Empowering communities: How AI can enhance local government services

We’ve all heard stories about organizations spending thousands on software projects, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Electronic Health Record (EHR), or Student Information Systems (SIS) that take longer than expected to implement and exceed original budgets. One of the reasons this occurs is that organizations often don’t realize that purchasing a large, Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) enterprise system is a significant undertaking. If the needs aren’t sufficiently defined, there can be many roadblocks, including implementation delays, increased cost, scope creep, and ultimately, unsatisfactory results (delayed or unfinished projects and cost overruns).

These systems are complex, and implementation efforts impact both internal and external stakeholders. Procurement often requires participation from different departments, each with unique goals and perspectives. Ignore these perspectives at your own peril. Here are key questions to consider for making the best buying decision:

1. Should we purchase software that similar organizations have purchased?
   As vendor consolidation has diminished the number of distinct COTS systems available, this question is increasingly common. Following this approach is similar to deciding to buy the car that your neighbor did, because they seem satisfied. How can you be sure that the systems purchased by similar organizations will meet your needs, particularly if your needs are undefined? One way to identify your organization’s needs—and to avoid costly mistakes down the road—is to identify requirements during the procurement process.

2. What are the functional and technical requirements of the system?Requirements are details that help describe a software system. There are two types of requirements and you need to understand and review both:
   
   Functional requirements. These define specific functions of a system to meet day-to-day needs of an organization or department. They describe the necessary system capabilities that allow users to perform their jobs. For example, “The vendor file must provide a minimum of four (4) remit-to addresses.” Functional requirements may also define the mandated state or federal capabilities required of a system, such as the ability to produce W-2 or 1099 forms.
   
   Technical requirements. These requirements identify criteria used to judge the operation of a system, rather than specific behaviors. They can be requirements that define what database the system must support. For example, “The system must support use of the client preferred database.” They may also describe security capabilities of the system, the ability to import or export data, or the ease of use and overall end-user interface.

3. Who should help define and document requirements for the new enterprise system?
   
   When it comes to documenting and revising requirements, work with your IT staff; incorporating technology standards into a set of requirements is a best practice. Yet it is also necessary to seek input from non-IT individuals, or business process owners from multiple departments, those who will use and/or be affected by the new software system.
   
   Help these individuals or groups understand the capabilities of modern software systems by having them visit the sites of other organizations, or attend software industry conferences. You should also have them document the current system’s deficiencies. As for those in your organization who want to keep the current system, encourage their buy-in by asking them to highlight the system’s most valuable capabilities. Perspectives from both new system supporters and those not so eager to change will help build the best system.
    
4. When do you revise enterprise system requirements? 
   It is always important to begin the software procurement process with a documented set of requirements; you need them to identify the best solution. The same goes for the implementation process where vendors use the requirements to guide the setup and configuration of the new system. But be prepared to revise and enhance requirements when a vendor solution offers an improved capability or a better method to achieve the results. The best way to approach it is to plan to revise requirements constantly. This enables the software to better meet current needs, and often delivers enhanced capabilities.

Be sure to document system requirements for an efficient process

There may be thousands of requirements for an enterprise system. To make the procurement process as efficient as possible, continually define and refine requirements. While this takes time and resources, there are clear benefits:

• Having requirements defined in an RFP helps vendors match the capabilities of their software systems to your organization’s needs and functional expectations. Without requirements, the software procurement and selection process has little framework, and from a vendor perspective becomes a subjective process — making it hard to get consistent information from all vendors.
• Requirements help determine specific tasks and activities to address during the implementation process. While applications can’t always meet 100% of the requested functionalities, it’s important to emphasize the requirements that are most important to users, to help find the system that best meets the needs of your organization.
• Requirements prove valuable even after implementation has begun, as they can help you test your system to make sure the software meets your organization’s particular needs before production use of the new system.

Our experienced consultants have led many software procurement projects and have firsthand knowledge about the challenges and opportunities associated with purchasing and implementing systems large and small. BerryDunn maintains an active database of requirements that we continually enhance, based on work performed for various clients and on technological advancements in the marketplace. Please contact us and we can help you define your requirements for large software system purchases.

