Be Informed and the Microsoft Connected Government Framework. White Paper

Transcription

1 Be Informed and the Microsoft Connected Government Framework White Paper

2 Platform Alignment - Be Informed and Microsoft Be Informed delivers significant synergies through its tight integration with the Microsoft Connected Government Framework, both for public sector organizations and system integrators. Through this tight integration, breakthrough performance improvement can be achieved from multiple points of view: people, process and technology infrastructure. The examples and scenarios here demonstrate that when Be Informed is combined with the Microsoft stack the productivity and agility of an overall solution can be greatly enhanced. This is in large part due to the model driven approach of Be Informed and also because of its deep integration with the extensive Microsoft collaboration and productivity stack. A future expansion into the Cloud environment will enable the same benefits to accrue but with a greater order of magnitude due to the advantage of high scalability and auto-provisioning capabilities of the Windows Azure Cloud platform.

3 Introduction The Microsoft Connected Government Framework (CGF) has evolved from their earlier citizen service platform as a model for designing public sector service solutions which are optimized around the Microsoft technology platform, and is represented in the 4 layer model shown below: Figure 1: Microsoft Connected Government Model The key concept behind the Microsoft Connected Government (CGF) model is that the focus of building solutions for the public sector should be top-down, based first and foremost on the requirements of the citizen, government service employees and other stakeholders. This top-down approach identifies discreet but connected views, which are then represented as individual layers. The top layer represents the real-world challenges and requirements of the end-users and stakeholders, the next layer (shown in purple) represents the processes that are required for these users, the next layer (shown in yellow) shows the variety of applications that are required to support those processes and, finally, the bottom layer shows the Microsoft technology stack from which those applications can be constructed. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 2

4 The separation of the layers in this way ensures that greater use is made of the same platform technology layers, which are referred to as Solution Areas, and which Microsoft defines in three broad categories for government solutions: Service Delivery and Engagement Workplace Modernisation Insight and Accountability These three categories align closely to their corresponding stakeholders including the citizen, the government worker and the elected official or supervising body. Whilst this arrangement may seem entirely logical for any enterprise solution architecture there are some very specific challenges that are unique to government agencies that make solution design for the public sector more challenging than for commercial businesses. Figure 2: Stakeholder Relationships in Public Sector 1. Policy Complexity the need to continuously adapt processes and services to the policy of the day is a constant challenge, and contrasts with a commercial organization s ability to balance efficiency with service quality public agencies have a mandate to deliver to all citizens a consistent level of service. Agencies have to be agile and embrace the complexity created by politically motivated policies that often layer change upon change through the changing electoral seasons. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 3

5 2. Organisational Complexity public sector agencies, unlike their commercial counterparts, do not follow the rules of capitalism, and are not subject to liquidation, takeovers or other market efficiencies. They are however subject to restructuring, either by division or aggregation or other business redesign, often as consequence changing political and civil policies. Hence the challenge of creating citizen centric outcomes becomes not only a multi-service issue but often also a multi-agency operation, as seen by initiatives such as Tell us Once, One and Done. These initiatives are appearing in the UK and other EU countries where governments are attempting to converge service delivery around the citizen rather than the agencies delivering the service. This is an ongoing process in the strive for efficiency and service quality, as duplicated or fragmented processes can lead to fraud, poor service and ultimately loss of confidence in the service. 3. Consumer Complexity Citizens are no longer passive players in the government administration process but are now sophisticated consumers who are used to personalised services from their retailers and other service providers. They expect individual customised services, and therefore also a government that anticipates their needs, and which is able to integrate the various back office services without exposing the complexity of the legacy systems. Also, with the rise in social media, citizens are becoming more proactive and expecting governments to listen more, respond faster and adapt more quickly to these new expectations. So the solution to these challenges must first of all be to drive down costs and increase efficiencies, and then to empower agencies and their staff to do the right thing, and finally to have the citizen as the consumer at the centre of a set of integrated, personalised and responsive services. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 4

