This report focuses on a subset of all customer interactions. A significant portion of customer interactions involve the direct delivery of municipal services to customers.
Read MoreApril 13, 2023
Developing your first digital strategy can be a daunting task. However with insights from our team, customer research and input across the organization we were able to create a plan that will truly impact both the customer and employee experience.
Read MoreFebruary 8, 2023
Digital transformations can be challenging, while Cloud can help there are some pitfalls to avoid. Contact us for information on how you can optimize your digital transformation.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2023
Remote work has proven that people can be productive, however certain aspects such as culture, communication, and collaboration will need attention as this article highlights.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2023
Opportunities exist for businesses in times of high inflation and it’s not just about cost – pricing, products and prioritization are key.
Read MoreJanuary 19, 2023
The Town of Milton has endorsed its first digital strategy. The approval, which came at the Sept. 12 town council meeting, brings residents a step closer to better access to town information and enhanced online services.
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2022
Working with Blackline as the pension plan's digital transformation advisor to the Board, the client is able to navigate common pitfalls. Our role provides a mechanism to educate and guide Board members on their role, the right questions to ask and how to interpret Management’s actions...
March 7, 2021
In 2019 the County and its seven member municipalities participated in an Operational Service Efficiency Review that included an exploration of common IT systems and resources between municipalities across the County...
Read MoreJanuary 21, 2021
The review was not about the specific economic development campaigns that the County should conduct but more about the capacity of the department to deliver economic development...
Read MoreJanuary 6, 2021
As a national financial services regulator, a core service is auditing its members for compliance. Using lean practices, Blackline was able to document the as-is and to-be processes. A heavy focus of the to-be processes is modernizing them by using technology, data and analytics to reduce reliance on staff...
August 19, 2020
The Corporate Technology Strategic Plan outlined a new vision for Information Technology and a transformation plan that sets priorities and strategic technology initiatives for the next five years...
Read MoreMay 25, 2020
Change is hard, especially in a large organization. However, some leaders do succeed often spectacularly at transforming their workplaces. What makes them able to exert this sort of influence when the vast majority can’t? ...
Read MoreApril 12, 2020
Cost effeciency review that completed a detailed analysis of 20 changes to operations that showed the potential to deliver approximately $6m in savings...
Read MoreJanuary 20, 2020
With all staff involved in the process, this efficiency review found opportunities to streamline the process across all departments that could save the organization an estimated 30,000 hours of staff time...
Read MoreDecember 17, 2019
For smaller municipalities, scale economies are elusive. Municipalities in close proximity working together using shared services concepts offers one approach to accessing those economies.
November 20, 2019
Working with a stock exchange, Blackline led a detailed analysis of their infrastructure expenses and future data centre strategy. The intent of the work was to help them assess options for their facilities and data centres. Blackline led a competitive procurement process (RFP) to compare options and develop a detailed business case. The case indicated a significant cost avoidance and reduced operating expenses...
October 2, 2019
Milton’s first review of services looked at community and operations. Our report analyzed 18 changes to operations that could improve service levels or reduce costs...
Read MoreAugust 26, 2019
Simon Sinek discusses the brain chemical biology of EDSO (endorphine, dopamine seratonin and oxytocin) and how it can define team culture and success...
Read MoreMay 15, 2019
A large City has been experiencing significant growth over the past ten years. Along with the growth, certain departments also are at risk of having 30% of their workforce eligible for retirement in the coming years. This has created concern over an increase in work volume and a decline in staff, expertise and knowledge. Blackline's role was to assess the structure, work drivers and performance measures to help them create a plan to remedy the workforce issue…
April 14, 2019
We assessed a City’s services, identified 90 opportunities for improvement and built a business case for change. Using a design thinking approach and focusing on enhancing resident services, the City would transform the way it operates. Some example opportunities included - streamlining facility management - investing and scale communication services - implementing resourcing planning practices…
Read MoreDecember 17, 2018
Most smart city strategies start with the technology and think of ideas to apply it, risking making social equity worse. But do these technologies have the potential to actually improve social equity? If cities started with social objectives, their strategies and outcomes might look very different...
Read MoreOctober 18, 2018
Working with an association, there was growing concern by members of value erosion. With the arrival of a new CEO, we were able to help craft a strategy that would fundamentally shift the role of the association. Focusing efforts on developing new revenue streams, exploring partnerships, leveraging data and greater engagement and understanding of its member segments...
July 10, 2018
The strategic plan of a regulator in the Canadian housing market came to an end, creating a void. We quickly pivoted our approach to focus on the immediate next 18 months to help provide stability within the organization and clear direction. During this time, we also helped to shift the focus of the new strategy to be less on "lots of projects" and more about measuring their completion, focusing on achieving key outcomes and demonstrating value...
May 19, 2018
The company owns and operates rental homes across North America. With an aggressive growth plan, the client needed a digital strategy to enhance the customer experience, find data-driven ways to deliver efficient property management services and establish agile internal processes to foster continuous innovation...
February 12, 2018
The review of all of the Town's operations identified improvements that would enhance services and reduce costs in some areas...
Read MoreNovember 30, 2017
Blockchain is a ledger of financial transactions. But isn't that exactly what corporate financial systems are? Blockchain seems to have the characteristics to replace these systems, and if it did, what would be the implications to the software vendors and the accountants?...
Read MoreAugust 15, 2017
For two hundred years or so, companies have grouped themselves into industry segments. However, it seems that digitization and having technology as your core competence are allowing those businesses to enter any industry...
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2016
Somehow, a few isolated groups and individuals, operating with the same constraints and resources as everyone else, prevail against the odds. Yet, there are people in your company who are already doing things in a radically better way. Bringing these isolated success strategies into the mainstream can be a powerful tool to drive change…
Read MoreOctober 6, 2015
Mobile payments promise to increase convenience. Round the world, where traditional payment systems don't work there adoption is accelerating. What might that mean in developed economies...
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2013
The Board's role is to hold management to account and protect the interests of shareholders. Historically, this was substantially strategic and fiscal oversight. Today, much of the strategy and investment relates to technology that Board members often feel unqualified to question. With the emergence of mobile payments, what should Boards be asking?...
Read MoreJuly 12, 2013