There’s a good chance that your organization is in the position of needing to do more with less under the strain of staffing constraints and competing initiatives. With fewer resources to work with, you’ll need to be persuasive to get the green light on new enterprise technology initiatives. To do that, you need to present decision makers with well-thought-out and targeted business cases that show your initiative will have impact and will be successful. Yet developing such a business case is no walk in the park. Perhaps because our firm has its roots in New England, we sometimes compare this process to leading a hiking trip into the woods—into the wild. 

Just as in hiking, success in developing a business case for a new initiative boils down to planning, preparation, and applying a few key concepts we’ve learned from our travels. 

Consensus is critical when planning new technology initiatives

Before you can start the hike, everyone has to agree on some fundamentals: 

Who's going? 

Where are we going? 

When do we go and for how long? 

Getting everyone to agree requires clear communication and, yes, even a little salesmanship: “Trust me. The bears aren’t bad this time of year.” The same principle applies in proposing new technology initiatives; making sure everyone has bought into the basic framework of the initiative is critical to success.

Although many hiking trips involve groups of people similar in age, ability, and whereabouts, for your business initiative you need to communicate with diverse groups of colleagues at every level of the organization. Gaining consensus among people who bring a wide variety of skills and perspectives to the project can be complex.

To gain consensus, consider the intended audiences of your message and target the content to what will work for them. It should provide enough information for executive-level stakeholders to quickly understand the initiative and the path forward. It should give people responsible for implementation or who will provide specific skills substantive information to implement the plan. And remember: one of the most common reasons projects struggle to meet their stated objectives (and why some projects never materialize to begin with), is a lack of sponsorship and buy-in. The goal of a business case is to gain buy-in before project initiation, so your sponsors will actively support the project during implementation. 

Set clear goals for your enterprise technology project 

It’s refreshing to take the first steps, to feel that initial sense of freedom as you set off down the trail. Yet few people truly enjoy wandering around aimlessly in the wilderness for an extended period of time. Hikers need goals, like reaching a mountain peak or seeing famous landmarks, or hiking a predetermined number of miles per day. And having a trail guide is key in meeting those goals. 

For a new initiative, clearly define goals and objectives, as well as pain points your organization wishes to address. This is critical to ensuring that the project’s sponsors and implementation team are all on the same page. Identifying specific benefits of completing your initiative can help people keep their “eyes on the prize” when the project feels like an uphill climb.

Timelines provide additional detail and direction—and demonstrate to decision makers that you have considered multiple facets of the project, including any constraints, resource limitations, or scheduling conflicts. Identifying best practices to incorporate throughout the initiative enhances the value of a business case proposition, and positions the organization for success. By leveraging lessons learned on previous projects, and planning for and mitigating risk, the organization will begin to clear the path for a successful endeavor. 

Don’t compromise on the right equipment

Hiking can be an expensive, time-consuming hobby. While the quality of your equipment and the accuracy of your maps are crucial, you can do things with limited resources if you’re careful. Taking the time to research and purchase the right equipment, (like the right hiking boots), keeps your fun expedition from becoming a tortuous slog. 

Similarly, in developing a business case for a new initiative, you need to make sure that you identify the right resources in the right areas. We all live with resource constraints of one sort or another. The process of identifying resources, particularly for funding and staffing the project, will lead to fewer surprises down the path. As many government employees know all too well, it is better to be thorough in the budget planning process than to return to authorizing sources for additional funding while midstream in a project. 

Consider your possible outcomes

You cannot be too singularly focused in the wild; weather conditions change quickly, unexpected opportunities reveal themselves, and being able to adapt quickly is absolutely necessary in order for everyone to come home safely. Sometimes, you should take the trail less traveled, rest in the random lean-to that you and your group stumble upon, or go for a refreshing dip in a lake. By focusing on more than just one single objective, it often leads to more enjoyable, safe, and successful excursions.

This type of outlook is necessary to build a business case for a new initiative. You may need to step back during your initial planning and consider the full impact of the process, including on those outside your organization. For example, you may begin to identify ways in which the initiative could benefit both internal and external stakeholders, and plan to move forward in a slightly new direction. Let’s say you’re building a business case for a new land management and permitting software system. Take time to consider that this system may benefit citizens, contractors, and other organizations that interact with your department. This new perspective can help you strengthen your business case. 

