FOI 18925-25 Project Management software
Request:
Please provide the following information regarding project management software and project management staff within your organisation:
1. Company / Organisation Name
2. Full Name of contact providing information
3. Email Address
4. Position
5. How many staff are involved in managing or supporting projects?
6. Which project management software do you currently use?
7. Are multiple project management tools used across different departments? (Please list the software(s) used)
8. When is each software license due for renewal?
9. Which departments have access to the software?
10. How many users have access to the software?
11. Are there any planned changes or upgrades to project management software within the next 12 months? (Yes / No / Details)
To clarify, by “supporting projects” I mean staff in dedicated roles that provide structured support to project or programme delivery. This would typically include:
- Project Support Officers
- Programme Support Officers
- Staff working in a Project/Programme Management Office (PMO) or equivalent team who assist with governance, reporting, planning, or administration of projects
Response:
1. Northamptonshire Police
2. Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires Northamptonshire Police, when refusing to provide information (because the information is exempt), to provide the applicant with a notice which:
(a) states that fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The exemption applicable to the information requested is:
Section 40(2) – Third Party Personal Information
Section 40 pertains to third party personal data. This would not be released under the Freedom of Information Act unless there is a strong public interest. This is because any release would breach the Principles contained within Article 5(1) of the GDPR and Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
One of the main differences between the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act is that any information released under Freedom of Information is released into the public domain, not just to the individual requesting the information. As such, any release that identifies an individual through releasing their personal data, including third party personal data, is exempted unless there is a strong public interest in its release. The public interest is not what interests the public, but what benefits the community as a whole.
Personal data is defined under the Data Protection Act as data that is biographical in nature, has the applicant as its focus and/or affects the data subject’s privacy in their personal, professional or business life.
Principle a of Article 5(1) states that information must be processed fairly, lawfully and in a transparent manner. In this case the individuals would have a reasonable expectation that information would not be processed if it resulted in their identification or equally led an individual to be wrongfully identified as a consequence. Freedom of Information Act disclosures are to the world at large and will remain in the public domain indefinitely.
It is for these reasons outlined above that I feel that Principle a would be breached by this disclosure and the Section 40 exemption remains in place. I am not obliged to consider any further Principle in my arguments. This is an absolute, class-based exemption and, as such, there is no requirement to consider the public interest test.
4. Portfolio Manager – Transformation and Change
5. 16
6. Power Framework
7. Power Framework is the formal project management tool
8. November 2027
9. Across Force for Northamptonshire Police
10. Licenced for up to 100 users
11. No major upgrades planned