The role of the government has been evolving over the last several years. Gone are the days when agencies simply served as administrative bodies that did little more than set and enforce regulations, and collect, process, and store information. Citizens now expect better, more convenient services and programs from their federal, state, and local entities. That’s why many government organizations are implementing business intelligence tools, to help them better understand and address the needs of the communities they serve, while operating more productively and cost-efficiently.
How can business intelligence solutions be applied to help government agencies improve operations? The ways in which BI can be utilized in government are virtually unlimited, but some of the most successful ways include:
Inter- and Intra-Agency Information Sharing
In today’s age of heightened national security risks, individual agencies at the federal, state, and local level can no longer operate in a vacuum. They must be able to instantaneously share vital, timely information from a variety of back-end data systems – not only among their own employees, but with their counterparts at other agencies. Business intelligence makes this possible, allowing data from the disparate and fragmented sources that exist within single agencies, as well as across multiple government entities, to be easily accessed, consolidated, and analyzed in real time.
“Customer” Intelligence
While many businesses need to know more about their customers in order to more effectively market and sell to them, government agencies are taking the same approach with the citizens they serve. This is becoming increasingly critical, according to leading industry analyst firm DataMonitor in their recent “Business Trends: Understanding Your Government Customer” report, as constituents continue to demand a higher level of accountability and transparency from their government. DataMonitor feels that this continued shift is the driving force behind the increased adoption of such technologies as CRM and business intelligence tools by government agencies at all levels.
E-Government
For the past several years, there has been a major focus on initiatives for e-government, or citizen self-service. These projects are making the services of a variety of agencies – including the DMV and Social Security – conveniently available to residents via the Web. However, in order for these programs to work, they must give constituents fast and simple access to the data they need. This requires the support of a comprehensive business intelligence infrastructure.
Financial and Budget Management
No organization operates on a tighter budget than a government agency. But, effectively managing the allocation and utilization of funds requires in-depth insight into spending patterns, as well as the ability to forecast future costs and expenses. BI systems provide those capabilities, empowering government entities to better control and administer their budgets.
As more and more government agencies continue to adopt innovative business intelligence solutions, the techniques they use are likely to become more sophisticated, and they ways in which they use it to support their day-to-day activities is likely to grow. This will help foster a collaborative environment among all agencies at all levels, where they operate together in the most efficient, cost-effective, and citizen-centric fashion possible.