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EPT Notes

The review addressed improving EPT's existing systems and processes to support developing long-term relationships with prisoners rather than only offering grants. EPT's current database operating system has been extended over 14 years with no documentation and integration issues. The recommendations are to grow services through a new business plan as the current system cannot scale. A preferred option is to redesign and rebuild the database in two phases to replace the critical system quickly and improve reporting. The benefits are selecting an option to minimize risks, incorporating spreadsheets and absorbing older data, and using external resources to build a new system to meet current and future needs cost-effectively.

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73 views2 pages

EPT Notes

The review addressed improving EPT's existing systems and processes to support developing long-term relationships with prisoners rather than only offering grants. EPT's current database operating system has been extended over 14 years with no documentation and integration issues. The recommendations are to grow services through a new business plan as the current system cannot scale. A preferred option is to redesign and rebuild the database in two phases to replace the critical system quickly and improve reporting. The benefits are selecting an option to minimize risks, incorporating spreadsheets and absorbing older data, and using external resources to build a new system to meet current and future needs cost-effectively.

Uploaded by

James
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Q1: The main issues the review addressed are:

 Analyze EPT’s existing systems and processes and recommend improvement across data, processes
and systems. EPT wanted to move from primarily offering grant-based transactions to developing
long-term relationships with prisoners. ETP was highly reliant on its existing systems to support its
processes.
 BearingPoint developed an innovative information model with EPT which showed the key data areas
(such as prisoners and prisons, courses and providers, funders) and their relationships.
 EPT’s Awards Database operating system has been progressively extended/changed (in MS Access)
over the last 14 years, with no technical/design documentation, little integration across the database,
contacts, finance systems, concerns about data quality, with lack of performance and business
functionality.
 No scalability/performance issues with the underlying technologies used by the systems. The total
number of users for all the systems is 10, with typically a maximum of four concurrent users of any
point in time. These numbers are not envisaged to increase dramatically over the next few years.

Q2: The main recommendations of the strategy are:

 EPT’s strategy was to grow the scale and breadth of its services through a new 3-year business plan as
the current existing system and processes seem to not meet the requirement scalable for growth.
 A set of options for improving the systems were assessed a preferred option selected based on
minimising business risks. The proposed implementation roadmap would enable EPT to replace its key
mission critical system quickly. Phase 1: Re-design & Rebuild Database would take a total of 50 days,
from which it would be followed up by Phase2: Build Data & Reports.
 Systems also need a more robust and efficient internal and external reporting mechanism – currently
this involves a lot of manual merging of data from various sources hence reporting processes were
seen as ‘fragile’. Need for improved support for manual workflow processes, such as triggers and
alerts based on events/rules (e.g. reminders on when surveys need to be sent out). The systems must
be easy and cost-effective to maintain and use.
 In future, there is a need for better structured data which is more prisoner-centric rather than grant-
centric. Needs to provide additional data support for new EPT services and retain historical
information in the database for reporting on prisoner outcomes. Map out a set of improvements to
support its existing work and ‘future proof’ the systems.

Q3: The benefits of implementing this strategy are:

 A preferred set of options for improving the systems has been selected based on minimising business
risks. The project assessed 3 alternative ways of improving EPT’s Award Database:
1) Expand/extend capabilities of current system. Involves: Above Average Complexity, High Risk and
Above Average Total Cost
2) Re-design and re-build system. Involves: Medium Complexity, Below Average Risk, Average Total
Cost.
3) Acquire new off-the-shelf system and modify to meet specific needs. Involves: Below Average
Complexity, Medium Risk, Average Total Cost.
 The recommended solution was a new EPT ‘Learning Services’ database developed in MS Access
alongside Contacts Systems for donors and Finance System. The older prison contacts database would
be absorbed into the new system. it would also incorporate data currently supported in many
spreadsheets.
 Development effort could be reduced by re-using components from the existing solution where
appropriate. It would share data with contact data and finance data stored in other systems through
simplified processes to copy data between the systems.
 MS Access would satisfy EPT’s current and future requirements and should be the most cost effective
option (lowest Total Cost of Ownership) given that it is already part of the technology infrastructure.
Other technologies would not only involve additional license costs, but also require re-training of staff
and would not provide any additional benefits compared to MS Access.
 External experienced development resources should be used to build the new system and migrate the
data. Ideally this should also include a longer term support contract.
 This approach will enable EPT to meet current and future needs in a way which it can support
internally to manage costs if necessary.

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