staff, who were still coming to terms with the uncertainty of the employment issues resulting from the amalgamation,” said Council’s Director Corporate Services, Dirk Holwerda. “We therefore set out to involve all levels of staff, outdoor and indoor, in the decision making processes of the purchase, including a pre tender demonstration by all key providers, the tender assessment process and implementation. We established multi functional implementation teams to help build the system and develop strong ownership of the outcomes across the whole organisation.”
Council was concerned about the impact the major changes would have and provided a one day change management course to support to all staff.
“This was a very useful exercise that assisted during an intense period of change,” Dirk Holwerda said. “While reassuring staff of their positions with Council, the workshop encouraged all staff members to embrace the new. Consultants from the Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales assisted us in conveying exactly what was going to happen with the updates and how it would happen.”
The attention paid to the human elements of the process ensured the implementation of the new system brought together an integrated finance, property records, GIS, human resources and e-business system. It was the most successful implementation the supplier has ever had in Local Government.
With stage one and two of the updates already implemented, the final stage is due for completion in coming months.
