Digital Government: Turning the Rhetoric into Reality

Abstract

The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) realized the web could change the agency more than anything had in the past, and offered a huge opportunity to improve customer service and consumer protection, and to reduce costs in the long-term. Within a year, and with money from the Governor's Digital Government Fund, DOL laid a foundation for credit card processing and acceptance - a critical element of Internet transaction initiatives - piloted two "proof-of-concept" projects, and launched a professional license search system. Using staff from throughout the agency and across traditional divisional lines, DOL began creating the foundation for the first two applications using a common infrastructure, common code, consistent "look and feel," common modules, and a common server complex. By starting first with the Master Business License - with a potential audience of 80,000 new businesses - DOL's online business application provided program developers with enough transactions for a good stress test without the fear of system collapse.