Measuring Process Experience: A Collaborative Modelling Instrument for Determining the Impact of a New Law on Public Service Experience

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the development of a collaborative approach to elicit and analyse service process experience as part of a project commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. We designed and deployed a model-based instrument for measuring the experiences of both the general public and the civil servants, involved in information sharing, delivery and use and execution of environmental permit application services. In addition, information on the case-specific process structure that is underlying the service delivery was to be gathered with the instrument. We combined a collaborative, stakeholder-oriented process modelling technique with workshops, inspired by the CoMPArE method, with detailed service experience-oriented probing questions focusing on interactions, roles and process ‘bottlenecks’. We carried out a first, baseline measurement on the information, processes and experiences around environmental permit services through 6 identical six-hour workshop sessions with 67 civil servants. Our experiences in executing the baseline measurement are reported, as well as some main results, and lessons learned in developing and applying the workshop approach.