IT Governance Business Case
Enhancing the City's Learning Content
Human Resources
Background
The Human Resources (HR) Department is responsible for developing, interpreting, and administering the personnel program and policies that govern all City employees. This includes recruitment and hiring, employee onboarding and training, benefits administration, performance management, compliance with laws and regulations, and employee relations.
The HR department uses a third-party library of courses to train the new and existing employees. The contract with the current content vendor, Bizlibrary, expires in September 2024. The department is looking for another content provider that would offer a robust, accessible, and useful selection of learning content that can supplement other employee development activities.
Current Business Problem
HR department has the following training content needs:
• The workforce of the City of Durham is diverse, and there is a need for learning content that is inclusive and relevant to this diverse demographic. This includes content that is flexible, current, and suitable for mobile learning.
• There is a need for content that offers more opportunities for professional and personal development, which is crucial for maintaining a competent and motivated workforce.
• The new ERP system is expected to include an LMS component. The new training content must integrate well with both the current and future systems.
• There is a need for learning content that is accessible on mobile devices and available ondemand. This flexibility is essential for accommodating the varied schedules and learning preferences of the employees.
Current Pain Points
• The City of Durham currently uses Cornerstone as their LMS platform with BizLibrary providing the content. However, the content available through Biz Library is perceived as static, stale, and not sufficiently diverse or inclusive. This inadequacy has become increasingly evident and pressing, necessitating a search for more dynamic and relevant content.
• The City faces high turnover rates and dissatisfaction among employees. Improving learning content by making it more engaging and relevant, particularly for the diverse demographic of the workforce, and providing better growth and development opportunities are seen as potential solutions to this problem.
• The training content does not adequately cater to the diverse demographics and roles within the city’s workforce. This includes the operational departments like water management, solid waste, police, and fire, which have specific training needs.
Future State Benefits
• Improved organizational attractiveness to potential employees, positioning the City as a forwardthinking and employee-centric employer by enhancing the learning environment.
• Increased employee engagement and satisfaction by having a more dynamic and inclusive content, leading to increased employee engagement and overall job satisfaction.
• Improved development and growth opportunities via offering more diverse and comprehensive learning options, contributing to career advancement and personal growth.
• Reduced employee turnover by providing more engaging and relevant learning content and enhanced employee satisfaction and retention.
• Enhanced training relevance and effectiveness of a learning content, tailored to specific needs of different departments and roles within the city.
• Mobile and flexible learning to accommodate diverse learning styles and schedules, making training more convenient and effective.
• Alignment with technological upgrades and seamless integration of a learning content with a new ERP / LMS system, ensuring continuity and efficiency.
Strategic Alignment
City of Durham's Strategic Plan Goal:
Goal 4: Innovative and High Performing Organizations
Initiative 4.12: Create employee development opportunities based on current and future needs
Analysis and Recommended Solution
Couse Library Providers Comparison
Feature Bizlibrary OpenSesame LinkedIn Learning Udemy Neogov Franklin Covey Center for Creative Leadership Annual price (1 year commitment) $75,000 n/a $102,700 $79,000 $70,000 $236,000$533,000 $68,000 Annual price (3 year commitment) n/a $94,000 $50,000 (on average) $72,000 n/a n/a $55,000 Annual price (5 year commitment) n/a $75,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a Content focus General General General General Government Leadership Leadership Number of courses 10,000 30,000 21,000 24,000 1,500 TBD 34 (includes 11 workshop kits) Integration with Cornerstone Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes TBD SCORM files upload Integration with Oracle LMS Yes Yes Yes TBD TBD TBD TBD
Recommended Solution: Issue RFP for content library, and fund new content library for integration into LMS
Description
Continue the selection process by initiating a request for proposals (RFP) process to help the HR Department make a more informed and strategic decision, and ultimately purchase new content library for integration into LMS
Pros
• Structured comparison of different providers on a like-for-like basis
• Clarification of needs and objectives by the HR, including specific needs, objectives, and constraints
• Competitive pricing from potential vendors who desire to win a contract
• Transparency and accountability enhancement with clear documentation of requirements, reducing the risk of bias
• Risk mitigation by detailed assessment of vendor capabilities
Cons
• Time-consuming and resource-intensive process that may potentially delay implementation and divert resources from other initiatives
Security Review
The recommended solution meets the cyber security standards for the City of Durham.
Architecture Review
The recommended solution meets the architectural standards for the City of Durham.
Recommended Project Timeline
to procure new provider before current contract expires
• Case approved March 2024
• RFP issued (30 days)
• Proposal evaluated and provider selected (end of April 2024)
• Contract negotiation by end of June 2024
• Contract approved by City Council August 2024
• New solution implemented September 2024
There is a high risk of not meeting project timeline. The mitigation strategy for this risk is embedded in the upfront funding request to have funding availability
Recommended Solution - Project Financial Estimate
COST ESTIMATES ESTIMATED FUNDING Description Implementation Costs (Hours) Post Implementation Run Costs (Hours)/ KTLO Departmental Funding Amount: $0.00 Labor $ (Hours) Internal TS Department: 515 Hours Hours Funding Requested (Y/N): Y Business Analysis 15 hours hours Internal Labor New FTE – Year 1 Costs $0.00 PMO 500 hours hours Project One Time Costs (External) $150,000.00 *Total Estimated Project Funding Requested for Year 1 $150,000.00 Human Resources: Selection Process (3peoplex3proposals) 60 hours hours Recurring Funding $75,000.00 Professional Services for Deployment: Non-Labor $ Course Content Licensing: $150,000.00 $150,000.00 * Total Project Funding Requested Year 1 includes New FTE Labor, External Labor and Non Labor
Risk Identification
Description of Risk Risk Impact (High/Medium/Low) Mitigated (Y/N) Contingency(Y/N) Vendor performance Low N N Cyber Security Low N N Project Team Turnover Low N N Poor Execution Medium Y N
Mitigation Risk (Costs)
• The mitigation strategy is in having the available funding in the event the project timeline isn't met, as the project implementation timeline is very strict. This funding would allow the ability to use the current content provider.
Contingency Risk (Costs)
• N/A
Our ask
We ask the IT Governance Steering Committee to approve the business case for issuing an RFP to procure new learning content.