TL/DR –
The report discussed the digital services in the U.S., and found a lack of shared mental model and strategy in the field, highlighting the need for a common theory of change for digital services. It also acknowledged the need for a more mature government that can better manage these services, noting the effectiveness of individual empowerment and entrepreneurialism in driving change. The report recommends creating defined career pathways for technologists and building cross-functional service teams to address the reported issues with the government’s approach to hiring and scaling this field.
Terry Gerton on New Report About Digital Services
Merici Vinton, the report on digital services you’ve worked on is truly insightful. You’ve conversed with people from various digital service organizations like U.S. Digital Services and 18F. What was your primary takeaway from these dialogues?
Merici Vinton The variety and disparity of experiences shared by more than a hundred individuals was very intriguing. This shows the novel and undefined nature of the digital government field. Rather than seeing this as a challenge, we see it as an opportunity to shape our future by examining our past experiences and determining our future course.
Terry Gerton Queries Laura on Lack of a Common Theory of Change
Terry Gerton Laura, considering Merici’s observations about the lack of mental models and patterns in digital services, could you explain practically what does it mean for the government to lack a theory of change for digital services?
Laura Sigelmann Absolutely, we found that there was a lack of a coherent strategy across the different teams and initiatives. They were all operating within their own silos, competing for resources and focusing on their own individual goals. We need to move towards understanding the societal level outcomes we aim to achieve and how digital services can help us accomplish them.
Terry Gerton on The Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Service Delivery
Terry Gerton Without a theory of change, how do the digital services move forward?
Merici Vinton It demands a lot of individual empowerment and entrepreneurialism. But for a mature government, it should be about setting clear objectives that meet citizens’ expectations.
Terry Gerton Inquires About Challenges in Scaling Digital Services
Terry Gerton The report highlights the field’s struggle to scale and the reliance on workarounds. What can be done to improve this?
Merici Vinton We spent a lot of energy getting technologists into government, but it’s not sustainable due to the lack of a career path and several workarounds. We need to create defined career pathways and set high standards for these services to scale.
Merici Vinton on Differentiating Between Building Digital Teams and Digital Services
Merici Vinton We’ve focused more on building digital teams rather than digital services. We need a service-centered model that includes technologists, designers, policy makers, and customer support teams, all working together to improve both the user experience and government functionality.
Laura Sigelmann on Effective International Models
Laura Sigelmann The government of Ukraine is a great example of a central digital capacity. They have teams developing end-to-end products and services. This model is one we recommended for the U.S. to drive momentum for these services.
Terry Gerton on The Need for Radical Experimentation
Merici Vinton This is the time to be ambitious and restore trust in government institutions. We need a central government department with the authority to drive a modernization agenda, deliver shared services, and hire based on new patterns. It’s time to reimagine how we do this work and start implementing our vision now.
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