The Houston Permitting Center (HPC) is excited to announce that we are developing a new permitting system – HouPermits – aimed at streamlining and enhancing our permitting and inspection process.
Current Status - Bridge Construction Phase
As of March 2023:
- The project team has wrapped up the design phase. Over the past 24 months, the team:
- Worked with internal staff and external stakeholders to identify 100+ unique permitting processes that needed to be designed.
- Held more than 60 design sessions with permitting staff and subject matter experts to identify future state workflows for each process.
- Completed design of new and unique processes within HouPermits, and showcased/validated them with staff.
- The project team recently kicked off a short-term phase known as Bridge Construction. This phase serves as a bridge between the design and construction phases that allows the team to continue working while the long-term contract for the construction phase is put in place. During this phase, the project team is:
- Developing new designs and new configurations that were identified during the previous phase.
- Completing the construction schedule that shows all the different activities that need to be completed during construction.
- Building the ProjectDox integration that will allow users to conduct electronic plan reviews.
- The Bridge Construction phase is scheduled to be completed in April 2023. Then, the team will proceed into the Construction Phase.
The construction of the new HouPermits application is a multi-year effort. When complete, HouPermits will replace what we currently know as the Integrated Land Management System (ILMS), Telework, and the customer-facing portal, iPermits.
Previous status:
As of July 2022:
- Working with internal staff and our external stakeholders, the project team identified more than 120 unique permitting processes that need to be designed.
- Over the last 20 months, the project team held more than 60 design sessions with our permitting staff and subject matter experts to identify future state workflows for each process. During the design sessions, the team identified how each process is done today and current pain points that can be improved with the new system.
- The project team then showcased some of the processes in HouPermits, and validated inputs, user and system actions with staff.
- The project team met with both internal and external stakeholders to obtain feedback on the processes that have been designed thus far.
- With our internal staff, we showcased the customer-facing HouPermits, HouPermits Back Office, and Inspector App to obtain input.
- With our external stakeholders (permit expediters and project managers), the team held an evaluation session for HouPermits. Key input received has been shared with our vendor and is being reviewed.
- We are currently wrapping up and expect to complete the design phase in 2022.
Overview
Intro to HouPermits
HouPermits will provide a single, scalable and automated platform that will optimize and enhance the experience of all users as they apply for permits, or fulfill permitting requests. The new system will be a user-friendly web-based platform that will allow our customers to complete their permitting application process entirely online.
| Current System | System In Design | New & Final System Name | New & Final System Logo |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPermits | Rhythm | HouPermits |  |
| ILMS | Infor Public Sector (IPS) | HouPermits Back Office |  |
| Telework | Infor Field Inspector App or Mobile App |
HouPermits Inspector App |  |
Benefits
- Everything in One Place: HouPermits will serve as a one-stop shop for permitting and inspection information, including ARA and HFD Life Safety Bureau permits and inspections, as well as other areas of the Permitting Center not currently using the legacy system. Online forms will replace emailed forms and other manual processes.
- Automated Capabilities: We are automating administrative changes to projects and permits, which will ease our workload and alleviate paper processes.
- Personalization: Our staff will be able to personalize their lookup grids, tab layouts, and dashboards to display their To-Do lists or other information relevant to their unique roles and responsibilities.
- Reporting: Managers and supervisors will have access to dashboards depicting information specific to their projects. They’ll be able to run reports on their own and collaborate in real-time with others involved in the permitting process.
- Mobile App Functionality: Through the Inspector App, inspectors will be able to access the system on their tablets while in the field, eliminating the potential for delayed information through improved reliability. Upon login, Inspectors will see their list of inspections and reassign inspections as needed.
Training
Extensive training will be available to all users prior to go-live. Additional information regarding training will be provided as we get closer to deployment.
Additional Information
Please continue to visit this website for additional information. We will keep you updated on our progress and timeline as we continue to work to enhance our permitting and inspection process.
Last updated: Mar. 21, 2023