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As citizens’ expectations of While investment in e-government has delivering and citizens receiving—these
government have increased, so has the delivered significant benefits, these new e-governance strategies enable
pressure to improve public services. solutions also have limitations when government and citizens to engage
With access to more information than it comes to public service delivery and and partner with each other and
ever before, people are becoming more reform. People are no longer content other stakeholders. In doing so, they
knowledgeable, more vocal about to be passive consumers of services. are leveraging new technologies
their needs and more sophisticated in They expect a different kind of and modifying conventional service
their expectations of how government relationship with their government— provision in innovative ways to create
should meet those needs. At the same one that places individual needs and public value. It is a development
time, of course, governments are under expectations at the heart of public that is gaining momentum as
growing pressure to do more with less. service planning and delivery. This new citizens respond positively to the
Budgets are static or shrinking—even relationship is characterized by the new information, debate and
as citizen expectations and demand for more active involvement of citizens participation that government and
services continue to grow. and other stakeholders in identifying non-governmental community
Over the last decade, public service priorities, influencing decision e-governance tools make possible.
organizations around the world have making, shaping policies, designing
To learn more about what citizens
invested heavily in technologies to services, holding governments
expect and can contribute, the
improve service delivery and realize accountable for results and even
Accenture Institute for Health & Public
cost efficiencies. Collectively known jointly contributing to service delivery.
Service Value has been conducting
as “e-government,” these initiatives In light of today’s changing citizen the Global Cities Forum, an ongoing
were designed to meet a range of expectations, governments have begun international study into how members
organizational challenges—such as developing strategies to not only of the public define “public value” and
improving public access to information enhance efficiency and effectiveness, what they believe government should
and services through online channels; but also to strengthen the relationship be doing to help improve the quality
sharing data within and across between government and citizens. of their lives.1 Launched in 2007, the
organizations; improving the efficiency While e-government has been largely study involves a series of citizen panels
of business processes; and managing
a one-way street—with government in cities around the world. Through
organizational performance.
1
2
these daylong panels, local residents The framework is built around four We consider this type of engagement
discuss and debate their views of components: critical to governments’ ability to
government and public services. During achieve high performance and deliver
1. Outcomes—Focusing on improved
the first phase, we conducted Forums greater public value.
social and economic conditions for
in Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Madrid,
New York, Paris, Singapore and Sydney. citizens—such as health, learning and Over the last several months, we have
In 2008, we continued with panels safety—and not merely on the amount undertaken a follow-up study: an
in Dublin, Oslo, Rome, Tokyo and of services provided or on efficiency. examination of how governments are
Toronto. In 2009, we are conducting using new technologies, and older
2. Balance—Balancing choice and
Global Cities Forum panels in Austin, technologies in innovative ways, to
flexibility with fairness and common
Johannesburg, Mexico City, New Delhi strengthen their relationships with
good, being mindful that narrow
and Rio de Janeiro. citizens and residents and to improve
application of either can widen gaps
the efficiency and effectiveness of
Through the Global Cities Forum, we between those who are able to take
public services. In particular, we
have learned that people do indeed advantage of service improvements
have explored how governments are
want to become more engaged in their and those who are not.
addressing the four components of
governance. They want to be more 3. Engagement—Engaging, educating the Accenture Public Service Value
informed and to have a bigger say in and enrolling citizens as co-producers Governance Framework. From an
how government acts to make their of public value by eliciting their views, operational perspective, we have found
lives better. From that learning, we helping clarify their perceptions that governments are using technology
formulated what we believe to be a and enabling them to make best to enable cross-sector, government-
compelling model for a more active, use of government resources and to wide collaboration by investing in:
trust-based relationship between contribute to improving their own
people and their governments. The • Enterprise-wide data sharing
quality of life.
Accenture Public Service Value through shared information workflows
Governance Framework represents 4. Accountability—Clarifying and standardized data models.
a more publicly engaged model accountability, being more transparent
• Standardized architectures,
of governance, one that connects about government actions and
protocols and applications across
people—as citizens, service users and performance, and facilitating public
agencies.
taxpayers—with those whom they elect recourse by providing accessible means
to lead them and to shape and direct to remedy problems with government • Interfaces that support collaboration
their public services. and public services. between organizations—for example,
dashboards and enterprise search
Together, these highly interrelated
capabilities.
components articulate a relationship
that is about genuine engagement • Enhanced content and record
of people in their governance—not management capabilities to enable
one that is merely about voting in employees from across government to
elections, answering surveys or paying access citizen data in multiple formats.
taxes, as important as these things are.
• Shared business process
management platforms to manage
Accenture Public Service Value Governance Framework complex, shared workflows.
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networking platforms. Some use Engagement Based on our findings and
web 2.0 technologies to maximize • Enabling citizens to engage with recommendations, we also outline
the value of shared information by each other through social networking a set of key practices public service
opening government data vaults to technologies organizations should consider adopting
the public and encouraging them to to drive, shape and manage their
create mash-ups, applications and • Enabling citizens to participate in journey to e-governance:
widgets to solve real-world problems. their governance through digital media
1. Develop a citizen-centric vision of
This study explores the strategic • Educating citizens and encouraging governance
intent that is driving and participation through online training
and learning resources 2. Tailor services and communications
shaping these operational and
to meet user needs and preferences
citizen-facing initiatives. Accountability
3. Strengthen and foster the capacity
We have found that governments • Increasing transparency and
to innovate by creating a sense of
around the world are adopting new accountability by developing web- ownership within the workforce
strategies and adapting old ones based tools to report on results
to better engage the public, deliver achieved 4. Aim for success in terms of
more effective public services and improved service quality and increased
• Enabling citizens to report problems citizen trust in government
enable citizens to participate in their
and resolve complaints through online
governance. Through our research,
channels These practices are central to any
we have identified 10 e-governance government’s ability to strengthen its
strategies that government is using By adopting these strategies, relationship with the people it serves.
to strengthen the governance government and public service They provide important guidance
relationship. Not all governments are organizations are transforming their to public service leaders who seek
implementing all of these strategies, relationships with people from one to achieve high performance and
and some are implementing more of dependency or even cynicism to deliver improved social and economic
rapidly or extensively than others. one of shared responsibility. As this outcomes for citizens.
transformation occurs, governments
Often interlinked and interdependent, Finally, we acknowledge that this
are finding themselves better placed
the strategies can be clustered around study and our learning are works
to deliver improved services and social
the four components of the Accenture in progress. Just as the demands
outcomes that address people’s whole
Public Service Value Governance and contributions of citizens and
life needs. That, in turn, is building
Framework: the responses and tools available to
trust among customers and citizens in
Outcomes the role that government can play in government are evolving over time,
their lives. our work will continue to evolve as
• Focusing performance management
we track governments’ progress in the
on actual improvements in people’s This report elaborates on the findings transformation to e-governance.
social and economic conditions of our first study of the evolution
• Continually improving the customer from e-government to e-governance.
experience by soliciting service user We describe the 10 strategies more
and customer feedback fully and present examples of their
implementation. In keeping with our
• Improving the efficiency and intent—to find ways in which government
effectiveness of public service can actually strengthen governance—
provision we have organized the report around
the four components of the governance
Balance
framework. We describe the components
• Conducting customer segmentation in more detail, outlining some of the
analysis and using customer insight to key themes that underpin each and
target services appropriately providing short examples to illustrate
• Ensuring that more citizens can good practice. It should be noted that
access and use digital media channels the organizations and initiatives we
and providing support to those who feature are, in many cases, demonstrating
cannot progress in implementing more than one
component of the governance framework.
4
Summary of e-governance strategies
The Accenture Public Service e-Governance Strategies Examples
Value Governance Framework
5
2. Focusing on improved outcomes
Today, government is serving to deliver more accessible, higher- To be flexible and responsive,
a customer base that is more quality public services that improve government must place customers’
sophisticated and enlightened. social and economic outcomes. needs at the heart of their service
People’s expectations have risen delivery strategies. They must solicit
Improving the effectiveness of public
in line with the quality of services and use customer feedback as the
services requires government to develop
many private-sector companies basis for meaningful change in the
a deep understanding of citizens’
offer. As such, people expect public delivery of services, integrating
needs and preferences. Only then can
services to be better targeted, more it into their long-term planning,
public organizations design services
personalized, more responsive and service delivery and decision-making
that deliver improved outcomes in the
more efficient than in the past. Even processes.
areas that citizens prioritize. However,
so, they still judge public services
citizens’ needs and expectations are not Achieving a greater level of citizen
on the basis of the outcomes they
constant; they are shaped by changes centricity requires significant
achieve—that is, the actual differences
in personal circumstances as well as organizational change, including
that services make to people’s quality
by major political, economic or social multi-agency collaboration around
of life through, for instance, better
changes over time. While the role of cross-cutting outcomes. This
learning, public safety or health.
government largely remains the same— approach involves joining up public
Through Accenture’s Global Cities to protect, maintain and enhance the services around citizens’ needs
Forum research, we have found welfare of citizens—the outcomes and circumstances or life events—
that citizens are very concerned people expect government to deliver developing collaborative ways of
about government waste and want are more fluid. Therefore, to deliver working across government agencies,
public service organizations to public services that lead to improved nonprofits, businesses, community
ensure that their operations are as outcomes, government must be quick to
groups and even citizens themselves. It
efficient and effective as possible. respond to citizens’ changing needs and
also calls for greater coordination and
By improving the efficiency of deliver flexible public services that can
the integration of policies, program
public services, governments can adapt to changing customer demand.
design and service delivery across
make savings in the back office
multiple organizations.
that can be re-invested in citizen-
facing functions—enabling them
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High-performance public service seeking to deliver dramatically uses dashboards to communicate
organizations are finding ways to improved outcomes for their progress toward these goals and
work together more effectively by constituents and for the citizens they support fact-based decision making.
