CEO and Founder of DMI, a global leader in mobility solutions and digital transformation.
Government agencies are in the midst of a sea change: As technology is redefining the public sector, employees and the public have heightened expectations. Meeting those expectations requires a new approach in terms of culture, agility and innovation.
Concurrently, these organizations are grappling with a number of challenges in terms of legacy infrastructure, culture, compliance and more that can hinder progress. The commercial sector is equipped to address some of these challenges—but traditionally, these two sides have been very distinct and separate.
A meeting of the minds is needed, bringing some of the successes of the commercial sector to the government sector to better deliver services to constituents.
Four Factors Holding Back Federal IT
The federal environment contends with multiple factors that hinder IT progress and speed. These are the top four.
1. Slow to innovate: The government sector can often seem stuck in time in terms of technology and innovation, with changes often occurring at a glacial pace.
2. Budget and bureaucracy constraints: These entities are reliant on budgets that are often restricted, and any kind of major technology purchase or transformation must cut through many feet of red tape in order to get authorized.
3. Regulation: Government agencies are heavily regulated. They are also subject to a number of compliance, security and governance requirements that must be met.
4. Culture: Often, there’s something of an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality—or worse, a “but this is how we’ve always done it” mentality. What’s needed is people who can be open to new ways of thinking and who embrace innovation.
What The Commercial Side Offers
In general, private industry has fewer constraints and greater agility to offer the federal landscape, primarily because there’s less red tape. The commercial sector is also typically less hindered by bureaucratic regulations, and there is less restriction on what can be done. These professionals, therefore, don’t have to wait for legislation to pass a budget before they can make a digital transformation.
Furthermore, innovation is their ethos. In the private sector, it determines whether a company sinks or swims, so they are structured to be able to launch pilots quickly.
Creating Public-Private Collaboration
The federal side offers rigor and discipline, but increasingly, IT leaders in the federal space are open to change because they see the need for greater efficiency. As noted above, the commercial side offers needed innovation and the ability to pivot quickly. In order to bridge this gap, there are a few different ways for the federal IT space to capture the innovative spirit of the private sector, such as:
Doing it all yourself. This is always an option, but it’s certainly not always the most advisable. If you are a government agency with a solid IT team in place that has the time and expertise to pull this off, the DIY route might work for you. Internal employees have the most insight into the unique needs and requirements of an organization and can ensure that any digital transformation projects are done in full alignment with these.
Hiring a contractor. This is similar to the prior approach but enables an organization to supplement its existing staff with more people with specific skill sets that your organization might be lacking. It can be an affordable option for organizations that only need a few extra hands and have the bandwidth to take on a bigger, longer-term project of this nature.
Working with a partner. Find a partner who understands that the objective isn’t just to implement technology but to further the mission. A partner who has experience both in the commercial and federal space can seem like something of a unicorn—but this is ideal. A reliable managed services provider, for example, can be relational, consultative, transparent, honest and innovative.
Bridging The Gap
The journey to digital government becomes possible by developing a more centralized, secure, seamless and economical IT architecture and ecosystem. These elements use data to guide decisions and transform operations, platforms to offer collaboration, the flexibility required to guarantee reliable mission execution and mobility to support mission needs whenever they may arise.
Whether you choose to go it alone, supplement your existing staff or choose a transformation partner, the primary goal is the same: to bridge the innovation and agility gap on behalf of those you serve.
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