Digital transformation across all government services – how to achieve this?

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Comparing governments with businesses has always helped individuals to understand the concept of government better. It’s the same when it comes to comparing digital transformation in enterprises with eGovernment transformation. In both cases we have a big structure that is divided on different department levels – finances, social care, justice, food safety, road safety, etc. However, in terms of complexity there will always be one winner – and it’s the government.

How complexity differs in businesses and governments?

Businesses are serving the market and make their decisions with the goal of extracting a benefit from the market. Governments are beyond that – they serve both the public and the business and have a regulatory function to make decisions based on information that is gathered with paperwork or e-government services. That’s why we talk about whole other level of complexity.

If we take a close look at different levels within a government we will be able to gain a clear picture on the complexity we’re talking about. Let’s take for an example the structure of the government financial management. If a business doesn’t plan budgets wisely and doesn’t take financial decisions based on objectives like cost-efficiency, then the business will collapse. It’s the same with the public sector. That’s why financial systems have streamlined processes and principles that ensure the financial vitality of an organization.

Related: How to approach cost-efficient cloud adoption in governments?

If a closed eco-system like a small or medium business starts automating their financial management process by process, then we will have a classic digital transformation plan in action. Things in governments are a little bit more complicated. It’s simply so because the complexity of governments requires from the IT decision makers, CIOs and functional leaders the look further in the picture.

Why government CIOs need to look further in the digital transformation picture?

Let’s take for an example a social care regulator. Digital transformation in such structure will start by transforming the internal processes: first automating case management operations, then the inspection management processes, etc. The next stage of transformation will capture the processes with external agents by building up self-service portals. The self-service portals might serve the needs of the Ministry of social care at first and then expand to serving citizens. At certain point the social care bodies will have too much portals to work with. This is the moment when the CIO must come with a solution to integrate the automated processes and move every service under the same roof. This is what we call a fully functional eGovernment platform. To realise the full potential of this concept, CIOs must be able to look far in the digital transformation picture.

Transforming one process may catalyse big transformation across the economy

In times where changes happen fast, public finances are concerned with issues such as cost optimisation and efficient allocation of public money. E-government solutions are common means to achieve this. However, the transformation can’t encompass all government areas at once. It always starts with a single process and ends up transforming the whole ecosystem. In terms of where transformation in the public sector starts from, it always starts with the biggest areas of expenditures. These might be: social care and health, food safety, construction, financial regulations, etc.

Read more: How to set an eGovernment strategy?

So if we look for an answer to the big question how to drive digital transformation across all government services, we must stick to the old rule: start with a strategy. Then do things process by process. Make a long-term plan and create a team that will help you achieve this.

Are you looking for an eGovernment platform that will allow you to integrate automated services like case management and inspection management? Contact us.

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How investing in cloud services creates savings for government agencies?

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Everyone have heard government leaders talking about cutting costs. This is a budgetary policy that is happening in every EU country. Now in times of global health, social and economic crisis, these conversations are taking place more often than ever. Making cuts in the budgets seems like a shortcut to getting numbers in order. But shortcuts are not everything. A long-term cost optimisation policy is the smarter way to go for a variety of reasons.

Related: How digital safety inspection program can reduce the cost of inspections?

Shortcut plan vs long-term strategy?

The use of outdated systems in the public sector has led to reduction of the work load and challenged the efficiency of areas like regulatory enforcement in the peak of the covid-19 in Europe. More specifically the inspection management part of the regulatory agencies was challenged when strict social distance measures applied. This affected the citizens and the efficiency of the workforce, operating on the inspection management part.

Read now: A guide for finding the best inspection management software online

As a result there are a lot of conversation about cutting costs in government agencies now. However, optimizing costs is the direction for government agencies that are using outdated systems to run their processes.

“Government leaders often fall into “salami-slicing” budget cuts across the board. “Government leaders’ approach is to make incremental cuts to budgets areas across the board, rather than taking a more strategic cost optimization approach. These cuts can be particularly damaging to IT, derailing digital projects and ignoring the positive impact that budget spent on IT can have in reducing costs elsewhere in the organization.” says Cathleen E. Blanton, research vice president at Gartner.

Digital Transformation Drives Efficiency and Cost Optimisation

With the events that happened in 2020, government CIOs must evaluate whether the government agencies can deliver their services to the public with the current work model. After this assessment is made, the CIO must research alternative models of work. We’re living in the age of cloud technologies, so if we talk about transforming an overlooked field like inspection services, the cloud alternative must be on the top of the list.

