7 Steps to a more open government

NO. 31

SAP Center for Business Insight | Brief | Q&A | Case Study | Inquiry | E-Book

NO. 60

Steps to a More Open Government

E-Book

http://www.sap.com/ms/business-thought-leadership.html

E-Book: 7 Steps to a More Open Government2 NO. 60©2014 SAP AG or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved.

It All Begins with Data

One of the most promising ways we’ve seen governments regain their people’s trust is to make data – about everything from street light and pothole repairs to crime rates, emergency response times, and restaurant inspection grades – more accessible to the public.

Here are seven ways to do it.


Some governments are sharing data through a federation approach, in which each department maintains its own data but systems are standardized to the point where staff can pull data as needed from other departments. Other governments are creating centralized, compressed, in-memory databases to do the job.

Share Information Across Departments1.

Read more in 7 Steps to Reestablish Trust in Government Operations.

http://www.sap.com/bin/sapcom/downloadasset.7-steps-to-reestablish-trust-in-government-operations-pdf.bypassReg.html


It doesn’t always pay for government tech staff to build apps anymore. Here’s what they should do instead:


Become information wholesalers. The city of Philadelphia is working to build interfaces that will allow lots of other people to supply applications that can connect and work with the government.

Encourage competition. Tech leaders must encourage outsiders to build apps by making the right data available. Start with a set of data that you can make public that has no privacy implications and is of high interest to citizens, such as public transportation. Then sponsor a hackathon.

Think Facilitate, Not Build2.



We put out raw data for application developers or university researchers. But we’ll also put data out for the public to see in more polished, summary-level forms. This approach gives diverse users the information they want and doesn’t overload them with data they can’t use or make sense of.

“

Read more in the Q&A How Boston and Philadelphia Have Reestablished Trust in Government.

– Bill Oates, CIO, City of Boston

Present Information in the Right Way for the Audience3.

”

http://www.sap.com/bin/sapcom/downloadasset.q-a-how-boston-and-philadelphia-have-reestablished-trust-in-government-pdf.bypassReg.html


One interesting resource for governments seeking help and advice among many is GovLoop. It is an online network for public sector employees, allowing unrestricted access to journalists, vendors, consultants, academics, and students.


Find Peers and Share Stories4.



What about people who can’t afford the requisite computer or smartphone?

Even small steps taken to address the problem can make a difference. Philadelphia, for example, has a set of about 80 different public computing centers to encourage people to engage with the city through digital channels.

Ask: Who Isn’t in the Loop?5.




If there are broken processes in your government that frustrate the public or business leaders, they are less likely to welcome your new mobile apps. Based on our research, here are some areas that matter most to citizens:

• The length and complexity of the permitting process to open a business

• Processes that cross departments and the quality and timing of handoffs

• Clarity and interdependencies of decision-making processes within and across departments

• Jurisdictional overlaps between governments, such as between city and state

Ask: What Can We Fix?6.




Gathering data from social media sites to track how citizens are feeling by what they’re expressing can help you spot early reactions to your efforts and alert you to what’s working well and what’s not, even before your own survey data comes in.

Ask for Feedback, But Look for It, Too7.




There’s MoreThe SAP Center for Business Insight is a program that supports the discovery and development of new research-based thinking to address the challenges of business and technology executives.

To learn more about the steps outlined here, download the in-depth report 7 Steps to Reestablish Trust in Government Operations

http://www.sap.com/ms/business-thought-leadership.html


SAP Center for Business Insight | Brief | Q&A | Case Study | Inquiry | E-Book

© 2014 SAP AG or an SAP affiliate company. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of SAP AG or an SAP affiliate company.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. Some software products marketed by SAP AG and its distributors contain proprietary software components of other software vendors.

National product specifications may vary.

These materials are provided by SAP AG or an SAP affiliate company for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and SAP AG or its affiliated companies shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to the materials. The only warranties for SAP AG or SAP affiliate company products and services are those that are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services, if any. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty.

In particular, SAP AG or its affiliated companies have no obligation to pursue any course of business outlined in this document or any related presentation, or to develop or release any functionality mentioned therein. This document, or any related presentation, and SAP AG’s or its affiliated companies’ strategy and possible future developments, products, and/or platform directions and functionality are all subject to change and may be changed by SAP AG or its affiliated companies at any time for any reason without notice. The information in this document is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates, and they should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.

Documents

7 Steps to a more open government