Modernizing Public Fisheries Meetings with a Centralized Agenda Platform
In Brief
A web-based system for managing and documenting public fisheries meetings
The North Pacific and Pacific Fisheries Management Councils oversee fisheries policy across Alaska and the US West Coast, running public meetings where testimony, scientific input, and council actions shape regulatory decisions. For years, staff collected comments through email, assembled meeting materials manually, and managed records across disconnected systems.
Resource Data, working with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), developed a web-based Agenda Management System that centralizes public comments, speaker sign-ups, agenda preparation, and document management. Since its initial launch in 2013, the platform has continued to evolve, improving reliability and adapting to changing needs.
Today, staff spend less time preparing materials, meetings run reliably, and decades of council records are searchable and accessible in one place.
Key Takeaways
Reliability, Automation, and Transparency
-
Automated public comment management reduces workload
Email-based comment collection and manual document assembly were replaced with a centralized workflow. Staff can collect, review, and organize public comments directly within the system.
-
Live meeting tools for managing public testimony
Participants can register to speak on agenda items through the application. During meetings, staff manage the speaker queue and display current and upcoming speakers.
-
Centralized archive of council records
Meeting materials, public comments, and supporting documents are stored in a single searchable archive covering decades of council activity.
-
Public access to meeting materials and records
Members of the public can submit comments, access meeting materials, and download council packages from a single location, improving transparency and access.
-
Shared platform supporting multiple organizations
The system’s multi-tenant architecture allows multiple agencies to operate within the same platform while maintaining separate data environments.
Meet Our Client
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC)
The Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) is an interstate compact agency that supports fisheries management across the U.S. West Coast and Alaska. The commission works closely with regional councils, including the North Pacific and Pacific Fisheries Management Councils, which were established under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, as well as state agencies to coordinate research, data collection, and regulatory processes.
Public council meetings are central to this work. During these meetings, agencies review policy proposals, receive public testimony, and document decisions that shape commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. Because these decisions directly influence regional fisheries policy, the meeting process must remain organized, transparent, and well documented.
The Challenge
Manual meeting preparation under increasing participation demands
Public fisheries meetings require structured agendas, organized supporting documents, and a formal record of testimony and council decisions. For years, these responsibilities relied on manual processes. Public comments arrived through email, documents were stored across disconnected folders, and staff assembled meeting materials by hand before each session.
Preparing meeting packages required significant administrative effort and increased the risk of delays or errors. As participation expanded and more stakeholders joined meetings remotely, the systems supporting these sessions became indispensable for operations. When infrastructure problems occurred during live meetings, disruptions could halt testimony and create confusion for staff and participants.
The Solution
One system to run and document public fisheries meetings
Resource Data developed a web-based Agenda Management System that consolidates the tools required to prepare and run public fisheries meetings. The platform allows staff to create meeting agendas, collect and review public comments, manage speaker registrations, and organize supporting documents within one application. Submissions are tied to specific agenda items, allowing staff to prepare materials for council review more efficiently.
The system also serves as the long-term archive for council activity. Meeting materials, public comments, and attachments are indexed and searchable across decades of records. Because the application is used during both meeting preparation and live sessions, it functions not only as an administrative tool but also as part of the infrastructure supporting public decision-making.
Our Approach
Long-Term Collaboration and System Development
The Agenda Management System was first developed in 2013 to modernize how council meetings were organized and documented. As councils increasingly relied on the system, Resource Data expanded its capabilities. A searchable archive was created containing meeting records dating back to 1976. The platform was also adapted to support multiple organizations operating within a shared environment while maintaining separate data structures.
In 2025, the system was migrated to a dedicated Microsoft Azure environment to improve reliability during live meetings. This transition strengthened operational stability and ensured consistent performance during public sessions.
Features
Built around how councils run their meetings
-
Agenda Management for Meeting Preparation
Staff create and manage meeting agendas through a structured interface that links agenda items, attachments, and public comments. The system maintains a clear record of updates and revisions.
-
Public Comment Submission for Efficient Review
Members of the public submit comments through an online form associated with specific agenda items. Submissions are stored in the system and reviewed by staff before inclusion in official meeting materials.
