Transforming Government Report

6 key digital transformation recommendations for a modern government

It is no exaggeration to say that the public sector is facing an unparalleled set of challenges. The cost of covid-19 has totalled more than £350bn in 2020/21 alone, as government unrolled support for businesses and individual households, increased welfare spending, and invested heavily in public services to respond to the pandemic. With the immediate threat of the coronavirus beginning to subside, the outlook for the UK remains uncertain, as we begin to deal with the fallout of the biggest shock to our economy for 300 years.

Of course, it’s not all about covid-19. Digital transformation has been on the agenda in government for over 10 years– as evidenced by the establishment of Government Digital Service (GDS), and the range of committed individuals across government working towards making positive change. Yet the arrival of the pandemic has raised the stakes. Government must now respond with urgency to a complex set of issues: safeguarding the future of our country from an individual to a societal level.

The rapid response shown by many government departments to the pandemic has illustrated the power of digital technology, and what can be achieved with the right mindset, talent, and sheer hard work. As a consequence, the coronavirus has raised expectations around the responsiveness, quality and remote delivery of public services, which can now act as a catalyst for wider cultural change in our institutions. This is an opportunity to do things better.

In this report, we identify six key focus areas for government digital transformation:

• Exploring how government can better align policy with digital
• Securing efficiencies with Intelligent Automation
• Building a strong base in cloud computing
• Unlock the power of data
• Tackle online harms
• Making digital services equal, accessible, and environmentally sustainable.

We set out why digital transformation – a combination of the processes, technologies and culture of the digital age – is critical to modern government. Now, more than ever before.