1. What are the ways to approach performance improvement at your ‘Local Government Council?


A. Internal Approach B. External Approach


Internal Approach :

Identify key performance metrics based on the council community needs and draw a strategic plan accordingly. It is basically identifying,


A.    WHAT the key priority areas are?

B.    HOW to address the council challenges (Roadmap)?

C.    WHEN & WHY we need to address the challenges (Timeframe and Criticality)?


Observation :

I believe the most of councils has already identified the areas of improvement (key part of organizational performance improvement) through “Councils Customer Satisfaction Surveys” and I have witnesed its importance in their Mayor’s message and Council Annual Reports . Hence, this set the tone for a short and long term strategic road map.


External Approach :

WHAT are the key priority / performance improvement areas / Strategic plan of other councils in combating COVID 19 pandemic? This outlook will provide,

  • Benchmark: Where we stand in terms of pandemic response compared to other councils?
  • Best Practices: Are there any references our council can adopt from other council initiatives?
  • Opportunity Assessment : What are the federal and state government initiatives that council can embrace to deliver better performance?

For Instance:

A.     Does the council require any redirection of resources from other services which are facing low demand?

B.     Are there any need to establish a potential partnership with other 3rd party organisations and community groups?


Observation:

With the effects of COVID-19, the dependency of the community on council has increased significantly and it is high time for all the councils to revisit and assess their key priority areas, especially from the ‘Community Communication’ front, since coordinated efforts are key during the current crisis.

Hence, the continuous improvement, process mapping and the change management initiatives would play a key role in future initiatives.

2. What could be the TOP performance improvement areas for ‘your ‘Local Government Council?

Based on my understanding, I have identified top 3 performance improvement areas (At High Level) for any Australian Council.

  • Effective Communication Strategy
  • Effective Financial Strategy
  • Effective workforce strategy

I.  Effective communication strategy:

* Based on the current pandemic scenario and Council Customer Satisfaction Survey results , I believe the top priority area for the council is to develop a strategic roadmap for ‘strong communication, consultation and engagement platform’.

* This would help to achieve an effective external communication strategy and community cohesion with local communities to address their needs and for a coordinated effort to combat pandemic.


For Instance :

* We could have witnessed an increase in visits on ‘ Council official website ’ among the community for additional information, updates, assistance etc. Hence, it has become crucial to restructure the website to be user-friendly and ensure mobile compatibility, if required.

* The effective community cohesion strategy could help the council during the ‘ 2020 Local council elections ’ in enforcing social distancing measures, queue updates, early voting options etc.


II.     Effective Financial Strategy:

* It is also equally important to keep our key priority initiatives alive which are crucial for the council recovery post-COVID 19,especially initiatives such as ‘Zero Carbon community, ‘Zero Waste to Landfill, Integrated Transport Strategy etc.

* I got an opportunity to go through few councils ‘Draft Annual Budget 2020-21’ and it clearly highlights the financial implications due to pandemic and happy to see the initiatives are focused in helping the community especially turning off parking meters, rent relief, deferrals, support grants etc.

* Hence, during this pandemic it is vital to revisit and assess the budgeting/financial implications such as cost, resource etc. on short/long term impact on council revenue/non-revenue generating services.


  III.     Effective Workforce Strategy:

* Due to COVID 19, certain council workforce moved to remote working and this could be a future trend even post-pandemic.

* Hence, it is important to evaluate current infrastructure and invest in advanced technology initiatives that allow employees to collaborate, communicate and be productive while working from home without compromising safety and security measures.

Note : Australia ranked 6th in most serious cyber-attack targets in the globe.

Conclusion:

* With increasing population and the majority of growth is expected to happen by 2026, indicates the need for swift action and improved performance to meet community demands.

* Overall, we can witness significant positive factors which would be helpful for the growth of councils However, there are also scope for improvement as mentioned in many councils annual and performance survey reports and also due to COVID 19 crisis.

Thanks for your time on the read and feel free to post you suggestions, comments that would add value to the readers.