Related: All you need to know about cloud adoption in government agencies

By researching cloud alternatives, CIOs must focus on the values of the cloud, but also to make sure that the new work models won’t be a challenge for the workforce. The values may vary. For example in the inspection management part the value may be about optimizing costs for travel of inspectors, in the case management part it may be about optimizing the processing time. The values vary at the different levels of government organizations. The good news is that with a good plan, CIOs may have an overview of the expected outcomes before buying a cloud software for inspections or for somethings else.

Related: Why is it a good idea to test a cloud software with PoC (proof of concept)?

Plan smart, implement cloud smarter

Adopting cloud for government agencies is not a simple task. It must be planned carefully and at different stages. If we look at the wholesome of processes behind regulatory enforcement, we will see room for different software solutions – inspection scheduling, inspection management, compliance management, case management, self-service portals and other e-government solutions. If the cloud implementation is planned to cover different solutions at different stage, then it will be one smart plan that will not only implement cloud, but will also do it in progressive way. It means that at every stage the workforce will be more mature to extract the values that are promised by the cloud.

Related: How route optimisation reduces costs in regulatory agencies?

The strategic approach of cost optimisation requires long term planning skills. This approach starts with formulating clear strategy and then implementing it.

Related: How to formulate cloud adoption strategy?

How to choose the right cloud service supplier?

There are hundreds of options on the SaaS market of cloud solutions for e-governments. However, when choosing a cloud service supplier, CIOs must look for something more than that. They need to identify a supplier, who is willing to be a partner and contribute to the planning of the most optimal cloud adoption plan.

Do you need help for cloud integration of inspection software and case management platforms for government agencies? Or you just want to start with gathering data via self-service portals and plan the further cloud adoption for other public services?

Contact us now.
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CIOs: Understanding Cloud Strategy in Government Agencies

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Cloud adoption is on the rise. The best moment for government CIOs to start asking questions about  how to include cloud in their strategy was few years ago. The next best moment for government CIOs is now.

What is cloud strategy in regulatory agencies?

Let’s start with what is not a cloud strategy. Cloud strategy is not a road that will solve all of the existing problems within the government agency. The strategy must be focused on transforming specific activities. The digital transformation may include only the inspection management processes in food agency for example, or case management in social care institutions. It’s crucial for CIOs to understand that cloud strategy doesn’t have to capture everything in the long term IT plan of the government agency. In a perfect world it’s good to have planned everything upfront, but this is rarely present in reality. That’s why it’s important for government CIOs to understand that they should not give up on cloud strategy just because their strategy doesn’t touch every process within the organization.

Who must be involved in the efforts of setting a cloud strategy in government agency?

We already talked in our blog about the best way to find good cloud software for government agencies. It outlines a step-by-step guide for finding good egovernment cloud software online. But when it comes to strategy there are also steps that should be outlined.

The formulation of cloud strategy is a group effort. A key part of the strategy is to form a dedicated team. Most of the organizations engage variety of IT roles in this team (people responsible for IT security, operations, etc.). But the cloud strategy team must not be limited only to IT roles. For example, HR leads in the team can help the workforce transition in the cloud at later point, the finance leads can advise on costs and savings, etc.

government cloud strategy inspection management

After cloud strategy comes cloud implementation

After the CIO has a cloud strategy it’s time for cloud adoption (or implementation). The implementation part is where the team actually starts to act toward adopting the cloud. The difference between cloud strategy and cloud implementation plan is that the strategy is clear and concise and serves as a foundation for adopting cloud for all activities within the organization. If we talk about cloud implementation for inspection software then the implementation plan must be aligned with the cloud strategy. If we talk about cloud implementation for case management, the implementation plan must aligned with the cloud strategy.

 

It can be presented with this Gartner figure:

cloud implementation plan government

Related: Everything you need to know about cloud adoption in government

Not having a cloud strategy in 2020 is not a thing that government agencies in EU should be proud of. This is why government agencies and their CIOs should start working on their cloud strategy now. Being late for the cloud party creates additional layer of urgency for CIOs to understand the meaning of cloud strategy and why it is different from implementation plan. If the government agencies follow clear cloud strategy, then they will avoid the unplanned ad-hoc costs that may emerge in the cloud implementation of different activities at different point in time. Last but not least, by having a clear strategy at hand, every functional lead involved in the cloud adoption team will be able to use his own imagination on  how cloud can be used in their operations.

Are you a CIO looking for help with cloud strategy and cloud implementation in government agency?