developing joint visions and strategic serve. Measuring outcomes is not the
same as measuring inputs, processes or Continually improving the customer
plans that reflect shared goals; by
outputs. For example, in a secondary experience by soliciting service user
establishing joint accountability and
school system the number of teaching and customer feedback
governance frameworks; by integrating
their processes, procedures and hours per student is an example of an Our recent Leadership in Customer
information systems; by managing input; the quality of the curriculum is Service study found that high-
budgets and assets in pursuit of a process; the average exam results of performing public service
common goals; and by deploying their students is an output. A corresponding organizations are using customer
staff more effectively across a range educational outcome measure is feedback to improve services, business
of services. To help break down service how many students go on to further processes and customer interfaces—
education or employment. ensuring that these are designed with
silos, organizations are increasingly
turning to web 2.0 and other customers in mind.3 This is enabling
In our 2007 study into how public
information technologies to overcome government to create more effective,
service organizations around the
the cultural, organizational and customer-centric services that meet
world are using performance
technical obstacles to collaboration the real needs of their customers, not
management, we found that some
and enable government to work just of the service provider. However,
public service organizations are
governments are beginning to realize
effectively across organizational beginning to use performance
that to deliver services that are
boundaries. management in a strategic way to
responsive to the needs of citizens,
plan, develop and manage future
e-Governance strategies organizational capability. The
they must develop highly effective
means of soliciting detailed service
Delivering improved social and purpose: to deliver improved social and organization-specific customer
economic outcomes for citizens and economic outcomes rather than feedback so it can be used as the basis
requires public service organizations simply retrospective accountability for long-term planning and service
to deliver services more efficiently and reward.2 This kind of outcome- delivery. As a result, governments
and effectively while realigning their focused performance management are turning to new media, such as
internal operations, decision-making
enables governments to organize government and community websites
processes and organizational values
their activities and budgets around and collaborative social networking
around citizen-centric outcomes. We
the results that matter to citizens; to tools, alongside more traditional
have identified three e-governance
transform public service organizations channels, such as mail and call centers,
strategies government is using to drive
from reactive, inward-focused entities to solicit customer feedback.
the required cultural, organizational
into proactive agencies focused on
and technological change: An increasing number of public
creating greater public value; and to
service organizations are realizing
• Focusing performance monitor how effectively and efficiently
that platforms designed to solicit
management on actual improvements they are delivering outcomes that
customer feedback must be part of
in people’s social and economic improve constituents’ quality of life.
a broader customer service strategy.
conditions
Outcome-focused performance That way, customer input feeds into
• Continually improving the management helps public service long-term planning and makes a
customer experience by soliciting organizations drive enterprise- meaningful difference to the delivery
service user and customer feedback wide cultural change and break of public services. To that end, public
down service silos by encouraging service organizations are developing
• Improving the efficiency and
organizations to collaborate around strategies to interpret, evaluate and
effectiveness of public service
shared outcome targets and by visualize (that is, to represent a data
provision
challenging entrenched working set graphically) customer feedback as
Focusing performance management on practices, organizational boundaries a means of improving services.
actual improvements in people’s social and corporate values. For instance, Improving the efficiency and
and economic conditions the Massachusetts Executive Office effectiveness of public service provision
To create public value, public service of Health and Human Services
Governments are striving to deliver
organizations must translate resources (EOHHS) is using outcome-focused
improved social and economic
into real and beneficial outcomes for performance management to
outcomes for citizens by using
the people they serve. Using these deliver citizen-centric change by
information technology in new ways
outcomes to measure organizational developing cross-agency strategic
performance can make a real to improve the accessibility of public
goals defined around improved
difference, both for governments services and information about
outcomes for citizens. The EOHSS
public services; to reduce the cost of
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interacting with citizens by moving of Canada launched GCpedia, a Develop a compelling citizen-
services online and automating government-wide collaboration centric vision
transactions; to enable organizations platform that is an internal version It is important for public service
to collect, use and share customer of the popular online encyclopedia organizations to provide the public
data more effectively; to enable and Wikipedia. Similarly, since 2006 with a coherent, convincing vision that
reduce the cost of collaboration the United States government has demonstrates the actions government
across government; and to improve used Intellipedia, a platform similar is taking to deliver improved social and
the efficiency of public service to Wikipedia, to share intelligence economic outcomes. An organization’s
organizations’ operations. information between 16 agencies of citizen-centric vision should be
the intelligence community and other encapsulated in a simple statement
Some of the most innovative public
relevant government organizations. that sums up the core benefits to the
service organizations are delivering
Government employees are also customer and persuades constituents
more effective public services by
using social networking technologies that government is committed
using Enterprise 2.0 technologies to
to collaborate and share ideas. For to providing better services and
enable government-wide collaboration
example, GovLoop is a public social improving people’s quality of life.
around cross-cutting outcomes. They
networking site, set up by government A comprehensive communications
are also investing in cloud computing
employees, which connects over 9,000 strategy should then be developed
strategies to improve the efficiency of
government employees, academics and around this vision.
their operations.
contractors from around the world.
This communications strategy will
Traditional approaches to Using the site, they can share ideas,
enable government to better manage
e-government improved the explore opportunities and debate and
the citizen perspective, improve the
accessibility of public services but did discuss issues facing government.
effectiveness of engagement initiatives
little to break down service silos or
Public service organizations are also designed to solicit feedback and
deliver citizen-centric government.
beginning to explore how cloud support future efforts to educate
Public service organizations are and enroll the public as co-producers
computing can be used to improve the
increasingly using new technologies, of public value. Co-production
efficiency and effectiveness of public
and older technologies in new ways, involves citizens and service users
services while providing employees
to enable employees to collaborate contributing their time, skills and
with more computing power at
more effectively, break down service ideas to improve social conditions for
a reduced cost. Cloud computing
silos and join up services in meeting themselves and their communities,
services enable employees to access
customers’ needs. for example, by acting as student
everyday business applications over
Increasingly, public and private the Internet using a web browser. The mentors, as members of community
organizations are using web 2.0 actual software and data is stored on safety associations, or even in
technologies and community servers, rather than on employees’ taking steps to prevent ill health.
tools to improve productivity, desktops. Increasingly, governments Enable and drive collaboration
enable collaboration and support are realizing that although the cost around improved social and
organizational change. Enterprise of implementing a cloud-based economic outcomes
2.0 technologies, such as mashups, desktop strategy may be high, there
To deliver improved outcomes, public
blogs, social networking tools, wikis, are significant potential benefits—
service delivery must use citizen-
collaborative planning software and including reduced capital expenditure
centric rather than organizational
rich Internet applications, are being on IT, hardware and location
or process-driven logic. Organizing
created and used by public service independence, improved resource
service delivery strategies around
organizations. These technologies sharing and scalability.
cross-cutting outcomes is a major
are providing employees with
new collaborative tools, enhanced
Recommendations challenge, in part because it requires
unprecedented collaboration across
enterprise-wide search functionality From our research, we have developed
organizational boundaries that
and data sharing, authoring and idea- four recommendations that we believe
have been reinforced over time by
sharing platforms and real-time access will help public managers drive and
technical, cultural and organizational
to information. shape the organizational, cultural and
developments within agencies and
technical change required to enable
Governments are already using service-silos.
their organization to deliver improved
social networking technologies social and economic outcomes for Breaking down service silos and
to enable and reduce the cost of citizens. enabling multi-agency, cross-sector
collaboration between organizations, collaboration requires investment in
improve information sharing and shared IT systems, common outcome-
encourage innovation. For example, centric governance processes and
in October 2008 the Government
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budgets, and workforce transformation firm senior-executive commitment analyze and evaluate customer
to bring about more collaborative ways to implement the performance feedback to highlight weaknesses
of working. A crucial first step is the management system and see it and then use it in performance
implementation of outcome-focused through to the point where continuing management, decision making
performance management that improvement is realized. and strategic planning to drive
challenges siloed ways of working and improvements in service delivery.
• Design the performance
rewards effective collaboration.
management system, taking into • Government should proactively
Effective outcome-focused account current organizational, solicit customer feedback as frequently
performance management requires cultural and technological enablers as possible. Customers should be
organizations to develop: of and obstacles to change. The new invited to provide feedback at
system should foster and enable any point of interaction with the
• Customer- or user-centric rather integration and collaboration between organization and through a variety
than producer-driven strategic goals the departments or agencies as needed of channels, from a website visit to a
that are aligned to clearly articulated to deliver intended outcomes. face-to-face consultation.
measures of performance developed
around improved social and economic • Plan the roll out of the new • Customers should be able to provide
outcomes. performance management system and input using a number of different
ensure the right infrastructure is in channels—for example, websites,
• Outward-focused processes that place to support the change process. email, traditional mail, face to face,
ensure goals and objectives reflect A dedicated professional team should over the phone and through social
evolving stakeholder expectations, be responsible for implementing networking sites. They should also
political context and organizational the outcome-focused performance be able to track the status of their
capabilities. management system. suggestion or complaint so they are
• Performance objectives that are • Encourage open dialogue about assured that government values and
linked directly to organizations’ organizational results with all acts on their input.
plans and budgets that are based on stakeholders by reporting performance
achieving this year’s policy objectives • Front-office employees should
management findings as transparently
rather than adjusting last year’s actual value customer feedback and view
as local laws and regulations allow.
spending. it as an essential means of gaining
• Use performance-management insights that will help them improve
• Individual employees’ objectives findings to develop organizational the customer experience and overall
and incentives explicitly connected to capability and capacity, to continually service delivery. This may require
organizational goals that cut across learn and to drive future performance a comprehensive training and
the organization. improvement. communications strategy to drive
• Processes that ensure regular cultural change.
Listen to customers
evaluation and reporting of Use new technologies to improve
Putting the customer experience at
performance results. productivity and reduce costs
the heart of public service delivery
• Feedback mechanisms that enable enables government to deliver flexible Reducing the cost to serve citizens
information and analysis from the services that meet people’s needs requires public service organizations to
performance management system to and effect real improvement in their invest in the infrastructure, enterprise
be regularly fed back into strategic quality of life. To deliver more effective architecture and data warehousing
planning, creating a learning loop that public services, organizations must solutions that support Enterprise 2.0
drives continuous improvement. solicit customer feedback, use it technologies while adopting cloud-
strategically to drive improvements in based desktop strategies that give
Although there is no universal model
for the implementation of outcome- service delivery and then evaluate their employees enhanced computing power
focused performance management performance in terms of improved at reduced cost. With this approach,
systems across different sectors outcomes. government employees can collaborate
and organizations, all successful more effectively in the delivery of
We have identified five key practices
implementations will: personalized public services that
that public service organizations
meet customers’ complex needs and
• Define the corporate mission should consider when developing
maximize operational efficiencies.
(around citizen-centric government) initiatives and online tools designed to
Organizations can then channel back-
and strategic targets (around solicit customer feedback:
office and IT savings into citizen-
outcomes) that the new performance facing services.
