Common Hosted Forms (CHEFS) has become a prevailing solution for creating and publishing secure forms with streamlined workflows for receiving online submissions. The Ministry of Citizens Services is ready to formally support CHEFS as an official solution for use in BC government. As of September 2022, CHEFS will be supported by a dedicated product development team working in the Exchange Lab, a branch of the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Transferring CHEFS accountability and ownership to a dedicated team will bring long-term stability and expand business capabilities for forms and submissions across the province.
We are executing a strategy for a smooth transition that ensures users experience no disruption to their stored data, published forms and submissions workflow. This means that all existing users can continue to use CHEFS as usual throughout the brief transition period.
What is changing?
The current team that develops and maintains CHEFS is handing it over to a new team. The Showcase team has done an amazing job developing and supporting CHEFS and its user base. A new Forms and Submissions team looks forward to carrying the torch in September 2022, working closely with users to develop new capabilities, and provide ongoing support.
The branding and corporate ownership of CHEFS will be changing from the natural resources sector to the Ministry of Citizens Services and Exchange Lab branch of the OCIO. This will include changing to a new URL and web domain. In the coming months, the existing CHEFS URL and web domains, including links to published forms, will automatically redirect to the new URL and web domains.
Various back-end technical infrastructure will largely remain the same, but some changes in connections and administration will take place. We anticipate no real impact to user experience. However, if an impact to user experience is identified, we will promptly communicate with forms owners about what they might expect, so that we can mitigate any disruptions to their workflow.
What will happen to my data and forms?
There is no action required for forms owners. Existing workflow for using CHEFS will remain the same. We do not anticipate disruption to stored data or published forms. This means that all existing users can continue to use CHEFS as usual throughout the brief transition period.
What can I expect for the future of CHEFS?
With a dedicated team focused on delivering more capabilities, you can expect meaningful improvements to your workflow. The team will be regularly reaching out through various user research activities to understand your needs and challenges so that they can build and maintain the best forms and submissions experience possible. You can also expect more corporate resources that ensure long-term product stability and ongoing user support.
Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please reach out to the Forms and Submissions team at [email address]