*** Please note – the document below was created as part of a purely theoretical exercise. It’s contents do not reflect any known practices of the Gold Coast City Council ***
A Strategic Information Management Plan for the Gold Coast City Council
Authored by Wyatt Shev
Executive Summary
This report focuses on the information management practices of the Gold Coast City Council, one of Australia’s largest regional councils. The seven stage information audit process developed by Henczel has been employed within this report. The Council Information Audit proposed by the author has been used as the basis for a Council Information Management Strategy, intended to enhance the Council’s existing information management practices. It is the author’s conclusion that these existing practices prove the capability of the Council’s information management systems. However, there are some possible alterations that can be made to said practices to ensure the Council continues to meets its self-imposed standards.
The author does not represent the Gold Coast City Council in any way. Analysis and evaluation within this report is based upon information made available to the general public.
1. Introduction
The Gold Coast City Council administers one of the largest local council regions in Australia. It serves as an agency devoted to the needs of the community and ongoing community development as well as a regulatory body for Gold Coast businesses and industry.
This report consists of three separate components. It contains a contextual overview of the Gold Coast City Council, including the Council’s general background and history, its organisational principles, goals and key areas of focus and its information collection and management policies. The report also contains an information audit and suggestions for an information management strategy to be implemented in the future. Henczel (2001) defines information auditing as a process that determines an information environment via the identification of an organisation’s information needs. Accordingly, the audit system advocated by Henczel has been employed in this report. Henczel’s system is divided into seven stages, which encompass:
- Planning
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis
- Data Evaluation
- Communicating Recommendations
- Implementing Recommendations
- The Information Audit as a Continuum
The Planning and Data Collection stages are addressed in Section 2, Gold Coast City Council Overview. The Data Analysis and Data Evaluation stages are examined in Section 3, Council Information Audit. The Communicating Recommendations, Implementing Recommendations and the Information Audit as a Continuum stages are explored in Section 4, Council Information Management Strategy.
All data contained within this report has been sourced from documents the Gold Coast City Council has made available to the public.
All data contained within this report has been sourced from documents the Gold Coast City Council has made available to the public.
- Gold Coast City Council Overview
2.1 General Background
The Gold Coast City Council governs a rapidly expanding population of over 500,000 residents. The most populous non-capital city in Australia, the Gold Coast is the second largest city in the state of Queensland. It is considered one of the nation’s most popular tourist destinations – boasting over 12 million visitors per year (GCCC, 2013) – and is home to a number of high-profile sporting events, theme parks and an international airport. The Gold Coast recently won a bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Gold Coast City Council administers a region spreading from the Albert River to the border between Queensland and New South Wales, employing more than 3,200 ongoing staff (GCCC, 2013). First established in 1948, the Council has existed in its present incarnation since 1995 (Wikipedia, 2013).
2.2 Organisational Principles
The Gold Coast City Council adheres a number of organisational principles, defined in the Council’s 2009-2014 Corporate Plan (GCCC, 2009, p. 5). These principles are summarised in the table below:
Principle |
Definition |
Responsible Decision Making |
The Council aims to promote “balanced and transparent decisions” centering on community engagement and affordability. These decisions are to be continually evaluated via “adaptive management” techniques. |
Responsible Leadership |
The Council supports “responsible and visionary leadership” in order to govern the City with “equity, clarity and determination.” |
Collaborative Approach |
The Council aims to “empower citizens with a shared sense of responsibility” for the City’s governance. |
Environment |
It is the Council’s intention to protect the “intrinsic value” of the Gold Coast’s natural environment. |
People and Economy |
The Council promotes a long-term approach to fostering “economic security” and “social wellbeing”. |
Table 1: GCCC Organisational Principles
2.3 Council Goals and Areas of Focus
The Gold Coast City Council’s 2009-2014 Corporate Plan (GCCC, 2009, p. 9) outlines six key focus areas. These constitute the ongoing goals of the Council, justifying its operations. The Council aims to realise these goals via “corporate governance, organisational capability and customer contact” (GCCC, 2009, p. 9).
