As the Internet continues to revolutionize the way companies interact with their customers world-wide, most governments are also re-examining the way they provide services in efficient, customer-focused ways. This presentation will demonstrate how Michigan state government has become a leader in providing online government services.

Many of the challenges and obstacles which governments face are the same as those faced by major corporations in the private sector. Both public sector and private sector organizations strive to improve relationships with customers (citizens, businesses and State employees) and suppliers (contractors and businesses), while at the same time decreasing the cycle time (and cost) of required tasks and processes. Both seek to continuously improve the way  “knowledge workers” make decisions by increasing the amount of relevant information available to staff from experts and industry “best practices.” Both have the latest technologies as enablers: faster and better computers and networks, web-enabled application software, and even artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, both struggle to keep up with the rapid pace of change.

In addition, governments face a myriad of unique challenges. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides open government records to everyone. Policies in areas such as privacy, security, accessibility, and even linking become political items open for public debate. Enterprise portal funding models vary widely, with some governments sanctioning the use of advertising and others prohibiting advertisements. Government portals must break down traditional “stove pipes” which exist between agencies, while continuing to support a variety of disparate business functions such as issuing licenses and reserving state park campgrounds. Perhaps most importantly, governments can leave no one behind in providing services and must address the “digital divide.”  

Many questions arise in government portal development. What data should we collect from citizens? How much aggregation of information is acceptable? Should we use cookies? Who should be allowed to advertise on State Web sites? How do we strike the right balance between building a world-class enterprise portal and limiting expenditure of tax dollars?

To resolve these issues and create a unified state approach to “Web-ifying” government services, Michigan’s Governor John Engler launched the e-Michigan Initiative in May 2000.  A primary focus of this initiative has been the development of a revolutionary government portal – Michigan.gov, which was launched in July 2001 and is continuously being improved.  This portal is revolutionary because it takes into consideration each of the questions asked above and provides citizens with a comprehensive, personalized state government experience that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The site is organized by customer need (e.g., driver’s license renewal, campground reservations) so that customers no longer have to know which State government agency provides the service.   Additionally, e-Michigan has automated and incorporated into the portal many common processes such as electronic payment of vendors, receipt of payment from customers, and online forms transmission. 

This presentation will describe the e-Michigan approach to designing, developing, implementing and continuously improving Michigan’s state portal – Michigan.gov.  It will describe the technology, business, organization, and policy approaches that have been critical to the success of this project.  Finally, it will discuss the key lessons learned in establishing the Michigan.gov portal and supporting e-government services.