June 1, 2004

Management of Change 2004 Special Edition
Citizen Services: Attaining Breakthrough Performance

In this issue:

• Management of Change 2004 Sets Attendance Record

• Google Exec Girouard Delivers Keynote, Praises FirstGov

• Joint Recommendation Achieve Breakthrough Performance in the Delivery of Citizen Services

• Citizens Speak Out at the Town Hall Moderated by Frank Sesno

• Pew Releases Study Results at MOC Conference

• MOC People's Choice Award Goes to USA Services

• GSA Advantage! Among Intergovernmental Solutions Award Winners at MOC

• Press Coverage of MOC 2004

Management of Change 2004 Sets Attendance Record

How can the public and private sectors work together to achieve breakthrough performance when it comes to the delivery of citizen services?

That was the challenge posed to more than 430 senior government officials and corporate executives who attended last week's 2004 Management of Change (MOC) conference, a record-setting attendance for the conference in its 24-year history, according to organizers. MOC is hosted annually by the American Council for Technology (ACT), a non-profit organization that brings both private and public communities together.

M.J. Jameson, Associate Administrator for the Office of Citizen Services and Communications (OCSC), U.S. General Services Administration, government co-chair, and George Bohlinger, Senior Vice President Government Solutions, EDS, industry co-chair, hosted the event.

The co-chairs called on the unique mix of public and top industry executives to exchange information, explore pressing issues, and build partnerships to enhance government's ability to better serve the public. The fast-paced agenda explored how government can better serve its citizens. Conferees learned from dynamic speakers and participated in interactive workshop sessions, giving them the opportunity to interact with subject-matter experts and peers on the hot topics in the management, use, and sharing of information to promote collaboration and improve government.

Plenary sessions detailed real results and included a roundtable dialogue about key citizen issues. Workshop sessions focused on developing real-world recommendations for achieving breakthrough performance in the delivery of government benefits, as well as health care, recreation, homeland security, and services to business. The recommendations will be used by Karen Evans, OMB's Administrator of E-Government and Information Technology, to develop the next round of E-gov initiatives.

The MOC 2004 conference brought together the best and brightest in government as leaders in information technology discussed the significance of citizen services, feedback from citizens, and the role of marketing in implementing E-government.

Google Exec Girouard Delivers Keynote, Praises FirstGov

Surfing the Web may be second nature to many, but more than three out of 10 Americans still don't know a cookie from a search engine.

That's the word from Dave Girouard, General Manager of Google Enterprise, who reminded the MOC audience not to forget about the 33 percent of American adults who aren't using the Internet, or the beginner who has no idea about surfing through a Web page.

"If you live and work with the technology, it's sometimes hard to put yourself in other peoples' heads, Girouard said. You have to think about the other guy who might not be too familiar with technology and organizational charts in the government." He suggested that one of the best ways to draw non-tech-savvy citizens to online services and information is by using a simple search box on a site.

Girouard praised FirstGov.gov as a site where citizens can get help without knowing which agency is providing the service or information they need.

Joint Recommendations Achieve Breakthrough Performance in the Delivery of Citizen Services

At the opening of the Conference on Monday evening, Karen Evans challenged the group to use the subject matter experts in each of the Breakthrough Performance Workshops to develop recommendations that she would consider when developing the next edition of the E-Gov Strategy.

In these workshops, experts from all levels of government, industry, academia and subject matter experts defined what breakthrough performance means in providing citizen benefits, healthcare, travel and recreation, homeland security, and business and commerce.

At the conclusion of the workshops, each team presented a snapshot of the current situation, the vision of the service in the future and recommendations on how to get there. Recommendations included such areas as feedback loops from citizens to government, understanding of the citizens' needs and realizing the next generation's expectation for service.

Citizens Speak Out at the Town Hall Moderated by Frank Sesno

One of the most common concerns about E-government is how well governments are listening to their customers: the citizens. In a Town Hall moderated by Frank Sesno, formerly the Washington bureau chief for CNN, citizen groups representing seniors (AARP), youth (Boys and Girls Club), State governments, veterans, students and others, described the types and quality of service delivery their groups want and need from government.

Their primary concerns regarding government service was simplicity-finding it easy to understand where to get government information and benefits and being able to navigate through the barrage of government information.

Pew Releases Study Results at MOC Conference   

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life project released the results of its "How Americans Get in Touch With Government" report at the conference. The survey found that when Americans want a fast government answer, they use the telephone. The majority of the time, however, they use the Internet to get their information. According to its research, progress has been made toward paperless government, but current trends call for citizen service professionals to deliver products and services the way the citizen wants them, which is exactly what USA Services does for citizens.

The survey results show that USA Services "was a really good idea," Rainie said. It also "reinforces the idea of keeping those multiple channels open," he said.

"We want Americans to know 1-800-FED-INFO and FirstGov.gov as well as their home phone number and email address," said Teresa Nasif, Executive Sponsor for USA Services and Director, Federal Citizen Information Center at GSA.

MOC People's Choice Award Goes to USA Services

USA Services: A Model of Breakthrough Performance

Experts from the public and private E-government community recognized USA Services for its innovation and contribution in the area of attaining breakthrough performance last week at the American Council of Technology's Management of Change Conference in Philadelphia. Conference attendees gave this presidential E-government initiative the top number of votes for the "People's Choice Award" recognizing the value it brings to citizen services. For more information, contact program manager, Stuart Willoughby, stuart.willoughby@gsa.gov or 202-501-9121.

GSA Advantage! Among Intergovernmental Solutions Award Winners at MOC