Infrastructure modernization has become critical for governments looking to serve citizens in the digital era. To provide services and programs that improve the lives of their constituents, local, state, and federal government agencies are undergoing digital transformations to take advantage of new technologies that enable them to harness the power of the cloud.
Yet while technology can help government become more effective, change of this magnitude doesn’t happen overnight. Based on myriad factors, different governments and government agencies are at various points in their digital transformations. Many will need to take a look at how they currently work and embrace technology that will help them scale their efforts and fulfill their commitments to constituents.
Here’s a look at how these digital transformations are enabling government agencies to reimagine how work gets done and redefine how they serve their citizens.
Automation Saves Time, Spurs Innovation
Government bureaucracy is known for the inordinate amount of paperwork required for the operation of any given department or agency. Workers spend time on meetings, paperwork, email, and data collection and reporting that they could be using to work on future activities and programs and more effectively serve other goals as well, according to a survey by the Governing Exchange.
Thanks to automation, this is starting to change. According to a recent report from Deloitte Consulting, the past year has seen a shift from government agencies experimenting with automation to implementing it across the board — a shift that is saving government workers thousands of hours previously spent on processing data and data entry. Now, employees at agencies leveraging automation are able to spend time on more valuable, mission-critical work to further innovation and better serve constituents.
As government entities rethink how work gets done, some are turning to a work execution platform to track, automate, and manage their operations and processes from end to end. A work execution platform enables government workers to automate data collection and other processes and workflows to move work forward more effectively and efficiently.
Governments Collaborate to Serve Constituents
Digital transformation can also help facilitate collaboration between different government entities, improving programs and services to better the lives of citizens. Governments that are able to work together to quickly, effectively, and securely share the resources, budget, or information needed to solve big problems can better serve citizens and communities at many levels.
One example of intergovernmental collaboration is evidenced the Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study, which looks at how state chief information security officers can succeed in overcoming the top challenges of implementing effective cybersecurity programs. In order to meet critical security controls that protect privacy around healthcare data, state Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies worked with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to successfully secure funding in order to put in place the recommended Minimum Acceptable Risk Safeguards (MARS) for systems that interact with Medicare and Medicaid data. This additional funding provided state HHS agencies with the resources needed (in addition to their state IT budgets) to further their digital transformations.
A common platform that serves as a single source of truth for an organization can help facilitate collaboration and reduce friction. Smartsheet Gov is the only work execution platform in the FedRAMP marketplace. It offers fast user adoption and seamless, secure sharing that helps organizations to easily collaborate and break down silos across departments and agencies — or even between federal and local government — to drive the best results for citizens. Through the use of data collection forms, Smartsheet Gov also enables agencies to quickly capture information across departments and regions, so they can analyze and act on the latest information.
Smart Cities Serve Tech-Savvy Citizens
In addition to digital platforms, governments are exploring and embracing the internet of things (IoT) and other innovative technologies as it applies to communities. Smart cities create a digitally connected environment to help governments better serve citizens.
Features of smart cities might include “smart meters” that enable public utilities to help citizens save energy or conserve water, and road sensors that track traffic patterns to support infrastructure development. This type of innovation can help local governments reduce spending and improve efficiency.
More comprehensive initiatives are in the works as well. For example, the Greater Phoenix Smart Region, seeks to bridge the gap between innovative technology and the needs of communities and policy makers through a partnership between the public sector, educational institutions, and government entities to create, advance, and adopt smart city technology “that improves the quality of life for all citizens.”
To plan for these complex initiatives that bridge the public and private sectors, as well as academia, a work execution platform can help drive the effective collaboration and transparency needed to manage innovative approaches to governance.
Learn more about how Smartsheet is powering digital transformation in government.
At a time when organizational speed and execution are critical to gaining a competitive edge, modern work — especially at scale —
Source: How Digital Transformation Is Revolutionizing Government
