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This year saw a review of the IT Directions Strategy. Representatives from each business unit were involved in a day-long workshop which led to the development of a department-wide information strategy. Principles were developed and agreed concerning departmental information tools, storage, sharing, and culture. Issues were identified where it was felt that DPMC could be better aligned with these principles; and a schedule of immediate, medium- and long-term initiatives was developed to deal with this.
The purpose of the information strategy was to provide a framework for the management and development of DPMC’s information-management systems. One of its aims is to maintain a flexible yet robust infrastructure that allows the department to perform its functions effectively while improving the systems’ manageability. The information strategy will be reviewed annually and will be considered a guideline towards developing and maintaining excellent information- and knowledge-management practices within the department.
An electronic information administrator was appointed during the year to manage DPMC’s web and intranet sites, and also to liaise with the Parliamentary Library and the e-government unit on any electronic information initiatives. The department trialed an external help desk and the full-time services of an outsourced network engineer for four months. Although the help desk service was cancelled, the full-time outsourced IT support will be continued for a further 12 months.
Renovations to the Beehive introduced interruptions to planned work and general operations, with three business-unit moves taking place during the year. All three were completed efficiently with minimal down time. The final move, which puts the Cabinet Office back in place on the 10th floor next year, occurred in September 2003.
Various other initiatives were completed during the year, including: