1. Donegal Integrated Service
Delivery Project
Developing and Delivering
Customer Centred Public Services
Tony Kieran
27 November 2008
th
_____________________________________________________________________

2. Introduction
• Vision - what we set out to achieve
• Background - to Donegal Developments
• Testing a new structure and service delivery
model
• What has been achieved/where we’ve got to
• Success factors
• Conclusions
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3. Vision - what we set out to achieve
To deliver a seamless, quality public service to
customers and communities in Donegal through
a choice of access channels
Implying:
• The localisation of service delivery & decision making
• The provision of a single access point to services
• The development of new service delivery channels
• A streamlining of public services
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4. Background to Donegal Developments
• 1996 - County Council decision to decentralise
• 1996 - Internal project development team formed
• 1998 - Inter agency team formed
• July 2001 - ISD project formalised with Project Board
formed & Project Manager recruited
• Positioning the work in a national context
• SMI, Delivering Better Government, Better Local Govt.,
Information Society, Quality Customer Service, Integration
of Local Government, etc.
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5. Partners
CMOD
Dept. Taoiseach
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6. New service delivery models
• Decentralised services, accompanied by devolved
decision making
• Developing a single access point to services (grouping as
many services as possible in one Public Service Centre)
• Developing new service delivery channels (phone,
internet, etc.)
• Streamlining of services (duplication, means tests, etc.)
• “Rearrangement of information and service delivery around user
needs, and available through a single point of contact with
government” New Connections , March2002
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7. Development of new models of public service delivery
• Building the provision of services around the needs of the
customer
• Developing a shared cross-agency view of the customer
through shared information
• Achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness through
the streamlining of business processes and elimination of
overlap / duplication
• Providing the customer with a choice of access channels
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8. Development of new models of public service delivery
• Building the provision of services around the needs of the
customer
• Developing a shared cross-agency view of the customer
through shared information
• Achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness through
the streamlining of business processes and elimination of
overlap / duplication
• Providing the customer with a choice of access channels
Building towards the overall ISD project vision:
“To deliver a seamless, quality public service to customers and
communities in Donegal through a choice of access channels”
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9. Work Programmes
• Building the Public Service Infrastructure
• Researching service delivery (channels &
service organisation)
• Integrated Services - Best practice guidelines for the
deployment of services nationally through the Public Service
Broker will be developed building on:
• 3.3.5.1. A pilot project that is underway in Donegal to identify
and resolve issues around integrated service delivery and to
pilot a suitable range of services for delivery by Reach.
(New Connections, March 2002, P.18)
• Developments within Donegal Co. Co
New structure & work arrangements
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10. Council Decentralisation Programme
• A Systematic approach to organisational design
• Clarity about nature of work
• Clarity on roles, responsibilities and working
relationships
• Delegation of formal authority to appropriate level
• Organising around the Electoral area
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11. Organisational structures and work levels
Work Levels Duties & responsibilities
4 County  Role of Council in wider public service context
Manager  Outward focus
 Impact of new legislation
3 Director  Local implications of national policy
 Focus on resources, policy etc.
- What we do
 Introduction of new processes / systems,
2 Divisional  Creation of annual work programmes
Manager  Focus on process and system
- How we do the work
1  Assignment of tasks from work programmes
Area  Focus on the individual case
Manager - Doing the work
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12. Update on Public Service Centre
programme Opened
Opened 16th 10th June
Sept 2002 2002
Opened 11th
Nov 2002
Opened 20th Jan 2003
Opened 19th
April 2004
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13. The Public Service Centre Concept
Local democracy Service delivery
New Public Service

Independent
Centres providing a Information Units
single point of
access to public Delivery of Council
services: services
Walk-in

