Report title Agenda item
Implementing an electronic document and records
management system using SharePoint
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Meeting Date
Finance, Procurement & Property Committee
16 June 2008
Report by Document Number
Head of Information Technology FEP 1203
Public
Summary
This paper reports on the progress with implementing the electronic document management system using Microsoft SharePoint software and related technologies (e.g. document scanning).
Recommendation
1. That the report be received.
2.
It be noted that revenue savings of £180,000 on approved budgets will be delivered from 2010/11onwards, as a result of the adoption of the SharePoint solution.
Introduction
1. In April 2004, the Authority agreed a proposal (report FEP 550) to introduce an electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) plus associated technologies (like document scanning and workflow) for office-based staff (plus station managers) at a revenue cost of £1.9 million over four years. 2. This report updates Members on progress with the implementation of the electronic document
management system.
Background
3. After the EDRMS project commenced in 2004 (using the Hummingbird product), an enhanced Microsoft product to provide a document management solution became available, through a combination of the SharePoint 2007 and Microsoft Office products. These products form part of LFEPA plans going forward and are included within the IT strategy (currently under revision), with SharePoint being used for the e-HR project (e-PRF (personal record file) forms part of the wider e-HR project), to provide a solution for
migrating Exchange Public Folders; they also form a part of the FireLink and FireControl projects.
SharePoint also brings additional benefits of developing synergies with partner organisations through the adoption of common Microsoft-based technologies.
4. The Microsoft SharePoint product will provide an enhanced electronic document management system for the Brigade with a number of additional benefits. It will continue to be delivered to the agreed budget. 5. As a result of the adoption of the SharePoint solution, revenue savings of £180,000 on approved budgets
will be delivered from 2010/11 onwards.
Progress with the project
6. The current timetable for the Authority-wide roll out to office based staff (including station managers) of SharePoint is as follows: -
(a) July 2008 – Launch of an electronic personal record file (ePRF) as part of an overall SharePoint based solution for employee self-service called ‘My Employment’ for all staff.
(b) End of September 2008 – Roll-out of core document management functionality to all office based staff.
(c) Once SharePoint has been rolled out across the organisation and is in use, departments will be given support to review document-centred work processes. This will be to deliver business improvements and efficiencies using SharePoint and related document management technologies (like workflow and document scanning).
7. The sections below provide further detail on progress and information on the work being carried out.
(a) the ePRF within the ‘My Employment’ solution
8. The ‘My Employment’ solution will give staff and relevant managers access to the electronic personal record files (ePRF) which will sit alongside other staff self service employment related functionality including electronic expense claims, online payslips, etc.
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9. This will result in an electronic personal record file being introduced for all staff and will have considerable benefits over and above the current paper files – such as controlled security of files, functionality for staff to readily view their information as read-only (reducing Data Protection requests for personal information) and better management of files and availability of information. Paper PRFs have been scanned over the past six months in readiness for the ePRF.
(b) SharePoint electronic document management rollout
10. Delivery of the project to date has included meeting the following milestones.
11. Design and configuration: work on the implementation of SharePoint to office users has involved
working with SharePoint specialists to design and configure to meet the core identified business
requirements for electronic document management. The design is essential to the success of the roll out and user acceptability and therefore several workshops have been held with users and technical staff to develop the right solution.
12. Rationalisation of current files: As part of the implementation of SharePoint the opportunity has been
taken to review the way data is stored. Apart from corporate and departmental shared areas, SharePoint allows for defined ‘workspaces’ to be created for users and these areas can be tightly defined and controlled which in turn contributes toward a more efficient storage strategy.
13. Security arrangements: A new security model is being considered as part of the roll out of SharePoint.
SharePoint provides more flexible security facilities to users than is currently the case with shared drives. Generally speaking, all documents will be available to all users on a ‘read only’ basis unless restricted by the author. They will be open for editing by members of the team to which they being. It is recognised that a closed security model will be required for sensitive data and this has been considered as part of the discussion around the security model. It is likely that the actual model used will be a hybrid that maximises information sharing whilst providing facilities to restrict access to documents when necessary.
14. Training and communications: All users will have computer-based training (CBT) and will be supported
by some 400 ‘power’ users who will have a half day classroom-based training in SharePoint document management. Online help and frequently asked questions (FAQs) will also be available.