These developmental goals, as defined by the Corporate Plan, are:
- A city leading by example
- A city loved for its green, gold and blue
- A safe city where everyone belongs
- A city with a thriving economy
- A city shaped by clever design
2.4 Information Collection and Management Policies
The Gold Coast City Council collects information on residents and employees in order to “ensure that Council business is conducted efficiently and effectively” (GCCC, 2010, p. 3). It retrieves information relevant to Council operations through published and unpublished documents, including surveys, property records, historical records, monographs, journals, technical literature and data collections. All collected information is stored and disseminated in accordance with the Information Privacy Act. As such, data “must be associated with the appropriate metadata summarising its characteristics” (GCCC, 2010, p. 2).
The collection and management of information integral to the Council’s operations is primarily accomplished via electronic means. However, due to the diversity of the Council’s information holdings, this condition cannot always be met. The Council’s information holdings include:
- Drawings
- Cartographic data
- Internet content
- Photos
- Database Catalogues
Information collected by the Gold Coast City Council is generally accessible to Council employees and the public alike. The Council’s information assets “must be maintained and made available to Councillors, staff, management, residents of the city and the wider community” (GCCC, 2010, p. 1). Certain sensitive information is restricted to Council employees with appropriate clearance.
2.5 Responsibility for Collected Information
All Councillors and Council staff are deemed responsible for the information collected and disseminated by the Gold Coast City Council. Some Council members, however, have a higher degree of responsibility. These include:
- The Executive Coordinator of Information Communications Technology
- The Director of Organisational Services
- The Chief Information Officer
- Council Information Audit
The Gold Coast City Council’s Corporate Plan (2009-2014) does not grant any specific importance to any of the key focus areas listed in Section 2.3. Each focus area contributes to an overarching target defined as the Triple Bottom Line (GCCC, 2009, p. 8), an ongoing development plan that considers the environmental, social and economic impact of the Council’s decisions on the overall sustainability of the city. There is no universal standard for the measurement of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) system. This can be a positive, however, as Councillors are able to “adapt the general framework to the needs of different entities” (Slaper & Hall, 2011, p. 4) such as various corporate, social and infrastructure-based programs. In light of the Council’s utilisation of the TBL system, the Council Information Audit and Council Information Management Strategy components of this report will focus on what the author has defined as the broad and generalised information needs of the Gold Coast City Council.
3.1 Perceived Information Needs
To ensure the sustainability of the city, the Gold Coast City Council needs to satisfy a number of basic objectives pertaining to the needs of the general public, the business community and the ongoing development and maintenance of public and corporate infrastructure. In order to meet these objectives the Council must identify a number of basic information needs. The table below outlines these information needs as perceived by the author:
Information Need |
Purpose |
Statistical Data (Community / Financial) |
Used to chart and calculate expected population growth, unemployment levels, median age etc. Also used to calculate budgets, gross regional profit and economic trends |
Environmental Research |
Used to facilitate sensible environmental practices and measure the environmental impact of the Council’s decisions |
Market Research (Business) |
Used to track employment by location, industry and sector. Also used to formulate corporate policy in conjunction with Future Forecasting |
Stakeholder Input |
Used to facilitate communications between the Council and the community and local industry. Can also be used to as a means of evaluation and improvement of the Council’s services |
Roads & Transportation Research |
Used to facilitate road maintenance and ongoing maintenance and development of public transport systems. Also used to plan future roadworks and public transport programs in conjunction with Future Forecasting |
Future Forecasting |
Used to enable long-term planning on sustainability issues relating to the City and the Council. These encompass the local economy, social programs and obligations and environmental concerns |
Performance Reports |
Used to evaluate the Council’s services in conjunction with Stakeholder Input results. Will determine if the TBL standards are being met |
Educational Materials |
Used to measure the effectiveness of education systems under the Council’s governance in conjunction with Statistical Data. Also used to formulate new academic programs and services |
Promotional Materials |
Used to promote the various social services offered by the Council to businesses and the general public |
Table 2: GCCC Perceived Information Needs
3.2 Capability Evaluation
The Gold Coast City Council website provides a wealth of information on the organisational aspects of the Council and the region it represents. This majority of this information is made available to the general public. Data featured on the website includes various budgets, plans and reports, building and planning documents, environmental documents, community profiles, a full list of the council’s services (including online services) and promotional materials concerning the city’s various attractions. The methods by which the Council gathers, utilises and disseminates information are clearly presented, particularly through the Council Corporate Plan (2009-2014) and its Information Management and Information Policy document, both downloadable via the website.
