When you're going to take one of your existing processes and bring it online for either your staff or citizens, it's always helpful to see what that entire process will entail. Often it seems daunting and overwhelming to bring a new software online but I think this video will help you soothe some of your concerns when you see just how easy it can be to bring a service online!
What type of form to start with?
First you'll need to start with the existing process and determine what type of form you will need to create. GovOS Studio has two types of forms: WebForms and SeamlessDocs (Uploaded PDF's). Even though you may already have a fillable PDF, you may want to create a WebForm instead, so we recommend using this guide to determine what type of form to start with:
The Differences Between a WebForm and a SeamlessDoc
Starting to Build your Form
Okay, now that you've chosen what type of form you're going to start with let's start building the form. You will first click on the Create button in the top right when you log-in and then choose the type of form.
If you're uploading a PDF you can click on Auto-Detect Fields after the form is uploaded and then it will create as many fields as possible for you (this is a huge time saver!).
If you're starting with a WebForm you will be adding all of the fields from scratch so you have a totally blank canvas which is a wonderful opportunity. You know that form that's been xeroxed so many times you can't read it anymore? Why not start over with a new WebForm?
You will then want to add in all of the fields on the form that will need to be filled out and properly label them so that when you start collecting data it will be easy to understand.
Examining the Process
After you've built your initial form there are a lot of factors to consider that will be necessary when you are bringing your form live:
Who needs to sign this form?
Who needs a copy of this form when it's completed?
Who currently owns the processing of the form?
What are the steps to process this form?
Where do staff or citizens go to fill out this form currently?
Is there any additional documentation that must be submitted with this form?
By answering these questions you will then be able to:
Set up E-mail Notifications
Set up a Signature Workflow
Add the Form to your Service Center or Website
Set up Tags and Stages so that the form can be processed in the GRM
Add Users to your account so everyone who needs access to data can access it
Request Attachments to your form
Test the Form!
I can't stress enough how helpful it is to submit the form yourself as if you were the citizen or staff member. This is helpful for a number of reasons but most importantly:
-Catch any mistakes you made along the way like typing in an e-mail address incorrectly, or forgetting to make a field required.
-See what the data looks like on back end so that you can determine if your field labels need to be updated.
-See if any of the e-mail notifications need to be customized further to make the process as easy as possible to understand for all involved.
-Make sure your signer order is correct as well as making sure that everyone who should receive a copy does receive a copy of the completed form.
While you're editing your form you can easily click on Live View in the top right corner to check your work by seeing the form from the view of the applicant and then clicking on Edit Doc to go right back into the SeamlessDoc Editor.
Bring it live!
Once you've completed all of the steps that we recommend on our Launch Checklist then you can share that form with anyone who needs to complete it.
I always recommend customizing your forms URL so that it is a bit more visually appealing and understandable and then you're ready to take that URL and share it on your Portals Manager, add it to your Government Website, or add a link to your internal intranet. This always shows you the URL while editing but once you click on Live View the URL that you see is the URL for the form that you can then share.
Now you've taken a business process and you've brought it online! Citizens and Staff can now take advantage of the services your government offers from the convenience of their home, mobile device or work computer.
What's Next?
The sky is now the limit! What's the next process that you're going to launch?
If you'd like to watch a high level overview of everything I've covered here I would recommend watching From Staff to Citizen which is a great way to get a birds eye view of this process so that you know what you're getting into.