by Tracy Mayor

Government agencies scramble to replace reams of paper with electronic forms
Got e-forms yet? Why, sure we do! That’s what everybody says at least. These days, it’s hard to find a state, county or large local government body that isn’t touting its electronic forms online or pushing hard on the concept internally, and for good reason.

by Jay Kirkpatrick

"The Bullet Train" Case Study
Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation owned nearly 350 hospitals. They recognize the opportunity for standardization is a distinct competitive advantage. They are moving their corporation toward standardization - standard equipment, standard forms, standard processes, and standard computer systems. In early 1997, a project was formed called "Bullet Train." Bullet Train is a condensed, accelerated, standardization program.

by Chris Church

Clearing the path
Paving the road for e-business first requires clearing the path ahead and then laying a foundation. That foundation is management of the inputs or triggers to the company’s business processes its business forms. The Boeing Company understands that its business forms are critical; therefore, an alliance between Boeing Forms Management, Boeing Information Systems and Shana Corporation focused on the different facets of construction - process, project and product, respectively.

by Fred Heilbronner

An Insider’s View of How to Get the Most out of their Time (and the biggest bang for your buck)
What is a consultant? There are various definitions of what a consultant is. In simple terms, a consultant is someone who knows more about something than his client, and that generally means something that the client is interested in knowing about. Other less serious definitions include the suggestion that a consultant is anyone who carries a briefcase...or even someone who carries a briefcase and arrives in an airplane, preferably from far away.

by Robert Barnett

"Electronic forms" is one of the fastest growing buzzwords in the computer and business world.
Along with terms such as "workflow analysis" and "process re-engineering," organisations are grasping at any electronic solution that appears to reduce the need for people. With all the talk, few people seem to know what they are in for when they implement electronic forms systems or place forms on the Internet or on their internal intranets.

by  Accelio, Inc.

This document is intended to provide a high-level overview of Accelio's (formerly JetForm) XML Forms Architecture (XFA) and eXtensible Markup Language (XML). As organizations move to Web-based applications to address their business processes the issues of document capture, presentation, processing and retention become paramount. The current paradigms used within paper-based processes are insufficient to address the new requirements for Web-based information.

by Robert Barnett

Analyzing the Presidential ballot in Palm Beach County and its significance for forms professionals
The war of words over the 2000 U.S. Presidential election in Florida highlights a significant and serious problem with forms, not just for the ballot, but for all public-use and internal forms for many organizations. The Palm Beach County ballot form has raised some major issues that need to be addressed by forms professionals. As an Australian, I’m not in a position to comment on U.S. politics, so that won’t be a factor in my analysis.

by Jack Russ

E-forms are quickly becoming commonplace as businesses employ ever more capable technology and techniques. You may, however, be surprised to learn that there is nothing mystical, difficult, or daunting in creating exciting, imaginative, and remarkably effective electronic forms. The good news is you simply have a bigger toolbox with more "toys" to work with, limited only by your imagination. The bad news is you are going to have to work harder and spend more time “up front” than when creating paper forms.

by  Adobe Systems, Inc.

Get any tax form any time off the Web
Who says the Internal Revenue Service isn't friendly? Since 1998, the IRS has made every tax form accessible 24 hours a day on its Web site as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. And starting with the 1999 tax year, the IRS created fill-in versions of the forms. This means you can enter data into the forms on-screen, then print the completed versions. Fill-in forms give you a cleaner, crisper printout for mailing to the IRS.

by  Formspace Members

Professional forms designers and analysts discuss the Palm Beach County ballot form in the U.S. Presidential election
It's been interesting to see what is happening in Florida. There's been a great deal in the Australian media about the issue but not a single word about the cause of the problem. There were references to design and the fact that it didn't work but not the cause. As soon as I saw the ballot forms the reason was obvious and there's a lesson for all organizations in this.