This article was written by Nikki Isaac from the Ontario Public Service.

  • The problem: We’re seeing digital projects get reprioritised, or deprioritised.
  • Why it matters: Because good and effective digital services require ongoing investment, especially given the fact that most people interact with government when they’re at their most vulnerable.
  • The solution: Governments recognising that good service delivery comes from having public servants who are experts, committing to building user-centred digital products.

Recent announcements of changes and restructuring of digital transformation teams around the globe suggest that governments are reprioritising digital transformation efforts when they seem to be most needed.

Think back to early 2020. Covid-19 was the story of the time, and while we were fearful, there was also a feeling of hope among teams that were agile and ready to work remotely.

We saw governments work together for the greater good, and heard promises that the old ways of working, the endless approval chains, the being told when and where we all work best were a thing of the past. For those of us working on digital teams, this was music to our ears. The speed at which work was being done validated what we knew to be true — successful digital transformation means a change of culture and a change in how we had been working before.

Governments that had already started to embed digital ways of working were quicker to adapt when the pandemic hit. The case studies almost wrote themselves and we thought they would be passed down as legends to public servants for years to come. But post-pandemic, we are now seeing this restructuring, or reprioritization of digital. Many of us are still striving towards imbedding digital ways of working in government, but we're not there yet. We’ve made good change happen, but now is certainly not the time to stop.

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I was asked a few days ago what keeps me up at night. This. This keeps me up at night. It keeps me up at night because I was interacting with government services at the worst time of my life…

I've been open about my cancer journey, which started late 2022. My melanoma brain tumour left me with a few gifts — a patch of curly hair that once was straight, along with seizures and deteriorated dexterity in my right hand. I was able to, and chose to return to work less than a week after brain surgery. I needed to show others, and myself, that I was okay, and that my shiny, tumourless brain was working better than ever. I also chose to return to work quickly because doing so was less intimidating than the internal processes I'd be dealing with if I didn't (organisational HR, not my own leadership team). I was less open about everything else happening to me at that same time. Life doesn't stop because you're sick.

As I was trying to understand my illness and undergoing treatment, I was also going through a divorce, and trying to navigate a complex legal system that doesn’t factor in your health. I was also trying to navigate providing support to a rapidly ageing mother with a slew of her own medical needs, now thrown in as caregiver as her only surviving child.

I realised then that people often interact with government products and services when they are most vulnerable. I also realised that I am one of the lucky ones. I'm educated, I have an understanding of how government services work (or don't). I have a small, but mighty support system. I had access to health care because I was sick enough to need it urgently. This also keeps me up at night because I am interacting with government services at the best time of my life…

Even when times are good, we are faced with barriers and are hit with evidence of systems and processes that were designed by people who do not regularly engage in them (in this case, probably men who rarely go through a name change). I got remarried last year. I was eager to change my name quickly. And while at one level of government I was able to do so easily, this was not true at all levels. Every single engagement at the federal level required multiple attempts to apply or reapply, to contact support, to wait on hold, to try and understand different definitions of the same thing, and to be confused as to why you have to apply to multiple ministries that should just talk to each other. With my one year wedding anniversary approaching, I still haven’t finished navigating all these processes. This keeps me up at night because I will continue to be interacting with government services at all stages of my life…and I want it to be easier.

Governments seem to be motivated by quick wins and shiny toys. Is digital service delivery our shiny new toy? If governments want this to succeed, we need to recognise that good government service delivery comes from having public servants who are engaged and empowered to be subject matter experts; following digital service standards that emphasise user-centred digital products and services.

Good service delivery isn’t the new shiny toy, but instead, it’s the outcome of digital transformation. It starts with us. Those who truly see the value and need for a digital transformation already know this.

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