15. SharePoint records management functionality: An important part of the project is to provide for better
records management for electronic documents. Although the brigade has robust and effective records management arrangements for paper documents, the arrangements for electronic records keeping need to be improved. The high level design work (at para 11 above) has taken records management needs into account although it has been decided that records management functionality (which is generally only used by specialist records managers) will be deployed after the main roll-out to users. This will allow records management enhancements to SharePoint issued recently by Microsoft to be used. It is envisaged that records management functionality will be available by quarter 4, in the current financial year.
(c) Support for departments to make business process changes
16. The SharePoint document management project is not only about the deployment of new software for users to help them manage and retrieve documents more effectively. SharePoint document management (and related technologies like workflow and document scanning) provide a platform that can be used by
departments to review business processes that use documents so that the benefits of the technology can be used to drive improvements and efficiencies in the way work is carried out.
17. In order to maximise the business improvements that can be achieved using SharePoint, users will be given the opportunity to use and familiarise themselves with the product. Once they have done this, they will be in a better position to understand how to improve business processes.
18. Managers and staff in different business areas will be given support to identify what SharePoint can offer in order that they can review current document and business processes and identity improvements that can be made. It is envisaged that improvements to business processes will be of two main types:
o Simple changes that can be delivered using the core functionality within SharePoint and other associated technologies (like document scanning). For example, improvements that help users work better together (i.e. collaboration) or simple workflows to route documents between
contributors/authorisers.
o More complex changes, including those that potentially require integration between SharePoint and another LFB business system(s). Such changes, once identified, would be for the head of service concerned to decide whether they should be moved forward and whether additional resources should made available to implement them (e.g. budget growth item) or use of existing resources.
19. A number of ‘corporate’ improvements have already been identified as part of this work: -
o Creation of brigade-wide document libraries – Many Brigade-wide libraries (or collections) are currently accessed via different pages on Hotwire although some are in Public Folders or on the external web site (London Fire). The introduction of SharePoint provides the opportunity to rationalise access to these with the provision of a more powerful search engine and access using the corporate subject list (taxonomy) which is to be integrated with SharePoint.
o Scanning of incoming mail – Incoming mail will be scanned and routed, reducing the volume of paper that needs to circulate around, particularly to different Brigade buildings.
Project budget
20. The project budget set under FEP550 allocated £1.9m for the development of the solution with an
additional £180,000 for support in 2008/09 and thereafter. This budget has now been recast to provide for the revised solution. The project is on track for delivery within the original budget and will deliver approved revenue saving from 2010/11onwards.
Original Budget £2,080,000 Expenditure to Date £1,830,435 Anticipated 2008/2009 £ 227,650
Total Expenditure to
the end of 2008/09 £2,058,085
Authority’s Strategic Objectives
21. The Authority’s agreed Information Strategy (report FEP 811 – December 2005) sets out a number of strategic information issues which need to be addressed in order to support corporate goals and objectives. This includes an action for “... rolling out appropriate document management functionality to improve the management and use of unstructured information”;
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Legal and Democratic Services comments
22. No comments.
Head of Finance Comments
23. There is £180,000 revenue spending earmarked for this project in the 2008/09 and 2009/10 budgets. The remainder of £47,000 will come from the IT Department’s main budgets as some of the development costs relate to corporate initiatives outside of this specific project. As noted, the £180,000 has been offered up as a saving as part of the 2008/09 budget process and this will impact in 2010/11.
Environmental Implications
24.
The implementation of the EDRMS SharePoint software will have a positive effect upon the Brigade’s carbon footprint and environmental impact of the IT service. In the long run it will mean less office storage space needed to store paper documents and files by digitising them and storing them electronically, it will therefore reduce physical storage space requirement. By virtualising the servers which operate the system (i.e. sharing applications on fewer servers) this will reduce the number of servers used thereby reducing energy usage. Finally, by operating in a thin client environment, the reduction in carbon emissions is very significant as compared with PCs on desktops.Equalities Implications
25.
The SharePoint system integrates fully with other Microsoft products and therefore allows us make
use of existing Microsoft accessibility features. In addition, as an integral part of Microsoft’s
strategy, SharePoint will benefit from continued development and support and therefore as new
usability and accessibility features come on stream, these will be made available through future
versions of the product.
Local Government (access to information) act 1985
List of background documents
1. Report FEP550 2. IT Strategy 2006
3. Information Strategy 2006
4. Minutes of the Authority meeting of June 2007 Proper officer Head of IT
Contact officer Telephone Email Anthony McManus 020 8555 1200 (31457) [email protected]
