www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Business Management Programme (BMP)
This workstream is a major change initiative that will transform the way in which the new unitary authority manages it's HR, Payroll, Finance and procurement functions, along with improved performance management and reporting capability.
Business Management Programme (BMP) Powerpoint Presentation 21/2/08 (pdf 707Kb) 
About the workstream
The programme will develop standardised business processes, joined up systems and improved efficiency across the new council.
What areas will it cover?
BMP implementation will consist of 5 key project phases:
- Project Preparation - sets the foundations for the project
- Blueprinting - delivers the detailed analysis & documentation of the business & process requirements. Creating the organisational & system design to support the new authority, including the establishment of a shared services team
- Realisation - the configuration and testing of the system
- Final Preparation - Preparing for Go-Live, migrating data, training staff
- Go-Live & Support- Cut-over to live operations & supporting the organisation with the use of the new system& processes
- Shared Service Centre
Objectives
To improve and standardise core business processes across the organisation, implementing appropriate technologies to enable a significant step change in the management of budgets, procurement, HR, payroll, performance and risk.
What will it achieve?
The key business benefits that will be realised through the implementation of this programme include the following:
- Improved, streamlined and standardised business processes for all core business functions, including; finance, HR and payroll and procurement.
- Provide opportunities to improve financial management and achieve savings
- Improved financial governance as a result of having real-time information available
- Improve performance management information with multi-layered management and performance reporting facilities
- Faster access to more accurate financial information
- Provision of better budget formulation, tracking and management tools
- Opportunities for procurement savings as a result of having access to real-time buying information
- Streamlined purchasing processes, with full commitment accounting
- Service efficiency gains and reduction in the use of local applications (e.g. Excel) that currently cater for gaps in information
- More efficient human resources management, with self service facilities
- Standardised, simplified system maintenance
- Seamless integration of information between functions
How will it be managed?
The contract for the BMP was signed with Logica on the 29th February 2008. Project preparation is now underway and suitable governance arrangements are being finalised to move the programme through it's implementation phase. The number of staff on the BMP team is currently being increased to ensure that the programme is resourced effectively so that it can be delivered successfully.
Current activity
On 11th February Cabinet approved LogicaCMG as the company we will use to implement the BMP, with the aim of signing a contract with them by the end of February 2008. This means plans can now move forwards.
The BMP project team has now re-located to the second floor of East Wing, County Hall, which is being modified to accommodate a team of up to 50 people, comprising a mixture of Council staff and the supplier's consultants. Facilities will be created to accommodate workshops, training rooms, a model office and breakout areas, suitable for delivering a project of this scale.
Work will start in earnest during March when personnel from the chosen supplier and our own seconded staff will begin detailed project planning and mobilisation. BMP launch events will be arranged to give staff and other stakeholders the opportunity to meet the chosen supplier, gain a better understanding of how the project will progress and how it will impact on them.
April will see the commencement of the blueprint design process, with numerous workshops involving a significant number of staff being scheduled over a three month period. This process will determine the overall design and configuration of the SAP business platform, along with the changes necessary to transform the support services of the five existing councils into a set of standardised, lean business processes suitable for the new unitary, including those for the SST. The design that comes out of the blueprinting process will be signed off in July and will determine how the remainder of the project is implemented.
We are fast approaching a very busy period and we do not underestimate the amount of time and effort people will contribute in order to make the project successful. A number of full time secondment opportunities will be made available in order to populate the project team, with a number of specialist roles taken up as an extension to people's current jobs. We estimate that in excess of 50 council staff will be involved in the project at one time or another.
What will BMP mean to you?
- No more paper order pads when ordering goods and services
- Receipting of goods and services before the invoice arrives
- Better budget management, using ‘commitment accounting’ – ‘real-time’ visibility of how much of a budget is committed
- A ‘self service’ system for all staff for claiming expenses, booking leave and so on – with on-line manager authorisation, leading to fewer errors and delays
- Many existing paper forms will go - they will be computerised
- Invoices will be reconciled and paid by the new Shared Service Team – eliminating the ‘paper chase’
- Key information stored in one place
- Improved information and reports – all provided in ‘real time’
- Standard processes will be adopted across the new council
What part can you play?
Everyone working for the county and district councils will be affected by the Business Management Programme, some more than others. There are plenty of opportunities for people to get involved:
- We need at least 25 people to join the BMP team – appointments will be arranged over the next few weeks
- There will be workshops between April and July for staff with transactional duties to design the blueprints
- We’ll need support around data cleansing, data input and system testing
- All staff in HR, payroll, finance, procurement and performance will get training early next year
- All managers will be trained on how their roles will change
- All staff will get training on how to use the ‘self service’ features
Contact Details
By Post
BMP Programme Office
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
Specific queries on the Shared Service Team