6 Figure 3: UK Government Organisational Complexity (Daily Telegraph, 2010) Traversing the Silos Complexity Embraced For the delivery of solutions to be successful they therefore have to address the People and Process layer with a high degree of fidelity, prior to any attempts at the construction of the lower application and technology layers illustrated in the CGF model above. Indeed, it has often been the difficulty of attempting to join up services around the citizen that has been the most frustrating factor in trying to make progress in the development of egovernment services, rather than the integration of the actual IT infrastructure layers themselves. According to IDC successful smart governments deliver life-event driven outcomes focused on the citizen, rather than siloed e-services built around the agencies. Therefore an effective egovernment strategy must follow exactly the business processes and human interactions irrespective of where the ICT building blocks might exist, and this is precisely where the core competence of the Be Informed business process platform is focused. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 5

7 Embracing Complexity in the Public Sector Providing the ability to embrace the complexity that is so characteristic of the public sector is exactly where the Be Informed model driven business applications approach is so essential and where it directly complements the Microsoft platform layer in its execution mode. Be Informed achieves this by using an advanced software environment to overcome the mismatch that often occurs when translating business processes into executable programs. By using a model driven approach, which relies on a semantic representation where the model is the business, processes are not only accurately captured first time, but the inherent ease of change over the lifetime of the system allows it to embrace and respond to the constant changes which inevitable arise from the complexity of the public sector environment. Figure 4: Alternatives between building approaches Be Informed s model driven strategy yields significant benefits by enabling a top down approach to problem solving that places business users directly in control of the solution development cycle. This radically affects the productivity of the implementation process, as the ultimate solution is created or grown from the business design that has been created at the higher level. Be Informed s runtime behavior is inherited directly from the modeling environment which contains the business design and hence there is no loss of fidelity between the different layers of the CGF model as the solution is created. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 6

8 Figure 5: Be Informed top down model driven approach to development Analysis of customers using a Be Informed solution has shown that they typically experience a return on investment, which includes: 30% reduction in cost of operations 60% reduction in Total Cost of Ownership 90% reduction in cost of change A typical example is that of the Dutch Environment Desk, a countrywide Be Informed implementation that is accessible to all citizens that are looking for a permit for any project that has an infrastructural or environmental impact. In the old way, citizens had to figure out for themselves which permits they would require, and there was always a danger that yet another authority would pop up and demand of the citizen or business another permit of which they had previously been unaware. A law was introduced to reverse this process, and the Be Informed platform was selected to implement a single transparent new process, which replaced some 1,600 forms and 25 separate licenses. The Department is now responsible for determining which permits are needed when a citizen registers a building project or any other type of project that falls under their legislation. The results of the new service are Annual cost savings for citizens ( 6 million) and companies ( 53 million); Government will save 96 million administrative costs in the first year; Single point of contact offering more simplicity and transparency; Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 7

9 Alignment to the Microsoft Platform When Be Informed is combined with the Microsoft Connected Government Framework it drives the technology components from the business logic inside the Be Informed environment, as shown in the diagram below: Figure 6: Be Informed and the Microsoft Platform. The Figure above shows the Be Informed Business Process Platform in the form of the Public Sector Packages sitting on top of the Microsoft Platform. These contain the business rules and entities, which then drive the behavior at the next level via the Microsoft Stack. The key dependencies for Be Informed and Microsoft to integrate are Windows Server, SQL Server and SharePoint Server. Deeper integration can also be achieved with Office, Dynamics CRM and BizTalk Server, depending upon the use case. Microsoft Platform Be Informed Integration Windows Server SQL Server SharePoint Server Office Dynamics CRM Lync Server Hosts the Be Informed Runtime System Hosts the business data Intra/Internet Presentation and Document Repository Application data integration Customer/Agent interaction Corporate Presence and IM integration Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 8

