Public Sector IT Conference Review
On behalf of the Irish Computer Society, we would like to thank everyone who attended the annual Public Sector IT Conference on the 27 November in the Aviva Conference Centre. Over the past decade, the conference has strived to advance, promote and represent the interests of ICT professionals through providing a space for critical debate and discussion. The conference was well represented by IT professionals and managers working in both the public and private sectors.
Featured speakers this year included Stephen Brennan, Chief Digital Advisor, Department of Communications, Energy & natural Resources; Richard Corbridge, CIO, Department of Health; Damian Griffin, CIO, Defence Forces; Dominic Byrne, Head of ICT, Fingal County Council; and Tim Willoughby, CTO, Local Government Management Agency.
Noteworthy topics included ‘The Digital Soldier’ (Damian Griffin) and ‘Citizen as Co-Creator, Digital – The Public Sector Impact’ (Stephen Brennan).
Throughout the day, participants and audience members were encouraged to generate a discussion on the topics presented using our dedicated Twitter hashtag, #psit15. This helped keep everyone engaged and eager to contribute.
If you enjoyed the conference, be sure to stay involved with ICS and keep the conversation going. With the rate at which IT is changing, organisations need to stay ahead of the pack, share ideas and stay proactive. This is particularly true in the public sector.
Presentations will be available in the members area on www.ics.ie
HISI Conference 2015 Review
The Irish Computer Society and the Health Informatics Society of Ireland would like to thank all of attendees of the annual HISI Conference 2015. This year’s conference brought together key stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds including public policy, management, healthcare and public advocacy.
The parallel sessions on both days dealt with many prevalent topics within healthcare including data standards, clinical reference terminology, leadership, industry solutions, the Summary Care Record Program, data protection, and more. Our workshops such as ‘Watch your Clinician’ and ‘Designing Software for the Patient Space’ were well received, generating a lively discussion about issues of clinical reference, SnoMed and ICNP.
Of particular note was the eHealth Ireland EcoSystem event, which dealt with the Electronic Health Record and issues surrounding it. Experiences and requests were offered by various speakers to help facilitate reflection and debate on the topic.
Many congratulations to this year’s O’Moore medal winner, Chris Nolan, presented with the award by HISI President, Prof. Gerry Lyons.
As a two-day event, there were plenty of outstanding speakers that helped make the conference an exciting and engaging one. Special thanks go to our speakers and participants on both days: Richard Corbridge, Dr Jane Grimson, Dairin Hines, Jim Gregg, Mary Cleary, Dr Fintan Sheerin, Frank Kirrane, Raphael Jaffrezic, Tracey Scotter, Kerry McLaverty, Lorraine Flynn, Mark Hindle, Will Hall, Professor Gerry Lyons and many more.
If you contributed to the conference on either of the two days, we encourage you to stay involved with the topics presented. Health Informatics as a field is entering a new era of eHealth, with interest groups like the government, HISI, academia and the HSE and the Department of Health lending their support and collaborating in new and innovative ways. There has already been plenty of work in the area and this needs to be built upon if we want to generate measurable outcomes and spur actionable change in the healthcare industry. Conferences like HISI’s show what can be accomplished when experts from so many fields come together with a common purpose. Let’s keep the momentum going.
From everyone at the Health Informatics Society, thank you once again. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s conference! Presentations will be available in the members area on www.hisi.ie
NCI Certificate in Business Analysis Course
The Business Analysts Association of Ireland will be starting its NCI Certificate in Business Analysis course from 21 January until 17 June. To register your interest, visit the NCI Certificate in Business Analysis course page, or on www.businessanalyst.ie
Improve business performance, competitiveness and analytical scope and implement actionable changes in your organisation with our Level 8 Certificate in Business Analysis. The programme is completed in the Irish Computer Society and the National College of Ireland.
The course is aimed at anyone who currently or aspires to play a leading role in improving enterprise performance through the use of proven business analysis techniques within an organisation. Also, applicants for the programme will be assessed based on relevant experience by the Business Analysts Association of Ireland. Applicants from other areas will be expected to have a primary level 7 degree or proven work experience in the area.
Attendees will gain specialist knowledge in analysing the core business objectives and strategy of an organisation or strategic business unit; the ability to analyse the processes, procedures, systems and structures that are in place and to evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency; and a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of change – and how to harness the positive energy needed to bring about successful change. They will also gain an understanding of the various types and styles of consultancy intervention and their effectiveness in various situations, as well as the skills necessary to be able to communicate and negotiate effectively with stakeholders within and outside of an organisation.
The benefits include the ability to make a more effective contribution to improving business performance and competitiveness within your organisation; acquisition of proven modern methodologies and techniques for analysing and solving business problems that impact upon cost, efficiency, capacity and service quality; a greater understanding of the dynamics and context of organisational change with reference to latest thinking on best implementation approaches; and the development of effective consultancy and communication skills – including project management, listening, questioning, negotiation, influencing, presentation and facilitation skills required to initiate and lead change programmes and initiatives.
Leadership Development Programme
ICS will be running its Leadership Development Programme from 21 – 22 January 2016. Registration is now open to eligible participants.
Join the ICS Leadership Development Programme, an education and networking programme to develop the leadership skills of top-tier IT professionals. Learn to effectively implement a blueprint for change in your organisation through more effective leadership techniques.
If you are a current CIO, CDO, CTO or senior IT executive from small or medium-sized IT organisation, this programme would be highly suited to your needs. The LDP is also suitable for next generation IT executives, whether CIOs, CDOs or CTOs, from large civil and public service organisations.
The course is highly practical, with input from leading industry and academic experts, breakout sessions to discuss issues, a post-course question and answer session and a networking dinner to facilitate exchange of ideas. This makes it a highly worthwhile and unique event.
Attendees will learn how to effectively implement actionable change in their organisation through more effective leadership techniques. They will develop a well-rounded understanding of the challenges facing modern IT leaders and how to deal with them. Attendees will also learn how to effectively utilise leadership skills in the implementation of strategic decision-making policies.
The course acts as a forum to facilitate peer networking among top IT leaders. From this, lasting business relationships can be formed between your respective organisations, particularly at the post-course networking dinner.
All course content is designed and delivered by highly experienced and qualified industry professionals, making it a unique opportunity for organisations to learn about leadership and change management methods in an interactive way.
The knowledge you come away with will allow you to implement measurable changes to your organisation’s code of practice, leading to increased productivity, innovation and service-level improvement.
Visit the course page to find out more information.
Courses and Events
ICS runs courses and events through-out the year, with particular emphasis on hands-on, applicable learning.
Upcoming events include:
- Professional ScrumMaster (PSM) Level 1 – 19 January
- ICS Leadership Development Programme – 21 January
- NCI Certificate in Business Analysis (QQI Level 8) – 21 January
- CTP ‘Train the Trainer’ Programme – 23 January
- Project Management – 25 January
For more information on the events or to sign up for any of the ICS’ training courses, visit www.ics.ie/events. Follow them on Twitter @IrishCompSoc or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IrishComputerSociety for more!
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