From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences

From Legacy

Systems to Ultimate

Citizen Experiences

Seven Planning, Permitting and

Licensing Must Haves When Replacing

Your Legacy System

It’s been said that it’s

impossible to optimize a

complex system by

optimizing individual parts.

But that’s exactly the challenge many agencies face as

they continuously work to update and improve the dispa-

rate legacy systems that power planning, permitting, and

licensing activities – all while trying to deliver high-quality

citizen services and experiences.

By focusing on legacy system patches and workarounds,

agencies can fall further behind as they struggle to keep

pace with today’s connected customers who expect

user-friendly tools and government services on demand.

City, county, and state

governments around the world

operating on outdated systems

recognize that they can no

longer rely on a mixed bag of

online and on-premises

technologies. Many agencies

are evaluating cloud-based

systems to modernize opera-

tions and better serve current

and future citizen needs.

But while it’s simple to

identify current process issues,



a technology vendor that

is reliable and capable of

supporting the delivery

of services with digital

experiences that customers

will love today and scale with

their growing expectations.

The seven “must haves”

Key considerations when evaluating community development

and regulatory (CDR) solution providers.

01: CDR at the core of the business

02: Expert SaaS implementation

03: Citizen portal access

04: Robust system agility and extensibility

05: Visual and intuitive workow design

06: Mobile solutions for eld staff

07: Predictable and painless upgrades

For example, building inspection

backlogs can quickly become

overwhelming with outdated systems



should be committed to driving out the



traditional permitting solutions. To

determine this focus, some good

question for vendors are:

• What percentage of revenues are

coming from CDR applications?



to your CDR initiatives?

• Can you provide examples of

government agencies you have helped

transition to a SaaS platform supporting

CDR initiatives?

• Do you provide a visual and intuitive



processes involving multiple

departments and process components?



the assignment of user tasks and the

routing and tracking of approvals?

• Can you provide examples of





to perform higher-value tasks?

Demonstrated

expertise in

community

development

and regulatory

applications

An important “must have” for evaluating

vendors is a strong focus on CDR

applications. This focus is key to building

agencies that support and streamline

community growth and development,

rather than holding it back. Streamlined

planning, permitting, licensing, and



forward-thinking governments accelerate

community development.

MUST HAVE

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 6

At Accela, CDR is our core

business, not a side hustle

We’re committed to leadership in planning, permitting, licensing and code enforcement systems,



The ability to deliver quick turnarounds for applications, plan reviews and approvals can be a

game-changer for agencies tasked with supporting growing cities.

MUST HAVE 01

One CDR success story comes from the

City of Weston, FL. Prior to the pandemic,





to submit applications, make inquiries,

and pay outstanding fees. Since adopting

the Accela platform, Weston has seen an



and adopted the slogan, “We would

rather you be online than in line.”

In addition, before Weston implemented



spent on data entry, keying in information

submitted on paper forms. These permit

technicians have since become plans

coordinators, spending more time

working on quality assurance and

focusing on strategic initiatives.

“

We would

rather you be

online than

in line.

—Ryan Fernandes, Director of Technology ServicesWeston, Florida

MUST HAVE 01

Your SaaS partner should provide:

• Proven, pre-built functionality and

frameworks and solutions that can

streamline implementation and

control costs

• A technology environment that’s

proactively secure and supports end-

to-end encryption and compliance

with rigorous data security standards

• Automatic, prescheduled hardware



• Capabilities to manage your entire

agency infrastructure, including



and applications

Deep SaaS

implementation

experience

Digital transformation in

government is accelerating,

and Accela’s Software-as-a-

Service (SaaS) platform helps

agencies realize the benets

of this rapid modernization

of technology. Many agencies

continue to struggle with the

costs and resources required to

maintain older systems.

MUST HAVE

Implementation questions for prospective SaaS

partners include:

• How many successful cloud implementations has

your organization completed?

• What training is available for SaaS solution users to

facilitate adoption and time-to-value?

• Does the platform meet data security and

compliance requirements, such as ADA, for your

agency and partners?







agency requirements, or is additional custom

development required?

