Government e-fficiency

Citation

(2001), "Government e-fficiency", Work Study, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2001.07950faf.001

Government e-fficiency

Government e-fficiency

Keywords: Information technology, Government

Luton Borough Council is adopting customer-facing business processes as a key route to success in planning "e-government" services as part of its search for "joined-up government" and Best Value.

Tony Blair has declared an aim of bringing the "e-business revolution into the heart of Whitehall". The e-government project is widely considered to be a model for all public service delivery throughout the UK and Europe; and a major factor in achieving it is integrating and streamlining customer-facing business processes. Business processes are equally important when planning joined-up government and Best Value accreditation – where accessibility and efficiency are paramount.

Indeed, the Department of Social Security (DSS) cites the three most crucial factors to achieving government modernisation as: business strategy and planning; business process re-engineering (BPR) and the management of business change.

Customer facing processes

One of the aims of e-government is to look at how services can be built around the needs of customers, rather than, as in the past, around the organisation of government itself. There is a strong belief that there must be a better way to make different departments in the same government work together. This new "movement" aims to help departments, agencies and local government to co-operate in new ways that make sense to the citizen, so that people will not need to understand how government is organised simply to get the services they need.

Luton Borough Council has long believed in using software to model its business processes from this customer's perspective; that is, to view services as the user sees them. For this reason, they use a multi-user set-up of Casewise Corporate Modeller – one of the leading cross-functional, process-modelling products on the market. It has enabled them to model the different parts of the organisations, and shows how service provision cuts across several departments and suppliers.

This helps create "as-is" models of current operations, which are analysed and subject to "what-if?" simulations, to develop more efficient designs.

Process efficiencies to fund change

Implementing the e-government model is possible with no net cash flow impact. Luton intends to fund e-government through efficiencies achieved predominantly through this type of BPR, provided a reasonable planning period for the whole project is agreed – say, five years.

The aim is to use available technology, whilst engineering back-office efficiencies without initially embarking on major IT implementation. Moreover, quick wins are built in, without compromising the overall view of providing maximum benefits in minimum time.

Restructuring organisations to support processes

Overall, the e-government model is about joining up the means of accessing the services instead of integrating the service delivery systems. This is a radical and innovative proposition for joined-up government. Innovative, not just in the range of access channels and the breadth of technology envisaged, but also in the multiplicity of organisations that are involved from relevant sectors.

As part of a major change programme, and to meet the Modernising Government agenda, the Council is to re-structure its operations. This is in recognition of the need to conduct a fundamental review of its customer-facing business processes, together with its underlying, supporting IT infrastructure.

Single-source solutions

New digital channels, which can deliver better quality services to the citizen, are available 24-hours each day, and they are faster, more convenient and more personalised. Some of the benefits will be realised through the use of the Internet-based Single Information and Services Gateway, which will enable the customer to identify easily the correct path to the information required.

Deliver e-government before 2005

This e-government model successfully addresses key barriers. The model will also benefit the participating organisations by achieving operational expenditure savings, helping them become more customer-focused and aligning with the Modernising Government agenda. The e-government model is an opportunity. Luton Borough Council want better ways of doing business using electronic channels rather than by looking to become an entirely new e-business. However, with that opportunity is a responsibility: that the whole of society should benefit.