10 Example Solution A further example was created to showcase Office 2010 and Exchange Integration, using the Multi Benefit Solution as an example. In this case the use case is a maternity grant application, which requires validation by the government agency as well as a referral to the medical practice. The main steps in the process are 1. Citizen makes online application for benefits. 2. Be informed determines eligible benefits and creates case for assessment by case worker. 3. Case worker makes assessment and updates case details. 4. Be informed routes case to medical agency. 5. Case is reviewed and approved by medical agency 6. Be Informed closes the case and automatically informs the citizen. 7. On reflection the agency notices that via SQL Server Reporting a high incidence of teenage pregnancies are identified in one region causing a need to adjust the policy to allocate support assistance to these, which is subsequently actioned through Be informed s studio tool. The steps are highlighted by the following key screenshots. Figure 10: Be informed automatically decides what information is required from the citizen through an intelligent dialogue. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 9

11 Figure 11: Be informed automatically places case data into Outlook for the Case worker s attention. Figure 12: Be informed automatically places case medical data into Outlook for the Medical worker s attention. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 10

12 Figure 13: Be informed automatically places case medical data into Outlook for the Medical worker s attention. Example Solution European Patent Office One recent practical example is a the European Patent Office, which is responsible for handling patent applications from around the EU, and which provides inventors with a single uniform application procedure enabling them to seek patent protection in up to 40 countries with one application. In 2010 the office handled several hundred thousands of cases, a sizeable increase more than 10% over the previous year. Each case requires differing processing steps that are enabled by the tight integration of the Be Informed platform and the Microsoft technology stack. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 11

13 Figure 7: European Patent Office Business Model The business requirements of the Patent Office required the solution to completely underpin the entire end-to-end patent process, taking complete control of both system and human interaction. This ranged from generating a single view of the case through to creating auditable customer transactions as well as support for a logical dossier model in which to contain the case information. The system also has to operate across a number of organizational boundaries and to integrate with external systems. The solution uses a number of Microsoft applications including SharePoint, Exchange and Office which all feature as core components of the final system which can be seen in the illustration shown below. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 12

14 Figure 8: The Patent Office Solution Architecture - Be Informed and Microsoft In the illustration above it can be seen that users log in to the portal using SharePoint and then access cases for handling through Be Informed. They can also easily collaborate via Lync and because of the direct integration between the Microsoft and the Be Informed environments can execute a number of tasks including being able to automatically create appointments, assemble and checkin documents as well as keeping overall track of their individual patent application cases from a single point of access, as shown in the screenshot below. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 13

15 Figure 9: Integration of Be Informed with SharePoint, Office and Lync Be Informed Public Service Platform Be Informed has developed a series of specific vertical solutions for a wide range of government requirements including: permits, taxes, benefits, grants, contributions, pensions, public security, policy making, and registrations. This has led to the creation of the Be Informed Public Service Platform as an integrated suite of applications which combine the multi-scenario nature of the building blocks that enables a complete e-government service platform to be created for both citizen and business services. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 14

16 Permits Be Informed s Multi-Permit solution allows public institutions to improve their services to the public whilst at the same time cutting costs. The essence of Be Informed s Multi-Permit Solution is that it does not focus directly on the process that leads to a decision, but on the decision itself and that, which is required to make legally correct decisions. Be Informed s multi-permit solutions enable automated decision-making wherever possible and only involves your professionals when necessary. As a result, citizens are better able to manage their own interests and the professionals gain more time to focus on the exceptional cases. Error rates go down, whilst customer satisfaction and efficiency both increase. Benefits One of the key roles of government is to support the weakest in society. Yet with spiraling welfare costs, healthcare and social security systems are becoming ever more expensive. Society demands transparent decision making from its public institutions, as well as the responsible management of resources and funds and the minimization of any costs involved in running their operations. Yet customers - and those organizations on which those customers rely for their care - should not be hampered by any unnecessary administrative burden and excessive bureaucracy. Government agencies need to support society with ever more efficient and user-friendly services, whilst at the same time continuing to apply changing policy rules. Be Informed s Multi-Benefit Solution allows public institutions to not only improve the quality of their services, but also to be able to cut costs at the same time. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 15

