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What has @OECDgov seen in the value of Government as a Platform #digitalgovernment ecosystems of tools and resources in responding to #COVID19?
Six observations in this 8 minute blog post https://medium.com/digital-states/the-value-of-government-as-a-platform-in-a-crisis-9556c2f2eec1 or (possibly-too-abbreviated) as a thread...
Six observations in this 8 minute blog post https://medium.com/digital-states/the-value-of-government-as-a-platform-in-a-crisis-9556c2f2eec1 or (possibly-too-abbreviated) as a thread...
1. Move fast, don’t break things
2. Establish a culture, not just a toolkit
3. Good services depend on good content
4. Don’t do everything yourself (you can’t)
5. Treat data with respect, not as an afterthought
6. Equip the public, not just public servants
2. Establish a culture, not just a toolkit
3. Good services depend on good content
4. Don’t do everything yourself (you can’t)
5. Treat data with respect, not as an afterthought
6. Equip the public, not just public servants
1. Move fast, don’t break things
Everything in the ecosystem needs to be resilient, secure and robust to operate at crisis scale. That includes underlying infrastructure but so too the ease which which any team (regardless of their capability) can get up and running with it.
Everything in the ecosystem needs to be resilient, secure and robust to operate at crisis scale. That includes underlying infrastructure but so too the ease which which any team (regardless of their capability) can get up and running with it.
2. Establish a culture, not just a toolkit
Effective services get built by diverse, multi-disciplinary teams that involve the public to understand whole problems and design end to end experiences. Tech doesn't plug gaps in culture; in a crisis it might even make things worse.
Effective services get built by diverse, multi-disciplinary teams that involve the public to understand whole problems and design end to end experiences. Tech doesn't plug gaps in culture; in a crisis it might even make things worse.
3. Good services depend on good content
Iterative, user-centred content design is especially important when the stakes are as high as life or death. Language shapes the hunt for info and access to services, and determines whether or not people find the answers they need.
Iterative, user-centred content design is especially important when the stakes are as high as life or death. Language shapes the hunt for info and access to services, and determines whether or not people find the answers they need.
4. Don’t do everything yourself (you can’t)
Individual teams can't afford to waste effort on challenges others have already addressed under normal circumstances, let alone in a crisis. Solve common problems at the centre. Use open source solutions. Fix procurement.
Individual teams can't afford to waste effort on challenges others have already addressed under normal circumstances, let alone in a crisis. Solve common problems at the centre. Use open source solutions. Fix procurement.
5. Treat data with respect, not as an afterthought
COVID lays bare the problem of hoarding data in siloes. Data strategies need to cover the whole public sector for skills, canonical sources, effective interoperability and tools for citizens to support greater trustworthiness.
COVID lays bare the problem of hoarding data in siloes. Data strategies need to cover the whole public sector for skills, canonical sources, effective interoperability and tools for citizens to support greater trustworthiness.
6. Equip the public, not just public servants
A crisis that moves society online falls heaviest on the digitally excluded. Connectivity and accessibility are critical but so too are approaches to digital identity and data that give the balance of control back to citizens.
A crisis that moves society online falls heaviest on the digitally excluded. Connectivity and accessibility are critical but so too are approaches to digital identity and data that give the balance of control back to citizens.
None of those six things can happen quickly in the middle of a crisis. Resilient and adaptable public services rely on far-sighted leadership that does the hard work of building foundations 'just in case'. Any of the 'overnight successes' we've seen have been years in the making.
