The State of SLG Digital Government Transformation in 2023

The state of State and Local (SLG) digital government transformation is constantly evolving. In order to keep up, governments must adopt new digital capabilities and innovative approaches to better serve the American People.

In this blog post, I discuss the latest trends in digital government transformation and how the American people can benefit from them.

Recent technology advancements are transforming the way government agencies perform their work. With these changes, more and more people are able to access government digital services electronically and this provides us with more time to now accelerate our digital programs in public sector organizations within the US.

What is Digital Government in the Public Sector?

According to the Harvard Business Review, “Digital government is the use of technology — mobile devices, social media, blockchain, big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and digital infrastructure to improve constituent access to government services and information and make government more efficient.”

In order for digital government transformation to be successful, it is important for agencies to have a clear understanding of what digital government means and how it can be used to improve public services.

What are Digital Government Services?

Digital government services are online services that allow constituents (the main customer) to interact with government agencies electronically and improve their customer experiences.

These digital tools and services can be used for a variety of purposes, such as filing taxes, program eligibility determination, applying for or managing benefits, or renewing a driver’s license.

In the future, these services will become common standards but today old existing systems are not user-friendly and are outdated relative to new digital technology that is widely being used in the private sector today.

By adopting new digital technologies and platforms we will see more and more Agencies re-invent their applications and digital services.

One of the major advantages of digital government services is that they can save the American people time and money by eliminating the need to travel to a government office or wait in line.

In addition, digital government services can be accessed from anywhere at any time via mobile applications or any browser making them more convenient for busy American people.

Another major advantage of digital government services is that they can help reduce the workload of government employees.

For example, if the American people are able to file their taxes online, this will free up staff to focus on customer service excellence and foster innovation.

Digital government services can also help government agencies save money by automating processes and using data-driven interactive customer support and greatly improve upon understanding of constituent sentiment in almost real-time. Agencies can massively reduce the time it takes to complete a service request, issue, and even save paper and postage by being able to ship documents electronically through secure channels.

Transforming the Public Sector: Challenges, Opportunities and Benefits

One of the biggest challenges is resistance to change from both the general public and employees.

In order to successfully implement digital government transformation, it is important for United States government officials to communicate the benefits of the new ways digital services can improve their experience and address any concerns they may have.

Constituents may be hesitant to use new digital government services if they are not familiar with them or if they do not trust the security of online transactions.

It is important that we have an accountable government to ensure that there is a sound data governance strategy in place and our personal information is safe from prying eyes.

Chief Data officers should influence public administration on best practices to protect identities as more American people turn to digital interactions with them.

In order to overcome this hurdle, government agencies must provide training and support to people so that they can feel confident using the new services.

Government employees may also resist change if they feel that digital government services will threaten their jobs. It is crucial that public servants are clear on their digital career paths in public employment to attract and retain digital age public servants.

In order to successfully implement digital government transformation, it is important for government leaders to communicate the benefits of the new services to employees and address any concerns they may have.

Funding Digital Transformation Programs

Another challenge is funding for technological advancement. Government agencies must have the necessary funding to develop and implement new technologies although there are historic amounts of funds now available post covid.

The CARES funds and ARPA funds have been instrumental in getting many agencies on the right track.

CARES

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) was passed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CARES Act included funding for a variety of initiatives, including the development of new technologies to help government agencies better serve citizens.

The CARES Act was passed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act included funding for a variety of initiatives, including the development of new technologies to help government agencies better serve constituents.

One of the goals of the CARES Act was to help government agencies become more efficient and effective by using new technologies.

As a result of the CARES Act, many government agencies were able to begin creating new digital government services or improving existing ones.

ARPA

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARPA) of 2021 was a stimulus package that provided funding for various initiatives, including the development of new technologies.

Additional funds are available for years to come and will continue to advance technology innovation in the space.

One of the goals of ARPA was to help government agencies become more efficient and effective by using new technologies.

As a result of ARPA, many government agencies were able to begin innovating in providing new digital government services or improving existing ones.

Accelerating Digital Transformation in Government

The goal of digital transformation should be to make it easier for constituents to interact with their government and access government services.

In order to achieve this, government agencies must focus on creating user-friendly data driven public sector websites and mobile apps, as well as strong enforcement of digital government policy to ensure that data is secure. 

Strong Cyber Security standards and practices should also be governed by public policy and by using advanced analytics data science and solid Incident response protocols and services.

By maximizing funding allocations and inter-agency resources and extending the delivery to the Private Sector consultants SLG Governments can accelerate their positive business outcomes achieved through Digital Transformation. People, Process, and Technology!

Conclusion

Despite the challenges, digital transformation in government offers many opportunities for government agencies to improve efficiency and save money.

In order to successfully implement digital government transformation, it is important for government IT leaders to focus on creating user-friendly websites and mobile apps, as well as making sure that their data is secure.

What are your thoughts on digital government transformation? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you think is the future of digital government transformation?

What’s Next for Digital Government Transformation? Let me know your thoughts.