Technology Transformation Program

What is it

It's a multi-year, multi-project initiative to overhaul and modernize software systems. This will build a technology foundation that will help staff meet and exceed the demands for information and online services, while improving the organization's business processes and operational efficiency.

• This is an essential program to modernize the District’s business and technology systems.
• In addition to the new finance system already implemented, the full transformation will include:
  • Replacement of all accounts receivable, taxation and utility billing, municipal ticketing and licensing and the point of sale system;  
  • Recreation management software (including how citizens will book programs);
  • Land management systems;
  • Asset and work order management system.
• With the digital backbone in place, the program will further expand the District’s web and mobile-friendly services to include activities such as online account services, reporting a problem (i.e. potholes or graffiti) and renewing dog licences.   
• The program continues to move forward and gain traction. Each new milestone gains operational efficiencies which helps to propel the organization forward and improve service to the community. 

Latest News

September 2022

• ‘Taxes & Utilities’ billing functionality is currently being implemented on the District’s new Tempest platform with a soft launch planned this fall. This is a major milestone as the District gets closer to retiring the aging, end-of-life Finance system, and moves toward launching more online services in 2023.
  
  
• Implementation of a new budgeting solution is also underway to improve the internal budgeting process with better functionality, data visibility and reporting to benefit both staff and Council decision-making.

January 2022

• The District’s New Recreation Management System is in place

In November 2021, the TTP launched the District’s new Recreation Management System and the community’s response and uptake were immediate. Within a few weeks, there were thousands of active online accounts and on December 8, Recreation clients could login, select and register into a winter program from the comfort of their home. The new system is user-friendly, fast, flexible and easy to use for patrons and also for staff as they make the needed and at times, sudden changes to programs and activities to align with provincial health orders. For more information about the District’s new Recreation Management System and offerings, please visit Recreation’s Program Spotlights and Account Creation web page.

July 2021

• All Business Licence and Development activity is now available on a single system.

The Development Management Project is now complete, and all public data related to business licences and development services have been integrated with the District’s financial and web-mapping (GIS) tools. The amalgamation of these functions is the foundation for the District’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, whose goal is to create operational efficiencies and effectiveness with application intake, review, approvals and renewals, and to also give the District the technical capabilities to make business licence and development services accessible both online and on mobile devices in the near future.

• Improving procurement efficiencies and effectiveness with digital tools

The District has now moved to a digital procurement system replacing time-consuming paper purchase orders and manual processes. The automated tasks and digital improvements reduce the cycle times of procurement processes while increasing visibility and fiscal governance as a monitorable platform. Over half of the departments are proficient and using the new computer-based procurement module. Onboarding will continue throughout the summer with District-wide use expected by September 2021.

• Testing, training and preparing for launching the new Recreation Management System 

The District’s new Recreation Management system has begun its testing phase which will run throughout the summer with staff training planned for September. Testing environments will include scenarios such as correct form and booking alignment and end-user satisfaction. Once testing is complete, the District's recreation staff and supporting departments will begin training for the new digital online tools expected to launch in October 2021.   

May 2021

• The final phase of the Development Management project is in flight and in July the TTP will have replaced the legacy system for the District’s Building Permit processes. The Planning team went live in March and the Engineering team was onboarded in May. Staff are quickly gaining comfort with the digital tools which will help improve efficiencies by automating steps in the permit process. The tools also link the application to the District’s online mapping tool for single-click access for key information. Property development within the District is moving at an unprecedented pace and the Development Management software platform gives the Planning, Engineering and soon the Building department the needed tools to successfully manage this demand.    

 April 2021

• The next phase of the Development Management project is underway and the TTP team is migrating the Engineering department’s processes for such tasks as Service Agreements, Blasting, Noise and Driveway Permits to the new platform. Leveraging the District’s new community development digital infrastructure to capture and present development activities on a parcel, the Engineering team will have the tools to further streamline and optimize the service levels to their clients. 

• The District’s new Procurement module is live! Launched at the beginning of April and piloted by the Engineering and IT teams,  this new financial module automates, while providing greater fiscal controls and transparency for the District’s procure-to-pay processes. Further, the digital tools are replacing the District’s paper-based purchase orders and corresponding manual processes that were needed to fulfil supplier payment activities. The new procurement module will be rolled out to the rest of the organization starting mid May. 

