PMA
Getting access to technical expertise
Research and training consultancy Public Management Associates used creative support to develop a new online resource for its clients.
Public Management Associates (PMA) is a research and training consultancy that specialises in issues relating to public health and health inequalities. During a project that explored interventions for tackling child obesity, the PMA team spoke with public health professionals about what information was available to them and how they accessed it. Many of the professionals said that there was a real lack of information on the issue and that they'd welcome a better supply of reliable, trustworthy data.
Spotting an opportunity
PMA realised there was an opportunity to develop a new service that would provide up-to-date information on health issues for its clients. The company wanted to deliver this service through an interactive website and applied for support from a similar support scheme to develop the idea.
Barbara Bailey, a project manager at PMA, explains: "We're a small organisation and we didn't have the in-house expertise to manage a project like this. We wanted to work with a partner that could offer technical knowledge to complement our own knowledge of health issues and the information needs of people working in the public health sector."
Developing the project
Once PMA had been awarded support, the company worked with creative providers, which felt they could offer the right expertise for the website development project.
One of the researchers at PMA worked closely with the creative team to assess the requirements for the new website. The creative provider outlined all of the technical details for the website - including content management, password protection and hosting - as well as a number of design options.
New ways of working
The next phase of the project is to build the website, which will provide PMA's clients with instant access to the company's latest information and insights on health issues. Users will also be able to sign in to share their own news and views with other members of the community, through blogs, a discussion forum and other interactive features.
"At the moment we send out reports and policy updates to our clients by mail," says Barbara. "Having the online resource will save us a lot of time and money - and it'll really speed up the process of getting important information out to our clients."
Learning new skills
As part of the project, the creative team will provide training for PMA on how to upload and edit content on the website. The PMA team will also learn how to look after the community of people using the website. "This training will be really valuable for us," comments Barbara. "Bringing these skills into the company ensures that we'll be able to manage the website ourselves and makes the service sustainable in the long-term."
