IT Big Picture.pdf - City of Grand Rapids

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

October 2009

Citizen Service Platform.

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The Big Picture: Citizen Service Platform

The Big Picture: Citizen Service Platform (CSP) The City of Grand Rapids recognizes the power of technology and we are implementing solutions that solve real problems and deliver real solutions. Grand Rapids has strategically partnered with Microsoft to provide a framework for the City’s enterprise software solutions. Standardization on Microsoft enables us to have common technology and processes across departments and to fully realize the benefits of these tools that have been specifically designed to help

local governments deliver high quality and highly efficient service to citizens and businesses. Based on extensive research and with the input of city governments worldwide, Microsoft created the Citizen Service Platform (CSP), a component-based, rapidly configurable technology solution or “tool set”. CSP was specifically developed to help local governments overcome challenges and successfully accomplish key performance goals.

1. Key Challenges

2. People & Processes

3. Applications & Tools

4. Technology

The four-layer diagram above illustrates some of the challenges facing local governments and the CSP technology solutions created to address them. This technology model blurs the boundaries between software and services leveraging technology internally and externally so that delivery of city services is optimized.

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The Challenge

The People & Processes

The world is changing rapidly. Resources are shrinking as the demands on city government to be much more proactive have never been greater. A shift has occurred in the relationship between our city government and citizens. On one hand, we have high tech-savvy citizens who place great expectations on the quality and availability of government services, to the point where they will not tolerate conventional “top-down” or producer centric methods of delivering public services. These tech-savvy citizens want to be involved and consulted in decision making on all issues that affect them. They want to participate using technology, including: blogging, texting, Instant Messaging, IVR, and other multichannel forms of 24/7 electronic expression to voice their views on public policy and request service. For these internetfriendly users, online participation is as natural as face-to-face communication. These tech-savvy citizens are always on, alwaysconnected and will not accept traditional methods of service delivery with their paper chases and counter based interfaces. On the other hand, we have citizens that do not use technology. They want and need conventional faceto- face, telephone, and paper forms of communication. City governments struggle to balance the tensions of cost, service quality, and the needs of all citizens. So elected officials and chief executives need one accurate picture of up to date information so that they can make educated decisions that minimize risk and overcome challenges.

It is the people that use the technology that make the difference and people have and will continue to use technology to achieve incredible results. With the right processes in place, people can use technology to maximize opportunities and accomplish what they could not get done alone. People can meet the challenges of the future by leveraging technology to achieve strategic change! Research shows that organizations that invest in software as a strategic asset for their people perform better. However, it is critical to understand that it is not just about the “tool”. It is not as simple as deploying software to employees. It is crucial that the key performance goals, processes, and metrics are well thought out and defined. Notably, people need to be empowered with both the tools and expectations to fully recognize results. The opposite is true as well; people can get stuck in unproductive busy work when they are locked into using antiquated processes and outdated software creating huge inefficiencies. A stagnant environment combined with economic challenges can result in superficial problem solving and a culture that actually drains energy from people; the energy that is really needed to solve key challenges.

Research shows that organizations that invest in software as a strategic asset for their people perform better. However, it is critical to understand that it is not just about the “tool”. Citizens

Elected Officials

City Employees

Businesses

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The Big Picture: Citizen Service Platform

The Framework: Applications & Tactical Solutions The City has standardized on an optimized, unified framework of software applications based on Microsoft technologies which include the Office suite and Dynamics. This unified framework means that systems and applications work together and people can get the information that they need when they need it. Being strategic in the selection and use of technology will amplify the impact on people. The right business productivity tools will help streamline the way we do business.

Microsoft Citizen Service Platform Tools and Applications Communication Solutions Office Communicator - E-mail and calendaring are well established technologies, however there is still room to achieve more effective and efficient communication and time management. One new tool available to City staff is Office Communicator. Office Communicator provides significant unified communication enhancements including: real time Instant Messaging, “presence” that integrates into Outlook, and instant computer desktop sharing. Live Meeting - This new tool can be utilized to lower cost and drive meeting efficiency by videoconferencing meetings. Live Meetings can be recorded and saved for reference or later distribution. The associated materials (agenda, minutes, PowerPoint presentations etc.) are retained in one place with the video so that all information can be easily distributed. Cisco Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – The City’s existing phone system will soon be replaced by a new VoIP communications system. This telecom update promises to blur the line between voice and data communication interaction even further. New digital VoIP is more cost effective, scalable, flexible, and user friendly. VoIP features can help City staff to improve productivity in a way that our current phone system cannot. The new phones will integrate with CSP tools allowing the City to take full advantage of unified communication and converged voice and data networks while retaining the convenience and user-friendliness of a business phone.

