Rise of the Government Digital Service by SJC82

Rise of the GDS – Paper

Rise of the Government Digital Service This paper outlines the origin, nature, and outcomes of the Government Digital Service.

Introduction Launched in 2011, the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) has received global recognition for pioneering the next generation of ‘Digital by Default’ Government services, a remit spanning 700 services, operated by 24 government agencies, 331 agencies, and used by 62 million citizens1. In the UK, the GDS is credited with disrupting a costly and unsustainable IT culture within Government, and bringing a new dawn in the efficient and effective delivery of public services2. Internationally, the GDS has received wide acclaim. Reflecting on the achievements of the GDS, Tim Brown of IDEO has said, ‘The UK is leading the way in using design to create a singular digital service for its citizens3’. Echoing this viewpoint, Tim O’Reilly views the GDS’s ‘Digital by Default Service Standard’ to be the ‘most significant design document in software since the Macintosh human interface guidelines back in the 1980s…the new bible for anyone working in open government’4. As a result, the GDS has been adopted as a model of best practice in digital service delivery. This paper seeks to understand the origins, nature, and implications of the new crop of Government Digital Service initiatives.

Background In 2010, Martha Lane Fox, founder of lastminute.com, was recruited as the UK Government’s Digital Champion and tasked with developing a vision for digital service delivery 5. In her report, ‘DirectGov 2010 and Beyond: Revolution Not Evolution’, Ms Fox outlined the core principles of this vision 6: There has been a reinvention of the Internet and the behaviour of users in the last few years. Digital services are now more agile, open and cheaper. To take advantage of these changes, government needs to move to a 'service culture', putting the needs of citizens ahead of those of departments. This increase in focus on end users should include opening up government transactions so they can be easily delivered by commercial organisations and charities, and putting information wherever people are on the web by syndicating content.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/15/government-digital-service-best-startup-europe-invest www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/15/government-digital-service-best-startup-europe-invest 3 www.seeplatform.eu/images/SEE%20Case%20Study%20-%20Government%20Digital%20Service.pdf 4 http://thegovlab.org/uk-government-digital-by-default/ 5 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/letter-of-appointment-to-martha-lane-fox 2

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/60993/Martha_20Lane_20Fox_s_20letter_20to_20Fr ancis_20Maude_2014th_20Oct_202010.pdf

27 February 2016

Page 1 of 6

Rise of the GDS – Paper

In response, the UK Government formulated the UK Government Digital Strategy, which included a commitment to ‘Digital by Default’7. In this context, ‘Digital by Default’ means transactional 8 and informational9 digital services that:   

Are so straightforward and convenient that all those who can use digital services will choose to do so Allow straightforward access to information and services in times and in ways that are convenient to the users rather than the providers Are more efficient and cost-effective to develop and run

The GDS was established to enable Departments and Agencies to meet the resulting ‘Digital by Default Service Standard’10 through support, advice, and technical expertise11. UK Digital by Default Service Standard12 I. Understand user needs. Research to develop a deep knowledge of who the service users are and what that means for digital and assisted digital service design. II. Put in place a sustainable multidisciplinary team that can design, build and operate the service, led by a suitably skilled and senior service manager with decision-making responsibility. III. Evaluate what user data and information the service will be providing or storing, and address the security level, legal responsibilities, and risks associated with the service (consulting with experts where appropriate). IV. Evaluate the privacy risks to make sure that personal data collection requirements are appropriate. V. Evaluate what tools and systems will be used to build, host, operate and measure the service, and how to procure VI. Build the service using the agile, iterative and user-centred methods set out in the manual. VII. Establish performance benchmarks, in consultation with GDS, using the 4 key performance indicators (KPIs) defined in the manual, against which the service will be measured. VIII. Analyse the prototype service’s success, and translate user feedback into features and tasks for the next phase of development. IX. Create a service that is simple and intuitive enough that users succeed first time, unaided. X. Put appropriate assisted digital support in place that’s aimed towards those who genuinely need it. XI. Plan (with GDS) for the phasing out of any existing alternative channels, where appropriate. XII. Integrate the service with any non-digital sections required for legal reasons. XIII. Build a service consistent with the user experience of the rest of GOV.UK by using the design patterns and the style guide. XIV. Make sure that you have the capacity and technical flexibility to update and improve the service on a very frequent basis. XV. Make all new source code open and reusable, and publish it under appropriate licences (or give a convincing explanation as to why this can’t be done for specific subsets of the source code). XVI. Use open standards and common government platforms (e.g GOV.UK Verify) where available. XVII. Be able to test the end-to-end service in an environment identical to that of the live version on all common browsers and devices. Use dummy accounts and a representative sample of users. 7

