Modernizing Government Technology to Deliver Better Resident Outcomes
Modernizing Government Technology to Deliver Better Resident Outcomes
A growing number of government organizations are investing time and budget in modernizing their IT infrastructures, migrating to more affordable cloud environments, implementing up-to-date applications to improve employee efficiency, or strengthening system security. Those are all worthy efforts and necessary improvements.
But more often than not, the success of those innovations are measured by inputs, not outputs, such as the number of users supported, transactions executed, and cases processed. By measuring success based on inputs and prioritizing the goal of “better, cheaper, faster,” technology innovations appear to be successful, regardless of whether they deliver actual outcomes for the people agencies serve.
Instead, agencies should calculate the return on their modernization investments in terms of resident outcomes — the real-world impact they have on people. Innovations should result in services that are easier to access, reach more of the population, or result in more positive life improvements. In short, every modernization effort should begin and end with a single-minded focus on outcomes.
Achieving Outcome-Driven Modernization
How can your agency achieve outcome-driven modernization? By investing in innovations that make your operations and services frictionless, data-directed, and repeatable.
Frictionless
Make it easier for people to do whatever they’re trying to do. That might begin with agency employees. For example, your teams might function more effectively in a hybrid work environment. If so, invest in the technologies that enable them to thrive while working remotely.
Likewise, more of the residents and businesses you serve want government services that are digitized and automated. Allow constituencies to access resources when they want, on the device they want. Permit them to securely manage data across programs. You’ll enable more people to benefit from your services, and you’ll build trust in government.
Data-Directed
Equip stakeholders with the right insights at the right time, so they can make evidenced-based decisions and choices. That means investing in analytics and visualizations.
But don’t just measure the payoffs only in faster speeds and dollars saved. Also target qualitative metrics such as the ability to track trends, achieve new insights, and adapt to change. These can be harder to measure, but they’re crucial to better outcomes.
Repeatable
Build on your successes to deliver new capabilities and services quickly and continually. How? By taking advantage of platform-based solutions. A flexible platform allows you to capitalize on the technology behind one service to cost-effectively develop new services and benefit more people.
It also enables you to adapt to unforeseen situations. With an ongoing pandemic, increasing cyberattacks, and more frequent climate events, the past few years have taught us that change is constant. Repeatable, platform-based innovations give you the elasticity to pivot to new ways of serving constituencies as needed.
Outcome-Driven Government in Action
Helping constituencies achieve better outcomes ultimately means building communities that are healthier, safer and more prosperous. Take a look at some of the outcome-driven solutions agencies across the country are implementing:
Healthier
A more holistic approach to services can improve the wellbeing of residents. The state of South Carolina realized this goal in modernizing its women, infants, and children (WIC) nutrition program.
The state’s legacy system forced benefits recipients to manually keep track of paper vouchers and limited the ability of clinics to monitor program data. Today, a digital platform enables seamless appointment scheduling, mobile-device viewing of benefits balances, and visualizations of program usage that help more children receive more benefits longer.
Safer
Giving stakeholders real-time insights when they need them can result in more secure, equitable communities. The Commonwealth of Virginia innovated new services to combat human trafficking in the state.
The Virginia Analysis System for Trafficking (VAST) provides state agencies with insights into trafficking victims and perpetrators, as well as factors that affect case increases. Correlation of formerly siloed data allows organizations to monitor trends, more effectively prosecute criminals, and deliver services to victims.
More Prosperous
Better digital experiences for residents, businesses, and agency employees can promote a thriving economy. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) modernized applications to provide services and incentives to New York residents and businesses.
A scalable platform now provides a 360-degree view of contractor engagements. NYSERDA can more effectively onboard contractors, receive incentive applications, and track projects and invoices. It can also easily share data with internal and external stakeholders to support both policy and business needs.
