1. The document discusses digital transformation efforts at the European Union from both a bottom-up and top-down approach. 2. It describes how the Digital Transformation Team is working methodically and agilely with both broad and narrow scopes to transform services across the entire Commission to be digital by default. 3. The approach involves establishing foundations from the bottom up by conducting user research, mapping user tasks to content, and aligning vision and culture around users, while also showcasing successes from the top down to drive further progress.

1. Digital transformation
at the EU
from the bottom up and the top down
Annie Stewart | annie@noredtomatoes.com | @AnnieStewart

2. THE EUROPEAN UNION

3. THE BRUSSELS BUBBLE

4. THE BRUSSELS BUBBLE

5. THE POLITICAL FACE

6. COMMISSION STRUCTURE

7. THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TEAM
We are here.

8. Briefing
Single user experience - one platform
Relevant to users
Cost effective

9. CONTENT CHAOS

10. Strategy:
“An adaptation that serves an
important function in achieving
evolutionary success.”

11. HOW WE WORK

12. BOTTOM-UP AND TOP-DOWN

13. METHODICAL AND AGILE

14. BROAD AND NARROW SCOPE

15. ENTIRE COMMISSION
5 Digital is at the heart of policy and strategy. Services are digital by default.
4
Senior management have made significant progress re-engineering a range of services to be digital by
default.
3 Digital is seen as a key transformation and advocacy is strong at key parts of the organisation.
2
Some digital services, but often of limited quality. Digital teams in place but tend to be siloed in
business units or service/programme teams and have limited budget and remit.
1
No awareness of digital capability, no resources allocated, no digital strategy, plan or metrics, no
understanding of best practice, no digital services.

16. APPROACH

17. FOUNDATIONS FROM THE BOTTOM UP

18. Own the numbers
› Do your own user research, recruit future testers
› Work with everyone - power in numbers
› Set your own baseline and benchmarks
› Own the metrics and the definition of success

20. Sneaky change management tricks
› Departments identified the tasks they contribute to
› We mapped each task to actual content
› Internal Commission survey

21. Top tasks according to stakeholders:
› Funding, grants, subsidies
› Working in an EU country
› Jobs, traineeships
› Complaints
› About the Commission

23. Main findings
› 80% used Commission websites for work
› Actionable content dominated over people and
institution
› The top tasks were nearly identical regardless of
demographics

24. Sneaky findings
› Surprise! You’re wrong, no arguments …
› Each task is shared by multiple departments
› We know the exact content that maps to each task

25. Next steps:
› Start with creating a common architecture, then focus
on services
› Align vision and culture around correct audience and
positioning
› Create governance around user tasks

26. SHOWCASE FROM THE TOP DOWN

34. UNEXPECTED
CONSEQUENCES…

35. THE SQUEEZE IN THE MIDDLE

36. Top tasks methodology
Teaching the Commission to let users lead
Education
News,
Publications,
Events
EU Regional &
Urban
Investment
Research &
Innovation
About the EU
Food &
Farming
Funding &
Tenders
Business,
economy
Jobs at the
European
Commission
Strategy
Live, Work,
Travel in EU
Statistics
Law Environment
Aid, Human
Rights

42. BETA

43. BETA?

44. Thank you!
keep in touch
Annie Stewart | annie@noredtomatoes.com | @AnnieStewart