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| Information Processing Management Associates | October 1997 |
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Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley [ Washington IS #1 ] [ GA Customer Focus ] [ September Board Meeting ] The significant problems we face cannot be resolved -- Albert Einstein Washington IS #1The state of Washington is the nation's best at using digital technologies to improve its government operations, according to a 50-state study. The Digital State, released by the Progress and Freedom Foundation and supported by IBM's Institute for Electronic Government, ranked Washington among the top 10 states in 7 of 8 categories studied. The announcement thrilled Steve Kolodney, Director of the Department of Information Services, the state's technology agency. "An important part of Washington's technology agenda focuses on finding resourceful ways to provide our citizens with unprecedented access to government information and services. This honor shows we clearly are on the right track," said Kolodney. "I commend the Department of Information Services for the outstanding job it's doing to serve the people of our state," said Governor Gary Locke. Foundation president Jeffrey Eisenach presented the first "Digital State" award to a delegation of Washington State legislators in Philadelphia attending the National Conference of State Legislators. Representatives Dave Quall and Mary Lou Dickerson accepted the award on behalf of the state of Washington. In presenting the award, Eisenach said "information technology can make government more effective, competitive and user friendly. In fact, digital infrastructure is as much a key to growth in the Digital Age as railroads and roadways were to the Industrial Age." The top 10 states in overall rankings were, in order: Washington, Wisconsin, Florida, Oregon, Maryland, Arizona, Indiana, New Jersey, Missouri, and Michigan. In addition to being named 1997's Digital State, the state of Washington received a "Best Practices" certificate for ranking highest in the "Law Enforcement and the Courts" category. The other major categories studied were digital democracy, higher education, elementary and secondary education, business regulation, taxation, health, welfare and social services, and other initiatives. Foundation researchers spent six months studying how states put digital technologies to work to do the people's business. States were ranked on 44 specific applications organized into eight major categories listed above. The Progress and Freedom Foundation, which studies the impact of the digital revolution and its implications for public policy, plans to annually update this study. For more information on the Foundation and the Digital State visit its web site at: http://www.pff.org GA Customer FocusCampus parking registration, a necessity for many State employees, just became a little easier. In the past, registering new vehicles or renewing your campus parking required a physical trip over to the Parking Office in Office Building 2 (OB2). Today, employees can perform these tasks on-line using a web browser. The on-line parking registration form was the result of a quality process improvement project which recognized that the existing procedure was inconvenient and required streamlining. The widespread use of the World Wide Web on the Internet led the Department of General Administration (GA) to develop an on-line form on the web as a solution to this problem. State employees with access to the web can now update parking information from their workstations, without making a trip to the Parking Office. After filling out parking information on the form, the information is submitted to the Parking Office for processing. Parking stickers are typically mailed to the employee’s home or office address within a couple of days. Customer feedback about the form has been very positive. In August, employees submitted 420 requests to update information about their campus parking. The form can be found at:
The parking form is just one of a number of forms available on the Internet that GA is using to meet customers’ needs. GA is working to eliminate barriers between its services and the customers who use them. GA’s customers include state agencies, local government, non-profit organizations, and vendors offering various goods and services. Web applications on the Internet provide GA with an effective means for performing many day-to-day business transactions, regardless of where customers are located. Other popular web applications include: Central Stores Order Form — This allows state and local government to purchase goods such as office supplies, paper, tools, and first aid supplies from Central Stores.
On-line Vehicle Ordering System — Provides state and local government to purchase vehicles on-line using the state vehicle contracts. This system won the Cronin Award bronze medal, a national award recognizing innovation in state purchasing. The system reduced the time required by customers to place orders from days down to minutes.
Purchase Requisition Form — Customers can submit purchase requisitions for one-time purchases of a good or service to the Office of State Procurement.
Facilities Service Request — Facilities managers use this form to submit service requests for campus facilities.
Mail Supply Order Form — The form allows mail supplies such as trays, tubs, labels and boxes to be ordered from Consolidated Mail Services.
September Board MeetingMembers Present: Al Bloomberg, Bob Monn, Shelagh Taylor, Phil Coates, Judy Schneider, Phil Grigg, Mary Ellen Bradley, Joe Coogan, Darrel Riffe, Dennis Laine. The Board meeting was called to order at 7:40 am by Board Chair Al Bloomberg. Report from the Chair: The minutes from the August Board meeting were approved Treasurer's Report: Phil Coates presented the Treasurer’s Report which was approved. Phil discussed the issue of changing the IPMA fiscal year to align with the calendar year with the IPMA accountant. It is quite simple to do, and would simplify the accounting process. The Board approved the fiscal year change, and Phil will move forward with implementation. The Board also approved a change in the Merrill Lynch account to enable the issuance of a credit card to the Treasurer. The following committee reports were made: Business and Finance Committee: Substituting for Jim Albert, Al Bloomberg reported he would ask Jim to finalize the IPMA Annual Report for the October Board meeting. The Board also will ask Jim to develop a quarterly investment review for the Board. Communications Committee: Mary Ellen Bradley reported the Forum ‘97 posters have been distributed, and the first edition of the Forum ‘97 pamphlet is being finalized. A second printing of the pamphlet will be handed out at the Forum. A press release is being prepared for the Daily Olympian, and response to the Forum Executive Breakfast invitations has been good to-date. Executive Seminar Committee: Phil Grigg and Darrel Riffe reported that all rooms have been filled for the seminar. Fall Forum: Dennis Laine reported the Forum ’97 agenda has been finalized as have the speakers and topic sessions. He is moving forward to fill two open corporate sponsor slots, and is making the final catering arrangements. Booth space is full, but there still are some individual room space open. The Forum Planning Committee has finalized most activities, and will be meeting less frequently unless new items emerge. Professional Development: Joe Coogan reported the first event is scheduled for November 6th from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the Tyee. The topic will be NT, and the speakers will be from both Microsoft and IBM. A second professional development event is being planned for January 5th. Meanwhile, Joe Coogan is preparing a survey to be sent out in the next few weeks to collect information regarding professional development needs. Nominating Committee: The committee reported the process to elect new IPMA Board members will get underway within the next month. The goal is to have elections finalized by December. —Shelagh Taylor IPMA, P.O. Box 1943, Olympia, WA 98507-1943
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