The Provincial Government of the Western Cape's Department of Transport and Public Works is implementing an enterprise content management (ECM) solution, with the assistance of IT solutions and services provider, Datacentrix, to properly manage the vast amount of information flowing within and outside of the department.
The department has five main focus areas: corporate services, public works, roads, public transport and community-based public works.
According to Darryl Jacobs, Executive Manager: Corporate Affairs, the sheer scope of its focus areas indicates the massive volume of content generated by the department. "The size of the department implies that there is an excessive amount of information flowing between our 1 500 staff members as well as outside to clients and the community.
"The fact that we had always operated chiefly on a hard copy basis, and that e-mail is not managed and therefore not part of a central repository, led us to investigate putting an ECM solution, Open Text's Livelink, in place to facilitate the organisation of all this content."
Livelink is a secure, scalable and integrated solution for managing all enterprise content within an organisation. Says Trish Dicks, senior account manager at Datacentrix: "Livelink ensures the authenticity and accessibility of corporate content while reducing storage space requirements. Effective and secure content management is good for business. When information is properly managed using a tool such as Livelink, it is always accounted for and readily available."
A major component of the programme is the automation and streamlining of critical business processes using Livelinks workflow tool, to raise productivity and improve service delivery.
The programme has been kicked off in alignment with the department's strategic objectives, supporting two important initiatives in particular - iKapa elihlumayo and Batho Pele.
iKapa elihlumayo is a provincial strategy for economic development, promoting access to government services and the supporting information, which is underpinned by HR strategy, human capacity development and a strategic infrastructure plan. Says Jacobs: "In essence, our vision is one of a shared, sustainable, growing, labour-absorbing and globally competitive economy."
The Batho Pele initiative aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of government services by improving efficiency and accountability to the recipients of public goods and services. Batho Pele requires set service standards, increased access to services and the provision of more and better information about services.
Based on these initiatives, the department hopes its Livelink implementation will assist in areas such as the motor vehicle licensing and public transport departments. Says Jacobs: "Currently, all applications for motor vehicle licences must be done in hard copy and queuing at our branches can be frustrating. Part of our vision is to provide an online service, where citizens can bypass queues, and apply for licences and pay electronically.
"In terms of public transport, operators applying for licences can wait up to 90 days at present. The department believes that if we can shorten this dramatically, public transport operators can begin to generate profit faster and, in the long-term, stimulate the economy.
"The Livelink solution is already operational in our sister social services department and was also identified by SITA as an offering that could be used to build on existing processes. Prior to embarking on this roll-out, we identified our business requirements, pinpointing the unique areas within the department and planning a roll-out," explains Jacobs. "We decided on Livelink due to Open Text's standards of support and the reassurance of a sizeable user base around the world."
The department opted for a phased implementation, with phase one to be completed by the end of March 2007, phase two over the course of next year and phase three over 2008.
Jacobs maintains that the department sought a service provider with a solid management strategy and financial track record. "We awarded this tender to Datacentrix due to the organisation's competency and understanding not only of the Livelink system but also of our needs. Additionally, Datacentrix's solid knowledge base and good Open Text relationship were integral to our decision."
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