Business Process Redesign Starts with IT in Cambridge, MA

The IT department for the City of Cambridge, MA, has emerged as a strategic partner and innovator, and OpenGov as its go-to workflow engine.

Eric Belford, the City of Cambridge’s Assistant Director of Enterprise Applications, adopted OpenGov Permitting & Licensing in 2017 for permitting, licensing, and code enforcement, bringing a total of 32 permit and license types online, to drive efficiency and improve user experience. 

He hadn’t considered other uses for Permitting & Licensing until the pandemic introduced new workflow challenges, and OpenGov emerged as a key workflow engine.

Challenge

“The pandemic created an immediate need to roll out solutions that can do a lot of things,” Belford explained. 

One critical and challenging project was managing grant distributions through the Mayor’s Relief Fund. “At first I didn’t think that we had any solutions that would fit the requirements, but then like a lightning bolt it hit me: OpenGov’s Permitting & Licensing suite was the perfect solution to accomplish everything we wanted,” Belford recalled. 

Solution

“When deployed strategically, Permitting & Licensing creates an opportunity for teams and departments to redesign their business processes to be virtual, faster, and more transparent, explained Belford. 

“Our team has grown tremendously and so has our ability to serve our stakeholders, and community and OpenGov has been a large part of that.”

Eric Belford, Assistant Director of Enterprise Applications, The City of Cambridge, MA

Results

Once teams got a taste of administering and running a record type, they came to IT with other ideas for using OpenGov. The IT team is implementing Permitting & Licensing to redesign business processes across 8 departments and dozens of programs, from Pre-K Lottery to Housing Stabilization.

Population
120,479

Agency Type
City

Annual Budget
$715M

Role
IT

Region
Northeast

Solution
Permitting & Licensing