3.32 — weeknotes — sober for October!

Well this week really did appear to mark the end of the Summer! October already and the heating is on (just and only for a very little bit) and the shorts have been hung up!

A really hectic week this week, but trying to balance work and getting to the gym, managed to go four times this week, to the gym I mean not work.

We kicked off the week with a Internet of Things workshop with Vodafone, was really good to hear what they are doing and get colleagues thinking about the art of the possible on some of this technology. We have done this with a number of suppliers now and starting to pull a more formal workstream together on our smart place work.

Monday afternoon was the September edition of our Design Authority where we went through a number of new ideas of projects and programmes across the council. We had some really good ideas coming forwards and took the opportunity on a number of them to combine and merge with other workstreams. Starting to think about the next steps with the group to move the programme along.

Tuesday was the Socitm Board meeting where we went through the latest position with a variety of elements and planning for next year. As always there is a lot to think about and a lot going on. But a great meeting and lots in store over the next 12 months.

For the rest of the week there was a real focus on the transformation programme across the council in terms of savings. A number of activities needed to ensure that we finalise the Medium Term Financial Strategy and ensure that savings against each of the projects are being fed into the work planning. So lots of focussed activity at the end of the week to pull all this information together, to be challenged about it and to ensure that across the Digital Strategy it is consistent and we are not double counting.

Because of the focus on the programmes at the end of the week I was unable to make the OneTeamGov meet up — hoping that I will be able to go next month.

Finally, always seems a good idea at the time to do this and now October is here!!! I am going sober for October as part of the MacMillan Cancer Support sober October.

If you fancy donating: https://www.gosober.org.uk/users/mark-lumley

Tune of the week: Abba — Money, Money, Money (Official Music Video)