Grand Rapids Timeline for Implementing Microsoft Citizen Service Platform Applications

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Key Performance Indicators (KPI)Dashboards:

Citizen Relationship Management (CRM):

A KPI is a measure that is tied to a target. KPIs in isolation are useless - they must be viewed in context and compared to relevant industry benchmarks. A dashboard is a visual display, charts and graphs, of the most effective and meaningful metrics and KPIs. They are a valuable means of alerting employees, supervisors, executives, elected officials, and the public as to where they are in relationship to their objectives. SharePoint and reporting applications are designed to measure, analyze, and optimize financial and operational performance management. Microsoft Citizen Service Platform enables CRM metrics to easily integrate into KPI dashboards.

Governments around the world are turning to CRM to determine what services are most important to citizens and how to deliver them as effectively as possible. CRM capitalizes on technology to provide the highest quality services at the lowest cost to taxpayers. The benefits of CRM can have a big payoff, as governments use e-government applications to more efficiently collect revenues, while easing demands on staff. CRM is expected to first enhance the City’s existing GIS Public Inquiry and, over time, support a 311 call center and performance management metrics. Citizens and businesses benefit because CRM provides a single point for citizens to access city services. Using a multichannel approach including phone, IM, email, and web access citizens have the ability to submit a request for service and then track that request through to resolution. Case management functionalities can allow for automatic event triggers, work flow processes, monitoring, and extensive reporting options. Once implemented, City officials and leaders will have the opportunity to use extensive, real time, comprehensive data to make informed, proactive, and cost effective decisions.

A dashboard is a visual display of the most effective and meaningful metrics and KPIs. File Management and Search Solutions:

Web Portals:

Microsoft Office 2007 and SharePoint applications provide By upgrading the City’s Intranet (internal) websites tools we can use to effectively organize and maintain files, to SharePoint we will be able to obtain essential data, and information while managing user access, editing information or perform work functions in the field, at rights, and multiple copies and versions. Users citywide will home, or anywhere in the world over the Internet. use Microsoft Office 2007 that includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, InfoPath, Access, and Publisher. SharePoint is the soluIn case you haven’t heard of it before, InfoPath tion that we will use to Being strategic in the is one of the best ways to develop and utilize upgrade the City’s public selection and use of timesaving interactive forms and electronic web site. It provides for technology will amplify the checklists. All of the paper forms that we use, easy collaboration, inforboth internally and externally, with citizens and impact on people. The right mation sharing, user businesses, can be upgraded with InfoPath so business productivity tools friendly search capabilithat we can fully utilize the information electies, and remote access will help streamline the tronically and cut down on ineffective paper to data, blogging, discusway we do business. handling. sion boards, electronic surveys and forms, links Much time can be lost and wasted searching for or recreating to other Internet resources, and even the functionallost information. SharePoint is a solution that stores everyity for citizens and businesses to personalize their thing in a database. As a result, users can easily utilize information and services pages. SharePoint search functions to have the information needed immediately at their fingertips.

The Architecture: Core Hardware Architecture

Transformational government depends on a reliable, secure, and optimized IT network architecture to support the entire organization. The key challenge in this area is to ensure the management of devices and hardware so that the technology infrastructure achieves uncompromised performance to ensure that the City’s technology is always up and running.

CSP Summary For more on how to maximize use of the Microsoft Citizen Service Platform applications and tools contact: Sally Wesorick IT Administrative Analyst Phone: 616-456-3069 Fax: 616-456-3448 Email: [email protected]

We’re on the web at www.grcity.us/it

Citizen Service Platform is a framework that lays the foundation to make building and delivering progressive city government service solutions easier, more cost effective, and efficient

The City currently faces many challenges and possesses many opportunities to leverage technology to overcome these challenges. Citizen Service Platform is a framework that lays the foundation to make building and delivering progressive city government service solutions easier, more cost a effective, and efficient.

c t the Grand Rapids has architecture andi framework in place. v e Improvement depends

on embracing change and taking actionAto document, streamline, n and update processes to fully utilize theaMicrosoft Citizen Service l Platform tools to successfully accomplish our key performance goals.

The mission of the City of Grand Rapids Department of Information Technology is to maintain a stable enterprise information technology infrastructure and guide the City in leveraging proven information technology in the accomplishment of the City's and each unit's mission.