GovLoop Report in Review: Exploring How Agencies Are Crafting Digital Government Strategies

The following blog post is an excerpt from our recent report, Crafting a Comprehensive Digital Government Strategy. This report was draws upon a survey of 94 members of the GovLoop community who are currently adopting emerging technology at the state, local and federal level of government. This report also includes insights based on interviews with government leaders and experts from our industry partners. The post below is an excerpt from the report, which you can read below or Download PDF.

Excerpt of Executive Summary | View Online Below or Download PDF

One aspect of a digital government involves a keen understanding of the philosophy that drove the creation of the federal government’s Digital Government Strategy, released in May 2012. The aggressive campaign by the Obama Administration focused on strategies to implement technology across the federal government to create a more transparent, participatory and collaborative style of governance.

The Digital Government Strategy sets out to accomplish three things:

• Capitalize on the mobile revolution
• Become more agile in technology adoption in a safe and secure way
• Unlock the power of government data

With the mobile revolution, it is essential that government retain a sense of openness and interoperability, to allow and deliver higher quality services to citizens. By becoming more agile, government can build a stronger government structure, able to adapt more effectively to changes in technology. By taking an agile approach to government, and especially in terms of mobile, government can build a sound infrastructure able to scale and meet future demands.

Although the first two priorities are important, leveraging data is becoming imperative for the public sector. Agencies are creating more data than ever before and government is increasingly relying on using data to make sound decisions. With government data, the public sector, entrepreneurs, private sector, and all stakeholders can be empowered to develop mobile applications, improve a program, or work collaboratively to solve problems faced by the public sector.

In our report, we identified that a digital government is not just one tool or solution that will reimagine the public sector; it is the multitude of devices and technology that will work seamlessly to transform the public sector. In our survey, we asked government employees how they are responding to the digital government strategy.

How have you responded to the Digital Government Strategy?

At the federal level, there are many ways that government can respond to the Digital Government Strategy. In addition to mandates and milestones, our survey finds the following ways that agencies are responding to the initiative:

• Two customer – facing services to make mobile: 13%
• Enterprise-wide inventory of mobile devices and wireless services and contacts: 18%
• Shared and open CMS: 21%
• BYOD Guidance: 24%
• Government wide contract vehicles mobile and wireless: 26%
• Web APIs: 32%
• Update dot gov domain guidance: 32%
• Tools and guidance for measuring performance and customer satisfaction: 40%
• Guidelines for improving digital services: 45%

In another section of the report, we asked what tools agencies are using in their digital strategy, you can read the full findings and analysis in the report, below I’ve briefly listed the findings:

• Mobile: 76%
• Website Upgrades: 76%
• Social Media: 71%
• Cloud: 51%
• Shared Platforms: 43%
• Open Data: 39%
• API: 26%
• .Gov Domain Reduction: 20%

A final question I’d like to highlight in this post was respondents were asked to rank their top challenges to adopt a digital strategy. Respondents were given the options of selecting leadership (30%), budgets (28%), staffing (22%) or education (20%).

Government agencies are challenged like never before to adopt emerging technology to transform service delivery and internal operations. Yet, they are operating in restrictive budget environments and are understaffed. Now is the time for government innovation, emerging technology holds the promise of new efficiencies and increased productivity to do more with less. Ultimately, a digital government strategy will encompass a multitude of technology, all working seamlessly to improve efficiencies, productivity and truly create a 21st century government.

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Thank you to our industry partners for sponsoring the GovLoop Report, Crafting a Comprehensive Digital Government Strategy. With any questions about this report, please reach out to Pat Fiorenza, Senior Research Analyst, at [email protected].