blog.gov.jeI am very aware of the deafening silence on eGov over the last couple of months and hope that this blog will go some way towards keeping you updated.
There is a lot to cover in terms of where the programme currently is, so bear with me.
The last 6 months
After reviewing the direction of the programme, the focus has been on the medium term financial planning process (2016 to 2019). In particular, how eGov will be funded and will influence the change required in the business. Having largely concluded this planning process, eGov is firmly positioned as an appropriate investment, remains funded and is recognised as a significant enabler to transformation. As we move into a difficult financial period, reviewing and challenging all of our budgets has been a priority.
A reminder – in the simplest of terms – of what eGov will do:
- Reorganise services around customers and move them online
- Deliver a more efficient public sector
- In pursuit of the first two objectives, provide stimulation to the local digital industry
These simple statements mask a complex programme which must fundamentally change how the States operates.
How will this be delivered?
We need to establish a new set of capabilities including:
- Strategic business change capability eg
- design authority – which will establish future models for, amongst other things, data and system architecture. This will help move the business towards a more consistent operating model
- portfolio governance – to manage all of the change within the eGov programme
- Strategic technical capability – these are the familiar components e.g. online authentication and customer portal
- Stronger foundations e.g. ePayments – the means by which we collect, allocate and reconcile online payments
Visible change
Whilst critical in order to deliver change, the benefits of the above will not be felt by our customers, staff or politicians in the short term. So we will also deliver a series of enhanced services. We have already initiated over a dozen projects focussing on services, including:
• customs
• health screening
• fault reporting
• pension applications
• parish rates
The services across the States are largely under the Tell us Once banner and include registration of new citizens, businesses, births and deaths. In addition, projects on open government data and information management have also begun. Many of these also test our ability to deliver in different circumstances, for example, the inclusion of services delivered across multiple departments, the parishes and third party organisations, like the JFSC. There is no shortage of opportunity to improve; our challenge in this respect is making the right priority calls.
What next?
We need help in moving through design to delivery and we will secure this through either recruitment, use of professional services or procuring specific support. On this last point we will soon be going to market to establish both Design Authority and Portfolio Governance functions.
As we refresh the plans they will be shared here.
This is where we are in the broadest of terms and there is much I have not covered. If you have any questions, please get in touch via the comments section.
Thanks
Jonathan (eGov Programme Director)