• Customer feedback should be
management system will seek to
viewed as a valuable strategic asset.
achieve. This approach will help to
Public service organizations should
secure active political support and
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3. Balancing choice and common good
Through our Global Cities Forum study, It falls to government to balance the families requiring the most help. Public
we have learned that people want demand for increased choice and service organizations recognize that
governments to tailor service provision flexibility with fairness and common because people’s needs continually
to meet the wide range of needs good. Governments can achieve that change in response to life events and
across the population. People are balance by striving for equality of altered circumstances, the services
increasingly accustomed to private- outcomes for all constituents—that is, they offer must be dynamic and
sector services that respond flexibly ensuring that everyone has the chance flexible. Only then can they deliver
and discriminatingly to their individual to experience the same social and improved outcomes for customers
demands. They see little reason why economic conditions, or at least similar with the most complex needs. To
government cannot do the same. For improvements in those conditions. To deliver flexible and personalized
example, as service users, people want achieve this, governments must strive public services, government is
more choice in the type and means of to become better informed about employing more sophisticated means
service delivery: better public transport what the people they serve want and of developing customer insight. With
and improved roads, services available need, and put in place services and that insight, government is better
in person and online, a wider choice service delivery mechanisms that are positioned to distribute resources and
of schools and doctors and more responsive, connected and aligned tailor service delivery strategies around
convenient service hours. to those wants and needs. Then they customer need-profiles.
However, people also want must respond by targeting services
Of course, equality of outcomes is also
government to strive toward fairness and resources appropriately, ensuring
influenced by the way in which people
and equality. Although they want that those who have the greatest need
are able to interact with government.
everyone to have more choice, they receive the most help and those who
As the use of web 2.0 technologies
recognize that without support, are most able to help themselves have
becomes more widespread, the citizen-
some people—those who are not as the opportunities and means to do so.
government relationship is moving
highly skilled or educated or as highly To achieve more equal outcomes, online. Through community and
equipped because of lack of income— governments are thinking about how government-run web sites that utilize
will be unable to exercise that choice to personalize and tailor services ever more sophisticated
and thus will be comparatively worse
around the needs of individuals and
off as a result.
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technologies, citizens and government and use of personal information, by reducing the time taken to assess
are able to hold online “conversations.” government has to guarantee the customers’ needs and eligibility for
However, the web 2.0 revolution is security and integrity of the customer support; supports cross-government
leaving some behind and widening data it holds. To that end, public service and cross-sector collaboration
the digital divide; those who are not organizations are investing in advanced as organizations responsible for
computer literate and those without data security systems and implementing different outcomes share customer
access to a broadband connection or stringent data-handling policies. data; and enables organizations to
a PC are not able to engage in online tailor service delivery mechanisms
Government is employing a wide and communication strategies to
dialogue with government or to access
variety of methods to develop a better reflect the true needs of citizens.
online services and information. As
understanding of people’s individual In some cases, public service
more services and information move
needs. Customer segmentation organizations are striving to achieve
online, the challenge will become
and customer insight management this by implementing shared customer
increasingly acute. Whereas some will
solutions are two of the most common. intelligence systems, business
be able to conduct all of their business
with government online and access Customer segmentation processes and information workflows
information in minutes, others will be that enable enterprise-wide sharing of
Customer segmentation enables
forced to interact with government face customer data.
public service organizations to
to face or over the phone, leading to better understand the needs of How organizations use customer
dramatic inequalities in the accessibility different customer groups. With that insight to deliver more personalized,
of services and information. understanding, organizations can flexible public services varies across
tailor services and communications government; there is not a single
e-Governance strategies strategies to meet those varying needs. service delivery model that government
Technology can enable government In private industry, companies conduct is using to manage customer insight
to deliver more personalized, flexible value-based segmentation; in the effectively. However, regardless of the
and effective public services. We have public sector, organizations undertake context, public service organizations
identified two e-governance strategies detailed, needs-based customer are striving to develop service delivery
government is using to help provide segmentation studies. Depending models that:
equality of access and outcomes for all on the context, these needs groups
constituents and so effectively balance may be defined demographically, • Enable collaboration across
choice and flexibility with fairness and geographically, by income or in government and sectors.
common good: terms of life events, such as losing
• Encourage an organization or multi-
a job, moving or having children.
• Conducting customer agency team to take ownership of
Regardless of exactly how customers
segmentation analysis and using individual cases.
are categorized, public service
customer insight to target services
organizations should have a detailed • Facilitate fact-based decision
appropriately
understanding of the needs groups making in which customer insight is
• Ensuring that more citizens can they serve and use it as the basis for the basis for all decisions regarding
access and use digital media channels long-term strategic planning and eligibility and service delivery.
and providing support to those who service delivery.
Ensuring that more citizens can access
cannot
Customer insight management and use digital media channels and
Conducting customer segmentation Customer insight is more than just providing support to those who cannot
analysis and using customer insight to each customer’s demographic, contact Governments around the world are
target services appropriately or service-use data; it is an in-depth, developing comprehensive digital
Government is trying to develop shared holistic understanding of a customer’s inclusion strategies that are supported
customer relationship management needs, circumstances, characteristics, by a network of public and private
systems to help organizations capture preferences and behaviors based on organizations from different sectors.
and share valuable data from every an analysis of patterns of enquiry and The majority of digital inclusion
customer interaction. The goal: to service use. Effective customer insight strategies aim to increase broadband
ensure that this customer insight is management involves public service penetration, ensure that all citizens
as detailed as possible and includes, organizations collecting, standardizing, have regular access to a PC and deliver
for example, any significant change evaluating, visualizing and sharing training programs to increase computer
in circumstances or major life events; customer insight across government literacy. A major complicating factor for
information regarding the services and to enable organizations to build a government is the correlation between
payments the individual receives from detailed picture of their customers digital exclusion and social exclusion;
government agencies; and details of and to target resources effectively to citizens who are digitally excluded
past service requests and interactions meet their needs. Effective customer usually suffer from multiple forms of
with government. However, given the insight management also improves disadvantage and thus are most in need
public’s concerns over the collection the accessibility of public services of effective, personalized and flexible
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public services. As a result, government consider when conducting customer guidelines may impact potential
has to appropriately tailor digital segmentation as a means of achieving data-sharing solutions. Moreover,
inclusion initiatives to target socially more equitable outcomes for citizens: given the public’s concerns around
excluded and hard-to-reach groups. the security and appropriate use of
• Services should be organized and
personal information government holds,
Governments are also turning to grouped around the different customer
public managers should engage citizens
cell phone technology as a means segments and their needs, rather
and ensure they understand how
of ensuring that as many citizens as than around organizations’ internal
data sharing will improve their public
possible can access public services, structures. People know themselves
services and what steps are being taken
and information about public services, and their needs, but they do not
to safeguard their personal information.
quickly and easily. For example, necessarily know which service they
governments in Bahrain, South Korea, require or which part of government Consider the accessibility and
Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, provides it. Government services usability of web 2.0 technologies
Malaysia and the Philippines all should be made as intuitive and before investing in new citizen-
provide residents with services that customer centric as possible. facing websites
can be accessed through web-enabled It is difficult for any individual
• Public service organizations should
cell phones and SMS messages. public service organization to
strive toward greater self-service
tackle the digital divide. Digital
Recommendations and “lighter-touch” customer service
inclusion programs are outside most
for those who are most able to help
In an effort to deliver more equal organizations’ mandates and decision
themselves or present least risk. This
outcomes, and in the face of different makers are rarely in a position to
enables public service organizations
levels of demand and need, public invest in initiatives that are not
service organizations are striving to to channel resources into helping
customers with the highest levels business critical. Even so, public service
provide more personalized, targeted organizations cannot ignore the issues
and effective public services. For of need and so improve equality of
outcomes. Low-risk customers should surrounding digital exclusion.
customers who have the most
complex needs or are least able be moved to self-service options such Before launching new websites
to help themselves, public service as electronic services, pre-populated and investing in digital media
agencies are developing innovative forms, automated renewals, self- channels, public service organizations
service delivery models and finding assessments and self-certification, should consider the accessibility of
new ways of generating, analyzing, where appropriate. Organizations bandwidth-intensive platforms that
interpreting, sharing and utilizing should offer a more comprehensive
utilize video-streaming and web 2.0
customer data and customer insight. service for those customers who
technologies as those constituents
Moreover, governments are investing have greater need or present a higher
without a broadband connection
in platforms and initiatives to improve risk than the majority—for example,
will be unable to access them.
the accessibility of online services in-person assistance or dedicated
Public service organizations need
and citizen engagement forums for customer liaisons to individuals or
to provide citizens with a range of
digitally excluded citizens. Through segments identified as requiring extra
help. More thorough assessments and online and offline channels through
our research, we have developed three which they can access services and
recommendations for governments audits should be provided to those
most at risk of non-compliance. engage government. Offline channels
seeking to deliver more equal
may include “one-stop-shops,”
outcomes to constituents. Incentivize and enable organizations surgeries, citizen juries, surveys,
Develop appropriate customer to share and maximize the value of customer call centers, SMS portals
segmentation strategies customer insight and town-hall meetings that operate
Government should collect customer Where appropriate, individual customer in conjunction with online channels,
data, conduct customer segmentation data should be shared across public such as e-governance portals, forums,
analyses and use customer insight service organizations. It should also e-commerce sites, online town halls
to tailor services, inform channel be used to personalize customer and government gateways. Moreover,
strategies and target marketing interactions and offer additional by identifying customer segments,
and communications. In doing services based on known eligibility government can tailor messages and
so, government can improve the and need. Effective data sharing channels to target specific needs-
accessibility and effectiveness of requires investment in common IT profiles, enabling government to
public services for customers with the systems and information workflows, engage and deliver services to hard-
most complex needs while delivering as well as cultural and organizational to-reach groups.
more equal outcomes. change. However, it is important
for public managers to consider
In our recent Leadership in Customer regulatory and legislative guidelines
Service research, we suggested a that limit information sharing between
number of points for government to government agencies and how these
14
4. Engaging, educating and enrolling
citizens as co-producers
15
16
starting to make an unprecedented • Educating citizens and federal terms and conditions. These
amount of government data, and encouraging participation through agreements provide federal agencies
an increasing number of public online training and learning and providers with standardized
services, available online through resources service agreements both parties can
non-governmental sites. This sign, enabling the federal government
Enabling citizens to engage with
“socialization” of government data and to use popular media technologies
each other through social networking
services is driving significant changes to engage citizens and distribute
technologies
in the channels through which information about public services.
