Director’s weeknote

Atika Mohammed, DDaT Luton Director

As usual, another mixed week this week.

Overview & Scrutiny

Monday started off with a visit to Overview & Scrutiny committee to report on progress against our DDaT Strategic Framework. Feedback was positive with recognition of how much has progressed and been delivered in the last 18 months, but a recognition also that was still a lot to do.

Before our item, there was an item on corporate performance, which really brough to light the gaps we have in our data capabilities that make robust and effective performance reporting difficult. It’s something our new data function will need to work with the performance team closely on.

Luton Leaders

Lots of time has been spent prepping for Luton Leaders on Monday, where I will co-host a session with Transformation and Customer Services on:

• Resident Experience
• developing a customer charter
• delivering the user-centred design session Dave Briggs did at our September DDaT Away Day

User centred design

Following the above theme, there’s also been quite a few convos this week about how we can truly bring user centred design into our digital transformation projects. This is following on from the Local Government Checklist work Dave Briggs has done, and making it real.

We’ll be piloting it with the DDaT intranet pages, but we’re also looking at how a more blended multidisciplinary team and blended governance between DDaT, services, transformation and customer services might enable this. Joe Bedingfield has some great ideas on this that we’ll be exploring more next week.

Rising to the challenge

We spent some time with Luton Rising, discussing options to address some of the challenges they face with our current set up. I sat back for most of it, feeling very proud of the team on the call and their approach to problem solving.

More feeling proud of the team happened yesterday at SMLG (directors and above group) where we were discussing how to improve collaborative working. DDaT came up repeatedly as a good example of how we are working collaboratively with services to jointly solve problems and enable things to happen, not to be a blocker!

Finally, today I’m looking forward to the Tech Enabled Care kick-off meeting, where we’ll be looking at how tech in homes can:

• support residents to live better, independently, for longer
• support us in being able to better provide more appropriate care where needed

This was something I talked about in my interview so am pleased to see us taking steps in this direction.

Low code and web

Kevin Rowe, Head of Digital Development

Low code sprint 4 update: a complaint, a compliment and a comment walk into a bar…

Records management

Carol Osborne, Project Manager, DDaT Luton

Overall status

• Initiation / Planning phase ongoing
• Progress steady but dependency‑led
• Procurement and contract finalisation continue to gate mobilisation

Progress

• RAID and action tracker actively updated and maintained
• Key initiation and planning actions remain open (IG sign‑off, retention mapping, migration criteria)
• FileSmart solution approach confirmed, aligned to SharePoint‑based model and phased migration
• Continued progress on backlog remediation approach, including review and reduction of large legacy document volumes
• Integration and migration planning progressing across Housing, CX systems, and SharePoint

Key activities

• Ongoing procurement follow‑up to confirm ownership, route, and timelines
• Contract status remains a blocker to supplier mobilisation and technical workshops
• Data remediation activities progressing, including splitting large document sets and introducing sampling approach
• Retention alignment activity continuing to support disposal and migration decisions
• Integration planning progressing, including approach to manage access and testing constraints
• Migration sequencing being refined, with Housing-first approach remaining the priority

Risks and issues

• Procurement delays impacting mobilisation timeline and supplier engagement
• Dependency on IG sign‑off before migration approach can proceed
• Integration complexity across SharePoint / CX Housing / FileSmart remains a key risk
• Large volumes of unstructured and unlinked legacy data creating quality, compliance, and migration risk
• Some legacy content not aligned to core systems requiring separate handling approach
• Resource transition risk remains due to project management change
• Governance and ownership gaps persist, including unclear ownership for some migration activities

Dependencies

• Procurement completion and contract signature required before mobilisation
• Supplier onboarding and formal kick‑off required post‑contract
• IG agreement required prior to migration, retention, and disposal decisions
• External supplier engagement required to support data remediation and integration activities
• Alignment required across internal teams and suppliers for delivery approach and system access
• Data readiness activities (mapping, retention alignment, backlog review) required to enable next phase

