Case USA86: How a State Department of Motor Vehicles Confused Appointment Scheduling Apps with Enterprise Architecture Reform

Sunil Dutt Jha
Jul 29
2 min read

Updated: Nov 3

Overview:

This case is part of a 100-diagnostic series revealing how US motor vehicle agencies have mislabeled customer service upgrades as “Enterprise Architecture progress.”

In state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs), a recurring pattern is treating the launch of appointment scheduling apps as proof of enterprise reform.

Citizens could book slots online, wait times at offices dropped, and customer satisfaction scores improved — yet the enterprise structure linking licensing, records management, law enforcement integration, and revenue collection was never modeled.

P1–P6 Insight Preview:

These six perspectives define how an enterprise connects intent to execution

— P1: Strategy, P2: Business Processes, P3: System Behaviors, P4: Component Governance, P5: Implementation, P6: Business & Technology Operations.

P1 (Strategy): Scheduling was positioned as a customer service milestone, but no architecture-led plan tied it to reducing backlogs, improving accuracy, or integrating with public safety systems.

P2 (Process): Appointment booking improved, but processes for document verification, testing, and record updates remained fragmented.

P3 (System): Scheduling apps weren’t behaviorally integrated with licensing systems, law enforcement databases, or payment services.

P4 (Component): Booking modules, ID verification tools, and payment engines operated with separate governance rules.

P5 (Implementation): Deployment focused on citizen-facing features, deferring cross-system integration.

P6 (Operations): Business ops managed office traffic better, but tech ops handled manual data reconciliation between disconnected systems.

Stakeholder Impact Summary:

CEO/DMV Commissioner – accountable for service performance and compliance: Limited by weak P1 Strategy — customer convenience improved, but operational accuracy and compliance remain inconsistent.
CIO – responsible for systems integration and IT infrastructure: Impacted by P3 System Behaviors and P4 Component Governance — disconnected backend systems make service automation incomplete.
Sales Head (Public Engagement Lead) – manages citizen communication and outreach: Affected by P2 Processes and P5 Implementation — can promote shorter wait times but can’t guarantee faster overall service completion.
Chief Enterprise Architect – ensures alignment between DMV services, systems, and policy goals: Confronts P1–P6 issues — the scheduling app is an isolated convenience layer without enterprise integration.
Head of Licensing Operations – oversees daily licensing and records activities: Feels P2, P3, & P6 — still requires manual checks and updates after appointments to ensure records are accurate.