Recent studies emphasize that digital transformation in public services necessitates a shift towards service innovation, data-driven decision-making, and agile methodologies [6] . AI-powered automation, cloud computing, and blockchain technology are increasingly being adopted to enhance efficiency in public service delivery [7] . Mobile apps, chatbots, and digital inclusion programs are expanding access to public services and improving citizen engagement [8] . Blockchain technology and open data initiatives are enhancing transparency and accountability in public services [9] . Online consultations, participatory budgeting platforms, and social media are empowering citizens to engage with government and provide feedback on public services [10] . This comes with some challenges, such as Cybersecurity Threats, the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks targeting government systems; Data Privacy Concerns, ethical and legal issues related to the collection, use, and storage of citizen data; Digital Divide, unequal access to technology and digital skills, particularly among marginalized communities; and Algorithmic Bias, the potential for bias in AI algorithms used in decision-making.

ISO 20000 is an international standard for IT service management (ITSM). It provides a framework for organizations to deliver high-quality IT services that meet business needs. A service is essentially a means of delivering value to customers. This is done by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks [11] . While service management is a set of specialized organizational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.

ISO 20000-1:2018 specifies requirements for an organization to establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve a service management system (SMS). It ensures that IT services are aligned with business requirements and delivered effectively. It covers all aspects of IT service management, including service design, transition, delivery, and improvement. Figure 1 below shows the service life cycle as presented by ISO 20000.

Service Strategy: The objective of service strategy is to offer better services than the competition. Of course, to be successful in the longer term, as the industrial landscape adjusts to the inevitable economic, social, technological, and political changes, organizations must think long term. So, service strategy is not just about the strategy for individual services, but also about positioning the IT service provider for the long haul. It also includes the design, development, and implementation of service management as a foundation for sound governance and as part of the organization’s strategic asset base [11] .

Service Design: Once an organization has determined the IT strategy it wishes to pursue, it uses the service design phase of the lifecycle to create new services that service transition then introduces into the live environment. In so doing, service design aims to take the necessary steps to ensure that the new service will perform as planned and deliver the functionality and benefits intended by the business [11] .

Service Transition: There has frequently been a disconnection between the development and operations departments within IT, which has consequently led to many failed implementations of new or changed services. Service transition is concerned with bridging that gap smoothly, ensuring that operational requirements are fully considered and catered for before anything is moved into the live environment, including documentation and training for users and support staff. Service transition is also responsible for the decommissioning and removal of services that are no longer required, and for the transfer of a service from one service provider to another [11] .

Service Operations: Service operation is the phase of the IT service management lifecycle that is responsible for ‘business as usual’ activities. If services are not utilized or are not delivered efficiently and effectively, they will not deliver their full value, irrespective of how well designed they may be. It is service operation that is responsible for utilizing the processes to deliver services to users and customers.

Service operation is where the value that has been modeled in service strategy and confirmed through service design and service transition is delivered. Without service operation running the services as designed and utilizing the processes as designed, there would be no control and management of the services. The production of meaningful metrics by service operation will form the basis and starting point for service improvement activity [11] .

Continual Service Improvement: Once a service management solution has been implemented, it is essential not to sit back and think that the job has been done. All aspects of the environment will be continually changing, and the service provider must always continue to seek improvements. Continual service improvement is responsible for ensuring that these improvements are identified and implemented. The performance of the IT service provider is continually measured, and improvements are made to processes, IT services, and the IT infrastructure to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness [11] .

ISO 20000 is highly relevant to public service organizations for several reasons:

Benefits for Public Service Organizations:

User-centric design (UCD) is a design philosophy and a process focusing on the needs, wants, and limitations of the end-users of a product or service [12] . When applied to public service delivery, it can significantly improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accessibility of those services [13] . At its core, UCD is about:

UCD is important for public service delivery [14] for the following reasons:

Design Science Research (DSR) is a powerful methodology that we have adopted for creating innovative solutions to real-world problems, especially when existing solutions are inadequate or nonexistent. It is well-suited for fields like information systems, engineering, and organizational science [15] . Design Science is a science that seeks to develop and design solutions to improve existing systems, solve problems, or create new artifacts that contribute to better human performance, whether in society or in organizations [16] .