Key actions

• Progress procurement clarification and confirm timelines and ownership
• Drive contract signature to enable supplier mobilisation
• Continue backlog remediation activity, including splitting large document sets
• Implement sampling approach for legacy data assessment
• Progress retention alignment and obtain IG sign‑off
• Resolve integration access approach and confirm permissions model
• Finalise data mapping outputs and identify migration gaps
• Confirm ownership and roadmap for network folder migration
• Record and manage project governance and transition risks in RAID log

OneDrive user adoption

Carol Osborne, Project Manager

Project overview

• Project remains in the user adoption and optimisation phase
• Activity focused on monitoring, reporting, and transition to BAU
• Handover to 365Tribe progressing within a controlled transition

Key achievements this week

• Adoption monitoring continued
  • Weekly usage data reviewed to maintain visibility of trends
• User support maintained
  • Ongoing light-touch support for queries
  • Continued reinforcement of OneDrive vs SharePoint usage
• 365Tribe transition progressed
  • Onboarding activity continued
  • Reporting continuity maintained during transition

User adoption snapshot (week on week)

Based on data from 9 to 16 June 2026.

• Active file viewing and editing increased by 1.0%, from 2,147 to 2,169 users
• File syncing activity increased by 1.4%, from 1,526 to 1,548 users
• Internal file sharing decreased by 0.3%, from 696 to 694 users
• Users not actively using OneDrive decreased from 1,024 to 1,013 viewed / edited cohort, indicating improved engagement levels
• Overall adoption remains stable with continued incremental improvements in core usage, alongside a slight reduction in internal sharing activity week on week.

Current status

• Overall status: 🟢 on track
• Deployment: complete
• User adoption: monitoring only (transition phase)
• Governance and policy: in progress
• BAU / transition: in progress (handover to 365Tribe pending)
• No new blockers or escalations this week

Risks and issues

• Limited active delivery activity due to transition phase
• Dependency on 365Tribe mobilisation for ongoing ownership
• Residual non-adoption behaviours in a small cohort
• External sharing governance not fully documented

Planned activities

• Continue weekly adoption monitoring and reporting
• Maintain light-touch user support
• Support 365Tribe onboarding and mobilisation
• Progress external sharing clarification
• Confirm final BAU ownership model post-handover

Frontline Services

Ian Pavitt, Project Manager

The project status is green now that Bartec change of scope to take place and the low code platform progress.

Key outcomes in last period

• Waste module specs – workshops – ongoing
• Clinical waste meeting with service – Awaiting ‘as is’ process mapping
• Signed off specs going into development (Bartec) – ongoing
• DPIA process for Bartec back end – ongoing
• Transformation team – meeting – Potential case study of FS project
• Low code portal update – Start work in next two/three weeks – planning/timeline
• Building data migration strategy doc

Key activities in next period

• Waste module specs – workshops – Ongoing
• Clinical waste meeting with service – Awaiting ‘as is’ process mapping
• Signed off specs going into development (Bartec) – Ongoing
• DPIA process for Bartec back end – Ongoing
• Transformation team – meeting – Potential case study of FS project
• Low code portal update – Start work in next two/three weeks – planning/timeline
• Building data migration strategy doc

Regulatory Services

Ian Pavitt, Project Manager

The project status is green as the procurement process is at the contract stage.

Key outcomes in previous period

• Tender contract – Contract sent to vendor for signing
• Data cleansing – Final runs (once Parks data issue resolved)
• Building data migration strategy doc – Identifying all applications/services
• Services activity planning – ongoing
• Wider comms plan – ongoing

Key activities in next period

• Tender contract – Contract returned and sent to legal to complete
• Services activity planning – Ongoing
• Data cleansing – Confirm completion / query resolution
• Wider comms plan – Finalise
• Building data migration strategy doc – Identifying all applications/services

Data governance purview pilot

Ian Pavitt, Project Manager

Project summary

• No further update – project meetings to restart at the end of May
• Meetings on pause until end of May with procurement options being explored

Workplace experience

Ben McCartney, Head of Workplace Experience

Another busy and productive week across Workplace Experience, with good progress across reporting, engagement, and upcoming changes.

Performance and reporting

Completed the May performance reporting, giving us a clear view of demand, trends, and service performance as we continue to improve data quality and insight.

