Shared digital tools foster a municipal sharing economy
The demands on municipal service delivery are increasing, and employees must be utilized to create quality services for residents rather than engage in time-consuming administrative tasks. KF has long recognized the implications of this—and adapted to a digital work environment that is constantly changing.
Few people associate publishing with professional development and an accelerated pace of change in the municipal sector, but in this regard, KF stands apart—or as CEO Sven-Olav Svendsen puts it:
– It may sound old-fashioned to call ourselves a publishing house when we’re working to modernize a sector as complex as Norwegian municipalities, but we are first and foremost a digital knowledge and solutions partner with in-depth knowledge of municipalities’ needs. We combine specialized content and complex legal matters, and make them available as digital, practical tools for municipal leadership,
employees, and residents. The goal is to make this knowledge concrete, practical, and
directly applicable in everyday life.
– As part ofthe KS family, our social mission is to ensure that municipalities and
county governments have access to up-to-date and quality-assured knowledge when they need it. We contribute to the transition by making knowledge available on digital
work platforms and in the format that municipalities need. “When employees have laws, guidelines, and best practices integrated into their tools,
skills development happens continuously,” Svendsen continues.
– This provides a better basis for decision-making, improves the quality of the work, and ensures that everyone follows the same procedures in an efficient manner.
Integrated support in municipal work processes
“We eliminate uncertainty and free up time so that municipalities can focus on
innovation and service development, while also prioritizing staff where they are needed most,” says Svendsen.
KF provides comprehensive solutions for municipal administration, ranging from professional literature and handbooks onHR and personnel management to advanced tools for citizen engagement, as well asforms for case management.
–Ourinformation seriesanddigital handbooksinclude HR, management, and HSE handbooks, updated legislation, and practical examples and templates. This is expert knowledge presented in easy-to-understand language, which strengthens local
leaders’ professional practice, service delivery, and municipal autonomy,
the KF director continues.
He also highlights10-FAKTOR, a component ofBedrekommune, which provides
with management information and a basis for improvement through user, resident, and employee surveys.
– We also offer form and case management solutions, as well as comprehensive digital forms tailored to municipal services. These solutions streamline
processes, reduce duplication of effort, and provide managers with a better overview of the organization.
"We give local government leaders the confidence to govern, and employees the tools to manage their day-to-day work effectively. After all, the goal is to ensure the welfare state—
—in the future as well."
- Sven-Olav Svendsen
Svendsen believes that KF supports the vision of a 24/7, efficient, and
administration, including throughK-codesandthe National Service Catalog—
—digital reference works and machine-readable databases of legally mandated services that can be integrated into municipal websites and specialized systems.
“This is essential for our work on enterprise architecture and streamlining digitalization efforts, and we are working closely with KS headquarters and other organizations in the KS family,” he says.
– The solutions are “dynamic,” building-block-based, cloud-based, and designed for integration via APIs, ensuring that subject matter is always up to date. One example is
KF Infoserie, the reference work that “everyone” in the sector uses to ensure high-quality and
accurate service delivery. We seamlessly link laws, court decisions,
interpretations, and practical templates, ensuring that employees and managers receive
comprehensive support in complex cases and tasks.
– Our selection also includes professional literature—including works onlaw,HR,management,health,early childhood education, andschools—which serve as an important foundation for our digital services.
Safety for Employees and Residents
– How does this save municipalities time, effort, and money?
“Instead of having municipalities interpret new legislative changes, create their own manuals, develop checklists, or design enterprise architecture, we’re doing it once and for all—
” Svendsen explains.
Centralized maintenance of subject matter, legal content, and templates reduces administrative work and facilitates cross-functional learning. Automating routine tasks also reduces the error rate, and when a municipality has specific needs, solutions can be developed as low-code solutions and shared through ICT collaboration.
Residents notice this through greater legal certainty, equal treatment, and shorter response times. In the long term, it also contributes to round-the-clock public administration, as
automates much of the interaction with residents and makes services available
around the clock.
“When a municipality uses our solutions, inquiries are processed according to the same criteria, and case processing is faster because the system prevents
procedural errors. For residents, this results in a more predictable and efficient
municipality, and for employees, it provides peace of mind on the job,” says the KF CEO.
– Traditional professional development has often involved taking courses for a few days each year. Technology allows us to learn while we work. The systems provide guidance when tasks need to be performed, so that the necessary knowledge is available right away. This ensures confidence for everyone and guarantees that the knowledge is actually applied in
practice—rather than being lost over time—while also contributing to continuous improvement.
“We give municipal leaders the confidence to govern, and employees the tools to manage their day-to-day work effectively. After all, the goal is to ensure the welfare state for the future as well,” Svendsen states, c
.
This article was produced in collaboration with Mediaplanet and is part of "The Municipality of the Future."