Contact us now.

 

 

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Why you need a proof-of-concept?

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The landscape of inspection software solutions is big and full of varieties. This is why everyone who is researching this field is likely to be armed with many questions. However, once all of the questions are asked and answered, there comes the next stage – testing a demo of the inspection software. This is an effort that will take a certain investment of time. But the pay off of this investment will be worth, because of these benefits:

1. You will test a real-case scenarios

Have you prepared your list of problems that you’d like to solve with inspection and compliance management software? If not, you can read our guide for searching inspection optimization solution and start listing all of the problems you’d like to solve. Once you’re ready with this list, you’ll be able to evaluate the efficiency of the software by testing it.

The demo testing of an inspection software lets you experience in practice the power of operational optimization – whether it is optimization of inspection scheduling, inspection planning, etc. The bottom line is that a well build Proof of Concept will give you a good taste of the real benefits that your organization can reap in the long run.

As a cloud inspection platform, Canalix can build demos that are in familiar environment for the customers. This allows them to experiment with the inspection software and get a real taste of it.

2. You will find answers by yourself

It’s one thing to have questions and hear the answers from someone who is selling your something. It’s another thing to find the answers by yourself and have a double confirmation of what you have been told. Worst-case scenario: you will know what wouldn’t work for you. Best case scenario:  you will be able to imagine what other benefits are there for your organization. In other words: both scenarios are win-win.

Related: Read Why PoC’s of Inspection & Compliance Management Are Important

3. Focus on the specific needs of your organisation

We believe that a good partner can upgrade your ideas in unexpected ways. That’s why in our practice the building of a PoC is a process that starts with interaction with our customers. The point of this interaction is the precise extraction of the client’s requirements and goals. When the PoC is ready to be demonstrated, the client will be able to test a demo solution that is customized for his inspection model.

The bonus side is that based on the quality of the PoC demo, the client can make more informed judgement. However, there’s one important side question: what if you test two different products with PoC and the experience with both of them is flawless? In this case you should decide which one of the two PoC demos was more easy to experiment with.

4. Get a measurable ROI

Last but not least, testing a demo version of a software is the best way to tell if it’s worth the price.

Are you looking for:

  • inspection management software
  • case management solutions
  • compliance management platform
  • self-service portals solution?

Do you have a list of inspection software requirements waiting to be turned into beautiful PoC? Do the first step and contact us now. The rest is easy.

 

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Why Trying a PoC Before Buying Compliance & Inspection Software?

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How do you test an inspection software?  Whether you’re a decision maker for regulator or enterprise, it’s a question that will eventually come up if you’re on the look for good regulatory compliance and inspection management solution. Read our guide for searching the best inspection management software, if you haven’t already. But what happens when you went through all of the points on your checklist? You just buy the software or is there something else you have to do?

Related: 4 Benefits of Testing Inspection Software With Demo PoC

Ask for a PoC of the inspection software

First let’s answer to the questions what is PoC? PoC a.k.a. proof-of-concept is a cloud environment that can be tested from the interested parties in the buying cycle. For example if you’re a government agency that needs a case management solution or a financial authority that needs a compliance management software, you can test the optimization software before buying it. This phase of testing is called PoC.

Why do you need to test an inspection & compliance software with PoC?

Building a real-world test environment that matches your specific work process is a key step in evaluating the qualities of the product you’re eyeing. This is the best way to make sure that your organization won’t face unexpected bad surprises when they actually start using the software for case management or compliance and inspection management purposes. If you want to test a demo of Canalix, contact us now.

Why PoC are more important than ever?

Now more than even decision makers need proof of concept to test and validate the functionalities of an inspection management software. The cloud based solution that Canalix offers allows easy and fast configuration of real-case environment that will reflect the specific issues and requirements both enterprises or regulators may have. This might sound like a complicated process, but it is not. Our team will consult you about creating realistic scenarios and then we will replicate the work process of these scenarios to a cloud based PoC. Whether it is a case management or inspection and compliance management environment, we can build a demo that will capture the transformation power our solution has to offer.

Related: Why the Use of Cloud SaaS Inspection Platforms is Growing

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Regulatory Case Management Software – SaaS or not?

Government agencies’ case management processes involve complex procedures related to significant amounts of data. Imagine what kind of paperwork consists in handling cases in the public sector (regulators, social care services, financial authorities, etc.). Their structure is dynamic, and the end-to-end case management process is difficult to predict. This complexity is a prerequisite for mistakes when working with regulatory case management software.

