Fostering end-to-end digitisation and integration in local government

End-to-end digitisation is one of the latest aspirations of the wider public sector – but with the unique challenges faced by councils across the country, it’s a particularly impactful approach when implemented correctly. While we’ve already covered the intricacies of end-to-end digital transformation in the public sector, this edition of Local Government in Focus explores its relevance to UK councils – as well as how to achieve it.  

End-to-end digitisation in local government 

With relevance to councils, end-to-end digitisation refers to any process that takes a council professional and/or resident through the entirety of a process. Typically, this means from the beginning or trigger point of a task, through data capture within back-office systems, right to the final action. More often than not, an end-to-end process combines multiple technologies to streamline and synchronise both front and back-end operations in tandem.  

In reality, this approach can take many different forms – from allowing residents to report issues online through a fully integrated process that automatically updates internal systems, to online applications that remain synchronised with back-end datasets and allocation processes. However, these processes commonly feature technologies such as mobile apps, eForms and robotic process automation (RPA) – learn more about the role these technologies play in end-to-end digitisation here.  

How are end-to-end processes implemented within local government? 

As with any digital project, end-to-end transformation can be implemented through a series of delivery steps. Following the NDL methodology, the implementation of an end-to-process could look something like this:  

1. Define: Proper scoping ensures a strong foundation for your end-to-end project. A great starting point is the analysis of current processes – this often leads to identification of processes that would be great candidates for uplifting. Already have a project in mind? It’s time to look at suitability – compare your requirements against the capabilities of the technologies you plan to incorporate. 

1. Design: Once scoping is concrete, it’s time to look at process design. In an end-to-end project, you’ll need to take a look at your existing architecture and process steps to form a clear idea of your process will connect and flow. With that in mind, we can determine a technical approach and build a plan to meet these requirements. 

1. Develop: With a solid plan and design, it’s time to start developing your end-to-end process. Depending on your organisation’s capabilities, this can be completed in-house – or if it’s your first end-to-end project, support from the experts doesn’t often go amiss.  

1. Test: When your process is ready, it’s time to test. Testing is one of the most important stages in an end-to-end project, as a longer process can obviously be more prone to error. Finding those issues and rectifying them ensures your process runs smoothly for residents and council workers, from start to finish.  

1. Deploy: After testing and fixing any problems within your process, you’re ready to deploy your end-to-end solution.  

1. Adopt: The final stage of local government end-to-end transformation lies within adoption. While your new process might be far more convenient than previous methods, it’s imperative to ensure your council team is properly trained in your new solution to avoid transformation regression. Especially if your end-to-end process involves residents directly, it’s a great idea to promote your project at launch – letting users know about new capabilities, and how they can easily access them. 

What benefits can councils find in end-to-end processes? 

While digital transformation is a leading priority in the public sector as a whole, end-to-end digitisation is a relatively new concept to many councils across the country. Which bears the question – why exactly should councils implement it? End-to-end digital transformation delivers a host of valuable benefits, including (but never limited to): 

• Significant time savings, especially in administrative operations  
• Improved resident experience with uplifted processes  
• Financial savings and cost-cutting 
• Amplified ROI and project replicability  
• Elimination of rekeying processes  

• Digitisation of previously paper-based processes  
• Decreased carbon footprint, particularly where paper and travel overheads are reduced 
• Synchronisation and communication between disparate systems  
• Improved data accuracy and security  
• Reduced risk of data loss or GDPR infringement