Why we created our Digital Strategy
The work of our previous digital strategy ‘Innovate Aberdeenshire’ 2015-2020 paved the way for customers to access and use our services in new ways, and facilitated new internal working practices which improved the quality of our services, whilst contributing to the overall efficiency savings for the Council. These strong foundations stood us incredibly well in the face of unprecedented challenge in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to fulfil our democratic obligations with the relatively smooth transition to virtual committees so that our focus was firmly on service delivery and supporting the organisation to help our communities from the outset of Lockdown.
We want to build on our achievements, the experiences, innovation, and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an eye to the future. We want to ensure we keep driving forward, working in partnership, to challenge and build our capacity. However this strategy also recognises the difficult financial climate we see ourselves in as a nation and as an organisation - so our focus, in the shorter term, will be to build resilience, strengthened foundations in alignment with our Council Plan and Recovery Strategy.
Digital penetrates all aspects of our daily lives. Digital will be a core element to developing new models for service delivery, in conjunction with our partners where the user experience for our citizens, partners and employees alike will contribute to achieving improved outcomes where improved accessibility and digital inclusion contributes to addressing community vulnerabilities. With our aspiration towards achieving a digital first principle our leadership commitment and support, through Councillors and officers, will be central to achieving our vision whereby technology is considered as an integral part to reinventing services to make them more personal, accountable, adaptable, effective and sustainable.
This five-year strategy, accompanied by a delivery roadmap, will ensure we continue to build a modern and effective local authority; one that is resilient and that we make financially sustainable use of technology to ensure Best Value.
Integrating digital within Aberdeenshire sees the organisation embrace the view that digital is owned by and for everyone. It moves the organisation into a space that sees digital as part of our culture, our mindset, and is embedded in all services and ways of working.