SPARK Workflow

Project Objectives and Core Functionalities

In the SPARK project ("Schnellere Planung und Realisierung durch KI" – Faster Planning and Implementation through AI), the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation commissioned the development of the AI solution SPARK Workflow as part of an innovation partnership. SPARK Workflow supports complex administrative planning and approval procedures as an operational assistant. The development was financed by the Climate and Transformation Fund of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The AI solution helps to accelerate administrative procedures and effectively relieves public administration employees of time-consuming tasks.

Planning and approval procedures are considered a major bottleneck for the maintenance and expansion of infrastructure in Germany. The underlying administrative procedures are often complex as well as resource- and time-intensive. The AI solution supports staff in public authorities through a workflow, oriented towards their legal working methods, as well as through AI modules that provide review and assessment suggestions.

The released AI modules are aligned with the typical procedural steps of a planning and approval procedure, ranging from the extraction of relevant information from the application documents through the formal completeness check and material completeness check to the legal review and drafting of a decision. In addition, SPARK Workflow integrates into existing digital processes, e.g. online application portals, via interfaces. This means that this procedural chain is covered end-to-end for the first time.

SPARK Workflow extracts and processes information and makes suggestions that are verifiably substantiated through specific references. All AI results are clearly indicated in an interface designed together with users. The substantive decision continues to be made by humans.

Project Status and Open Source Release

SPARK Workflow has been published as open source in two releases. The solution is being tested with a first federal authority and is being continuously improved.

A detailed overview of the functions can be found here.