The British Computer Society - adapting for the new Millennium Mike Stranks

1. The British Computer Society -adapting for the new MillenniumMike Stranks

2. THE NEED FOR CHANGE

3. THE BACKGROUND • Pollard report 1988 • Scope of membership to be widened • Separate Sections for engineering, management and education • Clear progression path to professional grades • Experience requirement to AMBCS to be reduced - possibly to 1 year • Requirement for experience route to be reduced • Recognition for wider range of academic and vocational qualifications

4. WHY CHANGE? • BCS now very successful • Income 1994/5 £4,319,000 • Income 1999/2000 £7,127,000 • But • Professional membership static • Overseas membership growing • BCS not attractive to young professionals

5. WHY CHANGE? • BCS membership seen as irrelevant by too many • Lack of visible leadership • Boards & Committees focussed on debate rather than delivery • BCS strong on structure, process & product; weak on communication, people & member service • Members not engaged with the Society, locally or nationally • Poor exploitation of resources, including member experience • Branches and Specialist Groups feel remote & poorly serviced

6. Sample UK Members - 2349 Overseas members - 606 Non-members - 443 Plus Individual interviews Focus groups Branding study WHO SAYS?

7. WHY CHANGE? Desired ‘Brand Values’ • Enabling • Relevant • Progressive • Responsive • Authoritative • Ethical

8. BRANDING STUDY • Actual Brand Values (per CHM): • Bureaucratic • Old fashioned • Not relevant • Reactive - not leading • Slow • Boring • Academic

9. BRANDING STUDY • CHM report specific frustrations as: • No cohesive, consistent BCS message • Committee structure - too slow and bureaucratic • Lack of media visibility and a media spokesperson • Ageing membership • Need for younger society participants • Time taken to gain professional membership

10. OPPORTUNITY OR PROBLEM? Opportunity! • We recognise the problem • We know what we have to do • We are committed to doing it • We have a record of success • points-based admission • strong financial position

11. THE AGENDA FOR CHANGE

12. THE AIM • To make BCS Attractive • To you • and to those who should be members

13. 3 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN • 5 main strategic objectives • make the Society relevant, visible & influential • Establish effective engagement with the IS communities • Establish a positive track record for quality and value • significantly enhance professional programmes • Sustain the foundation of Society finances

14. 3 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN • 3 key Enablers • New BCS Brand Strategy • Enhancement to BCS Web service and capability • New organisational structure

15. PUBLIC FACE OF BCS • Spokesman in public debates • Branding

16. NEW BCS BRAND STRATEGY • To be launched in June 2001 • New ‘masterbrand’ to replace all existing BCS branding devices • Logo to be available for use by professional members • New ‘kitemark’ for accredited organisations

19. BCS WEB STRATEGY • New web service to be introduced in stages • 1st stage targeted at September • Web to be at the heart of the modernisation of the BCS • Approx £500,000 to be spent this year

20. NEW ORGANISATION • New organisation to be launched November 2001 • 4 New Boards replacing existing 7 • 3 New ‘Forums’ • Each Board and Forum to be led by a Vice-President.

21. NEW ORGANISATION • Boards • Membership Services • Includes responsibility for Branches and SIGs • Qualifications and Standards • includes the functions of existing PFB and MemCom • Knowledge Services • External Relations

22. THE NEW ORGANISATION • Boards • Smaller • Focused on action rather than debate • Clear work programmes • Monitored by Council

23. NEW ORGANISATION • Forums • Engineering and Technology • Education and Training • Management • “Reach down and engage a wide spread of members. • Members entitled to join any, or all, Forum(s)”

24. Membership requirements • Points system as indicator of target for application • 100 for MBCS • 70 for AMBCS • Wider set of academic qualifications • Much wider constituency not previously eligible under “old” rules • CEng and IEng now considered equivalent but different • CEng more prescriptive • on education needs • requires demonstrative “innovation”

25. Application process • Full application with sponsor etc reports • EngC registration mandates PRI interview • For those who do not seek EngC • 3 assessors decide whether PRI needed (~50% have no need, and by-pass that stage) • PRI, normally by 3 experienced members • total file to 3 assessors in a different region, chaired by MemCom member • 5/6 of assessors agree decision ratified • else discuss in MemCom

26. Branches and Sections • 15% of membership lives outside UK - about 6200 members • Branch = Section, except for some areas of work and legal factors • Currently 4 active Sections • Brussels • Hong Kong • Malta • Sri Lanka • about 2400 members

27. Representation • Branches delegate to Branches Board (Branches congress of MemServices under new regime) • Sections currently have no representation below 5 Sections, when Council appoints someone • Web-based services throw the need for representation into doubt?

28. WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU • Better (not just faster) • BCS.org.uk • Better services • BCS which is more relevant

29. Discussion and Thank you • Thanks for hearing me • Contact me at • Mike.Stranks@BCS.Org.UK • or, for more general or admin help try: KAllen@HQ.BCS.Org.UK