Streamlined Permitting Process Revolution in Telecom

Synopsis

• In the legacy process, the acquisition of building permits for infrastructure construction projects was managed entirely by individuals.
• Client faced a lack of standardization and measurable data, and low predictability of the acquisition timeline.
• Designed a process, implemented within the Camunda process engine, to specify who inputs data, when, and where.
• Immediately provided a user-friendly dashboard to notify users of their next steps within the process.
• Introduced a holistic view of all permits, enabling management to monitor the status of permits.
• Our solution significantly cut down on training time, streamlined communication with permit agencies, and reduced the lag time on stalled jobs.

More Information

Infrastructure construction projects typically require obtaining various building permits from city government authorities. In the legacy process, the acquisition of these permits was managed entirely by individuals, many of whom were protective of their methods and utilized non-enterprise systems. This approach resulted in a lack of standardization and measurable data, and low predictability of the permit acquisition timeline.

To improve the permitting process, we collaborated with the business to define the steps management envisioned from a standardized process. Through in-depth interviews, we gathered insights into the methods, motivators, and challenges faced by individual users, incorporating this feedback into process variations, user flows, and a data framework. We then designed a process and implemented it with the Camunda process engine. It specified who inputs data, when, and where, streamlining the workflow. BP3’s Brazos Task Manager was provided to notify users of their next steps, presenting only the necessary information at the appropriate time. Additionally, we introduced a holistic view of all permits inside of Brazos, enabling management to monitor the status of permits across an area by their current process step, thereby improving oversight and efficiency.

A process previously characterized by high volatility and variance, dependent on local tribal knowledge, was transformed into a standardized, measurable process independent of the specific practice and knowledge of individuals. The implementation of this new standardized process and its accompanying software was seen as the most successful and widely adopted initiative in the department's history, significantly cutting down on training time, streamlining communication with permit agencies, and reducing the lag time on stalled jobs.