Presentation by Ryan Androsoff to the Cornwall Innovation Centre on digital government trends and lessons learnt from a decade of public sector entrepreneurship. Video of presentation available here (starts around the 38min mark): https://www.facebook.com/cwlinnovates/videos/864783223677564/

1. Digital Government and
Public Sector Entrepreneurship
@RyanAndrosoff
Nov 21, 2017

2. A little bit about myself…
• Early career in political and policy advisor roles in Saskatchewan and Ottawa;
international development policy work via CIDA and World Bank
• Masters Degree from Harvard Kennedy School of Government with focus on
“Government 2.0” and use of technology in the public sector
• Senior Advisor at the Chief Information Officer Branch of Treasury Board
Secretariat since 2010
• Spent 2015 at the OECD in Paris, France working with their Digital
Government Team

3. …a public sector entrepreneur

4. “…And, in any sector you care to name, it’s been the lifeblood of organisations
that have embraced it, and a death sentence for those that haven’t.”
-Mike Bracken
Former Executive Director and creator of the UK’s GDS
“Digital is the
technological
enabler of this
century.”
Government Digital Service
Putting the public first in delivering digital public services

6. https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/knowledge/society/public-
perspectives-canadanext-2017

9. Mid-1990s -
Early 2000s
Government On-Line
Mid- 2000s -
Early 2010s
Government 2.0
Today Digital Government

10. Digital Government defined
“Digital Government refers to the
use of digital technologies, as an
integrated part of governments’
modernisation strategies, to create
public value. It relies on a digital
government ecosystem comprised
of government actors, non-
governmental organisations,
businesses, citizens’ associations
and individuals which supports the
production of and access to data,
services and content through
interactions with the government.”

11. What is Digital Government?
Citizen
Experience
Results &
Delivery
Agile &
Technology
• User Research
• U-centred Design
• Visual Design
• User Interviews
• Usability Testing
• Card Sorting
• Journey Maps
• Story Boarding
• Personas
• Mock-Ups
• Info. Architectures
• Strategic Planning
• Deliverology
• Performance Meas.
• Benefits Realization
• Policy Innovation
• Data-driven decisions
• Logic Model
• Outcomes Maps/Registers
• Balanced Scorecards
• Open Government
• Prototyping
• Bi-Modal
• Cloud
• GaaP
• Data Science
• Machine Learning
• Iterative
• Continuous Imp.
• Aut. Build/Deploy
• TDD
• Peer Code Review
• Product Backlogs
• Open Source
• User Stories

12. The Digital Government challenge

13. Government IT spending:
Small %…

14. …but risky?
In the United States Government:
• $86 billion is spent a year on federal IT projects
• 94% of federal IT projects are over budget and behind schedule
• 40% of them never see the light of day — they’re scrapped or abandoned”.
-Haley Van Dyck, United States Digital Service (Feb 16, 2016 Ted Talk)

15. Governments are embracing digital

16. ON
2014 2015 2016
US Digital
Service
Improve and
simplify digital
experience for key
White House
priorities.
Digital
transformation
Office
Lead the
transformation of
government
services to deliver
a better
experience for
Australians.
Digital
Government
Team
Lead the
implementation
of the
government’s
vision for
government-
wide digital
transformation &
improved online
services for users
US
2011
Government
Digital
Services
Make services
simpler, faster,
clearer and
digital by
default.
Start with user
needs, not
government
needs.
UK AUS
18F/Technology
Transformation
Service
Transform the way
government builds,
buys, and shares
technology.
BC
2010
Government
Communications
& Public
Engagement
Citizens @ The
Centre
Bridge the gap
between the
complexity of
government and the
need for more
accessible and user-
centred services
… and the Mandate is Change

17. https://digital.canada.ca/beginning-the-conversation

24. A few lessons learnt
along the way…

25. Networks are power

26. Timing is (almost) everything
7 years later…

27. Having the right mix of people and skills
IS everything

28. You can’t outsource your way
to success

29. Demographics are destiny

35. Policy compliance can be a real
barrier to entry and innovation
Accessibility
Communications
Federal Identity
Program
Information
Management
Official Languages
Political Activities
Privacy and Access
To Information
Procurement &
Contracting
Security
Values & Ethics

36. Scaling is hard and takes different skills
The Chasm (from Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore):
There is a chasm between the early adopters of the product (the technology enthusiasts and visionaries) and the early
majority (the pragmatists).
Bridging the Gap
Trough of Disillusionment (from Gartner Hype Cycle) :
Interest wanes as experiments and implementations fail to deliver. Producers of the technology shake out or fail.
Investments continue only if the surviving providers improve their products to the satisfaction of early adopters.

37. Culture change takes time…
Courtesy of: Gov+Memes

38. Strategy
Culture
Structures
Incentives
…but culture is not the biggest fish

39. Thank You!
Twitter:
@RyanAndrosoff
LinkedIn:
ca.linkedin.com/in/
ryanandrosoff