Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 05

October/November 2018 // Canadian Government Executive / 19 digital transformation Accelerating digital transformation It’s important for government executives to continue to accelerate digital transfor- mation while balancing on-going projects and changing the culture and mindset. As a starting point, government leaders can focus activities on three areas that can help accelerate digital transformation. 1. Build momentum and learn–early and often Public sector organizations have typically taken a “big bang” approach to change– working for months or years to get every aspect of a solution perfect before launch. But at today’s rate of change, this approach doesn’t measure up to citizen and employ- ee expectations or needs, and poses greater risk. By the time solutions are implement- ed, they may already be out of date. This approach can also lead to cost overruns and frustration as there are new requirements and changes needed after launch in order to satisfy citizen and employee needs. This is why government leaders need to hit the reset button when it comes to imple- menting change and new solutions. In order to accelerate digital change, a more agile and human-centered approach is needed– one that focuses on making small changes with big impacts. It’s an approachmany gov- ernment entities across Canada are taking, and it will soon become the norm. By focus- ing on ongoing changes, government leaders can respond quickly to new challenges while making change less intimidating for employ- ees and allowing for new innovations to be incorporated over time. 2. Procure based on outcomes Government leaders know what they want to get from digital transformation, such as a one-stop shop for grant applications or a quicker turnaround for passport, health card or driver’s licence renewals. By fo- cusing on outcomes as part of the RFP/Q process, governments can encourage more creative and innovative solutions. This approach requires transformation leaders to switch mindsets and get out of the “how” business and into the “what they want to accomplish” business. By focusing on the outcomes, government and industry can better partner to find new, innovative and cost-effective ways to deliver the right solutions, which can be scaled to solve today’s issues and tomorrow’s needs. It typically brings together everyone impact- ed–users, employees and third parties–to develop and test prototypes, understand pain point and adjust course as needed. This approach uses principles of design thinking. Design thinking works well when you have a problem but no definitive answer. It balances what citizens/employees want and need with government priorities. Since every person is unique, organiza- tions can use principles of design thinking and human-centred design to develop per- sonas to understand what each citizen or employee type wants at different stages of their journey, and test it with these users to constantly ensure we are driving value. I have seen this successfully implemented at all levels of government, and not only is it very powerful, but it leads to faster and more impactful solutions. 3. Break down silos In order to accelerate transformation, gov- ernment leaders need to continue to strive to break down operational silos and forge the relationships needed to solve citizens’ issues. Citizens aren’t picky about what department or program they are dealing with; they simply want to deal with the government as a whole. This helps embed human-centred design into the fabric of the public service. This change won’t be easy, but it’s worth the effort. Consider that in today’s rapidly evolving environment, about 80 per cent of digital transformations fail–typically be- cause of people issues, not technology. By working together to foster a culture that looks at change as an ongoing opportunity and not a threat, public sector leaders can help make the entire government more ag- ile and able to change. Starting small and building momentum When it comes to embracing digital transformation, change should be looked at as a journey rather than as a destination. With the world evolving rapidly, focusing on small human-centred and outcome- driven steps can build long-term success more readily and in a lower-risk way than any single solution. By starting small and building momen- tum, government leaders can harness the desire for their employees to make an im- pact and foster the culture shift needed to take a more agile, citizen-centric approach to service delivery. N adir H irji , P h D, is a partner with PwC Canada and co-leads the firm’s digital practice. In order to accelerate transformation, government leaders need to continue to strive to break down operational silos and forge the relationships needed to solve citizens’ issues.