Getting and managing access to Orbeon forms

Last updated on August 2, 2022

Ministries can enroll in the CMS Lite Forms Service to gain access to the Orbeon platform.

Ministries enrolled have access for five (5) users included, with more user licenses available at additional cost. Given this limitation, ministries need to [manage who has access] to ensure quality forms experiences for citizens and avoid unnecessary costs.

 

Enrolling your ministry

Ministries can start the enrollment process by sending an email indicating their interest to the GDX Service Desk. GDX staff will guide the ministry through the assessment and onboarding process.

Since this is a ministry-level service, it’s recommended that this request come from a senior manager such as a Ministry Chief Information Officer and that the costs be covered by a centrally managed budget.

 

Choosing your users

Forms are a significant part of citizens’ experience of government services, so they should be created and maintained by forms professionals.

Forms professionals are trained, skilled and experienced in areas such as:

  • Business, process, and systems analysis
  • Visual, interaction, and experience design
  • Service delivery in an operational (day-to-day) context

Forms are critical to the process of service delivery. Poor management and design decisions can produce undesirable results such as:

  • Significantly increasing the cost of service delivery
  • Inadequately protecting citizen information
  • Introducing or increasing barriers to service
  • Causing service delivery to be interrupted or halted

Ministries should consider establishing a team of forms professionals rather than assigning this as an additional responsibility to staff already providing other professional services.

 

Managing your users

Ministries have five (5) users included in their service and additional users cost extra, so ministries will want to control their user list.

 

The role of contacts

Each ministry enrolled designates a contact. Contacts decide who can have access and manage the user list. They also confirm changes with the expense authority and seek approval if an additional cost in involved.

Individuals seeking access to the platform need to request that access from a contact. The contact will determine:

  • Whether or not this individual should have access
  • If this user will consume an available (open) license
  • If this user will replace another user
  • If this user will incur an additional license cost

When contacts have completed an assessment and approved the access, they email this request and assessment to the expense authority.

Contacts can follow the same process to remove users if requested.

 

The role of expense authorities

Expense authorities have responsibility for managing the costs of ministry operations and initiatives. With respect to the forms service, they should be aware of how many licenses they are using, and any additional costs being incurred.

Once they review the request and assessment from the contact, they can forward the request and assessment to the GDX Service Desk indicating their approval.

Expense authorities can follow the same process for removing users.

 

The role of Government Digital Experience (GDX)

When it comes to user access and control, GDX processes requests to add and remove users and – where applicable – adjust quarterly billing amounts. Specific responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring access is available only to individuals authorized by the ministry
  • Ensuring requests and any costs are approved by authorized ministry representatives
  • Determining the training needs of the new user
  • Billing ministries accurately for the service