Transcript Slide 1

CASE STUDY:
The City of Tampa's
Automated Agenda
Workflow System
ISPA, Inc and DocMaestro
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ISPA is a Service Disabled Veteran owned
and Small Disadvantaged Business
headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia
DocMaestro Division is located in Clearwater
Products include:
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AgendaMaestro
UtilityMaestro
InfoLinker
City of Tampa
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Population over 300,000
Over 4,500 city employees
Around 34 departments
Hundreds of employees are involved in the
agenda process - Requestors
Over 100 employees involved in the agenda
approval process - Approvers
Offices in several buildings throughout city
Extensive Intranet facilities
System Objectives
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Better, faster, cheaper than current process
Define a documented process
Ability to adapt to changes
The ability to collect statistical information on
the agenda process
Provide public access to agenda information
Existing Conditions
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The City of Tampa publishes around 20 different agendas every month.
Each agenda can be upwards of 1500 pages with support material
The types of agendas published for the City of Tampa include:
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Regular Meeting Draft Agenda
Regular Meeting Final Agenda
Regular Meeting Ordinance Agenda
Regular Meeting Resolution Agenda
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Special Meeting Agenda
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Regular Meeting Agenda
Evening Agenda
Each agenda can result in additional documents including Minutes and
Action Agendas
There are around 200 requests per month to place items on an agenda
Each agenda request can require up to 10 approvals before it is
assigned to appear on an agenda
First Step: Gathering Information
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The Tampa Request For Proposal
Understanding the existing paper process
Survey the users and facilities
Categorize the users
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Requestors
Approvers
Coordinators
Survey the users
Survey Says…
1 of 8
Forms and Documents
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Agendas (Compound Documents)
 Regular Meetings
 Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Meetings
 Actions Agendas
 Minutes
Agenda Requests
 Types of agenda requests:
Resolution, Ordinance, Petition (Staff Report/Site Plan),
Hearing, Council Ordinance
 Data and Support Information
 Approval Process (Workflow)
 Policy and Rejection
 Assignment to an Agenda
Agenda
Request
Word Form with
Macros and
attached support
documents
Approval Process (Workflow)
Documented Process
Routing Slip
Routing Slip page 2
Electronic Signatures
Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of June
2001 - "ESIGN“, FTC & Dept of Commerce
“a signature, contract, or other record relating to such transaction
may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely
because it is in electronic form”
“Signed electronic records shall contain information associated
with the signing that clearly indicates the printed name of the
signer, the date and time when the signature was executed. The
meaning (such as review, approval, responsibility, or authorship)
associated with the signature.”
http://www.ftc.gov/os/2001/06/esign7.htm
Requestor / Approver Web Site
Agenda
Template
Tampa
Hollywood
DeKalb, GA
Action Agenda
Coordinator Workstation
Document Repository
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Web based document system
Integrates with existing web site
Field searchable
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Agenda Date
Agenda Type
Word searchable
Hyperlinked results
System Overview
AgendaMaestro
Server
Request
Emails
Attachments
Web
Page
s
Coordinator
Client
Templates
&
Configuration
Event
Manager
System
Manager
Web
Browser
Clients
Documents
&
Files
Event
Emails
Agenda
DBMS
System
Emails
System
Manager
Client
Getting it going
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A focal point on both sides is a good idea
User Training is Very Important
What is surveyed is not always the truth
Use a “Support Request” form
Policy and Procedures
User Training is Very Important
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Training Classes
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Requestor / Approver Training
Coordinator Training
ITS Training (ITS support is very important - Thanks Don)
City of Tampa Support – Lelia Blevins
User Manuals (Not sure anyone sees them)
System Results - Accomplishments
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There are 200 Agenda Requests per month
The system sends out 2,000 approval / review
requests per month
Over 8 gigabytes of electronic documents have
entered the system since inception
Currently, no paper agenda requests nor agendas
are printed to paper by the City Clerk’s office –
Paperless Office
All agendas are available to the public
Process is better, faster, cheaper
From Press Release of May 12, 2005:
“The goal of the Agenda Automation Project is to achieve
greater efficiency in city government, while substantially
reducing paper and manpower costs. The initiative has
already greatly reduced voluminous paper agenda books
provided to city council members and city staff. The city
clerk, in conjunction with the Information Technology
Department, worked with a selected vendor DocMaestro,
in the development of an electronic workflow for
processing agenda items with electronic signatures
affixed by the appropriate review departments.”
Press Release 5/12/2005 (Continued):
“During the past two city council meetings, council
members and other staff members have been able to
access their agenda materials electronically from laptop
computers. This Agenda Automation Project was
initiated at the request of the mayor’s administration and
as a result of concerns expressed by city council
members that access to official documents should be
available on-line to the public, news media, and city
staff.”
AgendaMaestro and UtilityMaestro
Customers
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City of Tampa
Hillsborough County
Marion County
City of Sarasota
Pinellas County Utilities
Hollywood, Florida
Broward County
DeKalb County, Georgia
Fulton County, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Cobb County, Georgia
Columbus Consolidated Government, Georgia
Schenectady, New York
Georgetown County, South Carolina
City of Georgetown, South Carolina