Leadership in 2019: Why Cities Need to Rethink Digital Services
With changing technologies and higher constituent demands, cities and state leaders are trying to move faster to build more intimate and meaningful relationships with their constituents. There is pressure to deliver digital services more effectively as a result of online consumerism. Technological change is accelerating at an exponential rate due to industries built around innovation. And society has an unquenchable appetite for 24/7 transparency due to data’s accessibility. Intensifying this pressure, social media now gives citizens the ability to voice criticisms and demands instantly and loudly, and they expect us all to listen.
Yet with these shifts comes opportunity. Mayors and local leaders have a chance to radically rethink how governments can serve residents. And equally significant, harnessing these technological and industry shifts allows leaders to plan proactively, using every tool, strategy and resource available.
In this evolution, there is an unprecedented opportunity to realize new outcomes that elevate our communities, and this will come by taming transformation through technology, focusing technology on delivering outcomes, and leveraging a strong ecosystem of private sector partners.
Technology is at the heart of this transformative moment, simultaneously accelerating the need for change and providing new solutions.
The right technology lets smart governments offer scalable, yet cost effective, services for residents. It helps governments to see their operations clearly and make policy decisions based on data. The world of order-anything-online services, 24/7 mobile apps, Software-as-a-Service, customer analytics and instant response is now table stakes in the private sector and will become the norm in the public sector much faster than expected.
When applied correctly, these technologies empower governments to take an evolutionary leap forward. They can reshape service models, unlock cost savings and open uncharted territories for new services. Technology helps governments to adapt to transforming markets, meet citizen demands quickly and uncover new tools for regulatory management.
Too often procurement specs overshadow the purposes behind technology, sometimes putting the cart before the horse. With so many solutions and technologies, governments can benefit when they “begin with the end in mind” when purchasing IT. There is a new opportunity to focus procurement decisions that demand solid results for communities — as opposed to buying based on product specs alone.
One state making significant progress in changing the procurement process is California. Shortly after taking office, Governor Gavin Newsom issued anExecutive Order to upend the traditional procurement approach which relies heavily on the state having a solution in mind before releasing a request for proposal. Anchored in a “sprints-based approach,” the strategy incentivizes the private sector to deliver targeted solutions through an iterative, agile, outcome-oriented process. California aims to save crucial time, resources and tax dollars while creating and implementing much-needed solutions for a better tomorrow.
Inspired by this model, your own government can signal a better way forward with business-like, even entrepreneurial, processes that map procurement to your most pressing local needs.
