{
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    "title" : "Using Journey Mapping to Streamline Processes Across Agencies |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Using Journey Mapping to Streamline Processes Across Agencies",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/05/using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Using Journey Mapping to Streamline Processes Across Agencies","deck" : "How one team used journey mapping to improve the customer experience for newly naturalized citizens attempting to travel abroad.","summary" : "How one team used journey mapping to improve the customer experience for newly naturalized citizens attempting to travel abroad.","date" : "2018-02-05T11:52:00-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"lgodfrey" : "Laura Godfrey"},"topics" : {
        
            "accessibility" : "Accessibility",
            "analytics" : "Analytics",
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "customer-experience" : "Customer experience",
            "design" : "Design",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
            },"featured_image" : { "uid" :
  "travel-journey-mapping-processes-slide", "alt" :
  "A sample sequence of events journey map for a recently naturalized citizen seeking to travel abroad." },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2018-02-05-using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2018/02/2018-02-05-using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2018/02/2018-02-05-using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2018/02/2018-02-05-using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies.md","slug" : "using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2018/02/05/using-journey-mapping-streamline-processes-across-agencies/","content" :"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis post was originally published on the \u003ca href=\"https://blog.usa.gov/using-journey-mapping-to-streamline-processes-across-agencies\"\u003eUSA.gov blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn agency information sharing exercise to improve the customer experience, as related to the Office of Products and Programs\u0026rsquo; Information Exchange Project\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome people experience challenges navigating government services \u0026ndash; especially if they need to work with more than one agency. Based on this premise, we set out to find out how agencies could share information with one another to improve the customer experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/journey-mapping-exercise.jpg\"alt=\"A team from each agency works on a journey map exercise at the board.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eA team from each agency works on a journey map exercise at the board.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo narrow the scope of our research, we decided to focus on one specific task that touched multiple agencies. So we set out to understand and map the path of a newly naturalized citizen attempting to travel abroad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe path a person would need to take to accomplish that task would have them interacting with U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of State (DoS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe brought together representatives from those agencies to participate in a journey mapping exercise led by Matt Ford, GSA’s Deputy Chief Customer Officer, to uncover intersections between agency service offerings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-we-prepared\"\u003eHow We Prepared\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe met with Matt to discuss what we knew about travelers in this journey from the conversations we had with agencies. We wanted to understand the process of obtaining these services:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNaturalization (USCIS)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePassport (DoS)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrusted Travel Programs (TSA or CBP)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the exercise, we asked each agency to think about the steps, timeline, touchpoints, systems and documents/data needed for a customer to accomplish their task.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition, we offered a placeholder/high level value chain diagram that showed the potential for improving customer experience by cross agency coordination in five areas:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreamline processes\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReduce cost (agency)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReduce cost (customer)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncrease adoption of services\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncrease citizen satisfaction\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"the-exercise-steps\"\u003eThe Exercise Steps\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgencies worked within their teams to think about each step their customers had to take to obtain the desired service (research, application, photos, fees, etc.). They wrote each step on their assigned colored stickers, discussed among themselves and then placed them on the board.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTeams were mixed so one agency member could relate the customer journey to the rest of the agencies. Team members listened and reacted to their colleague’s comments and added their comments and possible intersections to the board as they saw opportunities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne person per agency stood by the board and explained the steps their customers would take to get their service to the entire team. The team took the role of the customer, listened and wrote their emotions and the opportunities they saw on sticky notes and placed them on the board.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe last part of the exercise was Emerging Opportunities (the moments of truth or AHA moments). The participants identified some processes agencies had in common as well as things that could be improved, blockers and opportunities to make changes (policy, authorities, etc.).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-we-found\"\u003eWhat We Found\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot surprisingly most of the feelings recorded in step three were negative. People felt intimidated, overwhelmed, stuck, confused, over burdened, anxiously waiting, uncertain, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut we identified some potential opportunities in step four:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreamline customer information requirements across agencies\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImplement strategic fee structures to simplify and potentially reduce current fees\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlign expiration dates between services\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/travel-journey-mapping-processes-slide.png\"alt=\"This graphic shows a sample sequence of events journey map for a recently naturalized citizen seeking to travel abroad. Along the gray arrow path, the first two green circles represent the initial steps taken with USCIS; the blue circle represents next step taken with the Department of State; the red circle represents a possible third step taken with the Transportation Security Administration; and the three orange circles represent possible final steps taken with the Custom and Border Patrol Agency.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis graphic shows a sample sequence of events journey map for a recently naturalized citizen seeking to travel abroad. Along the gray arrow path, the first two green circles represent the initial steps taken with USCIS; the blue circle represents next step taken with the Department of State; the red circle represents a possible third step taken with the Transportation Security Administration; and the three orange circles represent possible final steps taken with the Custom and Border Patrol Agency.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"whats-next\"\u003eWhat’s Next\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on our findings, agencies identified their main priorities. Right now, we’re in the process of working to find solutions that would streamline the process of applying for a passport for a newly naturalized citizen. We’ll share updates as we continue this work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLaura Godfrey is the Agency Partnerships and Multilingual Strategies Lead for USAGov.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}