A fresh start – accelerating digital government

The expansion of the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology [DSIT] could revolutionise government services in the UK and signify the biggest change in how services are delivered across the UK in the last 70 years. But there’s more to it than just tech. We all want technology to improve services and make them more accessible, and for that to succeed, we need to take a wider approach to implementation. 

There has been a lot of praise for the new government in raising the profile of digital technology and all its associated facets and terminologies, such as AI, machine learning, robotics, technology, products, systems, and cyber. Pulling the talent into one place, DSIT will give teams like GDS and the Office of the CDDO more air cover and focus on leading the desperately needed changes to fix fragmented public services. These changes will also have a ripple effect on public service across the UK and into devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Hopefully, a reset here in Wales will also be part of the changing landscape across the UK; with an increase in the size of the Senedd allowing greater attention to digital and service design, we will see a change in focus from austerity and the ideology of shrinking the state led at Westminster, towards a fresh approach to making the most significant impact on those that rely on public services and effectively managing the public purse, devolving power closer to the point of delivery without introducing duplication.     

There is a but, though, the real issue is not simply the development of more internet-enabled tools and technologies; it is how those delivering public services can leverage things like robotic process automation or AI to help meet the rapidly evolving needs of the public. Most public services have struggled to consistently apply tools and technologies to their services, things that most people consider normal in their dealings with the private sector. There are some brilliant services, but far too many need to be included. How will the new government ensure that the sweeping changes they are making in areas of policy or legislation, such as with Green Energy, Planning or Social Care, are underpinned and enabled by innovation and technology rather than frustrated by the inability to unlock the opportunities?  

The Private Sector is largely responsible for investing in the products and tools needed to ease the burden on users; the problem area for the public sector is in the design, implementation and adoption of the products into people’s everyday lives. Job one is not to build the tech; it’s tackling the groundwork that must be in place to exploit them. Tackling processes and ways of working still based around paper or face-to-face service delivery, tackling poor, partial or inaccurate data sources, learning to deal with the commercial lifecycle of modern systems and suppliers, working out how to go from old tech to new tech, developing organisation structures and financial models to exploit a changing landscape, plus a whole range of non-technical aspects such as skills, ethics and risk appetite that require re-wiring to maximise the real possibilities of modern internet-based tech products. 

The final area that needs addressing is the human element. What about the people? Citizens, staff, ways of working, governance and decision-making? In the public sector, we must remember that the human element matters more than technology. The new government needs a plan for how departments will adapt to new technologies, how staff will be supported, and how citizens will be informed and engaged throughout the change process. Developing new technology without considering the end user and keeping users engaged throughout the process won’t create the right environment for service adoption and takeup. Engagement and communications professionals’ role is key to adoption and shouldn’t be an afterthought. Multidisciplinary teams and collaborative ways of working have never been more important as we will need to struggle with the impacts of disruptive technology. 

There needs to be more thought to how we can create patterns for services that can be incremental and agile in terms of adapting and keeping pace with rapidly developing technology; the focus on innovation in process and ways of working will match tech and science within DSIT. I would love to see innovation in the thinking about organisational design. Should there be Chief Design Officers? People whose job is to think across silos, who look for patterns, synergies and opportunities to share and collaborate, and leaders who think differently about service design and the uses of new technology. People who can support those with frontline service delivery expertise to maximise the opportunities that emerge. 

I am optimistic that this can be the beginning after a few false starts; lessons can be learned as to what and why we’ve not gone as far or at the right pace in the last five years. Change fatigue is real and needs to be considered as part of reinvigorating transformation and exciting those who need to pick up the baton.