• The District’s new recreation management system continues its implementation journey. The made-in-B.C. software platform is well established and used by many B.C., Canadian and US-based municipal governments. The project team is finalizing the system’s online functions and features with a primary focus of creating a positive user experience for customers whether they are searching, registering and paying for programs online, or visiting Brennan Park for a drop-in swim or skate. The target launch date for the new system is late summer/early fall 2021.

March 2021

New Business Licence and Planning Applications System Launched:

• The first two modules of the new Development Management platform have been launched. On Dec 11 the team implemented the District’s new Business Licence system which streamlines all licence applications, reviews, approvals and renewals into a single system that connects directly with the District’s land database and financial management system. On March 4 the new Planning Applications system was implemented which captures, assigns and tracks all activities from application receipt to approval. The Development Management platform is helping staff provide quicker turn-around times with receiving, reviews, notifications and approvals as well as being the foundation for bringing these services online and to a mobile device in the near future. 

• The District’s new Procurement module is now in place which is replacing an outdated legacy system and processes. Two departments have adopted the new tools and the rest of the organization will transition over the next few months. The new module eliminates the use of paper purchase orders and provides greater transparency, controls and efficiencies across the entire process from requisitions to payments.

• A new recreation software vendor was selected at the end of 2020 and the project to replace the District’s aged software kicked off in January 2021. The new system will bring all of the District’s recreation information, program registration and payment options online and to a mobile device. In addition to the customer benefits, the new digital tools will give staff the flexibility to make timely changes to program information, booking requirements and pass holder updates. The target launch date is late summer/early fall 2021.

September 2020

•  It is all hands-on-deck for the Development Management Project. With a launch target of the end of the year, the new digital tools will enable faster turn-around times for application, review and approval of permits and business licences. With this project, the TTP is leveraging new connected software systems to streamline permitting and business licences so businesses and homeowners will experience a smoother, more efficient process.
• The TTP is in the final stages of configuring and testing the District’s new Procurement system. Starting with two departments and gradually rolling out to the rest of the organization, the benefits include: further reductions in use of paper, improved fiscal controls in line with authorized expenditure limits, increased transparency with end-to-end auditing details and reduced turnaround time to pay vendor invoices.
• The team is in the final stages of selecting a new service provider for the District’s Recreation Management System. This competitive process began in late spring with the issuance of a request for information, followed by a formal request for proposals. Several submissions were received from established vendors who have implemented their solutions with local governments across Canada. A cross-department team is evaluating submissions to ensure the new solution offers an intuitive and straight-forward customer experience that is web-based and mobile-friendly. The new recreation management system will be implemented in 2021.

July 2020

• The District’s new Payroll System went live at the end of May and all staff and managers are utilizing the new online tools for time entry, submission, approval and pay processing.
• The organization continues to expand its utilization of the Core Financials platform. Managers have real-time visibility to any variances between their department’s budget and actual amounts. This information are key inputs to the District’s quarterly Financial reports.
• The TTP Team is focusing on the implementation of the Development Management system which will streamline and automate tasks for services such as Development Permits, Building Permits and Business Licenses. Launch is scheduled for the Fall 2020 and all can expect quicker and more effective turn-around and response times for application submissions, status checks and approvals.   
• A 12 week pilot project was launched to configure, test and deploy a new Procurement system. The new system will increase efficiencies with the District’s procure to pay processes by automating several of steps that are involved with creating a requisition, issuing a purchase order, confirming goods receipt and paying the supplier. The pilot project will validate the new module and prepare to roll out to the rest of the organization near the end of 2020.  

January 2020

• The new Core Financials system is being leveraged by the Finance team for year-end activities, resulting in efficiency gains through its intuitive and robust reporting capabilities. 
• Work continues on the new Development Management system with the teams optimizing their business processes in anticipation of implementing the new tools in 2020.
• The new Payroll System is undergoing user testing. A sample of managers, supervisors and staff are putting the new system through its paces and providing feedback to the project team. This “User Acceptance Testing” will be followed by the staff training phase which is the final milestone before Go Live.” 

July 2019

• Core Financials have been live for a few months, and the project team is focused on post-implementation support for staff, and supporting enhanced report development.
• The Payroll system testing continues. Development of employee training materials are underway.
• Development Management user testing was completed. The interdepartmental knowledge transfer of business processes and report development, plus the development of training plans are on deck.

