A new service which aims to reduce duplication and inefficiency in benefits payments processes across the public sector has successfully issued its first payroll.
The system, operated by the Scottish Government’s digital services division, processed the payroll on behalf of Independent Living Fund (ILF) – a body that helps disabled people to live independently.
The Digital Directorate, which provides centralised IT services for government, said that while the development is “a cause for celebration” – it is only the “tip of the iceberg of things to do” before becoming a fully-fledged operational system.
The service is currently in its beta phase – meaning the software development team is still identifying and ironing out teething issues before launching.
In a new blog post, Alasdair Murray, business analyst, Cloud And Digital Services Division, said that processing the single payment during this period presented an opportunity to make improvements to the service based on ILF’s feedback and experience.
He said: “As a team, we couldn’t have asked for a better partner in ILF. From the beginning, ILF has been engaging and enthusiastic and they readily give their time and input.
“Soon after we made our first successful payment, we initiated a lessons-learned session with ILF. We invited them to give feedback based on their experience of making their first payment.
“From this session, our team gained hugely useful insight to inform what we would need to do next. We were able to categorise these insights into five broad themes.”
The themes are:
Communication: make sure the right stakeholders are involved at the right time
Decision making: define what go/no go and governance processes look like, and employ them to instil confidence in the service
Testing: ensure there is plenty of time to test and learn, and give time for a partner to familiarise themselves with the service
Design: design intuitively and clearly, and explain Digital First Service Standards and how they’re used to partners
Momentum: defining what happens next and having a robust, clear plan
Murray added: “We got a lot of insight from the session and now we’re taking the time to make sure we absorb these lessons and synthesise them into meaningful next steps.”
Nadeem Hanif, head of finance for ILF, said: ”To be able to directly influence the platform and ensure our views and opinions were heard was important for us, especially as we are a relatively small public body.
“ILF and all the stakeholders have worked well together and it’s testament to the fact that we were the first body to make live payments using this new payments platform, a monumental achievement and one we are incredibly proud of.”
The Digital Directorate is now drawing up a road map of upgrades and improvements as it moves towards launch.
The team is also looking to partner with more organisations, who are keen to improve how they pay their customers, in order to “co-design the best Payments Service possible.”
For more information contact SGPaymentService@gov.scot
Related posts
Interviews
Comment
We need to shout about our successes. Liz Fletcher on celebrating women in biotech
Throughout my career in biotechnology and life sciences, I have seen many women leading ground-breaking research studies in their fields of expertise. Yet, and I include myself in this, we…
Getting the best out of patient data is key to unlocking future health benefits in Scotland
It is important that clinicians’ voices are heard in the consultation around Scotland’s new health and care data strategy, which closes this week (12 August). Busy GPs like myself are the trusted…
How motherhood helped me be a better leader
Consider this an open letter to anyone I have worked with before I became a mother and before I fully understood how being a parent is actually a prized asset…
‘We cannot achieve our goals without entrepreneurs’ – Kate Forbes on vision for new ‘tech scaler’ network
From the very start of my ministerial career, I have had responsibility for the Scottish tech sector – and I can still say what I have said from the start,…
Finding a role in cyber was ‘tough’ for Cheryl Torano. Now she’s determined to help other women join an under-represented industry
When I decided to upskill to change careers at the age of 30 and dive into the digital world, I knew I would be starting out at the bottom of…
Why innovation and marketing are the perfect partners to make changes that matter
With the rapid evolution of traditional marketing and the appearance of digital marketing, technology and innovation has become part of any marketer’s life without the need of working for a…
Transitioning to a four-day week – CEO’s vow to strike a healthier balance in the workplace
I came to Scotland nearly 20 years ago from Ireland, with no contacts but a lot of determination. While Ireland will always be my home, Scotland has given me amazing…
Women Lead: The female-led company championing intuitive working
Over the last two years, the pandemic forced a shift to more remote and flexible working practices. Whilst we might be seeing a “return to normal”, some companies are choosing…