government and citizens interact. Web 2.0 technologies have the
potential to transform the relationship Enabling citizens to participate in their
Increasingly, citizens can choose
that citizens have with government governance through digital media
to access information and services
from a variety of providers, both and with each other. The dramatic Technology-enabled participation
governmental and private. As a result, growth in the number of people using is at the heart of the emerging
government is no longer the only social networking sites has led to a governance relationship. Government
agent capable of creating public value. significant increase in citizen-to- is striving to provide citizens with
Increasingly there is evidence that citizen communication, engagement channels through which they can
new “intermediaries,” such as popular and collaboration. This growth in effectively communicate and partner
social networking, e-commerce and social networking has resulted in the with government in the creation of
community sites, are better placed formation of virtual citizen networks public value. Government is using
to disseminate information about through which individuals discuss and Information and Communication
public services, report on public debate issues facing government, share Technologies (ICT) to enable citizens
service outcomes, solicit citizen input, information about government and to tell public service organizations
educate people about how to improve public services, petition government, what they need and what they think
their own lives or make better use of build applications and mashups about a range of issues—from school
public services and enable citizens to that improve the accessibility of closures and hospital standards to
collaborate to deliver public value. government data and public services, public-sector reform and cost-cutting
and work together to improve social measures. Public service organizations
How should government relate to and economic conditions in their local can use this citizen feedback to drive
these emerging intermediaries? If communities. improvements in service delivery
government adopts a traditional and as the basis for communications
approach and assumes that it has Government is developing strategies
strategies to shape citizens’
a responsibility to deliver all public to effectively engage these virtual
perceptions of government. This level
services and host all government data, citizen networks because they
of participation involves government:
then public service organizations enable government to enter into co-
may discourage citizens from using productive relationships with citizens • Soliciting and acting on citizen
these intermediaries by developing who are enthusiastic about working feedback
competing governmental citizen with public service organizations
• Managing the citizen perspective
participation tools. However, if to deliver public value; to solicit
government assumes that its primary citizen feedback more efficiently and Soliciting and acting on citizen
responsibility is to deliver public effectively; and to engage traditionally feedback
value, then government may chose hard-to-reach groups. Soliciting citizen feedback is
to work with these intermediaries Although the growth in social becoming a priority for public
as valued partners that should networking presents government service organizations. Doing so
be supported and encouraged to organizations with a range of enables government to understand
play a role in engaging citizens. opportunities, there are a number of how citizens define public value
regulatory obstacles they must strive in particular contexts and what
e-Governance strategies outcomes people want public service
to overcome if they are to effectively
Government is adopting three organizations to prioritize. Citizen
utilize external social networking
main strategies to capitalize on the feedback also allows government to
sites. The federal government in the
developments outlined above: judge how well its constituents think
United States is already addressing
this problem. In early 2009, the it is performing and is a valuable
• Enabling citizens to engage with
General Services Administration source of innovation. Government
each other through social networking
(GSA) signed agreements with four is starting to use social networking
technologies
video-sharing and social networking sites and web 2.0 technologies
• Enabling citizens to participate sites—Flickr, Vimeo, blip.tv and to solicit citizen feedback and
in their governance through digital YouTube—to establish pre-negotiated develop a deeper understanding of
media service agreements that comply with citizens’ changing expectations.
17
Public service organizations are Educating citizens and encouraging will help public managers maximize
challenged to interpret, evaluate participation through online training the value of citizen engagement,
and visualize citizen feedback so it and learning resources education and enrollment to their
can be used as the basis for long- Government is using new technologies organization.
term planning, service delivery and digital media channels to develop
improvements and setting of Develop a comprehensive citizen
online training and learning tools
outcome targets. One of the main engagement strategy
for citizens. These learning tools
problems government faces is the are being developed for a variety of Engagement initiatives should be
often contradictory and ill-defined reasons. First, by educating citizens part of a comprehensive engagement
nature of citizen feedback. Putting about public services in their local strategy that is aligned with the
the citizen perspective and citizens’ community, government ensures that organization’s strategic goals; that
needs at the heart of public services citizens are aware of what services links all initiatives designed to engage,
is not easy when it is so difficult they are entitled to and how to access educate and enroll the public; that
to define what citizens expect them, improving the accessibility and ensures continuity of message and
and want from government. effectiveness of public services. purpose across engagement activities;
and that demonstrates how citizen
Managing citizens’ perceptions Second, government is using online participation and feedback will add
Government is also thinking about training and learning resources value.
how new technologies can help to enable citizens to enter into a
manage citizens’ perceptions and discussion with government about The channels and techniques used
expectations. Accenture’s Global Cities public value and public services by: to engage, educate and enroll the
Forum research and the Accenture public will vary across organizations.
Citizen Experience Study4 highlight • Giving citizens insight into However, we believe that all citizen
the importance of citizens’ perceptions government operations engagement strategies should:
in informing their judgment on the • Making the public aware of the • Develop a sound business case.
performance of government. It seems challenges government faces, including Doing so ensures that engagement
clear that organizations that manage financial, regulatory, legislative and programs are cost effective and
the citizen perspective effectively are organizational factors that affect support broader strategic objectives. A
perceived to perform better by the operations business case should clearly define the
citizens they serve.
• Increasing people’s awareness of business need for citizen engagement
Traditionally, government has existing strategies to improve service and include key objectives,
struggled to manage citizens’ delivery and efficiency and reduce costs performance indicators and critical
perceptions effectively, leading to success factors for the initiative.
unsubstantiated accusations of waste, Third, through citizen learning sites
and public information campaigns, • Set up processes to review,
inefficiency and ineffectiveness often
government is giving people the evaluate and overcome organizational,
perpetuated by the media. Web 2.0
technologies present governments capacity to partner with government regulatory, cultural and technical
with an unprecedented opportunity in the production of public value. obstacles to citizen engagement and
to bypass the media and directly participation.
engage citizens in a more mature, Recommendations • Establish a robust and flexible
reasoned and productive discussion Public service organizations are governance structure to enable
about the strengths and shortcomings striving to enable citizens to become organizations to effectively collaborate
of government. In this way, public more involved in their governance in the planning, delivery and
service organizations can, for the first by investing in innovative citizen evaluation of citizen engagement
time, play an active role in shaping engagement platforms that use initiatives. From the beginning, all
citizens’ perceptions of government multiple digital media channels to partners participating in the strategy
by providing the public with instantly enable a dialogue between citizens should agree on key performance
accessible, intelligible information and and government; by developing a indicators, funding arrangements,
analysis—enabling a more balanced presence on popular social networking oversight and reporting mechanisms,
and objective debate in which citizens sites; and by launching online training project management processes and an
are able to consider government’s and learning resources to provide organizational structure.
perspective. citizens with the knowledge they need
to engage government in a meaningful • Develop a communications strategy
way and partner with government and performance management
in the creation of public value. From process that will drive the cultural
our research, we have developed four change required within public
recommendations that we believe service organizations to ensure that
18
employees from different organizations • Incorporating social networking Use citizen feedback strategically
proactively collaborate in the design technologies into existing applications Citizen participation can be a valuable
and delivery of engagement programs; can be technically challenging. source of innovation and input to the
that employees at every level of organization’s strategic direction if
Proactively manage customers’
the organization understand how feedback is analyzed and visualized
expectations and perceptions of
important citizen engagement is to effectively—enabling it to be included
government
their organization and view it as a in the decision-making process and
critical part of their work; and that Citizens’ perceptions of public services
used as the basis for improvements in
key stakeholders remain committed to greatly influence their judgment
service delivery.
citizen engagement in the long term. of government’s performance. New
technologies enable government to A crucial first step is for government
• Create standards and reporting bypass the media and directly engage to develop effective frameworks and
mechanisms to ensure that partner citizens in a more objective discussion models for structuring and interpreting
organizations have the business about what they expect from their citizen feedback. These frameworks
processes and technical solutions public services. Alongside citizen may be based on a core set of
required to respond to citizen feedback engagement initiatives, government principles that define an organization’s
and use it as the basis for meaningful can use training and learning programs approach; for example, a police
change in the delivery of public services. to manage citizens’ expectations, force may structure citizen feedback
Consider public service opinions, attitudes and behavior. around accountability, transparency,
organizations’ relationships with approachability and engagement.
These training and learning initiatives
online “intermediaries” Conversely, these frameworks may be
will largely be shaped by an
based on sector-specific outcomes;
Many online citizen engagement organization’s overall strategic goals
for example, health care organizations
channels, such as groups on social and the political, social, economic
may structure citizen feedback around
networking sites, are not owned and organizational context in which
primary, preventative, geriatric,
by government. Public service they are developed. However, all
pediatric and emergency care. From a
organizations can support these government training and learning
technical perspective, public service
sites as valuable citizen engagement initiatives should fulfill the following
organizations require effective data
channels and/or develop government- criteria. They should:
sharing, data management and data
owned digital engagement channels to
• Have a clear set of objectives that visualization solutions to ensure that
compete with or complement them.
support broader strategic goals. intelligible, actionable citizen feedback
One strategy open to government is able to flow up the organization to
• Be supported by a robust business
is to develop a presence on popular decision makers.
case.
social networking sites. These
sites present public managers • Be informed by customer
with a range of opportunities for segmentation analysis to ensure
soliciting real-time citizen feedback, messages and media channels are
engaging constituents and improving tailored and targeted to reach specific
the accessibility of government customer segments.
information. However, public service
organizations must manage the • Be built around a concise and easy
potential risks and drawbacks of to understand set of messages that
creating a presence on popular social can be effectively conveyed using the
networking sites: media channels available.
19
5. Improving accountability and
transparency
The findings from our our Global Cities Governments around the world dialogue between citizens and
Forum research have shown that are striving to give the public government. In the past, government
people are demanding much greater unprecedented access to the data they could speak from a position of
transparency and accountability hold. From crime figures and school authority to citizens who lacked
from government. Transparency is exam results to civil servants’ salaries sufficient information to engage
especially important with regard to and spending figures, government is government in a meaningful dialogue
tax expenditure, where the absence pushing data into the public domain and debate about public services.
of easily accessible information fuels as never before. While governments Today, the increased availability of
perceptions of waste and inefficiency already produce a great deal of data helps to eliminate the traditional
and has the potential to undermine information, some forward-thinking information “imbalance” between
public trust. governments and public service government and the public, ensuring
organizations are taking innovative that people are well enough informed
People want government to provide
approaches to maximizing the value to influence government decision
them with information that enables
of this information. The key challenge making if they wish to get involved.
them to scrutinize government’s
for government is how to visualize this
activities, to determine how efficiently In particular, people want more
data effectively so people can interpret
and effectively government is spending regular reporting of government
and use it. Government is beginning to
public money and to hold government spending and outcome-specific
use mashups as a means of visualizing
accountable for the results achieved. performance data—results that show
the huge amounts of data now
The results from the citizen survey how government is improving people’s
available. In some cases, governments
conducted as part of the recent quality of life. By making performance
are running “idea contests” that
Leadership in Customer Service study and spending data available for
encourage people to design their own
show a strong relationship between public scrutiny and informing
mashups to visualize government data.
citizens’ perceptions of government people about policies, programs
accountability and their overall trust in Making data available not only and services actively and regularly,
government. increases transparency and enables government can engage citizens and
greater accountability, but it also other stakeholders in thinking about
encourages a more open and equitable organizations’ performance. Moreover,
20
21
by involving citizens in establishing, Web 2.0 technologies and social media web-based transparency and
implementing and evaluating measures are changing the way citizens raise accountability tools that make public
of performance, governments can service requests and report problems. service organizations’ spending
foster a broader awareness and sense Government and private organizations and performance data open to
of ownership among citizens and a are launching websites that enable public scrutiny. These web-based
willingness to act as co-producers. As citizens to report problems, request transparency and accountability tools
a result, improving the transparency of services, send feedback or make are designed to provide up-to-date
public service organizations’ spending a complaint in seconds without information that enables citizens to
and performance is fast becoming a knowing which agency should receive understand how government spends
priority for government. their request or complaint. The main public money, how budgets and
challenges for government are to spending priorities are decided and
The public is also seeking consistent
ensure that service requests are how effectively organizations use
and accessible means to voice their
acknowledged and services provided public money to deliver high-quality
views, concerns and complaints and
efficiently and effectively, problems public services that improve people’s
to remedy problems with government
are remedied as quickly as possible quality of life.
when they occur. However, our
and citizens’ complaints are addressed.
