5 steps towards a government “Citizen Information Officer” — Step 1
Step 1: Become a partner in the transformation of citizen services
(remark: this article is part of a series, click here to go back to the introduction section)
When talking to many government CIOs, I noticed the focus of most of them is still to optimize the RUN operations (e.g., installing Cloud, outsourcing services) and launch IT-projects to CHANGE the estate (e.g., build or modernize applications, provide SaaS solutions). Business leaders trust that the CIO has the technical features under control at an unparalleled cost/benefit ratio.
When talking to many agency leaders representing the business, most care about how the applications will make the organization operate better and improve quality of citizen services, not so much if the right technology is used.
But, I hear little discussion about jointly transforming the citizen services, how digital is not a business or a technology endeavor, but a joint project with common goals. What the impact can be of changing the operating model and automating tasks of civil servants. How proactive services can be put out to the citizens. Neither one of these questions can be answered by technology or business alone. Realizing the common goals can only be achieved if business and IT become one.
CIOs are thus encouraged to engage in a dialogue to TRANSFORM the business operating model and make technology a differentiator to the citizens. This is where the traditional role of the CIO should be extended to become a “Citizen Information Officer”. In that sense, transformation is not about the ability of either business or IT to design and deliver a service. Transformation becomes the ability of the entire organization to deliver and maintain a service over time as one team. Therefore, everyone in the organization owns the user experience[1].
To achieve this, the CIO and business should agree together on a Citizen Service Innovation Program, which will refocus the agenda of the CIO on the TRANSFORM aspect and consider delegating RUN and CHANGE to partners. We can visualize the changing role on the below quadrant:
The goal for the CIO and business is to agree on a common Citizen Service Innovation Program, which will refocus the agenda of the CIO on the TRANSFORM aspect. That means that the other quadrants become tactical enablers but are not seen as critical to achieving the goals in a digital world.
Here are some of my recommendations to set up such a program:
- Acknowledge neither you (i.e., IT) or them (i.e., business) can done this alone. Neither technology nor process redesign will do the trick. Only a complete new digital process with the right (new) technology has a chance if both sides sit together and own the design end-to-end.
- Adopt a common vision how (and when) to improve citizen services, whereby the digital service process triggers the technology and the operating model of the agency, not vice versa
- Establish citizen service quality as value driver and define KPIs that measure the citizen’s experience (see also Step 2)
- Accept that digitization is more than automating existing administrative processes (e.g., putting PDF forms on a website). It is about transforming the entire process and experience, not one step should be left untouched.
- Plan together with the business for operating model changes, not just IT changes. There will only be success if the whole organization changes along (in little steps).
- Look for synergies (e.g., reusable building blocks) from overall government IT departments or other government agencies, look for success stories next door that can inspire your program.
- Work with your IT partners to assemble feasible technology options.
- Any program should consider both optimizing the front- as the back-office operations (both IT and processes)
- Acknowledge new skills or capabilities are need — faster than ever.
- On top of citizen focus, acknowledge that the work environment for the civil servants has changed a lot due to COVID-19. Today’s civil servants are the first generation of workforce that will work from home for a sustainable period of their career.
- To the business leaders: empower your CIO to be more than a fixer of daily IT issues. Let the IT-team become an integral part of your transformation journey. Ensure that the CIO is a member of governance boards that inform decisions regarding IT resources to provide for early matching of appropriate information resources with program objectives[2]
On top of these recommendations, consider step 2 to make the partnership more concrete and tangible. Click on the link below to continue reading:
Links and references:
[1] Based on UK Gov Expert Lou Downe and her book “Good Services”, see https://good.services/
[2] We find other guidance at https://www.cio.gov/assets/files/Handbook-Roles-and-Responsibilities.pdf
