The Key Objectives
By April 2003 the Local Authorities and County
Councils had to meet the stringent objectives of the SP Phase 1
initiative. Whilst the initiative impacts a large number of business processes
and departments, this needed to be accomplished within a tight schedule and
even tighter budgets. The requirement here was for the Commissioning
Bodies to:
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Utilise existing business processes and functionality
where possible.
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Keep it simple - do not over engineer the solution.
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Evaluate the actual data that is required and needed
for management and reporting within the SP framework.
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Take a step-by-step approach - the SP
initiative was introduced in 2001and will continue to evolve as it is
developed.
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What does the LINKS SP Manager bring you?
The LINKS SP Manager is a component-based system that
enables each individual organisation to choose the precise nature of the tools
required. Its primary function is to help administer and manage the SP program,
enabling different users from various departments to readily access and report
on the information held.
Fully
Functional Security and Administration tools
- user and application security is generic and
readily configurable to enable specific access in line with the authority's
standards.
Hierarchical
structure
- so that the information can be readily accessed and utilised, the
data is structured within views that offer the consolidation of key financials
and statistics. For instance, the actual costs for a particular service and its
utilisation. These costs can be shown at each level with the most having
the consolidated figures.
Contract and SLA Management
- determining which contracts are in place, their nature and activation will be
critical to structuring the actual payments.
Payments Schedules -
these will be based on the actual contract - it will detail the exact payment,
date and the entity to which the monies will be paid.
Finance Management -
Any payments or instructions will need to be agreed and audited especially in
ensuring that these are within budget and department limits.
Budgeting and "What-if analysis"
- with new clients and providers being accepted, the respective funding will
have to be managed within the context of the existing commitments. The "what-if
analysis" provides a multi-user facility that enables different schemes to be
evaluated before being promoted.
Performance Monitoring
- the efficiency and effectiveness of schemes will need
to be monitored with specific benchmarks. As the requirements are clearer and
benchmarks finalised, this tool with be further developed.
Audit Trail and Contact Management
- the ability to modify and alter information will be
restricted to the user rights. However, when a change is made the user can be
requested to log the reason for the change prior to the change being accepted.
Ready Integration to LINKS Components
- ILLY has a large number of pre-built software components that are geared
towards the smooth integration of the business processing whilst reducing
costs.
Please see individual 
overviews for further details on features, functionality and benefits of each.