In this research, we will follow the Design Science Research methodology proposed by Dresch et al. [5] ( Figure 2 ), which comprises the following key stages: (1) Identification of the Problem, (2) Proposition of the artifacts to solve a specific problem, (3) Design and Development of the artifact, (4) Evaluation of the artifact, (5) Conclusion, and (6) Communication of the results.

Problem Identification aims to formalize the research question and all aspects of the problem, such as understanding the external environment and conducting a systematic literature review. The artifact that will help solve the problem should be clearly formalized. It starts with artifact identification. It could be constructs, models, methods, instantiations, or design propositions. The structured and configured classes of the problem are elaborated, as well as explicitly satisfactory solutions.

At the stage of Design and Development of the artifact, it is expected to draw the design that indicates the techniques and tools that are used to develop the artifact and its evaluation. List detailed information for the artifact’s requirements.

At the end of the development of the artifact, two primary outputs are expected. The first output is the artifact in its functional state. The second output consists of the construction learnings that can be formalized from the artifact’s development. It is important to remember that construction learnings derived from the development of artifacts constitute one of design science’s contributions to advancing knowledge. Once an artifact has been built, it can be evaluated. The behavior of the artifact is observed and measured toward a satisfactory solution to the problem [5] . Once research is completed, it is important for the developed artifact to be generalized for a class of problems. The artifact, together with its construction and contingency heuristics, must be generalized for a certain class of problems. In that reasoning process, the solution of a specific problem seeks to be generalized to a certain class of problems [17] .

Finally, it is essential to communicate results. This communication can be performed through publications in journals, trade magazines, seminars, and conferences, among others, with the goal of reaching as many interested parties as possible. These interested parties can be either in academia or in organizations [5] .

When it comes to modeling in the digital transformation, process diagrams serve as vital communication instruments, enabling clear visualization of workflows, strategies, and stakeholder interactions. The efficiency of these diagrams depends on the tools and design methodologies employed in their creation.

The artifact that we designed in this article, Figure 3 , represents the Digital Transformation Framework. The diagram was produced using advanced diagramming software supporting comprehensive shape manipulation, connector customization, and styling features. The primary software tools considered include Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Word, recognized for their capability to support professional process visualization.

Utilized to depict different process stages, organizational contexts, and stakeholder environments, the features employed include customizable geometric shapes such as rectangles and ovals, which support size modification, color fills, and border styling. Containers or grouped shapes were used to organize related components logically, enhancing readability and clarity.

Arrows and connecting lines visualized process flows and relationships. These were created via dedicated connector tools, allowing for precise placement and styling, including line thickness, color, and arrowhead customization. Support for dashed or dotted lines facilitated the differentiation of process types or interactions.

Labels and process descriptions were incorporated through text boxes embedded within shapes or positioned adjunctively. The software’s text editing capabilities allowed font selection, size adjustment, and alignment control, ensuring that information was clear and legible.

Color schemes were strategically employed to encode informational distinctions such as process categories, environment types, and process outcomes, thereby supporting visual hierarchy. Fill colors, border styles, and background shading options contributed to the diagram’s professional appearance.

These features provided control over diagram complexity. Layering allowed overlapping components to be managed effectively, while grouping facilitated simultaneous editing and movement of related elements, maintaining structural integrity.

The construction of the digital transformation framework diagram benefited from the advanced graphical and organizational features of specialized diagramming software. Shape customization, connector flexibility, text management, styling options, and layering capabilities enabled the development of a clear, professional, and informative visual representation. Such tools are indispensable in academic and professional domains, supporting the effective communication of multifaceted process frameworks.

