Sharma interviewed employees involved in the work and found that each staff member had a different version of the process in mind.
The city created process maps, compared those workflows and brought employees together to develop a common approach.
Sharma also developed user personas for both residents and city employees before the city tested a minimum viable product.
Residents often arrived at New Bedford City Hall without knowing whether they needed a permit, which permit applied or which department handled it.
Pillai said New Bedford also developed a citywide data strategy that became the city’s official three-year data plan.