Underwritten by

Lead Author Camille Tuutti

Produced by

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Our Approach ....................................................... 4

Part I: Background ................................................5

Part II: Workforce perception ................................7

Part III: Case Study ............................................12

Conclusion .........................................................21

About FedScoop.................................................20

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The question

Are federal agencies readily embracing a digital government? If so, are they equipped to do so in a way that can maximize the benefits of a framework to enhance citizen-facing services and increase workforce productivity?

The survey

This survey assesses attitudes and challenges around a digital government and what can be done to help agencies get to the next level in implementing it.

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Our approach

FedScoop surveyed more than 230 IT decision makers in government and industry.

work in government work in industry

70% of all respondents said they had a “very favorable” attitude toward creating a digital government.

Total sample size: 236Margin of Error ± 6.36 % at 95% Confidence level100% of the questionnaires were completed online

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BackgroundLaunched by U.S. Chief Information Officer Steven VanRoekel in May 2012, the Digital Government Strategy zeroes in on three objectives:

• Enable citizens and the federal workforce to access digital government information and services anywhere, anytime and on any device.

• Ensure the government in adjusting to this new digital era seizes the opportunity to procure and manage devices, applications, and data in smart, secure and affordable ways.

• Unleash the power of open data to ignite innovation nationwide and improve the quality of services for U.S. citizens.

During 12 months, agencies took an incremental approach to complete various milestones and actions aimed at building a 21st-century government that works better for the citizens and innovates with less.

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The White House believes in a digital government

At its core, the strategy takes a coordinated, information- and customer-centric approach to changing how the government works and delivers services to the American people. Designing for openness from the start – making open data the default for government IT systems and embracing the use of web APIs – enables us to more easily deliver information and services through multiple channels, including mobile, and engage the public and America’s entrepreneurs as partners in building a better government.

(Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel, May 2013)

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Workforce perceptionDigital government has an overall positive perception in both sectors, but the federal sphere doesn’t always have the tools to carry out the framework:

94% of all respondents agree on creating a digital government;

yet 75% of government respondents say they lack the resources to enable a successful strategy.

TAKEAWAY: Because there is an executive mandate in place, organizations feel empowered to make the changes outlined in their digital strategy. However, they are unsure how to get there.

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8/10 of all respondents have created digital tools as part of their organization’s mission.

Yet nearly 1/3 of government respondents don’t feel empowered to promote new digital resources for their organization.

Workforce perception

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Workforce perception

3 in 4 government respondents say making data machine-readable has had a good outcome, and 95% of government respondents think providing digital tools and resources will result in improved service and benefit customers. Takeaway: A successful digital strategy will yield great results, according to the respondents.

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The promise of a digital government

Ultimately, this strategy will ensure that agencies use emerging technologies to serve the public as effectively as possible. As a government, and as a trusted provider of services, we must never forget who our customers are — the American people.

(President Barack Obama, May 2012)

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The promise of a digital government

Increases communication with constituents

Provides more resources and information to constituents

Enhances agency productivity

Increases services

Saves time

Saves money

#1 benefit government respondents say the digital government strategy will have: Increased communication with constituents.

TAKEAWAY: Despite shrinking or stagnant budgets, agencies’ focus remains on their core focus and they are committed to service aspects.

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“We are proud to say that we have successfully implemented the milestones, remaining agile and flexible as some of the reporting methods and deliverables were adjusted by the Office of Management and Budget, and are even more proud to say that we have fundamentally shifted the way that we are approaching digital government. As called for in the plan, our agency has also pioneered several governmentwide solutions (called for in the strategy) which are helping all agencies implement this important initiative.”(GSA, 2014.)

CASE STUDY: Outcome of GSA’s digital government strategy

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1. Improved product or service delivered to the client/customer/consumer (and verified by them).

2. Improved internal performance (and verified by the ‘business sponsor’ of the digital initiative). The bottom line is: Are we serving our customers better than before? Do they notice and appreciate it? And finally: Is it worth the expenditure of resources for these results or outcomes?