Leadership in Customer Service citizen These tools enable citizens to
Failure to respond appropriately to
survey highlighted the prevalence visualize and interpret complex data
service requests can have a detrimental
of unexpressed and unresolved sets and provide individuals with
impact on citizens’ perception of
frustrations in people’s ability to the information necessary to form
government’s performance—making
request services and to register and fact-based opinions, arguments and
people less willing to engage with
resolve their queries or complaints. suggestions. They can share these
government and partner with public
Many citizens simply do not know views with each other and with
service organizations in the creation of
where to go or whom to call or write public service organizations, thereby
public value.
to about an erroneous or missing influencing decision making and driving
benefit payment, poor hospital e-Governance strategies improvements in service delivery.
treatment or unsatisfactory customer To increase transparency and To develop these web-based
service. Worse still, the inaccessibility accountability, government is investing transparency and accountability
of recourse can have an impact on in programs that open up public tools, government first needs to
the equality of social and economic service organizations’ spending, ensure that effective reporting and
outcomes. If complaints systems are performance and decision-making oversight processes are in place at
opaque, complex and burdensome, processes to public scrutiny and every level. Although the majority of
only the most knowledgeable, enable citizens to report problems to public service organizations already
persistent and articulate in society will government and raise service requests have effective reporting and oversight
be able to complain and have their more effectively. processes, problems emerge when
concerns addressed.
there are dramatic changes in an
We have identified two distinct
Government must therefore provide organization’s spending, structure or
strategies government is using
the means for all citizens to report function. For example, at the time of
to increase transparency and
problems and request services as writing, federal and state agencies
accountability and facilitate public
easily and quickly as possible. These in the United States are planning to
recourse:
service requests are the most direct roll out new reporting and oversight
interaction between citizens and • Increasing transparency and processes to track stimulus funds and
government. As a consequence, accountability by developing web- make this information available to the
government’s ability to fulfill them based tools to report on results public through Recovery.gov and state
has a significant bearing on the achieved stimulus sites.
governance relationship. While online
• Enabling citizens to report Enabling citizens to report problems
service request forms and email
problems and resolve complaints and resolve complaints through online
addresses can be used to report
through online channels channels
problems to government, they are
often insufficient as they require Citizens want a simple, easy-to-use
Increasing transparency and
citizens to find out which organization and effective means of reporting
accountability by developing web-
is responsible for the service. What’s problems they encounter in their day-
based tools to report on results
more, they do not always allow to-day lives and requesting services
achieved
citizens to track the status of issues from government. The overwhelming
To improve citizens’ trust in majority of public service organizations
they have raised.
government and enable them to provide some sort of online channel
participate in their governance for both, usually through online service
effectively, government is developing
22
request forms or email. The most Invest in effective reporting and • An educational, engagement and
effective online channels: oversight mechanisms training component to enable citizens
Improving transparency requires to develop a deeper understanding of
• Are shared between as many
organizations to provide the public government spending priorities and
organizations as possible, enabling
with up-to-date, accurate spending strategies, interpret financial data
citizens to report problems to
and performance data, which requires and acquire a better understanding of
government using a single site.
government to invest in enhanced organizations’ operations.
• Enable citizens to track the status reporting systems that enable this Prior to designing and developing
of issues they have raised and make it data to be collected, shared, stored, transparency and accountability
clear to citizens which organizations analyzed and visualized efficiently and websites, government should engage
are responsible for remedying effectively. Enterprise applications businesses, civil society organizations,
problems. that generate procurement, spend NGOs and the public to ensure that
• Are widely publicized to raise and performance analytics and deliver demand for them exists, that they
awareness of how to seek redress. enhanced business insight are an make relevant information accessible,
integral part of the solution. However, and that they are user friendly and
Increasingly, though, citizens are these technologies must be supported encourage citizen participation. At the
also reporting problems through new by a broader organizational and cultural same time, public managers need to
sites, such as communityfix.com change program through which new consider how their organization and
and fixmystreet.com in the United reporting policies, more transparent workforce will be affected. With that
Kingdom, which are often built by ways of working and greater levels of insight, they should take steps to ensure
private businesses or nonprofits. These accountability are introduced. that employees remain motivated, that
sites use web 2.0 technologies to
they can see the difference they make
enable citizens to upload photographs Ensure citizen-facing
and be encouraged to innovate, and
of problems (for example, potholes) transparency and accountability
that they remain focused on delivering
and send them to government in tools are fit for purpose
public value.
place of detailed written explanations. Successful web-based transparency
They also allow people to identify and accountability tools should have Make as much government data
problems on a map and report three main elements: publicly available as possible
problems without necessarily knowing Providing the public with government
which organization is responsible • A function that allows users
data that can be scrutinized and
for remedying them. These sites are to view detailed performance or
used in data mashups can improve
becoming increasingly popular because return on investment (ROI) statistics transparency, affect people’s
they dramatically reduce the cost to by government agency, category, perception of government, increase
the citizen of reporting problems to geographic area or, most importantly, their willingness to partner with
government and requesting services. cross-agency outcome target. government in creating public value
Including ROI or performance metrics, and improve the accessibility of public
Recommendations and specifically outcomes and outputs, services. Moreover, by making the
Public service organizations are taking alongside financial data enables huge amount of data government
steps to be more directly accountable citizens to evaluate how effectively holds available to the public, the
to the public and to report more government is spending public money. value of this data can be maximized
transparently on their spending and The tools should provide citizens with as individuals create innovative
performance through web-based up-to-date, accurate spending and applications and mashups that solve
transparency and accountability tools performance information that can be real-world problems and improve
that enable citizens to understand compared over time or contextualized quality of life.
how, where, why and how effectively in some other meaningful way.
government is spending public money.
• A user-friendly interface that allows
They are also empowering citizens
users to search for specific spending
to report problems, find solutions to
and payments information and
problems and request services more
understand the data returned. Graphs
quickly and easily. We have developed
and charts enable users to view and
four recommendations that we believe
interpret data easily, particularly if
will improve the effectiveness of these
they can choose how to present the
initiatives and allow public managers
data through interactive graphics.
to provide the strategic direction and
leadership required to maximize the
benefit of these projects.
23
Encourage citizens to report
problems and request services
Government’s ability to address
citizens’ concerns can have a
significant impact on the governance
relationship. Governments should
provide citizens with an easy-to-use
online channel through which they
can report problems, request services
and make complaints about a range of
organizations and issues. Government
should follow up with citizens once
an issue has been raised, and citizens
must be able to track the status of
their issue and government’s response.
We are seeing a rise in the popularity
of non-governmental websites that
enable citizens to report problems
to government and request services.
In some cases, these sites are
more efficient and effective than
government’s own online channels
(such as email and service request
forms). Government should not
necessarily try to replicate these sites
since community-built sites are likely
to be more popular than government
sites. Rather, government should
develop strategies to engage and
support these sites as a means of
providing citizens with more effective
ways of reporting problems and
requesting services, while reducing the
cost to government of developing and
hosting such websites.
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6. The journey to e-governance
Progress toward e-governance Regardless of these differences, we view of service users. Public service
varies significantly across and even believe organizations should adopt organizations should develop a vision
within countries. Some public service four key, interrelated practices to of citizen-centric governance that
organizations have developed effective successfully exploit innovations in translates these “generic” aspects
e-governance strategies that are technology and strengthen their of citizen centricity into specific,
having a dramatic impact on the relationships with citizens: high-level outcomes and meaningful
governance relationship. Others are strategic goals that can drive
just beginning to explore how they • Develop a citizen-centric vision of
organizational change.
can use technology to strengthen a governance
particular aspect of their relationships To become more responsive to the real
• Tailor services and communications
with constituents. needs of all citizens, public service
to meet user needs and preferences
organizations must develop flexible
Through our research, we have found
• Strengthen and foster the capacity service delivery mechanisms and
that just as every organization is
to innovate by creating a sense of effective enterprise tools that enable
different, so, too, are their journeys to
e-governance. Some are the result of ownership within the workforce front-office staff to assemble networks
long-term reform initiatives. Others of service providers around citizens’
• Aim for success in terms of
grow from departmental service needs. Enterprise resource planning and
improved service quality and
improvement efforts or as responses business process management solutions,
increased citizen trust in government
to external political pressures. Still for instance, enable citizen-centric
others are driven by a genuine demand Develop a citizen-centric vision of public services by providing decision
from citizens to participate in their governance makers with enhanced business insight
governance. Moreover, organizational Citizen-centric government is and greater control over the flow of
factors—including structure, service resources and information. However, to
responsive to the real needs of all
delivery arrangements, governance deliver more responsive, flexible public
citizens. It is open, transparent and
systems, risk tolerance, embedded services, these IT solutions must be
accountable; enables citizens to
ways of working and even funding part of a broader change program to
participate in their governance and
arrangements—can have a significant establish a customer-centric culture in
impact on an organization’s journey to improve their own quality of life;
and adopts a whole-person, holistic the front office. This change program
e-governance.
