In the era of, “do more with less,” Gilbert passed a council directive that encouraged the city to become a technology leader by finding creative and innovative ways to utilize technology for city operations.
One such city operation that needed attention was streamlined workflow management; it's something the city has struggled with, said system administrator Kirsten Larsen, adding that the city still heavily relied on paper-based forms.
“Everything we do we try to keep in mind of being a technology leader and being best in class, so for limited staff we decided we’d try to improve our basic business processes each day by automating them,” she said. “We wanted to eliminate paper, we wanted to reduce staff time and everyday processes by increased productivity.”
Larsen said the city wanted to implement a technology-based solution that not only streamlined processes, but also was easy to learn and use, particularly for individuals of ranging technology skill levels. To meet those needs, the city implemented K2 blackpoint – a workflow software that integrates with Microsoft Sharepoint.
According to K2 blackpoint, the city first implemented the product to automate processes for requesting hardware and software, then later implemented about a dozen other processes. One of the other components implemented was an idea management system that employees can use to submit ideas for organizational improvement. Larsen said the software also helps with other needs, such as streamlining budget information in a format that can be adjusted and tweaked to meet the city's needs.
Mark Kramer, the city’s assistant manager for Technology Services, initially gave the OK for Gilbert to move forward with K2 blackpoint, noting that the platform doesn't require programming skills and fit within the city's budget.
“It can scale to meet our future needs without losing the investment we’ve already put into it," he said in a statement, "and it utilizes our Microsoft platform."
When the system was implemented in November 2011, it cost the city roughly $25,000. Due to product upgrades, however, blackpoint is no longer available; it has been replaced with K2 blackpearl, which the city plans to upgrade to this summer.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Sarah Rich
Quelle/Source: Government Technology, 09.05.2013
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