An evaluation on the Council’s capability to meet its information needs has been made. Each information need has been assigned a rating according to a one to four star classification system, dependent on the relevance and accessibility of said information and whether it is relatable to the Council website’s defined audience (i.e. the general public). A rationale for each classification / rating has also been made.
The table below outlines these ratings and rationalisations:
Information Need |
Rating |
Rationale |
Statistical Data (Community / Financial) |
éééé |
The GCCC website and its various downloadable documents provide ample access to annual budgets and reports and detailed information regarding population levels and employment via the Gold Coast City Community Profile |
Environmental Research |
éééé |
The GCCC website contains extensive information concerning environmental action and education, environmental planning, sustainable living, waste and recycling and the protection of landscapes and wildlife |
Market Research (Business) |
ééé |
There is sufficient evidence to support GCCC’s capabilities to capture and store data regarding business development and practices, as seen in economic development policies relating to investments, business initiatives, research and statistics and the tourism industry |
Stakeholder Input |
éé |
There is limited evidence to suggest that the GCCC liaises with the community to develop means of evaluating and improving Council services. The website facilitates access to a range of community services but there are no online surveys regarding Council performance in place |
Roads & Transportation Research |
ééé |
The GCCC website contains limited information on road infrastructure and major projects. However, there is sufficient evidence to suggest the GCCC directs an appropriate degree of attention to matters concerning public transport |
Future Forecasting |
ééé |
There is sufficient evidence to suggest that the GCCC has planned for the future sustainability of the city, as seen in the detailed Gold Coast Planning Scheme |
Performance Reports |
éééé |
The website provides easy access to annual reports, city budgets, corporate performance reports and the Corporate Plan. This suggests detailed research into this information need |
Educational Materials |
éé |
The GCCC website contains a limited number of resources concerning education and educational resources. This suggests a lack of focus on this particular information need |
Promotional Materials |
éééé |
The GCCC website contains extensive information concerning its available social services, including various registration forms, permits, licenses and facilities |
Table 3: Evaluation of GCCC’s capability to satisfy individual information needs
3.3 Valuation
To effectively realise each of the perceived information needs the Gold Coast City Council needs to utilise a number of resources, primarily sourced from taxpayer funds. In order to balance each year’s Budget, the Council must analyse its information management overheads against possible returns towards its defined Total Bottom Line goals. In order to effect this, the author has assigned cost / impact levels (high, medium and low) to each information need. ‘Cost’ refers to the initial and ongoing investment outlaid by the Council, and can refer to multiple resources (i.e. taxpayer funds, manpower). ‘Impact’ indicates the overall importance of satisfying the information need for the Council.
The table below outlines the author’s interpretation of these possible cost and impact levels, along with a rationale for each assumption:
Information Need |
Cost / Impact |
Rationale |
Statistical Data (Community / Financial) |
Low Cost
High Impact |
The GCCC already has established measures set in place for collecting various forms of statistical data. The cost of maintaining these measures should be minimal. The impact of this information need is ‘high’ because the Council would not be able to operate successfully without access to such data |
Environmental Research |
High Cost
High Impact |
Environmental research can prove costly and involves a large number of permanent and semi-permanent staff, including water management experts, ecological restoration experts, landcare facilitators and various planning coordinators |
Market Research (Business) |
Low Cost
High Impact |
The GCCC already has close ties to prominent business leaders and captains of industry, largely negating the cost factor. The importance of satisfying this information need is paramount to the ongoing success of the GCCC’s corporate objectives |
Stakeholder Input |
Low Cost
Low Impact |
Engaging with the community can be considered a low cost endeavour. The GCCC already has a number of community liaisons in place. As seen in Table 3 the GCCC does not rely on stakeholder input in its day-to-day operations |
Roads & Transportation Research |
High Cost
High Impact |
Maintenance and planning in regards to roads and public transportation is generally an expensive proposition. In order to ensure the city has room to expand the research of this information need will require special focus |
Future Forecasting |
Medium Cost
Medium Impact |
The GCCC has a number of programs in place dedicated to exploring future avenues and options for the city. The cost of maintaining of these programs will likely increase (in terms of finances and manpower) as the city continues to grow. It is difficult to determine the impact of this information need without resorting to pure speculation |
Performance Reports |
Medium Cost
High Impact |
The generation of Performance Reports requires dedicated staff and planning. As an evaluatory measure, this information need is of the utmost importance to the GCCC |
Educational Materials |
Medium Cost
High Impact |
The generation of educational materials and services requires permanent staff and ongoing planning. Without access to sufficient educational materials future generations may be unprepared for the challenges associated with governing the city |
Promotional Materials |
High Cost
High Impact |
In order to properly advertise the city’s many attractions the GCCC needs to expend a great deal of resources to aid in the production of tourism campaigns. Historically, the GCCC has diverted a significant portion of its budget to such endeavours, as tourism can be considered the city’s primary industry |
Table 4: Cost / impact assumptions for each perceived information need
- Council Information Management Strategy
Through the use of Henczel’s audit system, in which relevant data has been collected, analysed and evaluated, this report has concluded that the Gold Coast City Council has established a capable if occasionally limited information management system. As such, the Council Information Management Strategy proposed here focuses primarily on increasing the scope and potency of the Council’s current IM practices. To best facilitate this goal, the three core components of the proposed Information Management Strategy are outlined and addressed below.
