IBM's Sharon Bagshaw explains why it's important to be clear about what digital reinvention means, and the focus areas for delivering truly transformative public services
The following appeared in the March 5 issue of our sister title The House
Digital Reinvention is driven by the rapid pace of technological and societal change which has embedded digital capabilities throughout every aspect of our daily lives. Digital reinvention has become ubiquitous in government policy making circles, replacing the now outmoded term ‘eGovernment’. We are witnessing the third stage of a digital evolution which started with the simple digitisation of business processes, progressed through transformative 'eGovernment' and has now moved on to the reinvention stage. Because it is now so widely applied, it is important to be clear what Digital reinvention is and is not.
Digital reinvention is about enhancing the digital relationship between UK citizens and HM Government by transforming citizen-facing services. Digital reinvention in government is the use of enabling technology - in conjunction with the supporting political, legal and regulatory structures, to fundamentally change the way people and public agencies interact at the dawn of the AI era in government and society. It is not about the modernisation of an existing set of IT systems or the introduction of a new technology into a current estate.
To deliver truly transformative public services in the United Kingdom, there is a need to focus on the following:
Personalisation: Services will need to constantly adapt to the individual and their changing circumstances, while at the same time ensuring security of personal data.
Seamlessness: HM Government must deliver services that blend into everyday life.
Citizen Partnership: A new digital relationship must be forged between citizens and government - one based on collaboration in order to address rapidly evolving needs.
Digital Workforce: Empowering the digital native workforce. Rapid demographic shifts are changing the face of the public sector workforce, bringing different expectations and perspectives.
Ethical Framework: At the start of a new AI driven era built on vast quantities of data, transparency and trust will be essential to mitigate the potential and undiscovered consequences of this new reinvented world and provide a framework for the responsible use of data.