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296336/Government_Digital_Stratetegy__November_2012.pdf 8 Transactional services include interactions with the government, from booking driving tests and filing tax returns to setting up a company and applying for a public house licence: everything which involves sharing information, requesting services, buying goods, asking for permission, or paying money. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296336/Government_Digital_Stratetegy__November_2012.pdf 9 Information services cover the publishing of information to help citizens and businesses in their engagement with government. For example, in August 2012, one of the most visited informational pages on Directgov listed the dates of forthcoming public holidays. www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296336/Government_Digital_Stratetegy__November_2012.pdf 10 www.gov.uk/service-manual/digital-by-default 11 www.gov.uk/government/speeches/francis-maude-speech-at-the-world-class-public-services-conference 12 www.gov.uk/service-manual/digital-by-default

27 February 2016

Page 2 of 6

Rise of the GDS – Paper

XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV. XXV. XXVI.

Use analytics tools that collect performance data. Build a service that can be iterated on a frequent basis and make sure resources are in place to do so. Put a plan in place for ongoing user research and usability testing to continuously seek feedback from users. Establish a benchmark for user satisfaction across the digital and assisted digital service. Report performance data on the Performance Platform. Establish a benchmark for completion rates across the digital and assisted digital service. Report performance data on the Performance Platform. Make a plan (with supporting evidence) to achieve a low cost per transaction across the digital and assisted digital service. Report performance data on the Performance Platform. Make a plan (with supporting evidence) to achieve a high digital take-up and assisted digital support for users who really need it. Report performance data on the Performance Platform. Make a plan for the event of the service being taken temporarily offline. Test the service from beginning to end with the minister responsible for it.

Adoption The Digital Transformation agenda articulated in the UK’s Government Digital Strategy and being driven by the GDS has gained traction in countries with similar visions of digital service delivery. The US Digital Service was launched in 2014 with the following ambition13: The U.S. Digital Service is using the best of product design and engineering practices to transform the way government works for the American people. In every corner of government, we join forces with the many passionate and talented tech professionals within agencies who are dedicated to public service. Together, teams of America’s most capable problem solvers are striving to make critical services — like healthcare, student loans, and Veterans' benefits — as simple as buying a book online. The US DS is joined by its delivery partner 18F14, a group responsible for providing on the ground support to Government Agencies and projects15. In addition, in 2015 we have seen the launch of the Australian Digital Transformation Office (DTO), about which the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said16: People need to be able to transact services and access information anytime, anywhere. Like any other service industry, government should design its services in the most user friendly way. Interacting with government should be as easy as Internet banking or ordering a taxi through an app. The DTO will use technology to make services simpler, clearer and faster for Australian families and businesses. Similar moves are underway in the ‘D5’ a group of digitally advanced governments that includes Israel, Estonia, South Korea and New Zealand17.

www.whitehouse.gov/digital/united-states-digital-service https://18f.gsa.gov/ 15 www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/08/11/white-house-launches-u-s-digital-service-with-healthcare-govfixer-at-the-helm/ 16 www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-01-23/establishment-digital-transformation-office 17 www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/d5-london-2014-leading-digital-governments/about 14

27 February 2016

Page 3 of 6

Rise of the GDS – Paper

In Singapore, the IDA has established a Government Digital Team 18, the PSA is due to launch a ‘Digital by Default’ target, and the influence of GDS design principles is clear in online revamps such as that recently completed by the Singapore Land Authority19.

