What is digital government transformation?

Digital transformation for government services, like the private sector, can make life easier for everyone. It reduces operational costs and empowers public sector employees to do their best work while constituents get faster services. Let’s explore the possibilities with software for government solutions.

Government digital transformation is the practice of using technology and digital solutions to modernise government operations, services, employee experiences, and constituent engagement. It allows different branches of government to improve their operations and use resources more efficiently. This can speed up service delivery and result in shorter wait times. Public sector workers also get access to tools that allow them to work more productively without having to navigate a slew of manual processes.

Some examples of digital government transformation include:

• Digitising and streamlining government services to automate complex processes and reduce paperwork.
• Allowing agencies to collaborate and share data by creating centralised service models.
• Making government sites more accessible and intuitive by modernising them.

Digital transformation offers two major benefits for government agencies. They include:

Thanks to ‌advances in automation and reduced paperwork, digital transformation allows government workers to work faster and more efficiently, allowing them to better serve constituents.

Tools such as online portals make it easier to manage constituent-facing services like applying for permits and licenses, paying taxes, and accessing public information. They also reduce the headaches that come with correcting manual errors from redundant processes. Workers can also track down and correct the occasional errors that do occur faster. Data can be safely and conveniently shared if there's a need to involve another department.

These benefits collectively contribute to a more efficient and transparent government that can better meet the needs and expectations of its citizens while empowering public sector workers.

Government agencies operate on tightly regulated budgets and need to use public funds responsibly. Because digital transformation helps reduce paperwork and makes processes more efficient, organisations can control costs while delivering improved services. Constituents can look forward to faster response times and an overall enhanced quality level for government services. AI and automation can surface insights about your organisation that improve decision-making by making it data-centric. This data will help you identify areas that require more resources or opportunities to gain efficiency by streamlining processes. Automating these processes helps your agency increase productivity and reduce costs. The reductions also help sustainability initiatives. Governments can contribute to environmental conservation efforts by promoting digital transactions that reduce their carbon footprint.

Digital transformation for government helps agencies overcome major challenges, including:

Written exams. Multiple interviews. Background and security clearance checks. Hiring in the public sector involves more steps than most job openings in the private sector. It’s a process that can leave applicants frustrated and HR departments overwhelmed.

Digital transformation for government helps simplify public sector hiring without compromising the integrity of the process. Organisations can digitise documents and share candidate information with all necessary stakeholders using a single secure portal. Candidates no longer need to fill out identical forms over and over again, reducing the time it takes to vet and hire a new worker.

Digital transformation as appropriate, also makes internal personnel changes easier to manage. Employee information can be shared with different government departments, informing all heads of staff of recent or upcoming changes.

Like the private sector, public sector workers need to adapt to an ever-evolving global market that requires running operations from different areas and having agile critical personnel. With the help of digital transformation, government employees can access systems, applications, and data remotely from any location. Cloud-based solutions and dedicated government cloud environments enable secure access to government resources, allowing employees to work from anywhere, anytime. This improves productivity and efficiency, promotes a healthy work-life balance, and makes it easier to work with external private sector organisations and partners.

Some processes require careful consideration from a human worker who understands the context of the task being undertaken. Other tasks are more straightforward. Routine tasks can easily be automated with the right technology and protocols in place.

Consider report generation. Government employees frequently generate reports for various purposes, such as performance tracking, compliance, and audits. Automation tools can extract data from multiple sources, generate reports, and distribute them automatically.

Although the benefits are obvious, only 16% of constituents  say governments successfully use technology to improve experiences. To successfully undertake digital transformation initiatives, government agencies need the following foundational building blocks in place:

Government CIOs and IT leaders are responsible for managing IT investments that support overall mission objectives. Their ability to collaborate with department and program leaders to establish controls and agreed-upon policies that allow for rapid growth while maintaining high compliance standards is critical to any successful digital transformation. By working together, government agencies avoid the high costs that plague many legacy IT implementations and ensure that digital transformation initiatives are well-integrated, secure, and compliant. Collaboration also fosters knowledge-sharing, which promotes innovation, and establishes best practices across different government agencies while maintaining effective and efficient use of government IT resources.

Investing in cloud computing services is key to driving digital transformation for government initiatives. Cloud computing  offers scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that enables governments to modernise their operations, store and manage vast amounts of data securely, and access applications and services remotely. Cloud services facilitate collaboration, data sharing, and seamless integration across government agencies, enhancing efficiency and agility in service delivery. Investing in cloud computing also provides a foundation for advanced technologies like AI and data analytics , which accelerate government digital transformation and drive innovation.

Government workers are the driving force behind implementing and using digital technologies effectively. And yet 73% of the public sector workforce say they don’t feel “very equipped” with the right resources to learn crucial digital skills. With the necessary digital skills, public sector workers can make the most out of technology, allowing government departments to deliver services for all. Government workers will feel more confident in their ability to serve, allowing them to take control of their careers. This fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within the public sector.

There are several key technologies to consider when taking on a digital transformation project for government services. They include:

Cloud computing offers scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness, making it an ideal tool for digitising government operations. It allows government departments to store, manage, and access data securely from anywhere over the internet. By 2025, Gartner predicts that over 75% of governments will use hyperscale cloud service providers for more than half of their workloads.

Establishing robust cybersecurity measures is paramount. Government data security protocols are very stringent. Protecting sensitive citizen data, government systems, and critical infrastructure from cyber threats is non-negotiable. Cloud services facilitate collaboration between departments, allowing them to innovate faster without sacrificing security.

Legacy systems can hinder digital transformation efforts. Modernising government IT infrastructure and systems is crucial for improved efficiency, interoperability, and data integration. When undertaking a government it modernisation project, implementing low-code design can help speed up the process. With low-code design, developers don’t need to write lines of code. Instead, they use a model-driven visual language with a drag-and-drop graphic interface. This simplifies app development for new developers and team members, making it easier to integrate disconnected systems, automate complex workflows, and deploy composable applications using prebuilt code.

Artificial intelligence has the power to automate routine tasks within government services by analysing vast amounts of data and providing more personalised experiences for constituents at scale. AI-powered chatbots, predictive analytics, and machine learning algorithms enhance service delivery while improving resource allocation for public sector personnel. AI can help leaders with decision-making  by taking advantage of generative AI to provide them with recommendations and insights based on data.

A recent White House Executive Order outlines the importance of using AI responsibly and provides a set of guiding principles that government agencies need to adhere to when implementing artificial intelligence tools with the goal of better serving the public.

In the public sector, customers can range from individual constituents to businesses and even other government departments. But they all have one thing in common:

Their expectations have evolved.

They expect smarter, more efficient interactions from the public sector because of rapid advances in technology.

The government must prioritise good customer experience for successful digital government transformation. Designing user-friendly interfaces, intuitive online portals, and reliable mobile applications ensures constituents can easily access and navigate government services. In a recent study by the Centre for American Progress Action Fund, 60% of all constituents receiving mortgage interest rate deductions said they had not used a government social program because it was too complicated to find.

Good customer experience makes it easier to engage with government services while offering more personalised and flexible communications. It’s key to fostering trust, satisfaction, and engagement with constituents.