Related: BPM vs Case Management – what’s the difference?

The loops in the case management system could cause unplanned costs, communication errors and mistakes that reduce efficiency. The affected of this inefficiency are hundreds of government employees, but mostly – the citizens who are the customers of the government agencies. We decided to write a series of articles about the most common mistakes when making decisions about case management solutions in the government sector. The best way to avoid facing the consequences of such errors is to be vigilant in your research process.

Are we building a case management software from scratch or using a ready-made SaaS?

CMS building from the ground up is a costly and time-consuming endeavour. Building customised software from scratch is not the brightest idea when there’s a well-populated market with government case management solutions. Moreover, using a ready-made solution doesn’t mean that the software is not customised for a specific field.

Canalix is an excellent example of a case management solution purpose-built to answer the specific needs of regulators, or as we call it, a regulatory case management software. The industry focus makes the product more reliable because of the years of experience and research that shaped its development. Something that indeed lacks in the commissioned development of case management solutions that doesn’t have the long term industry expertise that a purpose-built regulatory case management software has.

If a public sector regulator plans to update their case management system, the best way to go is with purpose-built regulatory case management software.

Book a demo

The efficiency of using custom case management solutions depends not only on the tailored nature of the product but also on the invested time and expertise in its development. It will be wiser to consider ready-made solutions rather than build one from the ground. This approach can bring a CRM platform that is both – industry-specific and reliable.

Related: Read more about industry-specific inspection software solutions.

Developing tailor-made case management software from scratch is not always the most brilliant idea. Before making this decision, the digital transformation expert must at least research what the market offers. Learn what makes Canalix an optimal solution for case management.

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What’s the difference? Case Management vs BPM

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Every research about business optimisation eventually goes through business process management and case management. And inevitably, there come the questions: What is case management? What is BPM? How is the one different from the other? We’ll answer all of these questions below. Let’s start with:

Are BPM and Case Management the same things?

Business process management and case management software are two solutions with the same goal: business optimisation. This is the common ground between them. But this common ground also creates considerable confusion because it makes people think of BMP and Case management as the same thing. The truth is that even though they share the same goal, the two solutions differ in the approach they offer. So let’s look at each one of them separately.

What is Business Process Management?

If we take any kind of organisation – small business, big enterprise, NGO or local government, we can describe the workflow processes in their structures as BPM. Every process is related to a certain individual. For example, in one big office, the work process of the office manager is to keep track of the office supplies. There are specific steps that the individual must take to finish this process weekly. BPM streamlines processes like this and implements new and more optimised ways for their execution. It mostly happens through data automation.

Now, if we take, for example, all the possible functions individuals can have in one big office, we will have hundreds of workflow processes to look through. What you should remember as the most distinctive description of BPM is that it acquires mainly processes that are consistent and easy to predict. This makes Business Process Management a perfect optimisation solution for general use.

regulatory case management software

What is Case Management?

Case Management is focused on more complex processes that together build a case. If we have a clear workflow structure in BPM, in cases structure is not so clear, and the outcome of operations is not easy to predict. That’s why we need a different approach in optimising the work with cases. And this is where the case management software comes in handy.

What’s the difference between BPM and Case Management Software?

If we imagine that the BPM software makes an optimal route for completing a work process, then the map will look like that:

  •  Start from point A, then go through points B and C and finish in point D. Fast, clear and straightforward where every step of the process can be predicted. 

But if we need a map for the most optimal way of completing a case, then the map will be like that:

  • Start from point A, but there will be other people, processes, and probably cases involved at points B and C. Depending on the decisions taken at these steps, the course of action may be changed. The path may lead to points D and E before finishing the processes. It all depends on the human judgement that will be made. Such complex processes usually happen in big and complex organisations like Planning Inspectorate, Social Care Commission, Local Governments, Insurance companies, Regulatory Authorities.

Related: How to compare different business optimisation solutions?

By looking at these two examples, we can conclude that the most significant difference between business process and case management is complexity. A good BPM solution will use data automation to optimise the work process. But if we have to optimise the work with cases, then data automation won’t be enough. This is where AI comes in handy and solves complex problems that often require human judgment.

Related: read more about AI optimisation in inspection software.

Case management vs BPM in opposition is a really great way to understand the specifics of each solution. But what if our organisation needs to optimise both: structured and predictable processes and dynamic and more complex cases? The good news is that there are flexible platforms in this regard. It means that they can be utilised for BPM and solve complex and specific problems.