Meeting room technology

Caught up with a number of suppliers to review options for our meeting room technology. We’re now very close to selecting the solution that will be used for our proof-of-concept rooms, which is a key milestone in the wider rollout.

CEX Open Forum

Represented DDaT at the CEX Open Forum, where I was able to talk through the technology upgrades we’re delivering. Also supported on a couple of additional queries — hopefully helping to shift perceptions and provide better visibility of the work we’re doing across DDaT.

Office refurbishment

Kicked off discussions around the office refurbishment — focusing on what we want to achieve for our workspaces and how we create an environment that better supports collaboration and modern working. Next step is to gather wider feedback, so more to follow soon.

Communications and engagement

Prepared a number of communications ready for release, including:

• launch of the Digital Champions network
• mobile and data usage guidance
• reminder on returning hardware
• upcoming changes to Service Desk hours

These comms are aimed at improving awareness, supporting better behaviours, and helping us deliver a smoother overall workplace experience.

Product and Delivery – People Services update

Steven Scott, Service Manager Product and Delivery – People

General updates

• NVEST (National Voice for Excellence in Safeguarding Tech) session exploring impacts of AI within social care
• Secured dates for server upgrades and main system roadmap upgrades in the coming weeks
• Ongoing review of scripts and testing of new Xantura OneView platform
• Resource and development prioritisation for children’s social care and family help reforms
• Task and finish group for risk outside of the home for children social care
• Implementation of a new development request and management process within teams alongside forms/power automate
• Enrolment onto leadership and management apprenticeship

Looking ahead

• Install of latest roadmap release for LCS/EHM/EYES/ContrOCC/portals and adults
• Social Care Systems UserCon in Birmingham
• Reconfiguration of portals to match new Luton website branding
• Progression and install of our stage 2 developments as part of the TOM redesign in adult social care
• Exploring strategies to reduce meeting fatigue

Technology and infrastructure (T&I)

Richard Pacheco, Service Manager Product and Delivery for Corporate Systems

These T&I notes provide a collective update on highlighted activity every two weeks.

Product & Delivery – People Services

General updates

• Attendance at DMT’s to talk through our department roadmap delivery and push for more informed early engagement
• Review of functionality and software available to meet requirements for meeting transcription.
• Escalation management in place to support progression of various systems having supplier issues
• Data migration of historic education records
• Kick off meetings with health partners to discuss the implementation of the national shared care record within our Children’s systems. Enabling the automatic sharing of health information with social care and vice versa.
• Continued upgrade maintenance of Liquidlogic and ContrOCC servers
• Full governance and processes implementation for system development requests
• Started our review of support operation model moving from a reactive service to proactive. Exciting plans to reduce call volumes and increase user digital literacy.
• Continued progress on our Adults’ system redesign with enhancements made to reablement recordings and financial assessment referrals now live.
• Kick off meetings held to discuss enhancements to our digital offer via portals feeding directly into case management systems.
• Currently reviewing the UK supreme court judgement around deprivation of liberty safeguards and how this will impact us locally for systems, data and practice.
• Continued Liquidlogic upgrade roadmap testing ready for go live in August

Key pressures

• Supplier responsiveness and escalation management
• System downtime coordination and infrastructure dependency
• Data accountability within services
• Ongoing operational demand of calls/requests and breaches

Product and Delivery – Corporate

General updates

• Identified best communication channels to support a process change
• Shared ideas with Trafford Council
• Deployed the M365 Accessibility desktop shortcut
• Attended DMTs to run through roadmap projects and operational challenges
• Finalised schedule for Microsoft ride-a-long workshop
• Collaborated with a supplier to outline potential solutions for a current issue
• Updated MFA guidance for staff and service desk
• Progressed Power Platform PoCs to support procurement processes
• Reviewed wireframes on service guidance for PCI DSS compliance
• Specified and reviewed design for a research repository and community list

Product and Delivery – LOB

General updates

• Joint working with procurement on several imminent contracts
• the project management handover activities for CX housing project is being finalised
• Attended supplier account reviews
• Meeting overload – High level of meetings attended