25
26
should provide staff with enhanced frequency. Targeting services and performance management systems,
client service skills and a comprehensive communications effectively requires the value they create for citizens
understanding of service delivery public service organizations to define by developing innovative solutions
mechanisms. and identify user profile groups and focused on improving outcomes.
customer segments and to use this To give employees greater
Realizing open, transparent and
customer insight to inform flexible responsibility for the efficiency and
accountable government requires
service delivery strategies. effectiveness of operations and
decision makers to invest in reporting
and performance management To deliver more personalized services service delivery, decision makers must
systems that enable the effective and targeted communications, public commit to cultural transformation.
collection, analysis and visualization of This transformation requires a move
service organizations should identify
operational, spending and performance away from traditional and highly
customer segments based on registered
data. This information must then centralized, hierarchical organizational
preferences, patterns of inquiry and
be made available to the public. structures toward flatter, more
service use, as well as socioeconomic,
bottom-up, decentralized structures.
Organizations can do so through web- demographic and geographic factors. These structures encourage and
based transparency and accountability Organizations should use this analysis empower employees to take ownership
tools developed via a collaborative, to redefine service delivery and of the programs, deliverables and
user-centric design process to ensure communications strategies. To achieve business processes with which they
they are user-friendly and provide the this, organizations’ customer service are involved. Such an approach
public with relevant information about strategy must inform most aspects of calls for an emphasis on training,
results achieved. operational planning—from performance learning and continued professional
Enabling citizens to participate in and talent management to IT strategy development for front-office and
their governance and improve their and business process management. back-office staff at every level
own quality of life is becoming of the organization. Through this
To maximize the benefit of customer emphasis, organizations can ensure
easier with the growth in social segmentation, public service that employees have the knowledge
networking and web 2.0. Using organizations need to develop effective required to suggest and implement
popular social networking sites, rich customer insight management and process and service improvements.
Internet applications and other web case management systems that
2.0 technologies, citizens can engage, enable enterprise-wide data sharing Empowering the workforce to
coordinate and collaborate with each and collaboration. These IT systems innovate also requires organizations to
other and with government as never deliver enhanced content management invest in enterprise 2.0 technologies
before. Public service organizations that enable employees to develop
capabilities and, when integrated with
should develop comprehensive citizen applications and mashups, author
the existing Customer Relationship
enrollment strategies that outline content to share learning across the
Management infrastructure, enable
how they will use new technologies organization, collaborate through
organizations to maximize the value of
(probably alongside more traditional informal channels and access real-time
every customer interaction and deliver data. To maximize the value of internal
citizen engagement methods) to more personalized customer service. crowd sourcing and new community-
enable citizen participation and to
Strengthen and foster the based software development models,
encourage citizens to take a greater
capacity to innovate by creating decision makers at the top of public
role in improving quality of life for
a sense of ownership within the service organizations need to open
themselves and their communities.
workforce up the decision-making process
Citizen enrollment strategies must to employees at every level and
also demonstrate how greater public To maximize the benefits of new encourage them to contribute.
participation will contribute to technologies and adapt to meet
improvements in social and economic citizens’ changing expectations, Aim for success in terms of
outcomes for constituents. public service organizations must improved service quality and
build the capacity to innovate. To increased citizen trust in
Tailor services and that end, public service organizations government
communications to meet user must encourage employees to From the outset, organizations should
needs and preferences take greater responsibility for the define the success of e-governance
Service users want to be able to efficiency and effectiveness of strategies in terms of both improved
access customized services tailored to information workflows, businesses service quality and enhanced citizen
meet their individual needs. Similarly, processes, programs and delivery trust in government. The journey
citizens want government information channels; enable their workforce to e-governance is as much about
and communications to reflect their to take risks, generate ideas and strengthening the relationship with
personal preferences in terms of share learning; and demonstrate citizens as it is about creating high-
media channel, design, content and to employees, through effective quality public services.
27
Organizations’ e-governance strategies from government and how successfully performance. This entails managing
should include high-level key citizens believe government actually citizens’ expectations through effective
performance indicators (KPIs) around fulfils these expectations. In our engagement and communications,
improvements in service quality and global research project, the Accenture as well as improving the efficiency
efficiency. At the same time, public Citizen Experience Study, we found and effectiveness of public services.
service organizations should aim to that the gap between citizens’
As the technologies advance—from
gauge the effects of improved service experience of public services and
web 2.0 today to web 3.0 tomorrow
quality and accountability on public expectation of government is not
and beyond—their impact on public
trust. Our Leadership in Customer merely a consequence of the level of
services, government organizations
Service research has shown a strong service quality. Citizen perception can
and governance itself will continue to
correlation between increased be influenced positively or negatively
evolve. More governments will turn
accountability and trust in government by the extent to which government
to new technologies as they develop
and the potential benefits to be gained engages them in a discourse about
innovative strategies to enable greater
from increased willingness of the what is and is not possible in
citizen participation, deliver improved
public to participate and act as co- service delivery. Yet frequently, we
social and economic outcomes for
producers are immense—politically and have found, government does not
their constituents and create public
economically. do enough to make that discourse
value. Meanwhile, as technology
meaningful, despite the availability
At present, the great majority of public continues to change the way people
of new technologies to provide
service organizations around the live, it will also change the tools they
more regular and informed ways of
world are already measuring success use to connect with each other, the
communicating with the public.
in terms of improved service quality. expectations they have of government
Relevant KPIs include transaction cost To increase public trust and and the demands they place on
and customer satisfaction. Trust in confidence in government, public public services. As new technologies
government, however, is much harder service organizations must develop change providers’ capabilities
to measure. At one level, citizen trust e-governance strategies that aim and customers’ expectations, the
can be quantified by measuring the to narrow the gap between citizen journey to more effective forms
gap between what citizens expect expectations and government of e-governance will continue.
References
1
www.accenture.com/gcf
2
http://www.accenture.com/Global/Research_and_Insights/Institute_For_Public_
Service_Value/ManagingValue.htm
3
http://www.accenture.com/Global/Research_and_Insights/Institute_For_Public_
Service_Value/2008LCSROutcomes.htm
4
www.accenture.com/aces
28
About the Accenture Institute for About Accenture
Health & Public Service Value
Accenture is a global management
The Accenture Institute for Health consulting, technology services and
& Public Service Value is dedicated outsourcing company. Combining
Accenture Institute for Health & to promoting high performance in unparalleled experience, comprehensive
Public Service Value Project Team the health care sector and in public capabilities across all industries and
service delivery, policy-making business functions, and extensive
Giles Randle
and governance. Through research research on the world’s most successful
Researcher
and development initiatives, the companies, Accenture collaborates
Julie McQueen Institute aims to help health care and with clients to help them become
Director of Research public service organizations deliver high-performance businesses and
Greg Parston better social, economic and health governments. With approximately
Director outcomes for the people they serve. 177,000 people serving clients in more
Its home page is www.accenture.com/ than 120 countries, the company generated
healthpublicservicevalue. net revenues of US$23.39 billion for
the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2008.
Its home page is www.accenture.com.
ACC09-1315
Focus on Outcomes
United States:
EHSResults! Massachusetts
Executive Office of
Health and Human
Services
e-Governance strategy:
Focusing performance management on actual improvements in
people’s social and economic conditions
Background Wellness and Quality of Health Care
The Executive Office of Health and Human • Ensure access to care
Services is the largest Massachusetts
Commonwealth secretariat and is • Advance health care quality
responsible for delivering a variety of
services ranging from family services • Contain health care costs
(including adoption, fostering and child
welfare) to health insurance and disability • Promote individual wellness
services. These services are delivered by
16 Executive Office of Health and Human • Promote healthy communities
Services agencies, including Medicaid
and the Departments of Public Health Safe Communities
and Children & Families. EOHHS has a • Surveillance—Monitor key indicators of
budget of $13.5 billion, 48% of the state’s safe communities
budget, and 23,000 employees.
• Preparedness—Develop infrastructure to
support safe communities
Solution Overview
The Executive Office of Health and Human • Prevention—Deliver proactive and
Services has launched EHSResults!— targeted services to individuals, families
an outcome-focused performance and communities
management strategy—to improve the
efficiency of its operations and the • Intervention—Intervene where needed to
effectiveness of the services it delivers. As ensure safety of individuals, families and
part of the EHSResults! initiative, teams communities
made up of employees from all 16 EOHHS
agencies worked together to define a set
of secretariat-level, cross-agency strategic
goals defined around improved outcomes
for citizens:
Jobs and Self Sufficiency These strategic outcome targets are Highlights
• Increase accessibility and then mapped to Executive Office • Strategic goals are clearly linked
diversity of available jobs for of Health and Human Services to outcome-focused performance
targeted residents through policy priorities for the financial year targets at different levels of
and employer outreach and agency-specific goals and government, including agency-
outcome targets. Performance specific performance targets and
• Provide employment support dashboards ensure that progress indicators.
services for targeted adults toward strategic priorities, goals
and agency-specific targets is • Strategic goals were developed
• Maximize number of targeted transparent. through a collaborative process
adults who move toward self- in which all agencies affected by
sufficiency and independence The Executive Office of Health the new outcome targets are able
through employment and Human Services is using to contribute.
EHSResults! to drive organizational
• Successfully transition EOHHS improvements, create a citizen- • Performance dashboards are used
youth entering the workforce centric culture and achieve high- to demonstrate and communicate
performance public service by: success to decision makers and
Effective Government the workforce.
• Provide client-centered customer • Establishing a reporting and
service tracking mechanism that explains
clearly and simply what EOHHS
• Develop and maintain a high- has accomplished and creates
performance workforce visibility at all levels into desired
outcomes and EOHHS progress
• Improve internal efficiencies
• Providing a management
• Increase efficiencies and quality tool that demonstrates and
of the Purchase of Service system communicates success both to
EOHHS executive management
Educating Kids in Our Care and to the agencies; works across
agencies with goals and outcome
• Ensure access to education-
measures that provide multi-
related programming, services
agency perspective; and focuses
and opportunities for children
budget and resource discussions
and youth in EOHHS care
on desired results instead of
• Maximize school attendance and simply on dollars.
engagement for children and
• Creating a performance
youth in EOHHS care
management culture that focuses
• Maximize stability in education on cooperative efforts to deliver
programs for children and youth outcomes citizens care about;
in EOHHS care enables agencies to make the
case for findings and change; and
• Maximize educational success clarifies connections between
for children and youth in EOHHS agency and secretariat priorities.
care
United Kingdom:
Public Service
Agreements
e-Governance strategy:
Focusing performance management on actual improvements in
people’s social and economic conditions
Background indicators that will be used to measure
Public Service Agreements (PSAs) are progress toward each Public Service
“key priority outcomes the Government Agreement. A subset of indicators also
wants to achieve.” The United Kingdom has specific national targets or minimum
standards attached, and details are set
government first introduced PSAs in 1998
out in the relevant delivery agreement.
after the Comprehensive Spending Review.
