Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is a forward thinking authority, serving over 320,000 residents in the heart of the West Midlands. To maintain service excellence, the Council launched a critical project to upgrade several core digital systems. These include System C’s Liquidlogic Adults System (LAS), Children’s System (LCS), Early Help Module (EHM), their associated Portals, ContrOCC Web, eMarketplace and Provider Portal.
These systems, vital to the Council’s Social Care operations, had reached end of support status.
The Challenge
The Council’s core Social Care and associated applications had become outdated, running on versions no longer supported by the vendor. This project coincided with other critical initiatives including the implementation of the Shared Care Record and NHS Number Loader. These competing priorities created resource pressures, added complexity and introduced dependencies to meet the go live timeline
What we did
To address these challenges and ensure the successful upgrade of the Council’s Core applications, we implemented a comprehensive plan that included:
- Leading Testing Workstreams: We coordinated the end to end testing of all in scope applications including LAS, LCS, EHM, ContrOCC Web, eMarketplace and the Provider Portal
- Defect Management: We established robust processes for tracking and logging of defects, working collaboratively to identify root causes and implement solutions
- Vendor Collaboration: Worked closely with the vendor to track defects through to resolution, ensuring all issues were addressed and handed over to BAU in a controlled manner
- Streamlined Configuration: Conducted configuration activities to align new functionalities to operational requirements
- Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborated with internal teams and stakeholders to ensure new functionality is fit for purpose
- Automation Testing: Developed Automation Testing scripts with Selenium
The Results
- System C suite of LAS, LCS, EHM and associated Portal applications upgraded to latest versions and in support status
- Upgraded ContrOCC from desktop app to ContrOCC Web
- Automated Testing for LAS, LCS, EHM, Citizen, Delegation & Provider Portal
- Reviewed a range of processes including Section 7, 37 & 47 Processes, Conference, Review, CSE, CME, LAC, Fostering, Adoption and CareAct Processes
- Implemented new functionalities that are available with upgraded applications
- Devised a blue print for use by the service during future upgrades
