In the current project with the Gemeente Amsterdam we are investigating the practices underlying the management of their ICT devices (mainly laptops). Our aim is to identify the critical depreciation points, the potential for reuse with external companies and the factors affecting the lifespan of devices through treatment and care. 

On Monday, 13 April, we held the first workshop with employees at Gemeente Amsterdam. We discussed our associations with work and private laptops, as well as sustainability. We also identified the skills and knowledge required for different situations involving laptops (e.g. maintenance, transportation, hardware issues). This helped us to select some interesting areas to explore further in our ongoing workshop series.

Ownership and attitude: How do people take ownership of their devices, and how does this impact their usage? How does working with a laptop affect their sense of connection to colleagues and their effectiveness? How does the perception of laptops – as a supportive work tool or a company-controlled device – affect usage?

Best practices on using a laptop: What does sustainable ICT actually mean? Prolonging lifetime of devices, or increasing reusability? Can this go together? How can we give guidance on how to best treat a laptop according to the sustainability vision?

Human processes: How can we organize communication between IT professionals and users to improve mutual understanding? How can IT support and repairs be brought closer to the workplace?

A follow-up workshop is planned for the beginning of June, during which we will brainstorm more concrete interventions. A process and system workshop involving wider stakeholders in the Gemeente Amsterdam ICT ecosystem is planned for the end of June.