Software helps agency hit FOI target

The London Development Agency (LDA) is using content management software to help it comply with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act - and improve its knowledge management.

The agency prepares the Mayor's business plan for London and invests more than £300m in projects to support the creation of new jobs and the development of new communities.

Projects the LDA is involved with include the new Wembley Stadium, the bid for the 2012 Olympics and the Thames Gateway development.

Linda Chandler, head of information systems and knowledge management at the LDA, said the project started 18 months ago when the LDA hired a records manager and started developing policy.

"The original drive was one of compliance and the FOI Act," she said.

But since the FOI Act came into operation, the agency hasn't really seen much impact: "We haven't been deluged with [requests]," Chandler admitted.

After the first phase the scope of the project has broadened and the agency is now working on a three-year programme to develop a new information architecture.

Chandler said the strategy aims to take the LDA from "a set of siloed systems to [being] an information supermarket".

"A large part of what we do is managing our own knowledge," she added.

The LDA is using Hummingbird Enterprise to manage its electronic documents. The software will streamline the storage, location and retrieval of information within the LDA.

Chandler said one reason the agency bought Hummingbird was that it integrates so well with Microsoft technology and the LDA is a Microsoft house. "The implementation of Hummingbird is another phase - it's the IT component," she said.

The LDA is in the pilot phase of implementing the technology, with the full rollout expected by September this year.