Vehicles phase of GEM begins

DMV has been working for years to move its transactions from the 1980s mainframe to a more stable and secure system. The next stage of that effort recently launched, as more than 70 county assessor and department staff attended a meeting to plan the registration module of the Vehicles phase of GEM in early February.

This is the third phase of the GEM rollout —The first phase moved disability placards off the mainframe and the second phase, removing driver's license and identification card transactions from the mainframe, was implemented in late summer.

The recent meeting was divided into:
• Introductions by DMV Administrator Alberto Gonzalez and Modernization Managers Bill Finke and Brian Goeke
• A review of previous thoughts on the program development
• A discussion of roles and responsibilities
• An overview of the development process, and
• A discussion of the interaction between the department and the counties

"The best systems are developed when the best feedback is received from the counties, business operations and policy units," Finke told the group. "We need constant feedback to tell us – did we get this right and avoid the long cycle of fixing things later."

Demonstrations will be held every three weeks on the latest development cycle to optimize input through the WebEx platform. By participating throughout the development process, training becomes much easier for users. During the development of the driver's phase of GEM, the department and counties did not interact enough, Goeke said. "We need to dramatically expand the frequency and number of counties and county employees who engage in the testing and training."

The initial demonstration was held Feb. 26. This meeting was used to get everyone connected and familiar with WebEx. The next demonstration is planned for April or May.

Published 03-01-19