Key pressures

• Stakeholder and resource attendance indicates competing delivery pressure resulting in inconsistent delivery 
• High volume of competing meetings limit capacity for deep dive focus of activity areas

Infrastructure team 

 Service improvement activity

• Started proof-of-concept for Teams based hotdesk booking system
• progressed data cleansing and script development for iTrent / Active Directory integration
• Progressed or completed SSO configuration for TribePad and TRL applications

Maintenance activity

• Upgraded 60 Windows 11 workstations
• Completed four Server 20xx upgrades & started work on a further 9
• Completed the fourth SQL 20xx server upgrade and continued detailed planning on 24 others
• Supported pilot deployment of automated firmware, driver and BIOS updates on DDAT laptops
• Upgraded VMware Tools on over 50 servers
• Decommissioned two of the remaining legacy servers
• Task review completed to support Server 2025 deployment activities
• Refreshed AOVPN certificates

People and Development

• Welcome to Kirtney Litchfield who will join the Infrastructure team at the end of June
• Ran printing and MFD replacement knowledge share sessions to enhance team capabilities and cover

Technical architects 

General updates

• Resolved the long-standing issue around CX Rents integration with Civica Financials
• Completed the setup of the SDES to allow direct data access with HMRC
• Completed implementation of the new online learning portal
• Reviewed automation with new eLearning portal to optimise process capacity
• Built PoC to support data sharing project
• Collaborated with supplier to refine network filters to monitor TLS application usage
• Implemented multiple Enterprise Application SSO entries to support the low-code platform
• Automatic deployment and testing of Private Access client for ZTNA remote access, working well.
• Developed Intune Autopilot Build for use in supporting standard deployments
• Investigated, developed and implemented a new viable deployment approach for VMware Tools upgrades that resolves historical pain points
• Driver / Firmware / BIOS updates deployment completed successfully across DDAT.
• Approach to removing weak authentication methods for MFA agreed and scheduled
• Migration of supplier backup solution to a new servicing model finalised and scheduled

Key pressures

• Testing of housing systems upgrade impacted by performance issues
• Recruitment ongoing to support M365 and Power Platform services
• Poor feedback from services for provided fixes 

Network team updates

Network tool review

Trialling of new logging, analytics and reporting platform successfully completed

Firewalls successfully upgraded and migrated to new management platform

A proof of concept (POC) developed using a GNS lab for an SD-WAN solution, leveraging our existing estate alongside the Azure platform

A review of the current network configuration tool is under way with a longer-term goal of consolidating capability.

Public network refresh

• Switch configurations re-engineered, establishing a standardised and secure baseline template. This aligns with industry best practices to improve consistency, security, and operational efficiency.
• Updated configurations have now been deployed across multiple sites
• Deployment schedule for new installations to be reviewed

MFD print estate refresh

Archana Bhavraju, PMO Analyst

Summary

• Devices have been ordered; deployment planning is underway, with rollout targeted by end of July, subject to timely delivery and minimal delays
• Technical preparation progressing well, including server, networking, and configuration activities with Ricoh
• Focus remains on finalising deployment planning, resource alignment, and scheduling
• Intranet communications are being developed (guidance, FAQs, consumables, usage support), currently under review before handover to Digital for implementation
• Enhanced monitoring processes will be introduced to ensure adherence to Print Policy, focusing on high, low, and colour usage on a defined, case-by-case basis
• Quotes are being obtained for printer labelling
• Scope is limited to replacement of existing printers only; no devices will be removed unless agreed with the relevant service

Risk

Early delays in order placement and pending confirmation of delivery dates have reduced planning certainty; however, with orders now placed, focus is on securing confirmed timelines to support delivery planning.

Impact

Potential delay to deployment schedule and go-live; reduced ability to plan resources and logistics effectively; risk of project overruns.

Mitigation

Deployment planning is already underway to ensure readiness ahead of confirmed delivery dates; ongoing engagement with supplier stakeholders is supporting order confirmation and timeline clarity, while interim planning outputs (from Ricoh Project team) are being leveraged to maintain momentum and minimise any potential downstream impact.