Case Studies: State of Maryland Judiciary, Web Development Program Management

General Description of Effort
The Maryland Judiciary contracted T&H for Business Analyst and Program Management services to assist the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) in the development of functional requirement for, and selection of, a secure, web-based on-line application to replace the current Maryland Bar admissions system. The Maryland State Board of Law Examiners offers exams to law students and incoming attorneys twice a year. During these two exam sessions there are approximately 2,500 applicants. There are a series of administrative activities that must occur prior to being considered ready to take the exam, i.e.; personal references, academic transcripts, resumes, collection of exam fees, investigation findings and a personal profile established. In the present Bar application process, applicants prepare their applications by completing a fillable-PDF form and submitting a lengthy paper application (typically 70 or more pages). The staff of the Board of Law Examiners then has to re-key the information several times in its manual process, which introduces numerous opportunities for error. The data entry is labor intensive, tedious, and time consuming. Staff time consumed in manual processing of paper Bar applications diverts the staff from more intensive analysis of the substance of the Bar applications. All of this data is captured and manually collected and stored in file folders. As a result, a great deal of inefficiency exists and the process is subject to errors in data retention.

Customer Benefits
T&H is assisting the State Judiciary in researching, designing, procuring, and managing a secure on-line web application in which all of the data could be captured 'on-line' by the examinee, transcripts recorded and all other required documentation collected and entered into a database whereby it could be accessed as needed. Both the admissions division as well as the applicant would be able to track the application progress. The new system will be web-based, utilizing new technology and the Judiciary's standards and technologies. This project is part of an overall initiative for the Judiciary to modernize electronic processing. Increased user-friendly application procedures for Bar applicants is expected along with a major reduction in the administrative burden on members of the Character Committees. In addition, dramatically improved and faster investigations of Bar applicants along with greater assurance that new admittees to the Maryland Bar are qualified in terms of integrity as well as professional competence.

This engagement focuses on:

• Analysis of the current AS400 system application
• Review of current applications used by other States as well as those that have been endorsed by the National Conference of Bar Examiner (NCBE).
• Developing functional requirements appropriate for solicitation and selection of a web based secure online system solution.
• Performing initial market research and recommending potential vendors.
• Performing an analysis of alternative models for ongoing support of the new system (i.e. in-house vs. vendor supported vs. ASP)
• Developing a comprehensive Request For Proposal (WP) that includes both functional requirements and technical considerations to assure compatibility, as needed, with the architecture being implemented.
• Working with the Procurement department to develop an effective set of proposal evaluation criteria and selection process.
• Identifying major customization, conversion, and implementation considerations including systems implementation and ongoing maintenance and support alternatives.
• Providing program or project management services associated with implementation of the chosen solution.

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