In the project, the team will innovate and develop an operating model for dynamic network planning for public organisations. It will be piloted as a part of the networking tasks of the City of Kuopio, and the results will be used across all Finnish municipalities.

What kind of problem is the project trying to solve?

A central challenge in the service network planning is the amount of data produced on the different areas of the service network which are scattered, resulting in the correlation between the various pieces of data being often insufficient and unidentified. The data are difficult to combine and they are published as a static project report. Municipalities make decisions on networks, worth millions of euros, often without a clear big picture of the key performance indicators and their trends. A lacking big picture of the current status of facilities on the one hand and of service needs on the other hand and the lack of decisions on municipal service networks result in an unbearable situation from the perspective of municipal economy.

Objective: Improved transparency and efficiency 

The objective of the experiment is to transform the static, project-like studies of networks into a proactive process and to promote knowledge management and strategic decision-making in the municipal organisation. The dynamic service network planning application provides analysed, versatile information on the status of the service network almost in real time. This improves the transparency of service network preparations and the related decision-making, promotes the care of built property with significant amounts of public capital involved, and improves the efficiency of reviewing the effectiveness of the network from various perspectives. The benefits are visible in the form of better services, the resource-effectiveness of the network, improved availability of facilities and more effective allocation of financial resources. The experimental project aims at creating an operating model that, after having been piloted in Kuopio, can be multiplied and the results utilised in all municipalities in Finland.

What is done in this project?

The experiment includes the technical realisation, testing and piloting of the dynamic network planning application as a part of the network tasks of the City of Kuopio. In addition, a model for knowledge management and collaboration will be created for the continuous development of the service network. The application combines action data and location data by using various combination metrics, enabling quick updates to the situation picture and continuous assessment of the effects. FCG Konsultointi Oy is responsible for the technical realisation of the application. The City of Kuopio is developing a cross-administrative model for knowledge management and collaboration, where the focus areas are the efficiency of processes, operations and practices from the perspective of service providers, facility procurement and strategic land use planning. The experiment includes the assessment of the effectiveness of the model with suggestions for improvement, its implementation and establishment as a permanent operating model as a part of the annual operating plan, resource planning and financial planning of the city.

Expected results

The experiment results in an operating model for knowledge management and a dynamic network planning application that helps to form a situation picture to support decision-making and develop the strategic planning of service areas within different time windows.

Who benefits?

The experiment primarily benefits the actors responsible for service network planning within the service area of growth and learning, at the city facility centre Tilakeskus and in urban planning services. Going forward, the results will also benefit other incumbents, political decision makers and elected officials and, thanks to the transparency of the service network data, the residents of the municipality.