Smart investments pay off
KPMG and Microsoft helped the City of Lafayette become a "smart" city, improving customer services and spending taxpayer dollars more efficiently.
Client
Lafayette, Louisiana Consolidated Government
Sector
State and local government
Project
Digital enablement with Microsoft technologies
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Client challenge
Lafayette, Louisiana, is at the intersection of culture and technology, and for more than a decade its distinct history has complemented innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. Given its technological focus, it’s no surprise that Lafayette is undertaking initiatives to become a “smart” or connected city, where government, businesses, and citizens all come together to improve their quality of life. Lafayette wanted to implement a technology platform that would offer results in a matter of months but be flexible enough to deploy advanced functionality as needed over time. The city developed initiatives under three pillars that encompassed citizen engagement, better customer service for citizens, and continuing plans to promote a connected community, and they asked us to join their journey.
We helped the city distill a wish list of 175 potential initiatives into a sequenced investment and implementation roadmap. Then we helped implement a technology platform that offered results in a matter of months, but is flexible enough to deploy advanced functionality as needed over time.
Our Approach
Leveraging our global alliance with Microsoft, KPMG helped Lafayette develop a long-term strategic connected city roadmap and implement the plan in a coordinated, phased program of civic technology projects. KPMG:
1
Conducted stakeholder interviews and workshopping to distill a wish list of 175 potential initiatives into a sequenced investment and implementation roadmap.
2
Deployed the pilot for a 311 citizen nonemergency service portal, integrating the KPMG proprietary VeloCITY311 framework developed on a Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform for the city police and then expanded to include three additional city departments.
3
Using Microsoft Azure, built proofs of concept for next-phase projects, including an Internet of Things-enabled network of flood-warning sensors and blockchain-powered tracking for city vehicle maintenance.
4
Developed a centralized data-ingestion capability that will eventually support dashboard reporting for city professionals and the taxpaying public.
5
Used change-management experience and public-transparency principles to maintain buy-in and collaboration among more than 20 local agencies and publicly owned entities.
Benefits to client
Working with KPMG and Microsoft, Lafayette has put into place a multistage strategic plan that melds the agendas of multiple local agencies and publicly owned entities under a single, elevated “smart city” value proposition. Specific benefits include:
1
Phased investment-planning processes set up to calculate for budget constraints, operational cost savings, and lifetime return on investment.
2
Process transparency, data sharing, and information visibility established to maintain buy-in and engender continued taxpayer support.
3
Implemented a technology platform that offers results in a matter of months, but is flexible enough to deploy advanced functionality as needed over time.
4
311 citizen nonemergency service portal significantly reduced wait times on the phone and difficulty connecting with the right city department, and provides the call center with a knowledge base at its fingertips.
5
Increased efficiency, transparency, and streamlined workflows.
Why KPMG
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Clients want advisors with deep understanding of their chosen technology solutions
KPMG draws upon an established global partnership with Microsoft that lets us draw upon the full range of its offers, including Azure, Dynamics 365, Office 365, and Power BI.
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We excel at adapting leading commercial-sector practice for public entities
KPMG knows how to tailor process and technology innovation to the distinct missions of government organizations. We help them deliver improved services and benefits to constituents, with deep awareness of how process and information transparency is the foundation on which public trust and continued taxpayer support are built.
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Successful transformation requires the right efforts, in the right order
Major process or technology initiatives contain implicit organizational challenges. We use change management insight to help clients navigate the ripple effects—both broad impacts on behavior and culture, and specific dependencies between parts of complex projects—keeping all parties focused on defined outcomes and shared success.
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Meet our team
Denis Berry
US Microsoft Business Leader, KPMG US
Denis Berry
US Microsoft Business Leader, KPMG US