In 2008, the Public Service Agreement
Originally, there were 600 performance
framework was reshaped to reflect
targets for 35 areas of government. In
government’s changing spending priorities
2005, government started working with
during the economic downturn.
frontline professionals, the public and
external experts to renew the performance
Since 2000, Local Public Service
management framework. Those efforts Agreements, now called Local Area
resulted in the launch of 30 new Public Agreements-Reward Element, have
Service Agreements in 2007. become increasingly common. These
agreements are designed to encourage
Solution Overview local government to focus on outcomes
Collectively, Public Service Agreements and reward local government agencies
form a comprehensive set of outcome- that deliver improved social and economic
focused performance targets that are outcomes for their constituents. Local
supported by a limited number of Area Agreements-Reward Elements are
performance indicators. Each Public agreements between individual local
Service Agreement is underpinned by a authorities and central government
single delivery agreement shared across all that “set out an area’s commitment to
contributing departments and developed delivering improvement targets, chosen
in consultation with delivery partners and by themselves and central government.”
frontline workers. Delivery agreements The agreements also state central
set out plans for delivery and the role government’s commitment to rewarding
of key delivery partners. Public Service those improvements and how central
Agreements also describe the small basket government will assist the authority in
of national outcome-focused performance achieving them.
Public Service Agreement Framework 2008—2011
Fairness and opportunity A better quality of life Stronger communities A more secure, fair and
for all • Improve the health and • Build more cohesive, environmentally sustainable
• Halve the number of wellbeing of children and empowered and active world
children in poverty by young people communities • Lead the global effort to
2010-11, on the way to • Improve children and • Make communities safer avoid dangerous climate
eradicating child poverty young people’s safety change
by 2020 • Deliver a more effective,
• Tackle poverty and transparent and responsive • Secure a healthy natural
• Raise the educational promote greater Criminal Justice System for environment for today and
achievement of all children independence and victims and the public the future
and young people wellbeing in later life • Reduce poverty in poorer
• Reduce the harm caused
• Narrow the gap in • Promote better health and by alcohol and drugs countries through quicker
educational achievement wellbeing for all progress towards the
between children from low- • Reduce the risk to the UK Millennium Development
income and disadvantaged • Ensure better care for all and its interests overseas Goals
backgrounds and their peers • Deliver a successful from international terrorism
• Reduce the impact of
• Increase the number of Olympic Games and conflict through enhanced
children and young people Paralympic Games with a UK and international efforts
on the path to success sustainable legacy and get
more children and young
• Address the disadvantage people taking part in
that individuals experience high-quality physical
because of their gender, education and sport
race, disability, age, sexual,
orientation, religion or belief
• Increase the proportion of
socially excluded adults in
settled accommodation
and employment,
education or training
Help people and businesses come through the downturn sooner and stronger, supporting long-term economic growth and prosperity
Deliver commitments by the National Economic Council to help people and businesses come through the downturn sooner and stronger,
including packages on repossessions, apprenticeships, business access to finance and help for the unemployed.
• Raise the productivity of the UK economy
• Improve the skills of the population, on the way to ensuring a world-class skills base by 2020
• Ensure controlled, fair migration that protects the public and contributes to economic growth
• Promote world-class science and innovation in the UK
• Deliver reliable and efficient transport networks that support economic growth
• Deliver the conditions for business success in the UK
• Improve the economic performance of all English regions and reduce the gap in economic growth rates between regions
• Maximize employment opportunity for all
• Improve long-term housing supply and affordability
Singapore:
Reaching Everyone for
Active Citizenry @
Home (REACH)
www.reach.gov.sg
e-Governance strategy:
Continually improving the customer experience by soliciting
service user and customer feedback
Background Citizens can:
REACH was set up in October 2006 as
part of a major change program around • Submit a general feedback form
the restructuring of the Singaporean that REACH directs to the relevant
government’s feedback unit. REACH organization.
proactively engages citizens and enables
• Complete an e-consultation paper if
them to enter into a more interactive
they know which agency they would like
relationship with government by providing
to register feedback with.
the public with simple, effective and
accessible means of registering their
• Participate in online discussion forums
feedback about any service, policy or issue.
and blog about government and public
services.
Solution Overview
REACH is responsible for collecting and • Submit online questionnaires about
soliciting citizen feedback, reaching out their experiences of public services,
and engaging citizens and promoting proposed changes to services or policy
an active citizenry by enabling citizen and issues facing government, directly
participation. Citizens can use REACH’s to government agencies.
website to provide feedback about any
government agency, public service or policy.
Highlights
• The REACH website includes
a community element that
enables residents to discuss
their experience and opinion
of public services with each
other. This community element
enables government to capture
more in-depth feedback and
encourages more citizens to
contribute to ongoing discussions.
Dubai:
eComplain System
www.ecomplain.ae/Main.aspx?Lang=EN
e-Governance strategy:
Continually improving the customer experience by soliciting
service user and customer feedback
Background can also track the status of their feedback
The Dubai Government is trying to improve online or over the phone. Dubai’s
the quality of public services by enabling government leverages customer feedback
customers to voice their concerns directly to drive continuous service improvement
to public service organizations and using as part of an overall strategy to achieve
their feedback to change the way public excellence in public service delivery.
services are delivered. The principal aim
of the eComplain system is to “provide a "Any form of grievance can have an
solid platform for customers to make their impact on the integrity of any government
voices heard and acted upon. We want the department and hence it is important that
departments to listen to their customers, these concerns are addressed promptly.
to solve their problems and benefit from The integrated contact center provides
them in the continual improvement and an easy, centralized and more efficient
development of services.” platform for government departments
to generate feedback from the public
and subsequently identify areas for
Solution Overview development and improvement. In
Dubai’s eComplain System enables addition, this initiative provides a direct
customers to provide feedback on the and user-friendly facility that allows
service they have received from any one residents to air their views and be heard in
of 22 government departments. In March a proper forum by concerned authorities."
2009, the eComplain system and the Ask
Dubai call center were integrated into a Moza Al Akraf, Acting Director of
single e-customer platform that provides eServices, Dubai eGovernment
customers with a single point of contact
through which they can register feedback
on any of Dubai’s government agencies.
Customers can provide feedback online, on
the phone, via email or by fax. Customers
Highlights
• The Dubai government views
customer feedback as a valuable
strategic asset that enables
decision makers to identify areas
of poor performance and drive
improvements in service delivery.
Canada:
GCPedia
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
United States:
GovLoop
www.govloop.com/
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
United States:
Cloud Computing in the
District of Columbia
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
United States:
FEMA Risk MAP
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
Australia:
Australian Tax Office
Change Program
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
Italy:
Magellano
www.magellanopa.it/
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
Finland:
Finnish Immigration
Services
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
Italy:
Linea Amica
www.lineaamica.gov.it/
e-Governance strategy:
Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision
United Kingdom:
Northumberland County
Council and Mosaic
Public Services
e-Governance strategy:
Conducting customer segmentation analysis and using customer
insight to target services appropriately
Background The council has used Mosaic to:
Mosaic Public Services is a lifestyle
classification system that enables • Develop more effective communication
government in the United Kingdom to strategies. By mapping the geographic
segment its constituents into 61 lifestyle distribution of lifestyle types across
types and 11 groups: from “Happy the county and considering the
communication methods that people
Families” (younger families living in newer
in each classification respond to best,
homes) to “Welfare Borderline” (people
the council has been able to develop
living in social housing with uncertain
targeted communication strategies
employment in deprived areas) and “Grey
tailored to reach specific lifestyle types.
Perspectives” (independent older people
with relatively active lifestyles). This
• Identify gaps in service provision
segmentation is based on over 900 different and predict the impact that changes
variables from a diverse range of data in service delivery will have on
sources, including the Census, the British certain areas by identifying areas in
Crime Survey and the Index of Multiple which high-need lifestyle types are
Deprivation. The Mosaic classification concentrated and service provision is, or
has been validated through extensive may become, inadequate.
surveying across the United Kingdom.
Highlights
Solution Overview
• Classification systems like Mosaic are an
Northumberland County Council modified effective basis for a customer segmentation
the mosaic classification system and added strategy; they enable organizations to
three new groups to ensure that rural identify needs groups and tailor services
lifestyle types common in the area are and communication strategies to meet the
adequately represented. This segmentation needs of customer segments.
methodology has been applied to the
services that Northumberland County • Northumberland County Council has used
Council provides—for example, council tax, the customer insight derived from customer
welfare benefits and refuse. Figures have segmentation to drive improvements in
been generated showing the level of need service delivery and customer service.
that each lifestyle type has for the various
services that the council provides. Copyright © 2009 Accenture
All rights reserved.
Balance
Canada:
WelcomeBC
www.welcomebc.ca
e-Governance strategy:
Conducting customer segmentation analysis and using customer
insight to target services appropriately
Background The main aims of the WelcomeBC project
Until 2008, when new immigrants were to:
arrived in British Columbia they had to
use a series of complex, disparate online • Improve access to information, programs
resources to access information and and services for immigrants to BC,
services that facilitate the immigration potential immigrants, their families,
and settlement process. The province sponsors and immigrant-serving
decided that given the social and agencies.
economic benefits of immigration, the
• Allow for streamlined access to
process of settling in British Columbia
information on services and programs
should be much easier. To this end,
from all levels of government
the province created WelcomeBC.ca, a
and relevant community-based
comprehensive, one-stop website for
organizations.
information on immigrating to British
Columbia. WelcomeBC.ca is designed
• Ensure that the website provides client-
to make it easier for immigrants
centered, rather than producer-centered,
and potential immigrants to access
information.
information, services and programs from
all levels of government and relevant
• Translate the information needs
community-based organizations.
of the client segments and related
communities of interest into business
requirements.
Australia:
STRONG Families
Western Australia
e-Governance strategy:
Conducting customer segmentation analysis and using customer
insight to target services appropriately
Background The inquiry concluded that current services
In 2001, the Premier of Western Australia were unable to adequately address the
launched an “Inquiry into the Response escalating rates of family violence and
by Government Agencies to Complaints child abuse in Aboriginal communities
of Family Violence and Child Abuse in and articulated a community-focused
Aboriginal Communities.” The inquiry was systemic response. In Western Australia,
prompted by the findings of a coroner's the government’s response to the Gordon
investigation into the death of a 15-year- Inquiry’s recommendations resulted in
old girl. The investigation raised questions state-wide expansion of the STRONG
about the response of various government Families Program. The program is based
departments and other agencies to on the Strengthening Families strategy
allegations of physical and sexual abuse. developed and implemented nationally in
New Zealand.
