1. Towards an Ideal Government IT Strategy
Meeting with Right Hon. Jim Knight MP
Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform;
Jerry Fishenden, Centre for Technology Policy Research;
William Heath, Ideal Government
23 March 2010
IDEAL GOVERNMENT

2. Why Crowdsource a Government IT Strategy?
We’re creating
...Because of the value of constructive listening:
- to customers
- to frontline staff
- to geeks who have a different perspective
...Government IT underpins so much
...Its effects are so far-reaching and diverse
something
important.
Let’s design
it well.
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3. Background
First: Idealgits to CIO Ian Watmore in 2004 covered:
- Quick wins (search, RSS, mashups)
- Co-creation and co-design
- How to build a foundation of trust
(graciously received, but to no discernible effect)
Since: - More Gov 1.0 momentum: Transformational Government,
National ID Scheme, central databases
- But much has really changed: Power of Info, data.gov,
Rewired State, MySoc, feedback services
Now: - Digital Britain, Smarter Government; DWP IT strategy
Ideal Government IT Strategy Idealgits 2010
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4. Ideal Government IT Strategy 2010
- Jerry’s original idea put on CTPR/Ideal
Government blogs
- Pinched (with our consent) for
makeitbetter.org.uk
(but we want a “competition of listening”,
not “my crowd > your crowd”)
- Weekly meets since Jan 2010 of diverse
expert group
- Wiki process
- Edited at BCS into current commentable
version
- Participants* include CIO Magazine,
FIPR, the NCC, Intellect, BCS
- Energised and validated by your offer to
hear us today
* Have helped/taken part but no
endorsement is implied
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5. Ideal Government IT Strategy Beta
Sections: - Role of contempory technology in
future public services
- Governance
- Architecture
- Procurement
- Design
- Personal Data
- Public Data
- Identity and Authentication
- Information Assurance and
Cybersecurity
- Participation, openness and trust in
our government process
Red: see details below - Above all: saving money
Green: working quite well
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6. Example: Governance
- IT strategy disconnected from real world
of public-service needs
- Need agility, value, a platform for
redesign and change
- Real participation and contribution at
Board level
1. Implement pre-legislative technology
scrutiny/impact assessments
2. Ensure Whitehall-wide and
departmental board-level capability in
technology policy
3. Provide frameworks that enable self-
organisation (not central command
and control)
4. Incorporate technology policy into the
compulsory curriculum of all senior
civil servants
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7. Example: Architecture
- Is not for its own sake...
- Must meet clear business and policy
objectives
- No such architecture exists in Whitehall
1. Develop an holistic architecture, that
covers functions, processes, people,
org structures & information and
computer systems (hardware,
software and communications
technologies), mapping their
relationships to public service
outcomes.
2. Revitalise the previous approach
to technical architecture and open
standards (such as eGIF). Identify
where it was working and where it
was failing, and then relaunch as a
new collaborative approach, co-
owned and co-led between the public,
private and voluntary sectors.
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8. Example: User-driven Services,
Personal Data and Online Identifiers
Principles: Things to do:
Data minimisation; Entitlement ≠ 1. “Access to online services will be via
identification; personal data shd be range of third-party identifiers”
owned, managed & controlled by the
individual. 2. Develop a “trust framework” of the US
approach
The individual is logical and practical
“point of integration” for data sharing 3. Admit ID Scheme as voluntary online
and personalisation. verification service
4. Service redesign based VPI: health,
education, welfare, census, tax, jobs
5. If it works, set a date to “give personal
data back”
* WH declares an interest 6. Initiate 2 x VPI prototypes across
as founder of Mydex multiple orgs*
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9. What Next?
Suggested starters:
- After Rewired State: Redesigned State
Replicate the US ID trust framework
- VPI community prototype for
September 2010
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10. Written by Jerry Fishenden and William Heath
Designed by Andrew Millar
For evolving story see:
http://idealgovernment.com/category/
what-do-we-want/idealgits-what-do-we-want/
For commentable online version see:
http://comment.idealgovernment.com/
IDEAL GOVERNMENT