# Scalable Systems for a State Agency

> How a U.S. state environmental agency built a scalable future with SimplaDocs, achieving 11x faster workflows.

**11x faster workflows**

How a U.S. State Environmental Agency Built a Scalable Future with SimplaDocs.  
Client: U.S. State Environmental Agency  
Industry: Government / Environmental Regulation  
Services: Process Automation, Forms  

## Key metrics

- 6 hrs → ~1 hr — Application review time
- 250+ — Hours saved in months

## What we built

Rebuilt a permit application log that ran through a dozen stakeholders as digital forms, triage notifications, role-specific views, and supervisor dashboards.

## Challenge

When the CIO of a U.S. state environmental agency first discovered Coda, he immediately saw its potential. He built tools that replaced spreadsheets, streamlined tasks, and gave his team new ways to work. His early solutions quickly proved their value — and other bureaus began to take notice.

But with growing interest came a new challenge: how to make these tools perform at scale, work seamlessly for multiple teams, and be easily maintained over time. He knew the vision was bigger than one person could deliver alone. That's when he turned to SimplaDocs.

## Solution

From the beginning, it was clear that what the agency gained in SimplaDocs was more than a contractor; they brought in a savvy thought partner. Rather than simply refining individual documents, SimplaDocs helped them take a step back and think in systems — shifting from single-purpose tools to an interconnected, modular ecosystem that could evolve with the department's needs.

SimplaDocs was tasked with tackling an application log for environmental permits — a manual process that involved a dozen internal stakeholders and a suboptimal experience for applicants. Together, they reimagined the experience at every touchpoint, eliminating key sources of human error and bottlenecks.

- Digital forms replacing manual spreadsheet entry
- Triage notifications automatically alerting team members of their next task
- Role-specific views to avoid overwriting others' work
- Real-time dashboards for supervisors
- Applicant notifications for full transparency

## Results

- Enabled the team to work 11 times faster than originally
- Application review time dropped from six hours to just over an hour
- Saved the team over 250 hours in several months
- Rolled out dozens of interconnected systems across the department

## How the engagement ran

### Which systems did it touch?

Coda, Spreadsheets

## Impact

The agency continues to retain SimplaDocs because "they bring immense value to our agency." SimplaDocs also helped the department roll out dozens of smaller, interconnected systems — from emissions tracking tools to training workflows and internal reporting dashboards.

The CIO's team serves as a hub for internal innovation. He's often approached by other bureaus asking, "Can Coda do this?" His answer is consistent: bring in SimplaDocs.

> As a CIO, I've worked with many many vendors, and SimplaDocs was the best ROI I've ever made.
> — CIO, U.S. State Environmental Agency

> They're incredibly fast and they're incredibly good. From all of the vendors I've worked with, SimplaDocs brings me the highest ROI. They're worth every penny.
> — CIO, U.S. State Environmental Agency

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Source: https://simpladocs.com/work/state-environmental-agency