I was reading an article in Information Week Government titled “Obama Urges Government IT Reform” and it struck me that this effort is like trying to turn a cruise ship around rather than a speed boat. Most impressive is the fact that CEOs from the private sector were called upon for their views and input as to how technology could be better applied within the government sector. One quote really stood out for me as this is the conceptual mantra I have heard and repeated myself over the years for both government and the private sector. "I want us to ask ourselves every day, how are we using technology to make a real difference in people's lives," President Obama said in a speech before the meeting. "Improving the technology our government uses isn't about having the fanciest bells and whistles on our websites -- it's about how we use the American people's hard-earned tax dollars to make government work better for them."
It is expected that under the Directive of the President, the Office of Management and Budget will release a plan to all federal agencies outlining suggestions on technology and implementation based on the CEOs’ ideas. These ideas are also to be made public with an invitation for citizens to add their own comments and suggestions. The article cites that President Obama referenced the Patent office as an example of inefficiency in that they receive electronic submissions only to print them and then scan them for entry into a case management system. Unfortunately this is a practice I have heard many times over the years that agencies and even private sector organizations still print electronically created information like word documents and even email only to store is physically and/or scan it into another system. The obvious question is why? If it is created electronically to begin with, is there a technical reason it cannot be managed properly in that state or is it one of culture and the human factor?
In my view, the messages coming from this administration and President are on the mark. In many ways, this reminds me of a time when I focused on the transportation industry around the turn of the century and Y2K. (Wow! Does that make me feel old?) At that time, trucking companies would tell me that their primary focus was to keep the trucks running and back office automation was not really of concern. The key was that they did not know how to approach the use of technology in ways that would benefit both them and their clients. One they realized that back office automation using ECM technologies helped improve cash flow, customer satisfaction and operating costs, they welcomed the opportunity to move forward. They were not interested in all the bells and whistles, just the tools that would improve the bottom line.
Like the transportation industry, it is time that back office automation and improved efficiency take its place in government but the idea of addressing the holistic body of government rather than just the technological aspect must also be a large part of the change effort. While we would like it to be done with speed boat flexibility, the fact remains that this is a cruise ship and it will take time and planning to make it happen the right way. When it all comes into focus and the turn around begins, keep in mind that this type of correction requires the organization to look at the people, the policies, processes and technologies as a whole in order to be effective. If you need help to get started, I am here with the AIIM team to assist with education and training on establishing and implementing a strong and flexible ECM environment. (I know, it is a shameless plug but I could not resist.)
What say you? Are you involved in a government project whether federal, state or local and how are you approaching organizational improvement? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you.
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Bob Larrivee – AIIM blarrivee@aiim.org
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