{"id":361425,"date":"2020-07-21T15:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/?p=361425"},"modified":"2020-07-24T06:23:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T05:23:44","slug":"fa2-city-of-liege-facilitating-decision-making-in-difficult-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/work-productivity-en\/government-en\/fa2-city-of-liege-facilitating-decision-making-in-difficult-times\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Li\u00e8ge: Facilitating decision making in difficult times"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many organizations, social-distancing measures brought about by COVID-19 have drastically slowed day-to-day operations<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and for some<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>even stopped them altogether. But for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>local\u00a0<\/span><\/span>governments across Europe,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>like the Belgian city of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span><\/span>, slowing down\u00a0<\/span><\/span>hasn\u2019t been<\/span><\/span>\u00a0an option.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From supporting citizens and businesses to protecting\u00a0<\/span><\/span>f<\/span><\/span>rontline workers,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>city\u00a0<\/span><\/span>had to quickly provide stability\u00a0<\/span><\/span>during this crisis\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and ensure important decisions could still be made in a democratic way. Not easy when elected officials can\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0safely meet<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the same room together, but a challenge the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>city<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>swiftly adapted to with a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>secure\u00a0<\/span><\/span>video-conferencing solution.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>When we saw the increasing impact of COVID-19<\/span><\/span>, the regional government made a special decision to allow council\u00a0<\/span><\/span>voting to happen<\/span><\/span>\u00a0over video conference,<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>recalls<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Benoit Joseph, CIO for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span><\/span>\u00a0city. \u201c<\/span><\/span>By law, these meetings always ha<\/span><\/span>d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in person<\/span><\/span>, so it was a big step for our administration.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With remote-working<\/span><\/span>-ready<\/span><\/span>\u00a0tools\u00a0<\/span><\/span>put in place\u00a0<\/span><\/span>by<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the administration\u00a0<\/span><\/span>some years earlier, the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>city<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>already had a trusted and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0secure way to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>continue governing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0without breaking social distancing rules. But with only a small number of councillors\u00a0<\/span><\/span>familiar with<\/span><\/span>\u00a0this way of working, it was up to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Joseph<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and his team to help everyone quickly ad<\/span><\/span>apt<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>make sure legal regulations were met.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone was in a rush to use these tools and get things done,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0which was great<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>but it<\/span><\/span>\u00a0wa<\/span><\/span>s important they<\/span><\/span>\u00a0thought about what data\u00a0<\/span><\/span>they\u00a0<\/span><\/span>were\u00a0<\/span><\/span>sharing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0too<\/span><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Balancing modern and traditional values<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Situated in the southern French-speaking region of Wallonia,\u00a0<\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span>\u00a0is the third biggest city in Belgium with a population of nearly 200,000.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a wide demographic<\/span>\u00a0of cultures and nationalities,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he city values an open and transparent relationship with its citizens<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0running public forums throughout the year and\u00a0<\/span>funding<\/span>\u00a0projects that help support the many\u00a0<\/span>social\u00a0<\/span>events the city is known for.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within the council<\/span>\u00a0walls<\/span>\u00a0however, the city laws keep things more traditional.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy law,\u00a0<\/span>our elected officials<\/span>\u00a0have\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>all\u00a0<\/span>physically meet\u00a0<\/span>at least\u00a0<\/span>ten<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>times a year,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>explains<\/span>\u00a0Joseph. \u201c<\/span>The c<\/span>ouncil\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>decisions\u00a0<\/span>still need<\/span>\u00a0to be signed by hand so we have a paper copy on file, but where we can we\u2019ve gone paperless and are using technology to help\u00a0<\/span>simplify<\/span>\u00a0these processes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Li\u00e8ge<\/span>\u00a0city started\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0digital transformation in 2013 with a move to Microsoft 365<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 initially to implement a centralized email and calendar server for the whole administration, but over the years more tools have been added such as\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft\u00a0<\/span>OneDrive and Microsoft Teams to help council members collaborate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>more<\/span>\u00a0efficiently<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In 2019<\/span>\u00a0we started testing how Teams could help us interact with other sectors, like childcare\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0police<\/span>,\u201d he says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We created groups to\u00a0<\/span>manage ongoing projects and\u00a0<\/span>share updates and information securely<\/span>. This<\/span>\u00a0suited us much better\u00a0<\/span>than email<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0for security<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as you can easily control who can view\u00a0<\/span>and edit\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>se<\/span>\u00a0documents.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy challenge then was encouraging more people to start using Teams, but\u00a0<\/span>then\u00a0<\/span>everything changed \u2013 now everyone\u2019s using it, and it\u2019s my job to make sure they\u2019re doing it safely.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An unprecedented move to video conferencing<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In March 2020, COVID-19 was officially confirmed in Belgium<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and nation<\/span><\/span>al<\/span><\/span>\u00a0social<\/span><\/span>–<\/span><\/span>distancing measures were put in place. An act that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>prompted<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the Wallonia regional government\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>make a historical decision for council\u00a0<\/span><\/span>meetings<\/span><\/span>\u00a0to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>held<\/span><\/span>\u00a0over video conference rather than in person.