Do you need to know more about such a solution? Canalix has an outstanding regulatory case management software that can be integrated to realise the business priorities of regulators and other public sector organisations. Contact Canalix now.

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Is there an optimal solution for regulatory case management?

If we look at the public sector as a regular business, we’ll see two sides – service providers and customers. So when we talk about business optimisation in government agencies, we talk about service providers – the public organisations that ensure regulatory compliance, and customers – the citizens and the entities subject to regulations. As in businesses, the optimisation path often goes through the workforce’s operations in regulatory agencies. It usually starts by updating the legacy case management system with purpose-built regulatory case management software.

What is case management?

Before we describe the regulatory case management module of Canalix, let’s go through Gartner’s definition of case management:

Case management solutions are applications designed to support a complex process requiring a combination of human tasks and electronic workflows, such as an incoming application, a submitted claim, a complaint, or a claim moving to litigation. These solutions support the workflow, management collaboration, storage of images and content, decisions, and processing of electronic files or cases.

Related: Case management vs BPMS – what is the difference?

Canalix is an advanced inspection management software focused on delivering various digital transformation solutions to the public sector. One of our main objectives is to transform how the regulators’ workforce is operating. That is realised with the case management system of Canalix.

Canalix supports a fully self-sufficient government case management software by managing gathered data, documents, processes, and configurable rules on a single platform. The automated process allows fast and reliable scoring and categorising inspection cases, appeals and complaints. This digital infrastructure empowers the employees to improve their work and make better decisions.

AI optimisation can turn the decision-making process into a better version of itself. For example, by using Canalix, regulators can automatically match cases with inspectors based on:

  • Specialities
  • Complexity level
  • Distance
  • Availability
  • Preclusions

This AI optimised process eliminates the possibility of error by matching cases with a wrongfully skilled inspector. Using regulatory case management software can drastically improve the way regulators operate. The upgrades are measured in the efficiency of the workforce’s operations and by the reduced operational costs.

Read more about case management systems as part of the digital transformation in government agencies.

 

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Transforming Regulators With Government Case Management Software

It’s no secret that there’s a whole genre of jokes about government agencies. The reason is mainly the predominant stereotype that describes government services as slow and clumsy. But if we look up to the top smart cities in the world, we’ll find examples of local governments that are successfully breaking up with this stereotype.

It is always inspiring to look up to great examples. But is it serious comparing London’s multi-million digital transformation budget to the budget of a local government agency somewhere in England? Of course not. However, essential digital transformation solutions can make a big difference for local governments. The modernisation of government case management systems is such.

How Regulatory Case Management Systems Transform Government Agencies? 

  • Less manual work, more automation

Public agencies oversee many parts of the regulatory enforcement process. Sometimes these parts interact with each other. Or there are new compliance rules that change the process. This work adds up every day. That’s why procedures in the public sector are often slow when done manually. 

Digital transformation is changing this by integrating governments with valuable case management platforms. Such platforms improve efficiency via data-driven automation that allows faster workflow. And it’s no secret that when we talk about saving time, we talk about saving costs. So this is the most fundamental transformation value that a regulatory case management software can bring by automating manual processes.

  • Eliminating expensive mistakes

Data automation is the technology through which case management systems ensure fast workflow. But how do they ensure intelligent workflow? The answer is artificial intelligence. A smart case management system will remove the risk of expensive errors.

We will give an example of the way Canalix is applying AI optimisation in the inspection process:

Imagine that different cases are categorised by their specifics and located in various places. The solving of each case requires an inspector with a specific skill set. The manual process of matching inspectors with cases have a considerable risk of error. Such risk may lead to sending wrongfully skilled inspectors on site. But with intelligent case management software like Canalix, each case can be matched with an inspector based on skill set, distance, availability, etc.

Our innovative solution makes the resource allocation visible in the inspectors’ scheduling calendars in real-time.

Related: Three Benefits of Using AI-Driven Inspection Software

Providing security

Keeping the data in excel files on our government agency’s server will make it easier for hackers to steal the data. But a sound case management system can provide additional security. If you want to take care of your government agency’s case management security, make sure that you look for cloud-based platforms that are specifically built to answer the public sector’s needs.

Related: Why Regulators Need Industry-specific Inspection Software?

Government agencies are organisations that still have baby steps to make into digital transformation. Modernising their case management software is suitable for making more significant steps into this field. Do you want to lead your organisation into its first step in digital transformation? Contacts us for a free demo.

Related: Why Self-Service Portals Are a Good Idea For the First Step Into Digital Transformation?

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