Far too many administrative processes that are redundant across government agencies and rely on manual activities still exist. Information technology is being used extensively to redefine the workplace. Physical locations are slowly becoming less relevant as modern networks allow work to be performed from homes, telecommuting centers, libraries, schools, and anywhere connectivity is available. In addition to the obvious savings such as space and commuting costs, other significant benefits result from employees serving customers with increased efficiency. Examples abound in business, where it is commonplace today to see package delivery workers carrying wireless mobile terminals to enter real time information about the packages being delivered.
Customers can get status information about their deliveries in minutes.
Government has many opportunities to realize these same benefits. For example, while visiting a military hospital, a case worker could access a veteran's medical record and provide immediate answers about benefits to a veteran, or a family member. The many government workers who interview customers to perform their jobs could enter information directly into computer systems rather than taking pencil notes to be keyed at a later time. In short, like the private sector, the government should move the workforce to the customer rather than relying on the customer to come to the government location. Reengineering is a trend across the United States where businesses are gaining significant results by improving internal processes.