PROBLEM

EIS staff were struggling to efficiently perform tasks associated with their roles, due to the technology toolset assigned to them. This was particularly so for staff required to be out of the office visiting schools, attending board of trustees’ meetings or collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. Davanti was engaged to identify the mobile technology needs for different profiles of EIS staff, particularly for those visiting schools as part of their job.

SOLUTION

Davanti undertook interviews with staff in both National and Regional offices to conduct an analysis of their main responsibilities, available toolset, current practices, pain points and technology needs. We developed job profiles which identified groups of staff with similar patterns of work and mobile technology needs and identified the technology gap to be bridged in order to increase staff satisfaction and performance.

To ensure a user-centric analysis was conducted, snapshots of a typical day’s activities were also developed for each group, along with a more detailed description of current challenges around tools, workload, working with others (especially remotely), and getting IT support as required.

We then conducted an independent review of the current state, which was organised around five key themes driving the overall user experience. These were:

• Connectivity – what was available both in the office and off-site;
• Devices – number, size and compatibility;
• Systems – usability and stakeholder collaboration enablement when out of the office;
• Know-How – availability of clear guidelines on the devices available to staff such as how to use them and who can provide support; and
• People & Performance – how well the available devices and processes supported performance targets.

A gap analysis between current and required technology was performed, identifying what technology would better suit each profile to inform future purchases, and a business case written on this basis.

RESULTS

Davanti identified for the Ministry the tools which were expected to provide the highest return in terms of both increased productivity and staff satisfaction. The analysis was packaged in a complete report providing recommendations on the way forward, which was then socialised and presented to the EIS Chief Operating Officer.