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCouncil meetings had to always be physical by law, but this special decision meant that for the first time we could do them remotely,\u201d says Joseph.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201cWe were not ready for this, but the technology was<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>so we quickly put a team in place to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>roll out<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Microsoft Teams and offer support where it was needed.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother problem was that some council members still wanted to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>use<\/span><\/span>\u00a0meeting room<\/span><\/span>s<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u201d he adds. \u201cC<\/span><\/span>ity hall did<\/span><\/span>n\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0have the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0right<\/span><\/span>\u00a0hardware to conference with other councillors remotely<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>so<\/span><\/span>\u00a0we<\/span><\/span>\u00a0had to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0work quickly to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>set up a system using personnel computers and headphones combined with the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0audio system<\/span><\/span>\u00a0we had installed already<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0We were in a hurry to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>get<\/span><\/span>\u00a0everything in place\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and i<\/span><\/span>t was a little tricky<\/span><\/span>\u00a0at first,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but\u00a0<\/span><\/span>soon<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>everyone found it quite easy to attend these meetings.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t long<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>before<\/span><\/span>\u00a0all 1,500\u00a0<\/span><\/span>employees<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>across\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span><\/span>\u00a0city had been set-up on Microsoft Teams, ensuring that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>essential meetings<\/span><\/span>\u00a0could still be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>held<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in a secure and regulated manner during the country\u2019s COVID-19 lockdown.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese\u00a0<\/span><\/span>remote\u00a0<\/span><\/span>meetings are not so different to\u00a0<\/span><\/span>our<\/span><\/span>\u00a0physical\u00a0<\/span><\/span>assemblies<\/span><\/span>,\u201d says Joseph. \u201cPeople ask and answer questions, and because you can see who\u2019s speaking the rules of council are still respected.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d previously made sure that Teams met our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>security\u00a0<\/span><\/span>regulations, so councillors could discuss sensitive information and also share their screen to present slides like they would have in person.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>In some ways everything changed<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0but at the same time it stayed exactly the same.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping to rules and regulations<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Like any body of government,\u00a0<\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span>\u00a0city have\u00a0<\/span>to follow strict regulations that ensure decisions are made fairly and democratically.\u00a0<\/span>A practise that\u00a0<\/span>is still respected\u00a0<\/span>since moving to a remote-working environment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was really important we followed the rules from a legal perspective,\u201d explains Joseph. \u201c<\/span>For security, w<\/span>e made it mandatory to log<\/span>–<\/span>in with Microsoft credentials<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0so we knew who was present at any meeting and could also be more restrictive about who is allowed to attend.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe general director had an important part to play in this \u2013 they would be somebody who is not political and above the council, making them responsible to oversee all decision<\/span>\u00a0making. With Teams, they could easily review the meeting minutes and make sure\u00a0<\/span>everything was conducted fairly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We\u2019ve\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>been using Microsoft Forms to hold vot<\/span>es<\/span>\u00a0during the lockdown,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>he adds<\/span>. \u201cWe have to be anonymous to respect regulations, but by using\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft\u00a0<\/span>Forms everyone can\u00a0<\/span>vote in confidence\u00a0<\/span>from home and only the general director\u00a0<\/span>has access to<\/span>\u00a0the results.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Understanding the need for technology<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Looking back over the past few months,\u00a0<\/span>Joseph<\/span>\u00a0can\u2019t imagine going back to life before using Microsoft Teams, and thinks everyone is already seeing the potential these tools can offer the\u00a0<\/span>city\u00a0<\/span>in the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGoing forward, we can use Teams for some of our operational meetings to avoid travelling between different offices across\u00a0<\/span>Li\u00e8ge,\u201d he says. \u201cIt could save an hour easily in travel time, and for people like the general director, it can really make their week more efficient.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0<\/span>also\u00a0<\/span>regularly have meetings with people from\u00a0<\/span>other cities or countr<\/span>ies<\/span>\u00a0like\u00a0<\/span>France and the Netherlands<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>t would be great to have a dedicated room at city hall with hardware set-up to meet\u00a0<\/span>both\u00a0<\/span>physically and remotely<\/span>\u00a0for these important meetings<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 and with colleagues from home as well<\/span>.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While no-one could have predicted the events of COVID-19,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Li\u00e8ge<\/span>\u00a0city\u2019s investment in technology has helped them effectively navigate a challenging time for any local government\u00a0<\/span>\u2013 showing the essential need for CIO\u2019s like\u00a0<\/span>Joseph<\/span>\u00a0to keep organisations always looking towards the future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many organizations, social-distancing measures brought about by COVID-19 have drastically slowed day-to-day operations\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and for some,\u00a0even stopped them altogether. But for\u00a0local\u00a0governments across Europe,\u00a0like the Belgian city of\u00a0Li\u00e8ge, slowing down\u00a0hasn\u2019t been\u00a0an option.\u00a0 From supporting citizens and businesses to protecting\u00a0frontline workers,\u00a0Li\u00e8ge\u00a0city\u00a0had to quickly provide stability\u00a0during this crisis\u00a0and ensure important decisions could still be made in a democratic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":665,"featured_media":361656,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1804,1911],"class_list":["post-361425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-stories-en","category-digital-transformation-en","specials-work-productivity-en","verticalIndustries-government-en","stories-how-can-i-work-anywhere-and-everywhere","stories-working-from-everywhere-en","businessPriorities-modern-workplace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361425"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":361704,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361425\/revisions\/361704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}