The shift put a spotlight on the need for the efficient automation for federal systems. But as Michael Beckley, Co-Founder and CTO of Appian, pointed out in a recent interview, older methods often cause a slow transition, unable to scale to a large amount of data. As a result, he suggests an approach that uses low code, including artificial intelligence to scan documents.

With that in mind, the government sector is turning to Business Process Management (BPM), the management of workflow, information, and interaction, usually consisting of several software applications to manage these interactions. This method is imperative to achieving goals in streamlining systems while also boosting collaboration.

BPM also improves productivity and shortens cycle times for innovation within an organization. “For government agencies this can mean saving money and improving services to citizens by making it easier to interact within departments and across agencies,” according to the report ‘BPM in the Federal Government.’

“For some agencies it means responding more effectively to directives and initiatives that are mandated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or Congress. For the Department of Defense, it can mean responding more effectively to Business Transformation Agency directives,” the report explains.

In California’s Humboldt County, for example, local governments used BPM to redesign a paper-based permitting system. The online system has been able to reduce the amount of paper the permit office has to process, as well as encourages interaction from the public by allowing them to log into the government database and instantly receive an update on any pending permits.

In addition, the Department of Defense (DoD) has also used BPM to reduce waste and simplify procedures with American military servicemembers. While the DoD previously physically separated the storage of unclassified and top-secret information, BPM allowed the DoD to implement a new, centrally located, multi-level security system so that information could be easily accessed without hindering security. With digital transformation taking over both public and private sectors, BPM holds the key to inter-agency efficiency and collaboration.