Managing and tracking council resolutions effectively has long been a challenge for many municipalities, including eThekwini. Lengthy PDF records, scattered updates, and manual tracking systems have led to inefficiencies and delays in implementation. To address this, we collaborated with eThekwini Municipality to develop a Council Resolution App - an innovative tool designed to streamline governance, improve accountability, and enhance collaboration between departments. This work was supported by the UK Government as part of our Urban Resilience Programme. In this Q&A, we speak to Ella Alcock, Product Owner, who led the development of the tool.

What challenge was eThekwini Municipality facing that led to the development of the council resolution app? 

eThekwini Municipality was struggling with managing and tracking council resolutions efficiently. Decisions made in council meetings were recorded in lengthy PDF documents, making it difficult for officials to retrieve, update, and monitor action items. The lack of a centralised, automated system created challenges in tracking implementation, ensuring accountability, and following up on outstanding resolutions. There was also no streamlined way for different departments to provide updates, leading to delays and inefficiencies in municipal processes.

How does the app improve how council resolutions are managed and implemented?

The app digitises the process of recording, tracking and updating council resolutions. It provides a centralised SharePoint system where the Council Secretariat can log resolutions, and different municipal departments can submit updates in real-time. It also includes automated reporting and tracking visualisations, allowing officials to monitor progress and identify outstanding action items more easily. This significantly improves efficiency, accountability, and collaboration between departments.

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A Look Inside the System

Check out the full demo in this OCL Showcase Session.

How did OCL and eThekwini Municipality collaborate to ensure the app met the city's needs?

We worked closely with eThekwini Municipality from the outset, engaging with the Council Secretariat, IMU (Information Management Unit) and Cluster representatives to understand their workflows and pain points. Throughout the development process, we held multiple stakeholder engagements, training sessions, and user testing to refine the system and ensure it was aligned with their operational needs. Our approach was highly collaborative, ensuring that the final product was both technically sound and user-friendly.

What was the most exciting part of working on this project?

One of the most exciting moments was seeing the enthusiasm from the Council Secretariat during our final training session. It was rewarding to witness them realise the impact of the system and express their appreciation for the work done.

Were there any unexpected challenges along the way, and how did the team overcome them?

One major challenge was navigating the complexity of SharePoint to ensure it met all functional requirements while remaining easy to use for municipal staff. Some functionalities, such as setting updates to read-only after submission and handling large report generation times, required extra technical work. We overcame these because Benjine is an absolute machine at solving problems and we worked closely with IMU implementing creative solutions, and continuously testing and refining the system!

What are some key features of the app that make it easy for users to track resolutions?

• Centralised dashboard displaying all resolutions and updates
• Searchable resolution database for easy retrieval of decisions
• Automated status tracking to show which resolutions are being monitored
• Role-based access so that only designated officials can update records
• Automated reports and analytics for better decision-making

How does the app ensure transparency and accessibility for municipal officials?

The system standardises how updates are logged and monitored, ensuring that every department follows a structured, transparent process. Automated reports make it easier for officials to see what’s outstanding, while data visualisations provide insights into implementation trends. Additionally, because it is built within SharePoint, municipal officials can access it securely from anywhere within the city's IT environment.

Do you see potential for other municipalities to adopt a similar tool?

Absolutely! Many municipalities face the same challenges eThekwini did - relying on outdated, manual processes for tracking council decisions. A customised SharePoint-based tracking system like this can help other municipalities improve governance, efficiency, and accountability. We have already started conversations with other cities interested in adopting a similar solution. 

If your municipality is looking to modernise how it tracks decisions and improves accountability, we’d love to chat. Reach out to us at info@opencitieslab.org to explore how a customised SharePoint-based tracking system could support your city’s governance goals. 

What lessons from this product can be applied to future civic tech solutions?

• User engagement is key – Regular feedback from end-users ensures that the solution is practical and user-friendly.
• Technical simplicity matters – Overcomplicating the system could have made adoption difficult; building on existing city infrastructure (like SharePoint) made integration smoother.
• Transparency requires ongoing advocacy – While this system improves internal tracking, making council decisions more accessible to the public remains a challenge that needs further work.
• ‍Training and onboarding are crucial – Even the best system needs proper training and handover to ensure it is effectively used.

‍A Collaborative, Iterative Approach to Civic Tech

‍The development of the Council Resolution App reflects the core of our design ethos: partnering closely with users to create digital tools that truly address their needs. Through continuous engagement with municipal staff, iterative testing, and refining functionalities, we’ve co-created a system which we hope not only streamlines council resolutions but will also evolve to meet the ongoing needs of eThekwini Municipality.