phone &

Delivery of services
assisted channels
 by other Agencies
A gateway to other
Local needs and priorities Agencies
 Building services around the
customer
Focus on quality of service
 Sharing of resources
 Sharing info with customer
consent
 Advice and Advocacy
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14. Building the Public Service Centre Infrastructure
• Five Public Service Centres open and serving
their local communities
• Independent Information and advice units front
each Public Service Centre
• First point of contact to services developed using
the Information Units and the Public Service
Centres
• Donegal County Council has localised service
delivery to Electoral Area level and is testing a
new organisational structure
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15. Building Inter Agency collaboration
• Agencies relocated & delivering services from the
Public Service Centres (i.e. Community Welfare
Officer’s, Social Welfare Inspector’s, Revenue
Collectors, Placement Officers operating through
PSCs)
• Co-ordination of service provision to common
customers (referrals, appointments, etc.)
• Meeting rooms and consultation facilities
available for use by Agencies and community
groups
• Infrastructure in place to support further initiatives
and innovation
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16. Research completed to date
• Study completed on 3 key service areas
(Unemployment, Medical cards & Housing)
• Study completed on Means testing
• Study completed into potential of Contact Centre
in delivering services
• Reports completed for Reach Agency to inform
development of Public Service Broker
• Review of Social Housing and Rent Supplement
schemes (leading to introduction of Rental
Accommodation Scheme in July 2004)
• Evaluation of Donegal ISD Project (2005)
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17. Findings from Research
• Current Deficiencies (based on study of key services)
• Data: 50 files analysed across 3 Agencies/services (29 common)
• Only 1 customers data matched across all 3 services
• Remainder held inaccurate data, incomplete records, obsolete and
contradictory data about the same customer
• Systems: not capable of interacting with each other
• Manual data matching proved very time consuming
• People: Duplication of effort - 90% service cross over with 100%
duplication of effort
• Customer preferences (based on Contact centre study)
• 70% would prefer to transact public service business by phone
• 82% willing to have data shared between Agencies when
accessing services
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18. Public Service Centre - Customer Experience
• Customer consultations (136 customers in Sept05)
have recorded:
• Improved access to services through PSCs (87%), with reduced
queueing times and face to face service cited as positives
• Improvements to quality of service delivered (75%)
• Very high overall satisfaction ratings (95%)
Reasons stated for satisfaction include efficient service and
professional and helpful staff
• Experience on use of services
• 57% had used other services apart from the primary purpose of
their visit to the Public Service Centre
• Evidence of customers using Independent Information Unit
before accessing services and then returning to Information Unit
to check or report the outcome
(Source - Fitzpatrick Associates, 2005)
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19. Consultation over the period
• Prior to commencing project
• Study on Donegal County Council services conducted by IPA
• Engineers working group on service organisation within council
• National developments – DBG/BLG
• During project
• Customer surveys – channels, walk in service, etc.
• Citizens information as first point of contact for customer
• Project board with representation from Comhairle (now CIC) representing
customer viewpoint
• Ongoing feedback mechanisms
• Citizens information as first point of contact for customer
• Elected representatives acting as customer advocates
• Complaints & appeals procedures
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20. Issues Critical for Success
• Clear strategic leadership
Well planned and soundly based structural re-
organisation
Corporate commitment
(conclusions from “E-Government and Organisation Development”, CPMR
Discussion Paper 28, IPA, 2004 )
• Interagency collaboration
• Funding & resourcing
• Co-ordination at the Centre across Agency boundaries
- setting out the supporting national framework mandating Agencies to
collaborate in service provision and delivery and enabling them to take an
active role in co-ordinating the process.
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21. Conclusions 1 -Public Service Centre development
Co-location Agencies co-locating staff to deliver
timeline
services to customers.
Information Units
fronting Centre’s
Agencies working together to co-
ordinate the delivery of services to
Now
Co-ordination common customers.
Cross referral and information
sharing with customer consent
Services fully integrated and
delivered around the needs of the Future
Integration customer state
New integrated delivery entities and channels
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22. Conclusions - 2
 Project moving through phases:
 Co-location of staff and services in Public Service Centres
 Better co-ordination of services and service delivery
 Integration of services around customer needs (life events)
 Retaining the focus on the customer and the needs of
the customer
 Making it easier for the customer to access services (life
events)
 Working together to ensure customers needs are met
 Finally, the challenge of sustaining the effort over time!
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23.  Thank You
 Questions and Answers
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24. More Information & Useful References
• Donegal ISD Project
• http://www.donegal.ie/dcc/default.htm > Major Projects > Donegal Integrated
Service Delivery Project
• Virpi Timonen, Orla O'Donnell, and Peter C. Humphreys: E- Government
and the Decentralisation of Service Delivery, CPMR Discussion Paper 25,
IPA, Dublin, 2003
• Orla O'Donnell and Richard Boyle: E-Government and Organisation
Development, CPMR Discussion Paper 28, IPA, Dublin, 2004
• Murray Scott, William Golden and Martin Hughes: The Implementation of
Citizen-centred e-government: A Stakeholder Viewpoint, CISC Working
Paper No. 10, Feb 2004
• Fitzpatrick Associates, Donegal ISD Project Evaluation, January 2006
• Academic Reports & Articles
• “Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, New Experiences”
Accenture Report - June 2005 (The Government Executive Series)
• “The Developmental Welfare State” - National Economic and Social
Council, May 2005
• Dr. Joe McDonagh , Modernising Service Delivery: A Blueprint for
Development and Change , Report for Irish Government, November 2004
• Kieran, Tony & Dr. Joe McDonagh, “Electronic Government and Public
Service Modernisation: Connected Thinking and Disjointed Action?”
Administration P103 - 113. Vol. 53. No.3. 2005.
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25. Contact Details
Tony Kieran
Principal Officer,
Department of Social & Family Affairs
College Road,
Sligo.
Rep. of Ireland
E-mail: tony.kieran@welfare.ie
Phone: +353 71 9148499
Mobile +353 87 2373112
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26. Group discussion 1
 Place yourselves in a central Government
role with responsibility for quality
customer service and consider the
following:
 What benefits, if any, do you see emerging from
the Donegal ISD Project?
 What impact can this type of initiative have on
customer service?
 What support framework should be put in place
if we are to consider scaling the Donegal ISD
approach to national level?
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27. Group discussion 2
 You are now in a management role with
responsibility for local service delivery to
customers. Consider the following:
 How can the Donegal experience assist you in
delivering services?
 What difference, if any, would this type of
approach make to the service delivered to your
customers?
 What barriers/challenges would you expect to
encounter in implementing a similar approach,
and how might you overcome them?
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28. Group discussion 3
 Review your own views on customer
service:
 Does what you hear about the ‘Donegal project’
change your thinking in any way? If so, how?
 What do you now consider to be the most
important consideration when delivering
service to your customers?
 How would you find out what customers want
from your service (effective consultation)?
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