Implementing E-government : a case study of improving the process for transferring conventional ammunition among the military services

Abstract

While the Internet and related advances in communications technology provide significant opportunity for the federal government to vastly improve the delivery of information and services, success ultimately depends on government managers effectively redesigning industrial age processes for the information age. This thesis is intended as a guide for government managers interested in redesigning processes for the information age. Using a case study of a Department of Defense process for transferring conventional ammunition among the military services (cross-leveling), we demonstrate improved intragovernmental efficiency and effectiveness by employing best practices in business process redesign. After providing an overview of the existing cross-leveling process, each stage of Business Process Redesign is discussed and applied to the crossleveling case. Activity Based Costing and Knowledge Value Added are used in evaluating the existing process and for providing a measure of process improvement. Using a three-tier architecture, a prototype application was constructed to help visualize the redesigned process and demonstrate the underlying technology. The concepts and processes used in the crossleveling case study can be easily applied to other government processes.