Expect teamwork

A group that doesn’t practice teamwork won’t last long in the wild. In order to facilitate and promote teamwork, it’s important to recognize the skills and contributions of each and every person. Some have a better sense of direction, while some can more easily start campfires. And if you find yourself fortunate enough to be joined by a truly experienced hiker, make sure that you listen to what they have to say.

Doing the hard work to present a business case for a new initiative may feel like a solitary action at times, but it’s not. Most likely, there are other people in your organization who see the value in the initiative. Recognize and utilize their skills in your planning. We also suggest working with an experienced advisor who can leverage best practices and lessons learned from similar projects. Their experience will help you anticipate potential resistance and develop and articulate the mitigation strategies necessary to gain support for your initiative.

If you have thoughts, concerns, or questions, contact our team. We love to discuss the potential and pitfalls of new initiatives, and can help prepare you to head out into the wild. We’d love to hear any parallels with hiking and wilderness adventuring that you have as well. Let us know! 

BerryDunn’s local government consulting team has the experience to lead technology planning initiatives and develop actionable plans that help you think strategically and improve service delivery. We partner with you, maintaining flexibility and open lines of communication to help ensure that your team has the resources it needs.

Our team has broad and deep experience partnering with local government clients across the country to modernize technology-based business transformation projects and the decision-making and planning efforts. Our expertise includes software system assessments/planning/procurement and implementation project management; operational, management, and staffing assessments; information security; cost allocation studies; and data management.  

Read this if your organization is planning on upgrading or replacing an enterprise technology system.

It can be challenging and stressful to plan for technology initiatives, especially those that involve and impact every area of your organization. Common initiatives include software upgrades or replacements for:

• Financial management, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
• Asset management systems
• Electronic health records (EHR) systems
• Permitting and inspections systems

Though the number of considerations when planning enterprise technology projects can be daunting, the greatest mistake you can make is not planning at all. By addressing just a few key areas, you can avoid some of the most common pitfalls, such as exceeding budget and schedule targets, experiencing scope creep, and losing buy-in among stakeholders. Here are some tips to help you navigate your next project:

Identify your IT project roles and resources

While most organizations understand the importance of identifying project stakeholder groups, it is often an afterthought. Defining these roles at the outset of your project helps you accurately estimate the work effort.

Your stakeholder groups may include:

• An executive sponsor
• A steering committee
• A project manager
• Functional leads
• A technical team

Once you’ve established the necessary roles, you can begin reviewing your organization’s resources to determine the people who will be available to fill them. Planning for resource availability will help you avoid delays, minimize impact to regular business processes, and reduce the likelihood of burnout. But this plan won’t remain static—you can expect to make updates throughout the project.

Establish clear goals and objectives to keep your technology project on track

It’s important that an enterprise technology project has established goals and objectives statements. These statements will help inform decision-making, provide benchmarks for progress, and measure your project’s success. They can then be referenced when key stakeholders have differing perspectives on the direction to take with a pending decision. For example, if the objective of your project is to reduce paper-based processes, you may plan for additional computer workstations and focus technical resources on provisioning them. You’ll also be able to measure your success in the reduction of paper-based tasks.

Estimate your IT project budget accurately

Project funding is hardly ever overlooked, but can be complex with project budgets that are either underestimated or estimated without sufficient rationale to withstand approval processes and subsequent budget analysis. You may find that breaking down estimates to a lower level of detail helps address these challenges. Most technology projects incur costs in three key areas:

• Vendor cost: This could include both one-time software implementation costs as well as recurring costs for maintenance and ongoing support.
• Infrastructure cost: Consider the cost of any investments needed to support your project, such as data center hardware, networking components, or computing devices.
• Supplemental resource cost: Don’t forget to include the cost of any additional resources needed for their specialized knowledge or to simply backfill project staff. This could include contracted resources or the additional cost of existing resources (i.e., overtime).

A good technology project budget also includes a contingency amount. This amount will depend on your organization’s standards, the relative level of confidence in your estimates, and the relative risk.