November 2018

• Core Financials Go Live, including launch of new Chart of Accounts, automated workflow, and new and improved reporting.
• Payroll started final testing phase.
• Development Management moved into User Acceptance Testing Phase (UAT).

July 2018

• Finance started the third and final round of testing.
• Payroll started the second payroll test run.
• Development Management moved into Test Phase 3.

June 2018

• Finance system completed second round of testing.
• Payroll completed first payroll test run.

May 2018

• Test Phase 2 for Development Management Project initiated.

February 2018

• Updated Program Charter and developed Land Data Administration Policy.

December 2017

• Presentation to Council:
  • Revised Go-live Strategy for Financial Management and Development Management solutions
  • Moved Recreation system project to 2019
  • Extended TTP timeline by one year

September 2017

• Test Phase 2 for Financial Management Project initiated (Core Financials and Payroll)

Historical Timeline

July 2017

• Development Management implementation kicks-off with the start of the Tempest Land module

June 2017

• TTP Benchmarking Plan initiated to measure benefits and ROI of the program.
• Development Management project started.  Project charter completed and Project schedule established.

May 2017

• Finance Solution (Payroll): Requirements Phase completed and Build Phase started.

April 2017

• Fleet Management Solution live
• Finance Solution: Requirements and Solution Design Phase completed.
• Fleet Management Solution onsite training completed.

January 2017

• Squamish Open Data  presentation to Council 

December 2016

• Finance Solution: Requirements workshops completed
• FDM (Fire Management Software) software and database upgrade completed

October 2016

• Finance Solution: Planning workshops completed

September 2016

• SquamishAlert Emergency mass notification solution goes live
• Finance Solution: Vendor contract negotiations completed and contracts signed

July 2016

• Finance Solution: Vendor selected

January 2016

• Technology Transformation Program launched

November 2015

• Application Technology Roadmap adopted

Why the District needs the TTP

A recent, in-depth technology review identified that many major District systems were nearing end of life and needed replacement or significant upgrades.  With this in mind, the Information Technology (IT) department has significantly invested in, and built-out, its network and virtual server infrastructure to support new software acquisitions which will replace these existing high-risk, outdated, and obsolete software solutions.  These existing systems fall short due to a lack of integration, outdated underlying technology, functional limitations and significant gap areas that require manual workarounds.  Operationally, these current software constraints result in:

• District challenges in obtaining timely and reliable data to inform management and strategic decisions;
• Increases to District staff time spent on low value activities such as data entry, manual workarounds and extraction and reconciliation of data;
• Internal barriers to improving the range and quality of services to the public;
• Increasing costs and risks to maintain these aging and unsupported systems;
• Growing levels of citizen frustration due to a lack of modern functionality;

The significant scope of work identified during the internal review brought about the creation of the Systems (Application) Technology Roadmap (SATR), which identified the highest priority areas and derived a planned approach and sequencing to the IT software overhaul. The SATR launched in Spring 2015 and was adopted by Council in November 2015.

The implementation of the Application Technology Roadmap is the Technology Transformation Program (TTP).  This program was launched in January 2016. 

Read the full report.

TTP Status

The first, and most complex project, and largest software acquisition in the TTP is the Core Business Solution - Financial Management implementation.  This monumental project commenced in September 2016 with completion planned for 2018.  A few significant benefits that will come from this project include:

• A complete rebuild of the District’s chart of accounts which will facilitate improved operational and management reporting;
• Improved process efficiencies with powerful workflows and  approval routing;
• Increased public self-service offerings via the web.

This Financial Management solution is the major foundational layer to the building of the District’s integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution over the next four to five years.

A graphical representation of the integrated ERP solution is below. 

Core District Systems

Of the current systems in place, some modern, organization-wide, core systems are offering significant organizational benefit. These include the ESRI geographical information system (GIS), and Sharepoint electronic document and records management system (EDRMS). The District plans to retain these core systems long-term and plans to integrate them with all relevant future solutions.

Links and resources

What is a Systems Technology Roadmap? Why do we have one? What are the benefits? 

Read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Read the Application Technology Roadmap Strategy.

Read the TTP Core Business Solution– Financial Management vendor selection: Report to Council 

Visit the Squamish Open Data portal.