Council homepages: what’s wrong with ‘interesting development’?

There’s been a great flurry of interest in local government webbie circles because a few councils have gone down the Google route of deliberately reducing homepage content and pushing search as the way to find what you’re looking for, what you want to do, what your task is. Lancashire’s Kevin Rainsbury told the lively threadRead… Read more »

Creating Public/Private Partnerships in Development Services

Does your organization strive to get customers involved in development services-related performance? Most communities have recognized that creating a public/private partnership for managing performance is essential for existence. Customers want you to succeed, but they have to be involved to help you. Experience has shown that creating a partnership, involving customers sincerely in your day-to-dayRead… Read more »

Strategic Planning – Critical Success Factors

I am curious if anyone else has identified Critical Success Factors for their organizations during their strategic planning process. We have come up with 5 critical success factors we feel apply across the entirety of our agency which covers several different business lines. They are: 1. Organizational commitment to operational excellence. 2. Effective and efficientRead… Read more »

Hitting a Home Run; Baseball and the Acquisition Process

From The Acquisition Corner An interesting post by Bill Gormley of Washington Management Group described parallels on two of my passions, baseball and improving the acquisition process. It is an interesting read and a fun way of discussing what can be a somewhat difficult process and subject. Some specifics points he makes and my take:Read… Read more »

SOCIAL MEDIA: What still SCARES us?

An article came out today with this headline, Six Reasons Companies Are Still Scared of SOCIAL MEDIA. I know some might, at first glance, discount the article, noting the obvious differences in government organizations and companies. I can’t help but think, based on social media discussions here, that there aren’t parallels to draw in theRead… Read more »

Federal Eye Eye Opener: Gov’t Opens Entrepreneurship Office

Happy Friday! The Commerce Department will establish a new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship to help small businesses grow faster, part of the Obama administration’s new $100 billion innovation agenda announced earlier this week. The administration is especially interested in helping small businesses and entrepreneurs as statistics suggest businesses less than five years old accountedRead… Read more »

“Suspend Disbelief”

Your government agency may have embarked upon a journey to improve customer service in the development processing system. A number of significant changes may be anticipated, including a more co-located “one-stop” development services center, shifting to a project-oriented approach when processing applications, and an enhanced information technology and communication system. Can these changes happen? TheyRead… Read more »

Surveying Your Customers

Surveying your customers is likely one of the most important things you can embark upon in the development processing system. Customers can be brutally honest if the survey process is confidential and timely. However their feedback often provides clarity on priorities for improvements, bottleneck areas, and generally gives a snapshot about frustrations they have experienced.Read… Read more »