Gartner Lists Four Building Blocks of a Confident and Resilient Digital Government

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CIOs must work constantly with their IT leadership teams and the agency leadership in four areas to keep their digital government program on track and aligned with expected organizational outcomes, according to Gartner, Inc. 

"Digital government failures or even minor setbacks may drive a risk-averse government to take a step back at the exact time it should be making bold digital investments," said Dean Lacheca, research director at Gartner. "That's why it's vital that digital leaders in government look at four areas to build resilience and inspire confidence in their programs." 

Develop a Digital Leadership Program to Build Resilience and Digital Acumen 

CIOs and IT leaders developing a digital initiative should build a partnership with their organization’s head of HR and the lead of any wider transformation programs. This partnership may be extended to other key roles like chief digital officer or head of citizen experience, where appropriate. 

"At this stage, digital leaders can 'recruit' tech-savvy stakeholders within the organization that will be affected by the program," said Mr. Lacheca. "This involves mentoring and educating to create champions for the digital program that can provide feedback and advocate the benefits at all levels of the organization. This should result in more steadfast support for the program, even in the wake of any setbacks or failures." 

Having this buy-in and feedback from all levels in the organization is also an important part of creating something that meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Create a Shared Digital Government Strategy and Continuous Delivery Practices to Sustain Momentum 

Shared goals between the IT department and executive leadership within the government organization are a critical aspect of success. IT cannot be expected to successfully deliver digital government if it is focused on technology alone, as opposed to looking more broadly at organizational goals. 

Once the shared strategy is agreed upon, it is vital to start delivering tangible organizational benefits quickly. A strategy that has no pre-agreed measurable benefits is more susceptible to loss of support at an executive level. It is important to agree a constant flow of small, but timely deliverables. 

"As each technical milestone is reached, it should be related to direct benefits or improved services for stakeholders and citizens," said Mr. Lacheca. "This builds crucial momentum, as well as trust and confidence that is likely to result in a degree of tolerance when faced with any future setbacks."

Implement a policy of Transparent, Open Communication on Progress, Successes and Setbacks 

This step should be at the core of all IT principles, and should be clearly visible in the actions of the CIO and IT leadership team. Open and continuous communication around progress, successes and setbacks should underpin every stage of digital transformation from planning to delivery. It is one thing to achieve great things with IT, it is another to have those achievements recognized (and continue to receive the support they deserve). Communication is a vital and often overlooked part of success in digital transformation. 

"Aside from ongoing communications, it often pays to have a communication strategy in place where the possibility of a setback is known in advance," said Mr. Lacheca. "This mitigates any perception of panic that can simply add to the sense of 'crisis' rather than a 'bump in the road'." 

Take a Broad View of Risk Management Practices to Ensure They Reflect the Current Risk Appetite 

The perspective on risk is one of the fundamental differences between government and the private sector. Public sector organization are usually not driven by a desire for growth or shareholder return. Therefore, using traditional IT project-based approaches to risk management may result in a disconnection between the risk appetite of the organization and the risk-management activities of the program. 

Implementing 'fail fast' approaches by backing agile delivery practices with formal reviews at crucial states by executive leaders ensures there is an ongoing dialogue on risk, and an opportunity for executive leaders to feel they are closely involved.

"The CIO must actively translate the needs and concerns of the organization’s executives into tangible goals for the delivery teams," said Rick Holgate, research director at Gartner. This means being aware of the changing external influences on the program, while managing the risk expectations and concerns at the highest levels of organizational leadership. "Maintaining an ongoing dialogue on risk should allow the CIO to keep the digital government program on track, and build confidence that any setbacks are under control and within expectations," concluded Mr. Holgate. 

Mr. Holgate is sharing Gartner's insight on trends in digital government at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2016 in Barcelona. Gartner clients can read more in "Four Actions Government CIOs Should Take to Maintain or Regain Trust After a Digital Government Failure." 

About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 

Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT leaders, uniting a global community of CIOs with the tools and strategies to help them lead the next generation of IT and achieve business outcomes. More than 23,000 CIOs, senior business and IT leaders worldwide will gather for the insights they need to ensure that their IT initiatives are key contributors to, and drivers of, their enterprise's success.