Figure 3 shows the framework of digital transformation focusing on three layers. Layer 1 is about the adoption and implementation of ITSM, Layer 2 is the business process digitalization, and Layer 3 focuses on the consideration of user and stakeholder requirements during digitalization. Here is a summary:

Layer 1: Adoption and Implementation of ISO 20000-ITSM

Layer 2: Business Process Digitalization

Layer 3: User-Centric Design

The Criminal Procedure Code, Book II Part IV, Sections 573 to 583 describes the procedure to establish a criminal record bulletin. Bulletin No.3 (B3) is the most requested and the only one among the 3 bulletins that is delivered directly to the person concerned. It mentions only sentences of loss of liberty not expunged by amnesty or rehabilitation.

As shown in Figure 4 , An individual who needs a B3 should go to the Court of First Instance (CFI) of his/her place of birth and write an application to request it. To show proof of identity, a photocopy of the birth certificate or of the National Identity Card is required. To attest to the authenticity of these two documents, two fiscal stamps shall be affixed on the documents.

After the Registrar has checked whether any condemnation or sentence laid on a person and worth mentioning on a B3 has been noted, he will then fill in the form and mention the necessary information in the document. The document will be signed by both the Registrar-in-Chief and the State Counsel of the Court. Generally, the standard time for a B3 to be established is 24 hours. Moreover, litigants can also deliver a B3 at the Ministry of Justice in Yaoundé, where the central record index is lodged.

The main concern to be addressed here is the fact that one who needs a B3 must go physically to the Court of First Instance of their place of birth to apply for it. They should then wait on average for 24 hours for it to be established and delivered.

In general, people do not live in the city of the CFI of their place of birth. Consequently, the acquisition of a B3 usually:

The applications and platforms used are:

Table 1 below lists the applications and platforms used to implement the solution for the B3 request:

Empirical users’ requirements have been collected by the product owner to tailor the solution and fit their needs.

Continuous evaluation improvement principles were actively used so that end users could witness changes as soon as they were implemented and published.

Figure 5 presents the Use Case Model of the B3 Request solution, where the Requestor only has to “submit” and “pay” for his request and will receive the signed B3 form at his present location address. All the rest is abstracted for the requestor and is handled by field agents connected to the application.

To ensure end-user satisfaction, we have selected a few ITSM processes that have been implemented:

a. Request Management:

Purpose: Provide a controlled path for users to request a B3 (criminal records/ extract) through EasyPro and get an efficient, tracked outcome.

Scope: All B3 requests submitted via the EasyPro portal by citizens.

Trigger User runs EasyPro and submits a B3 request form.

Standard Workflow

1. Submit—User runs EasyPro and completes the B3 request form (required fields, attachments).

2. Auto-registration—The system assigns a unique Request ID and timestamps it.

3. Processing—The back-office/B3 processing team performs the required checks and actions.

4. Closure & Notification—Status set to Closed; user receives confirmation and physical documents as outcomes.

Roles & RACI (Summary)

Channels & Tools

Key SLAs/KPIs (examples)

b. Incident Management (Service Disruption):

Purpose: Restore EasyPro service as quickly as possible and minimize business impact.

Scope: Any unplanned interruption, degradation, or failure affecting EasyPro (portal, APIs, notifications).

Triggers / Reporting Channels

Standard Workflow

1. Service Desk records incidents with unique Incident IDs, callers, contact channels (phone/email), and impacts/urgencies.

2. Categorize & Prioritize—Assign a category (e.g., login, performance, notification), and determine priority using impact × urgency (P1–P4).

3. Initial Diagnosis—Service Desk performs quick checks and workarounds; communicates reference number to user.

4. Escalation—If not resolved quickly, escalate to Application Support or the vendor; invoke the major incident path for P1.

5. Investigation & Resolution—Identify root cause/workaround; implement fix or rollback.

6. Recovery & Verification—Confirm EasyPro is stable; the user validates that the service is restored.

7. Closure—Document resolution, classify the cause, and close the ticket; notify affected users.

8. Post-Incident Review (for P1/P2) —Captures lessons learned and preventive actions.

Roles & RACI (Summary)

Communication

SLAs/KPIs (examples)

Figure 6 shows how the citizen submits their request for B3.