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18 Pensions Pension fund administrators are responsible for administering large numbers of collective pension funds. These funds are their customers, with each fund having thousands or even hundreds of thousands of participants. Each fund has its own way by which it wants to treat its participants, covering everything from the procedures to be used to the language to be spoken in customer interactions. Frequent changes to Pension laws as well as strict compliance rules such as SAS 70 add an additional layer of complexity. In this environment exceptions have become the rule. The wide range of variation between funds creates a high degree of complexity in the interactions with participants. This complexity often leads to mistakes, degrades effectiveness, making IT systems very expensive to manage, and often leaves customers dissatisfied. Be Informed s Pension Solution helps pension fund administrators deal effectively with this complexity and improve customer services, whilst also cutting costs and reducing error rates. Public Security When it comes to upholding the law, cooperation between partners in the justice chain is crucial. The Police uses its own investigative powers to obtain evidence, and on the basis of this evidence the defendant is prosecuted by the Public Prosecutor. If all goes well, the prosecution results in a criminal conviction in court and a resulting sentence. Society demands that criminals are brought to justice both effectively and efficiently. This demand therefore requires effective process support for the various parties in the justice chain and facilities to support and enhance the cooperation between these parties. Be informed has worked with both of these organizations to provide a number of effective solutions. Point of Single Contact Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 17

19 With the goal being to reduce administrative burden and improve customer service a number of governments have introduced point of single contact services for citizens and corporations. A Point of Single Contact enables anyone wishing to undertake an activity, for example to start a business in new premises, to handle all the necessary government business through one single integrated procedure: with one license resulting from one application procedure, with only one set of rules to follow and one system of remedies where necessary. Be Informed has delivered a Point of Single Contact solution to the Dutch government which provides citizens with answers from all government organizations. The citizen portal provides access to more than 1,600 government websites and to all laws and regulations at both central and decentralized levels. It also provides access to all official government publications, products and service catalogues as well as a rapidly growing number of daily permits and notices. Registrations Be Informed has been working with the Dutch Land Registry Office (Kadaster) to develop a new generic solution for government registrations (Land, People, Vehicles, Buildings, etc.). The Kadaster is currently replacing all of their legacy systems with a Be Informed solution. A screenshot of the application can be seen below. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 18

20 Cloud Strategy Cloud computing has been cited by many as the defining breakthrough of our age, bringing costs of deployment and consumption of information systems down by orders of magnitude and transforming the industry in the same way that power distribution has enabled an on-demand consumption-based model rather than a capitalized investment model requiring payment in advance. The Windows Azure Cloud platform offers application environments like Be Informed the ability to be deployed directly into the Cloud and provide application capability "on-demand" as a consumption-based model just as with national power supplies. The opportunity to integrate with Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint Online, Dynamics Online and to leverage directly the integration between Active Directory, and SQL server, as well as their matching Cloud services on Windows Azure, should enable the evolution of solutions from the Be Informed environment of today into a Cloud-based paradigm of tomorrow with benefits already seen through the many examples shown in this paper. Example of Windows Azure and Office 365 in context with the Be Informed Public Service Platform. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 19

21 About Be Informed Be Informed is an internationally operating, independent software vendor. The Be Informed business process platform supports administrative processes, which are becoming increasingly knowledge-intensive. Thanks to Be Informed s unique approach to dynamic case management, the next wave after business process management, organizations using Be Informed often report cost savings of tens of percents. Further benefits include a much higher straight-through processing rate leading to vastly improved productivity, and a reduction in time-to-change from months to days. Copyright 2012 by Be Informed. All rights reserved. Nothing in this publication may be duplicated, published or transmitted, using any means or in any form whatsoever, without the permission of Be Informed. Be Informed and Microsoft Connected Government Framework 20

22 Be Informed Wapenrustlaan DL Apeldoorn The Netherlands T +31 (0) E [email protected]