Dumb paper forms to smart electronic forms: Guide now available
One of the key questions I get during and after my presentations on using technology to deliver benefits and services more efficiently is, "How easy is it?"
Aside from the obvious answer of the need to really start with the analysis of your agency's processes so that you have insight into where and when technology makes sense, there is also something that can be done in the short-term.
I have yet to meet a governemnt process involving paper forms and documents which didn't benefit significantly by conversion to smart electronic forms which can still be printed, but which allow for agencies to encourage people to submit electronically in much the same way Amazon and eBay have convinced us to buy online.
This latter, "low-hanging fruit" is not at the demise of a long-term strategy. In fact, I have often seen it be the catalyst for inspiring even greater leaps into improved services and efficiency with IT.
Firstly, look for paper forms that:
- Are important and use by a lot of people
- Are often submitted with missing, illegible or wrong information
- Require a lot of staff time and energy to process in the mail centers and in manual data re-entry into back-end systems
Then grab a cup of coffee or tea and download a free trial of Adobe Designer(if you already have Adobe Acrobat Professional, you have the full version).
Then connect to others on the Adobe Developer Forums and review some of the tutorials.
If you are craving for the heft of a paper book or eBook, the latest publication, "Creating Dynamic Forms with Adobe LiveCycle Designer" is sure to satiate your appetite.
A journey of a thousand paper forms and processes begins with converting one to a smart electronic form. How's that for some weekend inspiration?