• Can our agency take advantage of multi-tenant

setup with single-tenant database isolation to

enable simultaneous scaling and isolation?

• Does the vendor’s SaaS platform use a multi-

tier architecture to support future scaling without



Going forward, SaaS hosting and service

delivery saves time, money, and ensures

you are receiving all the benets of

technology advancement without the

expense of maintaining hardware and

software in-house.

MUST HAVE 02

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 10

From the public’s point of

view, accessing government

services should be as

simple as ordering groceries

or a rideshare. People who

have grown accustomed to

Amazon and eBay expect an

engaging and responsive

experience from any device,

at any time – including

government websites.

Citizen portal access and

enhanced user experience

MUST HAVE



outdated and incomplete information have no place in modern

government agencies. Ask vendors if their portal enables citizens to:







• Pay fees, schedule inspections, and conduct other transactions

• Submit and track permit applications electronically



• Connect via mobile phones, tablets, or PCs

• Use self-service features any time of the day or night

• Easily operate the portal without training or assistance

• View guidelines, policy documents and resources

• Meet ADA compliance requirements

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 11

Citizen portal must haves for agencies include:

• A user-friendly interface that enables users to manage and update content

• GIS integration that provides intuitive visualizations to access land parcel

permit history, view code and zoning details, and map and route inspections



a portal that matches your agency’s colors and brand image

• Low code/no code development environment for ease of implementation

and maintenance



Enabling citizens to engage and complete

their transactions online lets you reduce

costs and human resources, while increasing

customer satisfaction.

MUST HAVE 03

System extensibility is the capability to

extend your solutions through integrations

with cloud-based and on-premises

applications that help streamline

operations and deliver citizen services

and resources across a jurisdiction.







your agency’s apps, data, services, and

systems. Cloud platforms also enable the

rapid development of scalable solutions

and integrations with legacy and modern

systems across cloud, on-premises, and

hybrid environments.

Robust

system

agility and

extensibility

MUST HAVE

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 13

Accela’s robust API management system

and pre-built connectors are key to

extensibility for modern government

agencies. By using connectors, you expand

the capabilities for cloud and on-premises

apps to make the most of your data. Our

experience in integrating enterprise

applications with your existing tech stack

can help you make the most of current

and future IT investments.

New types of permitting requirements such as

short-term rentals, cannabis, solar permitting, and



be ready? Perhaps the ultimate test of agility and



pandemic struck and government workplaces

around the world came to a halt.

System extensibility must haves include:

• Flexibility to run in government, public,

or private clouds

• A broad set of published, high-quality,

actively maintained APIs

• Pre-packaged connectors to support

extended functionality

• Linking government agencies across

jurisdictions agencies and departments

• Connecting government employees and

third-party partners for more responsive

citizen services

System agility must haves include:

• Architecture designed to support

unique agency requirements and







areas

• Core-functionality reference models to

provide clear starting points for custom

solutions



meet evolving licensing and permitting

requirements

MUST HAVE 04

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 14

How smart cities stayed

resilient during COVID-19

         

re-evaluate their operations and technology strategies. Agencies strived to safeguard

their own teams while delivering essential government functions to help citizens



Within two weeks, Accela was able to leverage its own cloud infrastructure and

-

tions to enable state and local governments to accelerate the delivery of safely

distanced services to millions of citizens.

          

Government Partner of the Year and Community Response. Accela-powered agen-

             

employees and set up touchless services for citizens quickly, while agencies running

on outdated systems struggled.

MUST HAVE 04

Visual

and

intuitive

workow

design

MUST HAVE 05

Strategic workow management is

the foundation of process automation.

Flexible and intuitive workows

are a key aspect of ecient process

automation. Your system should

make it simple to design and create

workows that include all tasks

required to implement complete

end-to-end processes.



simplify the creation of tasks and subtasks



manage documents, and track processing

times. Time tracking can help unlock

opportunities for your agency to



For example, a commercial building permit



acceptance, building review, permit issuance,







on the type of status changes. For example,

you can notify both contractors and public



building inspection.