-
Speaker Registration Real-Time Queue Visibility
Participants can register to provide testimony on agenda items. During meetings, staff manage the speaker queue and display speaker names and affiliations in real time. The system tracks participation as testimony is delivered.
-
Automated Meeting Packages for Consistent Materials
Staff can generate downloadable meeting packages that include agendas, attachments, and public comments. This ensures participants receive consistent materials.
-
Document Search for Fast Access to Records
Meeting materials and comments are indexed across decades of council activity. Full-text search allows staff to locate past decisions and supporting documents quickly.
-
Multi-Organization Architecture for Shared Agency Use
The system supports multiple organizations within the same platform while maintaining separation of meeting data and configurations for each group.
-
Azure Cloud Hosting for Reliable Live Performance
The application operates within a dedicated Microsoft Azure environment managed by Resource Data. This environment provides improved stability during live meetings and supports ongoing system expansion.
What started as a tool for collecting public comments has evolved into a platform that supports how these councils run their meetings.
- Rick Bush, Service Area Lead, Resource Data
Results
Meetings that are easier to manage and easier to access
Meeting preparation now runs through a structured system that organizes agendas, comments, and supporting materials in a single place. Staff work from a consistent source of information rather than assembling documents across multiple systems, and the workflow itself helps document the process for future meetings.
The platform also improves continuity for staff responsible for meeting coordination. Because meeting preparation happens within the system, new team members can more easily step into the role and maintain established processes.
For the public, participation follows a predictable process and meeting materials are available through a single point of access. Over time, the system has also strengthened the council’s institutional record by preserving decisions, testimony, and supporting documents in a searchable archive.
What's Next
Preparing for the next phase of public participation
As participation in public fisheries governance continues to grow, the Agenda Management System will continue evolving. Planned improvements include refinements to live meeting management tools and exploration of AI-assisted search capabilities to help staff and the public navigate decades of archived records more efficiently.
Because the platform operates in a cloud environment, these enhancements can be introduced without disrupting ongoing council operations while preserving the accessibility and integrity of the public record.
Case Study FAQ
A utility contact center is ready for real customers only when it has been validated through end-to-end testing that mirrors actual customer behavior across billing, outage reporting, service requests, and technical support—not just technical configurations. Readiness means the system performs correctly under real-world conditions, including high call volumes, complex routing scenarios, and cross-system dependencies.
In the Resource Data case study, a large U.S. electric utility validated its NICE CXone platform using more than 2,000 structured test cases and over 70 pages of call-flow diagrams. These tests simulated real customer journeys, ensuring that IVR routing, agent workflows, and backend integrations worked together as expected before launch. This approach moved the project from “technically complete” to “operationally ready.” This level of validation is critical in utilities, where customers rely on contact centers for outage updates, billing issues, and essential service support. A system that works in isolation but fails under real conditions can lead to misrouted calls, delayed outage reporting, and customer frustration during high-stress events.
The business impact is risk reduction and service continuity. By validating real scenarios before go-live, utilities avoid costly post-launch failures, protect customer trust, and ensure they can handle peak demand without operational breakdowns.
Testing complex IVR call flows requires mapping real customer journeys, building detailed call-flow diagrams, and executing structured test cases that validate every possible path a caller might take. This includes standard scenarios, edge cases, and high-volume conditions.
In the Resource Data case study, IVR testing was a central focus. The team created more than 70 pages of call-flow diagrams to represent how customers navigate billing inquiries, outage reporting, and service requests. These diagrams were then translated into test cases to ensure that routing logic worked correctly across all scenarios.
This process goes beyond checking whether menus function. It validates whether customers reach the right destination quickly, whether data flows correctly between systems, and whether agents receive the correct context to resolve issues efficiently.
The operational impact is improved call handling and reduced friction. The business impact is higher customer satisfaction and lower call volume, as customers are routed correctly the first time instead of being transferred repeatedly or calling back due to unresolved issues
If integrations are not fully tested before launch, the contact center may function at a surface level but fail where it matters most, during real customer interactions that depend on accurate data and system coordination. This can result in incorrect billing information, failed outage reporting, missing customer data, or agents lacking the context needed to resolve issues.
In the Resource Data case study, the utility’s contact center relied on more than a dozen integrations across billing, service, and customer systems. Resource Data validated these integrations through functional testing and UAT to ensure that data flowed correctly across systems during real workflows.
