Answering Common Pain Points in State and Local Government Organizations

Having previously worked in the public sector, I want to share my insight into some of the pain points faced by government organizations and how Servos, building on the ServiceNow platform can have a positive impact on your digital transformation and help you to meet the expectation of your citizens to do business with their government with the same level of convenience they see everyday, whether paying bills or buying groceries. One of the most exciting things about working for Servos is encountering and solving the same problems with our clients as I have seen in my time in the public sector and being able to speak up and say, “I have solved this problem before, and this is how we can solve it for you.”

In many cases Government entities may already find themselves dealing with a significant technology or process debt which will inevitably lead to large changes as you progress through your digital transformation journey. The following scenarios may sound familiar to anyone that has spent time in the public sector.

Turn “the way it’s always been” into “the best way it can be”

“This is the way it has always been done.” I have encountered this idea that a process is not bad because it’s old many times, often used as a defense against change. Consider that a process can be built “as is” on the ServiceNow platform and iteratively improved as stakeholders see the possibilities. Showing off other processes and services that have been improved helps convince reluctant stakeholders and turn them into change agents and your biggest advocates.

Some examples I’ve seen:

“The Clerk’s office uses a different system and physical signatures.”

“The Director needs to see all of these in hard copy.”

In this example, has anyone asked the Director if they really need to see all those papers or is this just what has always been done since before computers were in mainstream use in government offices? This is the perfect time to get everyone in the same room and ask questions.

Look to the success of other organizations for time-tested, best-practice solutions

“How do other places do this?” This is a great question to ask, and one of my favorites to answer. If your organization is operating with a significant technology or process debt you will want and need someone to advise you on industry standards that can speak to the nuanced use cases particular to your department or organization.

Consolidate organizational data and processes with a single, secure platform

“This process really is too complex because there are multiple systems involved that different departments use to fulfill the request!” I understand and remember vividly the pain of managing data “swivel chaired” into different systems as a signed paper moves its way around the building. This happens as home-grown applications are implemented and adopted through the years slowly becoming the source of truth for a department while other departments may point to a different application as their source of truth, creating technology debt when the person that supported the systems retire, which leads to process debt as people scramble to make sense of years of tribal knowledge that has been lost. At some point someone is going to need to start consolidation.

Why not now and why not you?

In my previous role in the public sector, I was involved in a project consolidating employee data into a single source of truth, pulling data from many different systems and populating user records within Active Directory, where we finally pulled the data into ServiceNow. This enabled the organization to have logical approval workflows, task assignments, among other things spanning departments all in one secure, stable system.

If you are struggling with technical debt and outdated processes that are slowing down your ability to serve your citizens, please reach out to us. The team here at Servos is very passionate about helping government organizations serve their communities more efficiently and effectively. We can help you consolidate your processes in a way that helps your staff spend more time attending to citizen needs, and less time chasing paper.

About the Author

Delivery Lead Shelby Foister is responsible for keeping development efforts high-quality and on point for client projects. Before joining Servos, he spent four years supporting the ServiceNow platform for a local government organization. In his free time, Shelby enjoys playing guitar, roller skating, and staying indoors to escape the intense Florida heat.