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ENVIRONMENT
The General Services Administration (GSA) National Capital Region (NCR) of the Public Buildings Service (PBS) consists of one main office and 67 field sites. The field sites are distributed throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area. There are around 1,100 users at the main site and 1,000 users distributed among the field sites.
CHALLENGE
GSA Central Office expressed the need to have a Web Portal where GSA customers can find out information on the status of the systems projects, find needed IT guidance and expertise, and express their needs and concerns. The office of the CIO wanted to review on a regular basis GSA customer input and feedback, and take appropriate measures to enhance the services provided.
SOLUTION
In 2002, 3HT designed and created the CIO Customer Outreach Portal geared towards the CIO’s customers, providing a mix of static web pages, applications, multimedia, and other online tools, including feedback functionality that allows users to communicate their input on the services posted.
The portal's structure consists of a number of sections:
Office of the CIO
Introduces the team at the CIO office and provides organizational structure, and communicates to users the role and functional responsibility of the organization as a whole with respect to the services it offers.
Contact Wizard
An application created along the lines of the Microsoft Wizard to help the client across multiple levels, refine their search, assisting them in finding the correct contact.
Ask the Expert
An online, database-driven Q & A forum, with a wizard-like application
that guides users towards the correct application or expert
forum.
Its purpose is to enhance collaboration within the IT group and among different IT groups nationwide. The application also provides users with the capability to ask questions on the forum, with an automated email tickler sent to the appropriate expert, so the expert can answer and publish the question.
The administrator can then choose one of these options:
- Respond via email
- Post Q and A and respond by email
- Post Q and A
Survey Portal
An independent Survey module was incorporated in the Portal. It allows the adminstrator to create ad-hoc surveys to gauge customer needs, and allows the users to express their opinion and satisfaction on the subject, and to post their questions on certain issues. The Module could be best illustrated by the following Flowchart:
Computer Based Training (CBT) Database.
This module helps identify training needs and accommodate them in a cost-effective fashion. The database presents users with the option of searching the training database for the training subject and media that interest them, and allows users to request a new training.
Venture Capital
The purpose of this module is to discipline, standardize and evaluate the funding process for pilot projects, taking advantage of existing data available in PBS enterprise systems. The module allows users to pilot more technology ideas and file Funding Requests for these ideas, ultimately helping a pilot become a national process of application in less time, and more cost effectively.
A number of security features were implemented so that only registered users are able to view and modify the data according to granted privileges.
Functional Capabilities:
- Allows using Portal tools (such as Ask the Expert database access, and Survey Portal access) and System tools (such as the ability to access PBS MIS Website, SDI National Reporting Database, Capitol Project programs, and PBS Application systems).
- Allows administrator to list and update available Survey questionnaire(s) on the subject(s) important to users, and view reports.
- Provides sophisticated yet user-friendly search capabilities.
- Allows to speed up and channel Funding Requests more efficiently.
- Provides multiple levels of permissions.
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