How Culver City leveraged technology to enhance efficiency and create cohesiveness across its departments

Challenge:

Culver City’s land management permitting processes have an extensive reach covering a broad range of purposes across multiple departments. A long time Accela agency, the City initially adopted the Accela platform in 2015, transitioned from Accela Automation to Accela Civic platform in 2018, and in 2020 went from on premises to the cloud. However, even with the advances in technology that were made, they still struggled with lagging operational efficiency. The workforce itself, comprised of staff from multiple departments, was still deeply entrenched in and committed to antiquated processes, in many cases still opting to perform many tasks manually that could have been automated with the technology they already have in place. There was a predisposition to resist change among a significant portion of employees, and as a result, many processes were decades old. It became clear to the City that adjustments were needed to improve efficiency, but the expectation of changes was made more daunting by the fact that such changes would affect and require buy-in by staff across multiple, disparate teams. Consequently, even well-planned projects, such as the City’s plan to implement an electronic plan review solution, with seemingly ample time allotted ultimately required up to 100% more time than estimated.

Solution:

The City engaged GovPath to guide and assist them in their initiative to overcome the challenges of improving operational efficiency. With well over 100 similar projects’ experience, GovPath was well equipped to help the City achieve its objectives.

GovPath assisted the City to better leverage its existing Accela Civic Platform and implemented DigEplan by Avolve Software for its plan review activities. A number of workflows were automated, such as fee management, and the City’s Accela Civic Platform was redesigned with an improved look and feel for a more user-friendly experience. Equipped with more automation and workflow improvements, the City’s reliance on manual processes was reduced.

Contributing to the success of the project, the City bolstered its IT Department and advanced key initiatives without expanding its full-time staff by engaging GovPath. Through effective communication and the application of best practices, City staff across multiple, disparate departments were united toward shared goals and guided through navigating the challenges of change. This resulted in staff gaining greater understanding, and willingness to engage as needed to ensure the success of the project. The outcome was greater cohesion across departments and improved operational processes.

Ultimately, the City has improved operational efficiency, and staff have embraced the changes that have led to the improvements.