Drivers So what has driven the rapid development of these initiatives? The roots of the UK GDS can be traced to the UK’s Civil Service Reform Plan which sought to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Government operations through the implementation of a ‘service culture’ enabled by digital technology. Launching the Civil Service Reform Plan20, Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude said: Central Government where possible must become a digital organisation. These days the best service organisations deliver online everything that can be delivered online. This cuts their costs dramatically and allows access to information and services at times and in ways convenient to the users rather than the providers. Unfortunately, the UK Government, like others in the US and Europe, has a poor track record in delivering on their digital vision. For example, the UK’s NHS Connecting for Health system, a consolidated information and records system for UK healthcare, suffered cost overruns of over 500%, a series of implementation failures, and was judged to have delivered little clinical functionality before being pulled in 2013 21. The pattern of late delivery, cost overrun, low acceptance, and minimal benefit is echoed in the recent cases of Queensland Health’s payroll application22 and the failed first launch of HealthCare.gov23. Failures of this kind can be traced to the fact that Governments had become over-exposed to a small number of vendors and over-reliant on external expertise to manage the delivery of contracts. Furthermore, through a combination of inertia and lack of competition, Governments and their vendors had failed to track the trend towards ‘Agile, user centric’ development geared to a user group deeply immersed in the new world of ‘SoMoClo’ digital technology. In this context, the development of the GDS, USDS/18F, and DTO can be viewed as a necessary upgrading of Government capabilities to design and deliver digital services that are fit for purpose, efficiently. The fact that the UK and US reached this point first can be explained by their adoption of fierce ‘austerity’ and ‘efficiency’ agendas: the cost of IT failure had become intolerable and the need to access the efficiencies promised by digital service delivery were pressing.

https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2015/01/26/simpler-clearer-australia/ www.sla.gov.sg/ 20 www.civilservice.gov.uk/reform 21 www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-24130684 22 www.businessinsider.com.au/queensland-sues-ibm-over-1b-project-2013-12 23 www.nextgov.com/health/2014/07/obamacare-website-has-cost-840-million/90122/ 19

27 February 2016

Page 4 of 6

Rise of the GDS – Paper

Approach Despite differences reflecting their distinct operating context, the emerging Government Digital Service initiatives bear key similarities. In the UK, US, and Australia, the centralised units are built on a lean start-up model24, operate on a consultative, project-based manner with Departments and Agencies25. An analysis of each reveals a common set of core operating principles that include:    

The use of iterative, collaborative, Agile development methodologies The application of analytics to inform design and manage service performance A preference for open source technology and data to aid collaboration and cut costs Focus on user-centric methods when designing services

Evidence for this approach is provided in the various design manuals and resources provided by Government Digital Services, such as the US Digital Service Playbook26, Usability.gov27, and UK Government Service Design Manual28. US Digital Service Playbook - Understand what people need - Address the whole experience, from start to finish - Make it simple and intuitive - Build the service using agile and iterative practices - Structure budgets and contracts to support delivery - Assign one leader and hold that person accountable - Bring in experienced teams - Choose a modern technology stack - Deploy in a flexible hosting environment - Automate testing and deployments - Manage security and privacy through reusable processes - Use data to drive decisions - Default to open

UK Government Service Design Manual Discovery A short phase, in which you start researching the needs of your service’s users, find out what you should be measuring, and explore technological or policy-related constraints. Alpha A short phase in which you prototype solutions for your users needs. You’ll be testing with a small group of users or stakeholders, and getting early feedback about the design of the service. Beta You’re developing against the demands of a live environment, understanding how to build and scale while meeting user needs. You’ll also be releasing a version to test in public. Live The work doesn’t stop once your service is live. You’ll be iteratively improving your service, reacting to new needs and demands, and meeting targets set during its development.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/15/government-digital-service-best-startup-europe-invest https://gds.blog.gov.uk/about/ 26 https://playbook.cio.gov/ 27 www.usability.gov/about-us/index.html 28 www.gov.uk/service-manual 25

27 February 2016

Page 5 of 6

Rise of the GDS – Paper

Retirement Even the best services may eventually reach retirement. That should be treated with the same care as went into the building and maintaining of that service.

So What? It is clear the ‘Digital by Default’ is the shape of things to come. As a result, stakeholders of the design, development, or delivery of public services must develop their capabilities, specifically:      

Enhancing user centricity Developing Agile capability Prioritising analytics Embracing collaborative innovation Shifting to SoMoClo platforms Favouring open source

In addition, the effect of Government Digital Services can be expected to impact more widely as citizens come to expect organisations to provide simple and effective digital services.

27 February 2016

Page 6 of 6