Anticipate the need for change management

Depending on the project, staff in many areas of your organization will be impacted by some level of change during a technology implementation. External stakeholders, such as vendors and the public, may also be affected. You can effectively manage this change by proactively identifying areas of likely change resistance and creating strategies to address them.

In any technology implementation, you will encounter change resistance you did not predict. Having strategies in place will help you react quickly and effectively. Some proven change management strategies include communicating throughout your project, involving stakeholders to get their buy-in, and helping ensure management has the right amount of information to share with their employees.

Maintain focus and stay flexible as you manage your IT project

Even with the most thought-out planning, unforeseen events and external factors may impact your technology project. Establish mechanisms to regularly and proactively monitor project status so that you can address material risks and issues before their impact to the project grows. Reacting to these items as they arise requires key project stakeholders to be flexible. Key stakeholders must recognize that new information does not necessarily mean previous decisions were made in error, and that it is better to adapt than to stick to the initial direction.

Whether you’re implementing an ERP, an EHR, or enterprise human resources or asset management systems, any enterprise technology project is a massive undertaking, involving significant investment and a coordinated effort with individuals across multiple areas of an organization. Common mistakes can be costly, but having a structured approach to your planning can help avoid pitfalls. Our experienced, objective advisors have worked with public and private organizations across the country to oversee large enterprise projects from inception to successful completion.

Contact our software consulting team with any questions.

On the first episode of the Let’s Talk Parks with BerryDunn podcast, we spoke with Shane Mize, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Pflugerville, Texas, and members of the BerryDunn Parks, Recreation, Libraries team about innovative ways to plan, engage, and serve their communities.

For those not familiar with Pflugerville, the city is situated between Austin and Round Rock, Texas. It has been listed as one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. They have a population of roughly 80,000 and their parks and recreation system is made up of over 55 miles of trails, with over 900,000 visits to their park system annually.

On the podcast, Shane talks about the challenges and opportunities of being surrounded by cities that have great parks and recreation departments. Never one to be upstaged, Shane uses innovation in his program, to increase community engagement and ensure the highest level of service to Pflugerville. The end goal: Being the best parks and recreation department in the country.

So let’s take a look at five innovative things the department is doing:

1. Rethinking the master plan

Shane told us that he's not a huge fan of how typical master plans are done. When he realized that he needed one to qualify for grants, he agreed, but on his own terms.

Shane shared his experience in seeking a consulting firm to help with the process, “I just decided that we were going to do things differently and was fortunate to find a firm [in BerryDunn] that … had enough park and rec professionals on it …and was young enough in some of their philosophies.”

He continued, “I think I was in the right place at the right time to push my agenda, which was to have a master plan that looked 100% different than any of the master plans I'd ever seen, and to feel confident and comfortable, not only standing before council, but standing before anybody in my industry.”

BerryDunn’s Jason Genck, the project manager on the master plan project, said, “They expect a high level of service, and they want us to push the envelope quite a bit, and I'm particularly excited about this project because I tend to be attracted to projects that are really creative, certainly innovative, and pushing the envelope.”

When starting the process, Shane told Jason that he wanted the plan to be “the most creative and engaged master planning process the country has ever seen.” Jason and his team completely agreed with this philosophy for Pflugerville and could see applications for other cities and towns.

Jason said, “I think this planning process is disrupting the traditional way of planning because the entire project team is constantly adjusting and re-thinking approaches to maximize the benefits to the Pflugerville community. Yes, we have our standard practices, but, we are having a lot of fun while being inspired to really push innovation in everything we do. While the Pflugerville team and the consultant team are true partners and everyone has such great expertise, we are also learning together how to help create the most vibrant future possible for the community.”

2. Going beyond benchmarking

Shane’s vision for the plan included local feedback as well as feedback from around the country. Jason Genck explained how this is different from what is typically done, “It's not just doing benchmarking, for example. Benchmarking is very common in a planning process, to look at how one organization might be performing against other, similar size, similar scoped organizations—and of course, we do that, and it's always an interesting discussion to reflect on what that is—but in the case of Pflugerville, that wasn't enough.”