Without this level of validation, failures often appear after go-live, when they are more expensive and disruptive to fix. Customers may experience delays, incorrect information, or repeated transfers, leading to increased call volume and decreased trust. The business impact is significant cost and risk exposure. Poorly tested integrations lead to operational inefficiencies, higher support costs, and reputational damage—especially during critical events like outages or billing cycles.
Involving SMEs effectively requires structured coordination, clear roles, and well-defined test scenarios that align with their expertise. SMEs should validate real workflows, not spend time interpreting technical requirements or navigating unstructured testing processes. In the Resource Data case study, 12 SMEs across five departments participated in UAT. Resource Data facilitated collaboration by translating business processes into test cases, organizing sessions, and managing feedback through tools like Azure DevOps. This ensured SMEs focused on validating real-world scenarios rather than managing logistics.
This approach allows SMEs to contribute efficiently without disrupting their primary responsibilities. It also ensures that testing reflects actual operational needs, not just technical assumptions. The business impact is faster execution and higher-quality validation. By using SME time effectively, organizations reduce delays, improve test accuracy, and ensure the system works for real users before launch.
Structured testing reduces misrouting risk by validating how the system behaves under high-volume and complex conditions, including peak events like storms or billing cycles. It ensures that routing logic, IVR paths, and system integrations perform correctly when demand is highest.
In the Resource Data case study, testing included realistic call scenarios across outage reporting, billing, and service workflows. By simulating these conditions, the team ensured that calls were routed correctly and efficiently even under pressure.
This is critical in utilities, where outages and billing spikes can drive sudden surges in call volume. Misrouting during these events can overwhelm agents, delay response times, and frustrate customers. The operational impact is improved system reliability during peak demand. The business impact is reduced service disruption, lower call abandonment rates, and stronger customer trust during critical moments.
Reusable regression test scripts allow utilities to validate future changes quickly and consistently, ensuring that updates do not break existing functionality. Treating testing as a one-time task leaves organizations vulnerable to issues whenever the system evolves.
In the Resource Data case study, one of the key outcomes was the creation of reusable testing assets that the utility can use for future updates, including IVR enhancements, chat functionality, and AI tools. This transforms testing into an ongoing capability rather than a project phase. It enables faster deployment of new features while maintaining system stability. The business impact is reduced long-term cost and improved scalability. Organizations can implement updates more efficiently, avoid regressions, and maintain consistent service quality as their contact center evolves.
Contact-center testing prepares utilities for future capabilities by establishing a validated foundation of workflows, integrations, and data flows that new technologies can build upon. Without this foundation, adding features like AI or chat introduces additional risk. In the Resource Data case study, the testing framework and reusable assets created during modernization enable the utility to expand into Spanish IVR, chat, automation, and AI-driven tools with confidence.
This is important because AI and automation depend on accurate data, consistent workflows, and reliable system behavior. Testing ensures those prerequisites are in place. The business impact is faster innovation and reduced risk. Utilities can adopt new technologies more quickly while maintaining reliability, improving customer experience, and maximizing return on investment.
IT teams validate system coordination by designing end-to-end test scenarios that simulate real workflows and confirm that data flows correctly across all systems involved. This includes verifying inputs, outputs, and dependencies across the full customer journey.
In the Resource Data case study, integration validation was embedded into functional testing and UAT. Test cases ensured that customer data, billing systems, and outage workflows were synchronized and accessible to agents during interactions.
This approach identifies issues such as data mismatches, delays, or missing information before they impact customers. The business impact is improved data accuracy and operational reliability. By validating integrations early, organizations reduce errors, improve agent efficiency, and ensure a seamless customer experience.
User acceptance testing (UAT) helps employees become super users by giving them hands-on experience with the system before go-live. This allows them to understand workflows, identify issues, and build confidence in using the platform.
In the Resource Data case study, employees who participated in testing gained practical knowledge of the system and were able to support their peers during rollout. This created a network of “super users” who could guide adoption and troubleshoot issues. This approach reduces training time and improves adoption because employees are already familiar with the system when it goes live.
The business impact is smoother rollout and faster time-to-value. By enabling internal champions, organizations reduce support needs, accelerate adoption, and ensure the system is used effectively from day one.