Page 11 - Federal Computer Week, January/February 2019

$617 million
Amount the U.S. Digital Service expects modernization projects to save over five years
1,475
Number of labor years USDS expects to redirect toward higher-value work
35%
State CIOs who cite complex legacy systems or manual processes as a challenge to delivering services
78%
State CIOs who cite improving citizen services as the strategic or operational issue driving interest in automation software
70.5 out of 100
Score public administration/ government received on the 2017 American Customer Satisfaction Index
Sources: ACSI, National Association of State CIOs, White House
key facilitators is cloud computing. Forty- seven percent of agencies actively use cloud services, according to Gartner, and IDC researchers expect federal cloud investments to reach about $3.3 billion in 2021.
Cloud technology offers stability, flexibility and increased efficiency. It enables agencies to gradually replace legacy technology and deploy new services faster in the web-based and mobile formats users increasingly expect. Most importantly, it frees workers to focus
on engaging with customers rather than maintaining technology.
In addition, cloud platforms facilitate agencies’ use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
In Mississippi, residents can use
the MyMS app to receive personalized reminders or general alerts and save frequently accessed content. MyMS users can also communicate with the state’s digital voice assistant via Amazon Alexa and Google Home smart devices so that they can set a reminder for renewing their driver’s license, receive local traffic alerts or get contact information for state agencies.
That kind of laser focus takes the guesswork out of what users want and helps the agency gain a clearer
understanding of its constituents, which is essential to providing better user experiences.
A better employee experience
The Agriculture Department is another model for how digital transformation is improving the user experience. Last year, USDA unveiled Farmers.gov, a mobile- friendly, interactive website that puts more than 150 federal web resources
in one place and allows access through seven digital platforms. Farmers can
use the portal to find nearby USDA office locations, fill out forms and view a customizable dashboard that integrates agriculture-related data, maps and tools.
Government employees are also benefiting from more user-friendly offerings. NASA’s Shared Services Center relies on a bot called George Washington to handle routine procurement processes. The bot has an email account and credentials
to access operational systems, enabling it
to carry out tasks such as logging human- approved budget information. The center has two other bots: John Adams handles finance-related work and Pioneer creates procurement requests for the Office of the CIO. The bots’ work allows employees to focus on higher-level activities.
In Washington state, the Health Care Authority’s SmartHealth portal helps employees, spouses and eligible retirees track their physical, emotional, financial and work/life well-being. HCA receives aggregated data that can highlight problems, such as employee populations at risk of diabetes, and can offer appropriate interventions, such as programs on healthy eating. Since the portal was launched in 2015, employee turnover has fallen by 25 percent, overtime hours have decreased by 37 percent, and employees have taken 10 percent fewer sick days.
In the end, although the President’s Management Agenda highlights the deficiencies of the government’s historical approach to IT, including its reliance on outdated systems and its struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, the document is also optimistic about the government’s ability to succeed.
The key is recognizing that digital transformation and the user experience go hand in hand. Support for both exists at the highest levels of government, and the success of projects already underway sends a clear message: The public sector is ready for user-centric IT products and digital services. There’s no doubt its customers are, too.
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