Without a robust visual workow builder,

many agencies struggle to stand up new

permitting and licensing services to

support regulation for 5G, cannabis, solar,

and code enforcement. The agency’s slow

response can mean frustrated customers

and lost revenue.

Ask prospective vendors if they provide:





• A visual builder and editor that creates process



and relationships between tasks



view process steps and the status of their permit

and license applications

• The ability to adjust quickly to new operational

requirements

• A system that enables you to save a history of



ongoing improvement

MUST HAVE 05





workers to stay connected with

robust mobile systems. Your



approach that provides instant

access and connections to work



inspection teams.

Robust mobile support

for eld workers

MUST HAVE

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 18

A robust mobile solution:

• Supports all aspects of code enforcement



• Is built-in rather than bolted on, with tightly



• Has pre-built forms and checklists, and

scheduling tools that are customizable to

support codes and comments

• Enables your team to attach and mark up

supporting photos or videos and attach them

to checklists to document issues

• Includes GIS integration that provides intuitive



location pin drop

• Is compatible with Windows, Android and

iOS devices

• Supports on-site signatures and the ability



Be aware that nearly all vendors

claim to have tightly integrated mobile

capabilities. Ask prospective vendors

to explain specic features including

prebuilt mobile capabilities for

inspectors, work crews, and

code ocers.

MUST HAVE 06

Accela | From Legacy Systems to Ultimate Citizen Experiences 19

Upgrades are even more predictable when custom

development is minimized. Accela solutions leverage



opposed to building core capabilities through

extensive customizations.

Ask your vendor if their upgrade process:

• Is backed by a team of experts with deep

government sector experience

• Can reduce the IT resources currently required to

support system upgrades

• Is priced into the service for predictability for

IT budgeting

• Runs on a robust and future-ready cloud





disruptive, risky, and expensive. SaaS upgrades are



and security features are always available – a win for

agency partners and citizen users.

Predictable and painless

platform upgrades

Government agencies around the

world are embracing SaaS models

for various reasons. SaaS

simplies IT management,

reduces costs, and strengthens

enterprise security. For many IT

teams, a key advantage of SaaS

infrastructure is a predictable and

secure upgrade path.

MUST HAVE

Choose future-ready

civic applications

Citizens can’t see an outdated technology stack that’s patched

together from standalone systems and applications. But

citizens can clearly see when government service delivery

is inconsistent, confusing, or unresponsive.

Agencies around the world are making the switch from

on-premises to SaaS models to better serve today’s citizens and

prepare for the next generation of government services. If you’re

looking to become future-ready, now’s the time to modernize

your infrastructure to optimize operations, empower your team,

and deliver outstanding citizen experiences.

MUST HAVE 07

Civic Applications for

today and tomorrow

It’s crucial to ask prospective vendors what specialized applications are available to

power your core services. Are pre-built solutions available to help your agency ramp up

quickly to address growing planning and permitting challenges?

SUMMARY

Building

Communities

Building

Planning

Service Request

Management

Growing

Businesses

Business Licensing

Occupational Licensing

Alcoholic Beverage Control

Short-term Rental

Registration

Cannabis Regulation

Protecting

Citizens



Soltuions

Fire Prevention

Environmental Health

Accela features a suite of proven Civic Applications that are especially designed to



Replacing legacy systems

with an integrated cloud

solution saves time –

speeding up current

processes anywhere from

30% to 50%, depending

on the agency’s previous

solution – while enabling

you to increase service

offerings and citizen

satisfaction.

At Accela, we say it’s critical to seek out vendors who sweat the details, who

can have meaningful conversations around key issues including uptime,

sustainability, and security – and how systems will scale to meet emerging

regulations and customer expectations in the years to come.

Ready to implement remote

government access, empower

cross-agency collaboration, and deliver

the next generation of innovative

government services?

Accela solutions empower your agency to build strong communities, support

growing businesses, and protect citizens.

Learn how you can transform your planning, permitting, inspections and code

enforcement services today.

Call 888.722.2352 or info@accela.com