Module 8:

This reading is meant to find and evaluate any problems related to digitization, along with solutions to the problems.

What reading did you choose?

I choose the following reading:

• Do Bureaucrats care? A Take on Talent in the Public Sector-Martin Stewart-Weeks
• Our collective privacy problem is not your fault-Fast Company
• Restorative Technological Practices-Neil Tamplin

What were the common themes discussed in the readings?

 Each reading talked about the issues associated with greater digitization in the government sector.

 Some of the common themes are:

• Issues of technology must be inculcated using restorative measures. Individuals in companies try to deceive, which is a big issue and costs the companies thousands of dollars. Trist is imperative to build relations between individuals working in the companies and the IT department. This can be done by consultation with the individuals and ensuring the ideas align with the digital services. This will help build trust for the IT department and technology used.
• The best solutions, and policies in the digital age is not served by culture and processes in the Public service. It is seen that thinkers and doers has minimum connection. More collaboration is needed for bring about positive change. Policy makers should consider the ideas of front-line workers to build a strong relation, as service delivery sector is core to the government.
• Private companies and policy makers are responsible for privacy issues. Legislations must be introduced to protect users. Private companies must change digital practices, which in turn will be adopted by the small companies.

How do these themes relate to what we have learnt in the class so far this semester?

 We have learnt the following during the semester:

• Digital technology is new and is slowly being adopted in the government.
• To understand the positives of the digitalization, we need to change processes into digital services.
• Build trust with the digital user.
• Protection of digital spaces to ensure privacy protection.
• Users need to be consulted to build a service.

How do these themes resonate with your sense if digital justice and equity?

• It is not beneficial to taxpayer’s money that policy makers and front-line workers create services and policies that are not needed.
• User consultation approach must be used when creating the process or service. Building trust in the relationship we can get better results.
• User privacy is important, and the laws must be formulated to prevent any invasive action.

In the first lecture we were taught about digital platforms. Platform in digital world can be defined as the tools based on modern technology. We learnt that government can use API to release data to third party, which in turn can be used to create and provide services.

While the second lecture was about the new gold called DATA. Data is an integral part of drafting policy and efficient governance. We need to understand not just how data is supposed to be used but also which data exists. The issues of privacy and consent surrounds data handling and management. While global digital and IT giants like Facebook and Google has been accused of collecting and misusing data. There is also a growing mistrust among the Canadian’s on how their data is being handled by the government. To ensure that Canadian’s believe in the government policy’s, it has to constantly redesign the legislations on how to collect data and use it.

Quality data should be collected with integrity to ensure that people understand importance of data collection process adopted by the government. Instilling trust among the people is an imperative task. To add to this, data can be presented in many different ways. Thus, evidence-based decision making needs to consider the growth of internet and its implications as well as data management.

However, there are few issues which were touched upon in the lecture. The first was Silo–which prevent progress. And, the second was the underinvestment in the employee learning.

To sum it up, data governance and decision making can be accompanied by trustworthiness from certifications (Trustable Tech Mark) and proactive transparency to inform the users.

In the last class of digital government, we were taught about AGILE. However, we were first introduced the concept of Agile in Project management. 

Agile is a methodology in which tasks can be divided into various components of continuous phase, which in turn allows to reassess and re-evaluate the tasks being performed during the project. Agile can be implemented in for large scale projects. The Government of Canada is continuously working towards implementing the concepts of Agile management. The techno-management world is fast paced and continuously changing. So, Agile provides the ability to cope up in the ever-changing environment with minimum deviations from the project scope.

Policy makers can be seen adopting a horizontal approach, and implementing the techniques of Project management including Agile, Scrum and Lean Sigma. This would in turn help in the iterative planning process and continuous improvement.

The third module was focussed about design thinking and service design. It was derived from the user research. The design thinking learning about the following:

1. Design is more about usability in comparison to how the service looks like. This was explained by Siobhan, when she gave an example of how amazon works.
2. There are more than digital solutions: during our presentation assignment we found out that apart from the online service we need the services being provided by the professor, which are both online and in person service.
3. Service design and project management are linked to each other: project management includes a concept of agility, which is important for service design as well.
4. Service design requires continuous improvement: we need to improve continuously by monitoring and updating the user needs.

  To add to this, I also learnt about the 4 stages in design thinking:

• Discovery: we need to conduct research and find the user needs.
• Alpha: we test different ideas and find the best test.
• Beta: in this stage you build and refine a platform based on the above two stages.
• Live: This last stage includes continuous improvement and eventually going live.

 In short design service is about research, development and going live with the product with continuous improvement.

User research is imperative for the product/service development. It provides an insight into the needs and requirements of the user or the customer. Excellent user experience can be achieved, if one conducts surveys, interviews, and use other methods to learn and inquire about what the user really wants.

However, during the class I was surprised to learn that Government agencies would create user products without even asking the user about the products.

The presentation by Xiaopu Fung, was interesting as it taught me how user can be sidelined, and a product can be created for them.

While, she highlighted the 3 main aspects of user research which are recruitment, consent and compensation. She also informed us about the usability testing which can be done using 5 respondents only. We need to consider that different approaches lead to different results for a target primary user, however, the cost of impact when solving problem is more crucial. Once, user research is complete product development is followed by prototyping and testing. All these are intriguing enough for me to learn more about how we can evolve the user experience and provide apt services by using better usability testing and verifications.

The presentation, along with my prior experience as a Software Support Specialist, help me understand how the government and the private sector products differ in their user experience; it also explains the wide gap between the services provided by the two type of sectors because of how important user acknowledgement is for each sector.

I feel I can use my past experience in the IT sector and knowledge of how user research is backbone for the product or service, in the public sector to create products and services effectively designed for the user themselves.

To sum up, the presentation was a learning curve to understand how user research is part of the exceptional user experience. Also, I am more eager to learn and see how user research will be adopted in the public sector for product development.

The first word that comes to my mind when I hear digital government is technology. The world of digitization is also home to the concept or basis of digital government. Digital government as a concept to me was all related to coding and technology. But I was incorrect. Digital government is not just mere coding, as it also entails how a government would use technology to implement projects to become closer to citizens.

So, what does digital government means in today’s time? Does it mean that the existing processes are obsolete, or does it mean that the citizens want or except more seamless services? The answer may vary for person to person. But the main idea is the same, which is to create an environment with effective and efficient services by implementing policies in an open, innovative and participatory manner.  

Data is the new gold standard for any government and digital governance is an approach to use this to create a citizen-centric environment which provides a better interface to work with.

It helps with increased privacy and accountability for individuals, corporations and governments. Data driven environments are being used to create a strong relationship between the government and public. The seamless and customized government plan is utilized to reach everyone while applying across the policy areas. Digital government is used to provide an engaging personal experience to its users. However, there are some major concerns or challenges when transforming an analog process to digital. This would include safety, privacy and accessibility.

Here are some points that I learnt from the class:

1. What is the actual meaning of digital government?

I learnt that while digital government does not mean just technology and digitization. It actually means to change the approach of how government works. Ensuring easy and quick accessibility in this day and age of digital environment is the primary goal of digital government.

• Government services can be more streamlined, easily accessible and digitized in a way that helps both the public and the government to be bring about more clarity and faster ways for its users to work in this data driven world.

To sum up, I am looking forward to this course and how it will help me widen my horizon of skills.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.