Metrics agencies seek to measure with a digital strategy

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Metrics agencies seek to measure with a digital strategy

Decreased need of constituents to ‘go to the courthouse’ in order to conduct county-related business. Digital government potentially saves that trip.

Utilization of online services and the amount of time needed to access, apply and begin receiving services.

Number of downloads; larger share of non-’geek’ users of data (defined by educational level or profession); number of citations of our data; number of instances in which our data are talked about in mass media, pop culture, works of fiction, news sources.

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Metrics agencies seek to measure with a digital strategy

Improved data quality to support policy analysis, measured by the ability to pre-screen data before submission to correct input errors and post screen to detect interpretation errors.

Personnel cost savings (gov’t and contractor) by making data available securely, quickly and easily. Reduce the man-hours required to conduct analysis and produce reports.

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of government respondents say the digital government strategy isn’t defined and communicated in a way employees can easily adopt.

Obstacles to a digital government

60%

TAKEAWAY: Most government agencies still need help crystallizing a digital strategy message and bridging the gap between planning and implementation.

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say they’re providing online access to high-quality digital government information on mobile devices.

Obstacles to a digital government:

TAKEAWAY: Training and raising awareness could help the workforce become better advocates for information sharing on mobile platforms and its benefits.

Yet 33%haven’t participated in a digital government discussion, training or creation of new mobile technologies.

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Obstacles to a digital governmentBoth industry and government are feeling the fiscal pressure.

6/10 of all respondents believe IT budgets are the biggest obstacle to their organization’s digital strategy.

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#1: “Security and Privacy” approach (39% of all respondents)

#2: “Shared Platform” approach (38.6% of all respondents)

#3: “Information Centric” approach (36.9% of all respondents)

#4: “Customer Centric” approach” (33.1% of all respondents)

The best methods to a digital government

TAKEAWAY: Security is top of mind for federal respondents who rated “security and privacy” as the best way to a digital government. However, the “shared platform” approach trailed closely, which suggests government respondents are aware of the balance between streamlining information delivery without compromising security.

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RecommendationsLeverage Public-Private Partnerships – Collaboration between public and private companies allows for government agencies to tap into technologies and best practices that are already accepted and trusted in the commercial sector in order to achieve mission critical objectives - such as mobile and records management strategies.

Have a Clear Roadmap – The presidential memorandum has served as a solid roadmap for agencies to follow as they attempt to move toward a more modern government, but it’s also important for them to utilize third-party secure, shared platforms and embrace a “develop-once-and-deploy-multiple-times” philosophy. This will help assure agencies are successful in achieving their strategic visions in an efficient manner.

Develop a Strong Mobile Strategy – Agencies with a strong mobile strategy can deliver customer-centric information to any device, anywhere, anytime. However, this requires creating a detailed records management roadmap using a shared platform.

Focus On Your Customers – Agencies that keep their citizens at the forefront when developing their digital government strategies will achieve the best results – reduced errors in citizen services, increased use of government data, and higher citizen engagement, all resulting in improved satisfaction and better communication with constituents.

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Conclusion

This survey found that the federal workforce recognizes a need for a digital government and understands its potential. The federal policy on implementing a digital government strategy – supported by a presidential memorandum -- has served as a solid roadmap for agencies to move to a more modern, 21st-century government. But some work remains to be done to fully realize all the benefits from such an approach. In particular, agencies appear to need help in overcoming the challenge in realizing their vision and carrying out all the objectives in a digital strategy.

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A digital government can

- Enhance government information delivery to citizens

- Increase communication with the public

- Up agency productivity

- Achieve savings in both time and money

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About fedscoop

FedScoop features up-to-the-minute breaking government tech news and is the government IT community’s platform for education and collaboration. FedScoop engages top leaders from the White House, federal agencies, academia and the tech industry both online and in person to discuss ways technology can improve government, and to exchange best practices and identify how to achieve common goals. Our websites include: FedScoop, FedScoopEvents, FedScoopRadio, FedScoopTV and FedMentors.