Virtual Office Implementation

Many State positions could easily lend themselves to Virtual Office with the right tools and the right management.  However, to create a successful Virtual Office effort, the Efficiency Review Virtual Office Workgroup recommends following the list of tasks below:

Determine Management Readiness – Managers need to be introduced to and educated on managing employees in a Virtual environment, which is contrary to “line-of-sight” management.  It is beneficial to pilot Virtual Office beginning with an innovative manager who is fully interested in the effort.

Assess Technology Requirements – Agencies need to assess systems to determine the ability to allow employees access to their work and their customers.

Complete an Operational Review – Workflow processes should be assessed along with an analysis of positions or groups of positions to identify Virtual Office opportunities.

Develop Metrics – Each position transitioned to Virtual Office should have standard metrics.  Metrics will allow agencies to measure productivity, quality, retention, etc.

Consider the Educational Component – Mandatory training courses can all be done on-line rather than requiring travel back to the office.  The Arizona Government University (AZGU) is working to ensure that E-Learning is available for all mandatory classes and will work with agencies to establish agency specific on-line training classes.

Create Pilot Proposals – Each position or group of positions should be proposed as a pilot before full implementation to ensure the possibility of success.  A proposal will help address any challenges or needs that may need to be worked out beforehand and create a formal decision process for executive staff to approve Virtual Office efforts.

Implement, Evaluate, and Adjust – Each position transitioned into Virtual Office should be evaluated after an adequate amount of time (approximately one to three months) to the effectiveness of making the transition permanent.  Adjustments (i.e., technological changes, additional training for employees, new measurements, etc.), if needed, can be made during this evaluation.