“It was, 'Hey, let's take that benchmarking, let's get a think tank together. And you know what? We don't want a think tank of just local leaders. We’d also like you to do a think tank of regional and state leaders. Oh, and by the way, let's actually do a think tank of the best minds of the nation.' And that's just one example of many instances throughout the team's planning processes that are really just taking the traditional services that you might expect to another level.”

3. Constantly evaluating satisfaction

As the team started the master planning process, at the top of the list was getting feedback from the community, which was nothing new to the Pflugerville team. Proactively seeking customer satisfaction is something they do regularly. Another creative example:

Shane shared, “I actually have a staff member that pulls Yelp, Google, and Wedding Wire [reviews] for our wedding event site, and they pull those numbers quarterly and we can see if we've dipped up or down in every single park in the last quarter and any new comments are captured.”

4. Bringing in celebrity voices

This one is for all the fans of the TV show Parks and Recreation. As a way to gain visibility for the master planning process and to get the attention of their constituents, the Pflugerville team had a creative idea. Using the social tool Cameo, they hired actor Jay Jackson, who played character Perd Hapley on the show, for a brief “in character” video message (which you can see on Pflugerville’s Facebook page here). Here’s the message:

Perd: And hello there everyone. Jay Jackson here, aka Perd Hapley. And welcome to, 'You Heard with Perd!' We have some breaking news right now. And that news that is breaking is this: Right now, Pflugerville wants to hear from you as they develop a 10-year parks and recreation master plan. Your participation is very important, so go to pflugervilletx.gov/parksplan to learn more about it. And now that you heard, get involved. I'm Perd Hapley.

The video was widely shared and gained nearly 10,000 views—getting the master planning message out to potentially new audience members.

5. Meeting people where they are – on the road or online

On the podcast, BerryDunn’s Jason Genck described one of his favorite outreach vehicles (literally) that Pflugerville is using to engage citizens all over the city. “Let's pull a 15-foot-wide chalkboard all over the community, which has logged over 120 miles to date, to get into every nook and cranny in the community to make sure everyone knows what's going on with the future parks and recreation and has the opportunity to provide input.” Community members were encouraged to finish the sentence, “Parks matter because…” on the mobile chalkboard as a way to gather feedback on what was important to park users.

The chalkboard is just one way that the team is gathering feedback. Their website has a master planning section, linked to an engagement platform hosted by BerryDunn, where community members can provide ideas and vote for ideas from others. Meeting constituents where they are is helping make this project one of the most engaged planning processes the BerryDunn team has seen.

What’s next? Robots?

Well, maybe! The Pflugerville team has been looking at robots for lining their sports fields, so it can save their staff time and their employees can get back to doing what they do best. Nothing is off the table!

Shane explained that to be successful at innovation, you have to take some risks. He said, “If you're waiting until it's somewhat successful in the public sector, you've missed the mark of innovation. You've missed the mark of doing anything new.”

Listen to the full podcast here:

Read this if you are a Police Executive, City/County Administrator, or elected government official responsible for a law enforcement agency. 

Are your officers overwhelmed with workload? Have you been asked to do more with less? Is your agency struggling with maintaining sworn staffing levels? Has your community been questioning why the police respond to things that might be more appropriately handled by others?

If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, your agency might benefit from a comprehensive analysis of your police call-for-service (CFS) response model. 

Increasing CFS workloads

Many police agencies in the US have been struggling with increasing CFS workloads, while simultaneously facing ever-tightening budgets and unprecedented attrition and vacancy rates. As a result of these challenges and national trends calling for police response reform, many police departments have started to ask a very simple question: “Is there a better way?”

Considering alternatives to police CFS response is not new. In fact, many agencies already use some form of CFS diversion, whether through a telephone response unit (TRU), online reporting, mobile apps, or the use of non-sworn personnel. What is different and new in the most recent discussion is the understanding that this conversation is not simply about providing these alternatives as possible options.

It is about considering fundamental changes to how police departments do business, including identifying collaboration opportunities with other organizations and in some cases outsourcing certain CFS types entirely.

Despite growing interest among police agencies in identifying alternatives to the traditional police CFS model, many have struggled to deliver an objective process that can produce meaningful results, and in some cases, suggested revisions have met with resistance from staff, elected officials, and community members.   