4.1 Council-wide Assessment
The audit enacted in Section 3 of this report has only partially addressed the Gold Coast City Council’s information management practices. What’s more, the author, not employed by the Council in any capacity, does not have access to the inner workings of the Council’s information management systems. Audit results were produced solely from data made available to the general public.
In order to completely assess the capabilities of the Council’s IM systems, an internal Council audit must be initiated. This could prove a lengthy and expensive process, one that will require a reasonable allocation of funds from the Council’s yearly budget and the hiring of new, or repurposing of existing staff. However, the benefits of such an audit should be worth the expenditure of resources, as the Council will have a ‘yardstick’ from which to gauge the effectiveness of its current IM practices in addition to the feasibility of similar programs in the future.
A central facet of the audit should be a ‘Recommendations’ section, where the information management strategies most in need of improvement can be highlighted. As seen in the Capability Evaluation in Section 3.2, strategies associated with the defined information needs of stakeholder input in Council operations and the production of educational materials are in need of an analytical overhaul.
4.2 Revision of existing Information Management and Information Privacy Policy
The Council’s existing IM policy was written in 2010 and will soon be four years old. It is also very short and does not take into account several of the information needs defined in Section 3.1. It is the author’s suggestion that the Council revise or even rewrite the policy, with special emphasis on developing technologies that may be utilised to better satisfy these information needs. The revised policy could be used as a ‘blueprint’ for the internal Council IM audit proposed in Section 4.1.
4.3 Ongoing IM Monitoring & Evaluation
With the completion of the internal Council IM audit and the revision of the Information Management and Information Privacy Policy, a system dedicated to periodical monitoring and evaluation of the Council’s IM strategies should be put into place. Such a system, if successful, could replace the need for any further internal information management audits in the future.
- Conclusion
This report has examined the structure and information management strategies of the Gold Coast City Council. An external information audit was enacted, defining the Council’s information needs (as perceived by the author) and identifying strengths and weaknesses relating to the strategies employed to meet these needs. In addition to this, an information management strategy was proposed. This strategy focused on recommendations for strengthening the Council’s existing information management practices.
It is the author’s conclusion that the current information management practices employed by the Council are at acceptable and capable levels. However, there are some possible improvements that should be addressed if the Council wishes to continue to meet the self-imposed standards of its Triple Bottom Line system.
- References
Gold Coast City Council. (2013). City of Gold Coast – council overview. Retrieved October 14, 2013 from http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/council/council-overview-203.html
Gold Coast City Council. (2013). City of Gold Coast – the Gold Coast. Retrieved October 14, 2013 from http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/thegoldcoast/default.html
Gold Coast City Council. (2010). Information Management and Information Privacy Policy. Retrieved from http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/documents/information-management-information-privacy-policy.pdf
Gold Coast City Council. (2009). Gold Coast City Council Corporate Plan 2009-2014. Retrieved from http://www.boldfuture.com.au/pdf/Corporate%20Plan/Corporate-Plan-2009-2014.pdf
Henczel, Susan. (2011). The information audit as a first step towards effective knowledge management. Information Outlook, 5(6), 48-62. doi: 10.1515/9783110955071.91
Slaper, T. & Hall, T. (2011). The triple bottom line: What is it and how does it work? Indiana Business Review, 86(1), 4-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au
Wikipedia. (2013). Gold Coast city. Retrieved October 16, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Coast_City