Stage 4
Strategy & plan

Description of lifecycle stage

The objective of this stage is to ensure that the proposed system aligns with existing strategy goals and to maximise the potential of the proposed system deliver improvements and/or develop strategies.

Technology-driven solutions or services often have the potential to deliver transformative changes. It is therefore important to identify the impact of the proposals on the wider objectives of a specific department or the Authority as a whole. This includes an understanding of the impact external organisation(s), such as suppliers, and internal resources has on the overall process.

Considerations for Stage 4

• Identify and evaluate the transformation delivered by the proposals. Update and expand the initial high-level understanding of the existing systems and operations developed in Stage 1, to encompass the full scope of change delivered and required.
• Define a high-level view of how the systems and services should operate following the delivery of the project, to support the specification of the desired system. It is important for this specification to be defining the boundary of the service and interfaces of existing system and services that are to be retained.  The use-case guides will be a reference guide for this activity, but it is important to think through the information and data flows specific to your Authority
• Consider where the transformation of the service will have knock on effects within the Authority, and additional change management activity may be required to deliver the full benefits
• Engage with the project board and others within the Authority to confirm that the necessary policies are in place, thinking about data governance, security, operational organisation.