Best-practices approach to call for service response model

The best-practices approach to conducting an Essential CFS Evaluation should be one that is highly collaborative, but also expand beyond the walls of the police department. The 21st Century Policing Task Force final report explains:

Law enforcement agencies should work with community residents to identify problems and collaborate on implementing solutions that produce meaningful results for the community… and do things with residents in the co-production of public safety rather than doing things to or for them. 

Determining possible alternatives to traditional CFS police response requires substantial data collection and analysis to inform and guide outcomes and recommendations. It also requires a thorough and comprehensive process that considers:

• Legal mandates
• Immediate response needs
• Potential risk
• Workload volumes by CFS type
• Operational policies and training
• Alternative resources, whether or not they currently exist
• Community priorities and expectations
• Fiscal impacts

The cost of providing consistent and effective public safety services is one of the more critical reasons for considering CFS response alternatives. Although officer salaries vary by state, region, or department, the cost of staffing a non-sworn position is typically 40%-45% of the cost of a sworn officer.  

There is a common reason why the legal profession has attorneys and paralegals, the medical profession has doctors and physician’s assistants, and why many ambulance companies have moved to a paramedic and emergency medical technician (EMT) team, as opposed to staffing two paramedics in one ambulance. Cost is a driving force in these examples and the same circumstances are present in the law enforcement industry (among others). A well-trained non-sworn police staff member can handle a variety of CFS that do not require the presence of a sworn officer—likely at half the cost. Shifting the work burden from sworn to non-sworn personnel benefits officers by freeing them up to perform tasks that require an officer to respond, and it benefits the department and community by reducing costs. 

Beyond the issue of cost, there is also increasing conversation about the effectiveness and appropriateness of using police personnel to manage a variety of CFS types, including mental health incidents and those involving the unhoused, for example. Regardless of the CFS type, it is critical to use a process that involves influential participation by both providers and consumers. 

Making changes to the traditional police CFS response model is involved and it requires a thoughtful approach. BerryDunn has developed an Essential CFS Evaluation process that considers numerous critical factors to produce data that police staff, community and elected leaders can rely upon in making critical decisions about future public safety needs. 

If you are curious or have questions about our Essential CFS Evaluation process, our dedicated Justice & Public Safety team is available to discuss your organization’s needs.

Read this if your State Medicaid Agency is planning Medicaid Enterprise System enhancements.

Are you a system integrator (SI) or a State Medicaid Agency (SMA) implementing or enhancing a Medicaid system or specific module? Have you considered how decisions made during design and implementation could impact the federal Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) reviews for SMAs?

The goal of PERM is to measure and report an unbiased estimate of the true improper payment rate for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Every state is reviewed once every three years using a sample that includes both fee for service (FFS) and managed care (MC) payments. A state assigned error rate is not the only consequence resulting from the PERM review; there are also financial implications.

Risk reduction from PERM review

Maintaining a focus on PERM review factors when making decisions during design and implementation can protect states by reducing the risk of:

• Submitting change requests (CR) during implementation, which can result in additional cost and time
• Implementing changes to existing Medicaid systems during maintenance and operations
• Findings reported during certification efforts
• Refunding federal dollars due to improperly paid claims
• A reduction in federal match on all claims paid

It is also important to understand the benefits of a dedicated PERM team within the state organization that includes members from the system vendor and outside PERM experts. These benefits include providing states an additional level of security to help ensure a positive outcome to the federal PERM review, helping to protect federal funding.

Having a dedicated team will help ensure all decisions made during system updates and/or implementations are made while keeping focus on PERM requirements and the further impacts of PERM reviews, saving time and remaining compliant.

Plan ahead for best results

When planning for a new module or Medicaid system request for proposal (RFPs), consider PERM-related requirements to help ensure all PERM needs are met to prevent errors and repayment of federal funds. Including PERM requirements can also help your agency ensure federal compliance and successful PERM audits. Doing so will likely reduce the amount of time system integrators spend re-working earlier development decisions and help ensure claim payments are processed, and eligibility determinations are made in accordance with federal and state regulations.

If you have questions about PERM or your specific situation, please contact our Medicaid Consulting team. We’re here to help.