The Government ICT Centre Valtori is a service centre and a government agency operating in the administrative branch of the Finnish Ministry of Finance, which started its operations in 2014 when Finland’s independent ICT activities were merged under one roof.
Valtori’s task is to provide sector-independent ICT services for the central government, as well as information and data communications technology services and integration services that meet the requirements of high preparedness and security. The task is important as every government organisation is a customer of Valtori. As an organisation that understands the conditions of the modern market situation, Valtori has set itself the goal of providing harmonised, secure and high-quality services for the central government.
At the moment, Valtori’s staff consists of approximately 1,300 specialists and professionals in various fields. The employees work in more than 30 localities across the country. Even without geographical decentralisation, it is easy to highlight from the activities of the large and important organisation a number of areas whose state of readiness is most efficiently developed through comprehensive risk management.
However, in an extensive organisation with operations across the country, traditional risk management based on forms and risk lists did not meet the goals set for it. Therefore, the establishment of Valtori provided a perfect opportunity to take the entire agency’s risk management to a modern level. Granite and Granite’s risk management tools were selected to support this goal.
With Granite’s help, we got rid of clumsy risk spreadsheets.
Tommi Simula, Head of Risk Management, Valtori
At Valtori, the introduction of each tool is preceded by a long and thorough planning phase, during which the needs and requirements are identified. This is a systematic effort, the purpose of which is to minimise any additional challenges and difficulties that could result from misjudgements and hasty solutions.
When Valtori considers the introduction of a tool, everything starts with a precise mapping phase, which is followed by a pilot phase conducted with a limited number of users. The systematic development of operations is too critical a part of the organisation’s activities to make shortcuts and rush the process.
Once Granite was selected, the testing of risk management solutions was initially started in a few units. This approach helps create operational models for a wider deployment of tools and to test best practices. It also enables the organisation’s own risk management model to be linked to the technical features and functions of Granite’s risk management tools.
Granite’s effortless deployment and customisability are its best assets.
Tommi Simula, Head of Risk Management, Valtori
Developing operations in a more systematic and standardised direction always takes time, and a certain amount of resources should be allocated to it. Thorough preparation always improves the chances of success.
Developing risk management requires organisations to be innovative and committed to change, but a risk-aware corporate culture cannot always be maintained with goodwill alone. Tools to support operations are a crucial part of the systematic development of operations.
The principles of risk management were already deep-rooted in Valtori’s operations, which allowed the maturity level of the organisation’s risk management to be developed to the point where the risk data entered in various spreadsheets no longer served the development of operations as required. The introduction of a new system always has its challenges, particularly if the transition causes resistance to change in individuals who carry out risk management work, such as risk recording and risk assessments.
However, Granite’s flexible, low-threshold deployment rate helped overcome this challenge, as the need for an appropriate risk management tool had already been identified at a practical level. The feedback from end-users regarding the use of the service was quite positive. Because Granite’s design is based on agile and user-oriented principles, Valtori found the tool attractive in terms of both usability and cost-effectiveness.
With Granite, it is easy to create a comprehensive situational picture.
Tommi Simula, Head of Risk Management, Valtori
Risk management is a management-supporting operating model that aims to support decision-making by producing up-to-date and uniformly valued information for use by management. In an organisation such as Valtori, risk management enables the standardised monitoring of extensive operations.
When risk work in different areas of operations has been decentralised to different units, the system must ensure that risk management work is carried out on a regular basis and in accordance with common rules and indicators. The automatic reminders of Granite’s risk management tool ensure that the measures based on the annual clock of Valtori’s risk management are carried out within the framework set for them.
This is directly linked to ensuring the organisation’s operational capability. When Granite became part of Valtori’s risk management work, challenges that previously burdened development and resourcing, such as fragmented information and an inaccurate situational picture, were easily overcome. Visibility of the risks has improved significantly across operations, which has created a solid basis for the development of Valtori’s operations.
With Granite, we can store information in one place and use it when we need it.
Tommi Simula, Head of Risk Management, Valtori
Even in the most alert and well-informed organisations, knowledge-based management will not be successful if the information needed to support decision-making is not up to date. An equally big problem is having to search for data on hard drives or, in the worst case, in forms buried in archives.
However, Valtori is an organisation whose task is too important for it to be deliberately burdened with methods and tools that are lagging behind. Granite’s risk management solutions offer Valtori the opportunity to promote its operations through centralised reporting and monitoring. Since the system generates the reports automatically, resources can be allocated where they are really needed without wasting extra time on collecting and addressing gaps in them.
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