Optimising Local Government Processes: Insights on Compliance, Efficiency, and Innovative Solutions

Philip De Bruin and Allen Yaxley discuss the complications of enforcing compliance and the significance of domain knowledge in local government. They explain that while they excel in regulatory environments, they face challenges in municipalities where processes are undefined.

They emphasize the importance of understanding the unique practices and processes in various organizations to effectively identify and address issues. They cite the complexity of supply chain processes as an example. Additionally, they advocate for creating a comprehensive library of processes and team collaboration to foster knowledge sharing.

The section also highlights the success of deploying portals for streamlining processes and enhancing electronic approval systems, allowing for increased efficiency and revenue generation. An example given is the electronic approval process for building plans in MosselBay, South Africa, which has boosted architect participation and expedited approvals.

The municipality's mobile app, Collaborator, facilitates citizen communication and issue reporting, leading to the implementation of a structured workflow process to manage the entire service request process, ensuring a proper audit trail and workflow history for both public and internal improvements.