ORIGINS Case Study
The National Fire & Rescue Service’s need was to move their operational guidance from a jumble of unstructured documents both into a structured format and also – through an API – to be adaptable to each of the UK’s 50 Regional & Local FRSs.
You can see the result here: www.ukfrs.com and a press release here.
Our solution
We created a solution that:
- Provided a hugely-improved user experience leading to an increased appetite for/uptake of the guidelines
- Reduced the time spent consuming data/information to allow training/learning time to be spent more effectively
- Incorporated a variety of interactive features allowing staff to keep more easily up-to-date with content updates
- Provided fully-auditable document trails to see users’ bespoke version histories (e.g. for legal reasons)
- Had a much-improved visualisation of any data changes
- Improved collaboration around policy, procedure, training and the cohesion of working practices
- Enhanced their content management capacity by providing Administrator screens reporting on inconsistencies/gaps within the data
Key components of the system included:
- Web platform: the key open-source system which hosted all the functionality & the guidance database
- Guidance database: all the guidance stored as abstracted pieces of content / content sub-components
- Guidance content management: tools to enable guidance content to be added, amended & deleted. Guidance version history: a trail of changes made to individual pieces of content with a ‘side-by-side’ compare function. This works both at a ‘document’ level (i.e. the combination of multiple sub-components) & at a ‘sub-component’ level. The derivation of the correct version history in each case was particularly complex due to the nexus of:
- multiple ‘sub-components’
- their automated combination in multiple places across ‘documents’
- their linkages with additional ‘related’ content types
- Wide range of permissible content types. For example:
- Standards: National Occupational Standards
- Training manuals: ‘Foundation Knowledge’
- Operational lists: ‘Scenarios’
- ‘Brochure’ type content
- ‘Articles’
Key functionality included:
- Toggling: there are complex relationships between certain content types (e.g. guidance & training specifications). This functionality automatically matches up these content types allowing users to toggle between them in a structured way.
- Alerts: email alerts on users’ bookmarks. Users can prioritise (high / medium / low) these to only see alerts of a certain priority.
- Advanced search: facetted in multiple dimensions (e.g. type of content / role / theme)
- Lists/views of recently updated content: an automated change log of ‘what’s new’
- User registration: the ability for users to be able to register with the National NOG system
- Bookmarking: the ability for users to be able to bookmark pieces of content and receive email alerts when bookmarked content changed
- Feedback: the ability for users to be able to provide feedback comments on pieces of content
- Newsletter & Campaign Monitor integration: integration with specialist bulk email software to monitor the results (open rates etc.) of mail-outs to Local FRSs & the Public
- Print template functionality
- Aggregated printing: allowing users to print their search results or bookmarks list via a single, bespoke aggregated PDF
- Social media ‘AddThis’ functionality
Key additional functionality now being built includes:
- Database copy / synchronisation: real-time content & content structure synchronisation between the National FRS & Local FRSs via an API
- Workflow: sign-off & commenting functionality facilitating Local FRS acceptance of a change
- Custom fields: to enhance / augment the National content with Local specificities
- Strategic gap analysis tool: allowing Local FRSs to measure & track whether or not they have implemented the National guidance stipulations
- ‘In consultation’ document status: a set of guidance/training pages, marked as ‘draft’ and removed from search results, but available to specific individuals to form a consultation around the proposed new content
- Reporting:
- Technical reporting to enable Development Managers to manage the platform (e.g. to see which of the 50 Local FRSs have / have not implemented the latest guidance)
- Dashboard reporting on Local guidance/users for each FRS
- Product packs: operational notes for Local content relating to Local equipment (etc.)
- Archive: historic materials that are accessible via a separate filter/search
- Events: calendars and diaries functionality
Client comment
“Panlogic’s Agile process has been fully responsive to our needs. Clear and rigorous planning followed a Discovery process with key stakeholders and audiences. The creative and technical build sprints were user tested and iterated during development (and so follow GDS Service Manual guidelines). We have enjoyed working with Panlogic, their team has been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to our continuing engagement as we move through Phase 2 to Phase 3.”
Project Manager, National Operational Guidance Programme
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