What are sense making frameworks and why are they important to e-Government strategy?

Sense making via an elephant

Different people have different perspectives. We need a way to bring all the different perspectives together. To do this we need to establish a set of common sense making frameworks to build a common understanding of what is going on.

Staying Connected to Reality in E-Government: Moving Beyond Spreadsheets and Consultants for Public Sector Managers

Public sector managers have a lot on their plate, and it’s easy to get lost in the data, spreadsheets, and consultants that are supposed to help them make decisions. However, relying solely on these can lead to a distorted view of reality, and managers may find themselves making decisions that are based on incomplete information. … Read more

The importance of Minimum Viable Products in delivering Government as a Service

One of the key benefits of developing an MVP is the ability to achieve quick wins in delivering government services. Quick wins are small, tangible improvements that can be delivered quickly, with minimal effort and resources. Quick wins are important because they allow government agencies to demonstrate progress and build momentum towards larger, more complex projects. By delivering quick wins, agencies can build trust and credibility with citizens and stakeholders, and demonstrate their commitment to improving services and information.

Vital Records Management: Why Birth, Death and Marriages are vital?

In many Pacific Island countries, where resources are limited, accurate data on births, deaths, and marriages can be difficult and costly to capture, store and analyse. This is especially true when the data is captured manually using paper based systems as opposed to digitally. This tends to be a time-consuming, inefficient process and puts a lot of pressure on staff who are responsible for processing the applications, leading to delays and errors in the recording and management of these vital records.

Tech Giants’ Increase Dominance Government in New Zealand’s Cloud Computing Market: Raises Concerns Over Competition, Innovation and Data Privacy

As tech giants such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft continue to expand their presence in the government cloud computing market within New Zealand, concerns are being raised about the potential consequences of their increasing dominance. Only a few companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and local firm Catalyst Cloud, authorised to provide cloud services to the government, it raises concerns about vendor lock-in, market competition and innovation. The government is taking steps to address these concerns, such as implementing new regulations and promoting the use of open standards, however the issue of tech giants’ dominance in the cloud computing market will remain a key challenge for New Zealand until the government provides an even playing field.

Digital Leaders Toolkit

In a recent analysis, Kevin Cunnington, the former chief of digital in the UK, outlined seven major obstacles that the civil service faces in utilizing technology. Cunnington compiled pain points and solutions from various leaders in the digital government space from around the word and identified three viable approaches to tackle each of these challenges. We’ve summarised this to help unlock the full potential of digital and data.

What is the innovation chain and why is it important in delivering digital government services?

The innovation chain is an essential component in delivering digital government services. It refers to the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative solutions that address societal challenges in the public sector. Why is the innovation chain important? In today’s rapidly changing digital environment, the government must find ways to adapt to new technologies and … Read more

Why do e-Government projects have a high rate of failure in developing countries?

A study estimated that 35% of e-government projects are total failures, 49% are partial failures, and 15% are successes in developing countries⁵. The main culprit for e-government failures in developing countries is the mismatch between the current reality and the design of the future e-government system¹. Using an off-the-shelf solution from an industrialized country for a developing country will often result in large design-reality gaps². That’s why we developed GovCrate (https://www.govcrate.com/), our turnkey e-government platform specifically that was designed for the Pacific context and takes into consideration these factors.

How we use Visual Thinking approaches to design Digital Government Services that are focused on user needs?

At GovCrate, we use visual thinking approaches to focus our teams on delivering services that address users needs and to facilitate greater collaboration and understanding. This is especially critical when designing digital government services because the design of these services requires team members from the different disciplines that make up the governance stack (Legal, Policy, Operations and Technology). These team members need a common language to collaborate efficiently and effectively. Because of this we developed a visual thinking methodology that has allowed us to quickly and easily get team members speaking the same language. It’s an unorthodox application of the visual thinking approach but it’s use is critical for us in building up highly effective and efficient multi-disciplinary teams that actually deliver services that focus on user needs.

What is a workshop session plan and why are they so important?

A workshop session plan is a detailed plan that outlines the goals, objectives, activities, materials, and resources needed for a specific workshop or training session. It includes a step-by-step guide for facilitators to follow during the workshop, ensuring that the session runs smoothly and participants achieve the desired outcomes. A well-crafted workshop session plan helps to keep everyone on track, engaged, and focused on the goals of the session. It can also serve as a reference for future workshops and training sessions.