Guest Author: Deb Miller
Global 360 Inc.

In the year 2054 crime is virtually eliminated from Washington D.C. thanks to an elite law enforcing Pre-Crime squad led by Tom Cruise who catches the criminals before they commit the crime. That’s the premise of Minority Report, a Spielberg movie that depicted a world where we can predict and prevent crime.  It was packed with some awesome futuristic technologies.  Today, elements of the Minority Report sci-fi story have become reality.  The interactive screens used by the pre-crime detectives are everyday now, and advanced gesture-based capabilities are on the way.  Though our mall stores might not recognize us from our iris scans as they did in the movie, the Pentagon has funded technology that successfully scans eyeballs to identify threats.  And, while we haven’t figured out how to stop crime before it happens, we are doing a better job managing our criminal justice information for the greater good.  

The recipe for success in my view is the ability to securely process-enable data that has been kept locked away in paper vaults or in document management repositories like SharePoint, and make it available in a meaningful way to the process participants. SharePoint can provide strong document sharing capabilities but only basic workflow capabilities to support simple processes such as document approval. When you need to automate complex, mission critical processes, that’s the time to turn to business process management tools. 

Consider DOTS – the DNA Offender Tracking System – and the impact it has had on solving current crimes and cold cases for California’s Los Angeles County.  The system, based on business process management technology, has significantly improved the complex DNA collection tracking process.  By way of background, several years ago California passed Proposition 69 to expand the collection and use of criminal offender DNA samples to help solve crimes and increase public safety. Proponents of the proposition hold that requiring convicted felons and arrests for rape or murder to submit DNA helps solve crimes and prevents false imprisonment.  In LA County, the responsibility to collect DNA samples from eligible offenders is shared among 40 law enforcement agencies.  Faced with more than 1,200 criminal arrests every day, as well as more than 21 ,000 incarcerated inmates, LA County  uses DOTS to provide an automated, collaborative, and rules-driven way to identify and determine a suspect or inmate’s DNA collection status, while assuring legal compliance with the DNA collection eligibility legislation.

Before DOTS, when a DNA sample was collected, officers completed an accompanying paper card, which took 30 minutes and might have inconsistent or illegible information. The sample was then sent to the state, where it sometimes took a month to process and update the criminal history system. The lack of a centralized system led to duplicated work by officers and multiple DNA samples from suspects.  Now, DOTS automates the DNA collection process and lets officers know if an offender’s DNA is already in the system.   DOTS provides a better way to collect, track, and also exchange and share DNA information with other state, local and federal agencies.  DOTS helps to drive significant productivity for the officers while ensuring appropriate DNA evidence is available.

Doing a better job means effectively process-enabling the data, but it also means enabling the people in the process as DOTS did with law enforcement officers.  After all, Minority Report was really about the people. In fact, Tom Cruise’s character is a “knowledge worker” who relies on a group of `pre-cog’ psychics that, together, dream of murders that have not yet taken place.  The data emanating from the psychics is projected along with enough other information for the team, who  - with the help of their expertise and the technology  -  determine where the crimes will take place and stop the crimes before they happen.

So what data are you keeping in SharePoint?  What “knowledge workers” could benefit from that data? Are you using process to liberate that data and turn it into actionable information that could better serve your stakeholders?  I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences and your ideas on barriers to overcome and benefits to be achieved from process-enabling SharePoint.

Guest Author: Deb Miller
Global 360 Inc.

Deb Miller is Director of Market Development for Global 360. Her work focuses on industry strategies for business process improvement. You can read more of Deb’s writings at http://DebsG360.wordpress.com/ and at @DebsG360 on Twitter.