The investigation, later termed the Gordon
Inquiry, examined the activities of state Solution Overview
government agencies in addressing STRONG Families is a planning and
complaints and the reporting of sexual coordinating process for families who
abuse in Aboriginal communities; are receiving services from two or more
identified the barriers and capacity of states agencies and it is considered that
government agencies to address the issue a formalized, interagency approach will
of family violence, particularly child sexual help the family achieve desired outcomes.
abuse in Aboriginal communities; proposed The aim: to join up public services around
support measures for children reporting the needs of families who are least able to
abuse; and considered current research help themselves and have the highest level
into the prevalence, causes and solutions of need.
to Aboriginal violence.
The organization’s approach recognizes
that the problems experienced by many
families are complex and inter-linked,
and that these problems cannot be solved
by one agency alone, or by agencies
working in isolation. The STRONG Families
approach also recognizes that there Highlights
are many barriers to bringing about • STRONG Families is built on the
coordinated and collaborative assumption that to effectively
services for families with complex support families with the most
needs and seeks to overcome complex needs, organizations
organizational and cultural barriers must collaborate to deliver
to collaboration. personalized, tailored public
services that correspond to the
To overcome these organizational needs of individual families.
challenges and fulfill families’
complex needs, STRONG Families • To enable cross-government
has developed a flexible Process collaboration and fulfill families’
Flow that enables agencies to complex needs, STRONG Families
coordinate and tailor their services has developed a flexible process
to meet the needs of the family. flow that enables agencies
To ensure the families’ needs to coordinate and tailor their
remain at the heart of service services based on customer need.
delivery and to facilitate regular
communication between • To ensure the families’ needs
government and the family a remain at the heart of service
single “lead agency” is appointed. delivery and to facilitate regular
This agency is not responsible for communication between
delivering services but coordinating government and families, a
the work of other organizations and single “lead agency” is appointed.
acting as a single point of contact This agency is not responsible
for the family. for delivering services but
coordinating the work of other
organizations and acting as
a single point of contact for
families.
United States:
NYC 311
e-Governance strategy:
Conducting customer segmentation analysis and using customer
insight to target services appropriately
Background Solution Overview
Before 2003, residents of New York City In 2003, the city launched the NYC 311
looking for government assistance were Customer Service Center: a centralized,
confronted with more than 4,000 entries all-purpose call facility. It is accessible
on 14 pages of the NYC telephone book, through the simple-to-remember 3-1-1
and more than 40 resource-intensive call phone number, which is answered by a
centers were required to direct inquiries to live operator who quickly directs callers
the right city offices. This had a significant to the information or resources they
impact on the accessibility of public need at any time of the day or night. This
services and prevented the city from single, integrated communication channel
offering residents flexible, personalized manages all of the city’s non-emergency
customer service that reflects their needs service and information requests. The
and circumstances. principal aim of NYC 311 is to increase
the accessibility of public services and
enable the city to offer more personalized
customer service and information—
enabling residents to easily interact with
city agencies to receive information, file
complaints and resolve issues.
The Customer Service Management Highlights
System (CSMS) is the technical • NYC 311 improves the
solution that supports Customer accessibility of public services
Service Representatives (CSRs) in while enabling the city to deliver
the 311 Citizen Service Center. more flexible, personalized
CSMS is a customized customer customer service that reflects
relationship management tool citizens’ preferences, needs and
that incorporates a searchable circumstances.
knowledge base that includes
information dealing with more • CSMS allows CSRs to adopt a
than 7,000 aspects of the city's segmented case management
government; an interagency approach to customer service
work order routing and tracking whereby lighter-touch customer
system; and an enterprise content service cases can be dealt with
management platform that as quickly as possible, enabling
provides CSRs with a single point CSRs to concentrate time and
from which to create, manage, resources on managing more
approve and deploy content that complex cases.
is shared across the organization.
CSMS not only allows CSRs to find
relevant information and respond
to citizen requests more quickly,
it also enables them to offer more
flexible and personalized customer
service by supporting government-
wide collaboration and data sharing
and by providing enhanced case
management capabilities.
Sweden:
Försäkringskassan
e-Governance strategy:
Conducting customer segmentation analysis and using customer
insight to target services appropriately
Background Solution Overview
Försäkringskassan is the Swedish Försäkringskassan has launched a new
government’s social insurance provider. customer service strategy designed
Social insurance covers everyone who to increase customer satisfaction and
lives or works in Sweden. It provides reduce costs by delivering more flexible,
financial protection for families and personalized customer service that
children, for persons with a disability and reflects the needs and preferences of
in connection with illness, work injury the customer. One of the main aims is
and old age. As a result, Försäkringskassan to eliminate unnecessary face-to-face
serves a wide range of customers with meetings with citizens who are most able
very different needs, preferences and to help themselves while moving a greater
circumstances—from teenagers and proportion of customer service cases to
people out of work to the elderly and more efficient self-service channels (where
people caring for disabled children. appropriate).
Lithuania:
Windows to the
Future Alliance
e-Governance strategy:
Ensuring that more citizens can access and use digital media
channels and providing support to those who cannot
Background and businesses both within and outside the
In 2002, some of the largest business in Windows to the Future Alliance.
Lithuania collaborated with the Lithuanian
Ministry of the Interior to launch the One of the most successful initiatives
Windows to the Future Alliance. The goal: the alliance has launched so far is the
to “promote the use of Internet in Lithuania, “Computer Literacy Basics for e-Citizens”
and thus raise the standard of life of the project. Between 2006 and 2008, over
country's population, increase the country's 50,400 people were coached and tutored
competitiveness in Europe and the world.” to use computers. More than 85% of those
The alliance “supports the development of an tutored—mainly 40- to 59-year-olds living in
information society” in Lithuania by: small regions and towns—now use their own
PC at home and are sharing their knowledge
• Providing public Internet access points with family and friends. Training courses
were offered in 2,938 classrooms and 181
• Stimulating the growth of e-services PIAPs. In all, the project involved more than
400 trainers. The training initiative cost €2.7
• Increasing computer literacy and million and was funded by the Windows to
enabling citizens to use the Internet the Future Alliance and the European Union
through the European Social Fund.
The Alliance receives funding on a project
by project basis. So far, its various projects Highlights
have been funded by the European Union, The Windows to the Future Alliance is
the Lithuanian government and various successful at tackling digital exclusion
businesses both within and outside of the because it enables businesses and
Windows for the Future Alliance. government to collaborate in the planning
and delivery of digital inclusion strategies.
Solution Overview This collaborative approach has enabled
Between 2002 and 2008, the Alliance the Windows for the Future Alliance to
established over 800 Public Internet Access deliver a well-resourced, easily accessible
Points, the majority of which are in rural and effective e-citizen training program
areas where broadband penetration is while increasing broadband penetration.
relatively low. This project was funded by the Copyright © 2009 Accenture
European Union, the Ministry of the Interior
All rights reserved.
Balance
Malaysia:
MySMS
www.mysms.gov.my/
e-Governance strategy:
Ensuring that more citizens can access and use digital media
channels and providing support to those who cannot
Background The MySMS online portal supports MySMS
The Malaysian Government is trying users and features Member Registration,
to improve the accessibility of public FAQs, Types of Services, List of Agencies,
services and information by using ICTs to Training Manual, Promotions, Feedback and
enable the public to access information a blog. Through mySMS, citizens can access
and services online, over the phone and general information about an agency, such
through mobile devices. It is estimated as the addresses and telephone numbers
that of Malaysia’s 27 million people, of particular offices; request documents
24 million have access to a cell phone and forms that will be sent to the user’s
whereas only 16 million have access to email address; and access their personal
the Internet. information held by different agencies
including “examination results, application
status and personal profiles.” To access
Solution Overview personal information, users must be
In July 2008, the Malaysian Administrative registered with the agency that holds that
Modernization and Management Planning information.
Unit (Mampu) launched MySMS, a
single number (15888) to which citizens
can send an SMS message. In doing so,
citizens can access more than 1,500 SMS
services from 86 agencies—including
the police, Road Transport Department,
Ministry of Education, Ministry of
Higher Education and local councils.
Highlights
• Providing citizens with a single
gateway through which they can
access information and services
from multiple agencies makes it
easier for citizens who are less
able to help themselves interact
with government and may well
improve the overall customer
experience.
Singapore:
CPF Board
m-Ambassadors
e-Governance strategy:
Ensuring that more citizens can access and use digital media
channels and providing support to those who cannot
Background The CPF Board has invested in a range
Singapore’s Central Provident Fund of online and offline engagement
(CPF) Board is a comprehensive national and empowerment initiatives—from
social security savings plan. It not only interactive online games to e-counters
provides savings plans for retirement, in walk-in government offices designed
but also for home ownership, health to educate and enable citizens to plan
care and more. CPF currently has around for a secure retirement. However, by its
3.2 million members; of those, around very nature, the organization has a broad
1.6 million are actively contributing and diverse customer base. Exemplifying
to their plans. The mission of the CPF an organization with cradle-to-grave
Board is “to enable Singaporeans to relationships, the Board serves customers
save for a secure retirement,” while of all ages—from the very young to the
its vision is to be “a world-class social very old. It also serves all sectors of
security organization providing the best society—from the affluent to the poor.
national savings scheme for Singaporeans One of the CPF Board’s key challenges,
to enjoy a secure retirement.” therefore, is to differentiate its services to
meet the diverse needs of all its customers
and to engage and adequately serve all
sections of society.
Solution Overview Highlights
To engage, educate and empower • The CPF Board is using the
individuals who are less able to m-ambassador program to deliver
take advantage of online tools more equal outcomes by reaching
or who prefer face-to-face out to deliver services, educate
service, the CPF Board employs and empower traditionally hard-
mobile Customer Service Officers to-reach groups.
(CSO) or “m-ambassadors.” The
m-ambassadors may visit people in • The m-ambassador system
their homes if they have contacted enables the CPF Board to channel
the call center to report difficulties resources into meeting the needs
they are facing or if the CPF Board of citizens who are least able to
has identified them as being eligible help themselves—allowing the
for payments they have not claimed. organization to maximize the
The m-ambassadors also hold value of strategies designed to
community road shows to educate reduce the cost of serving those
customers and give them the customers who are able to take
opportunity to use online services. advantage of online, self-service
m-ambassadors use Ultra Mobile tools.
Personal Computers (UMPCs) and
connect to the Internet through the
Wireless@SG service, Singapore’s
free nationwide Internet service
based on wireless zones. This
enables them to deliver CPF services
anywhere in Singapore and in any
location—from shopping malls to
private homes.
United Kingdom:
MySociety.org
www.mysociety.org/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to engage with each other through social
networking technologies
Background Solution Overview
An increasing number of charities and MySociety is a charitable project that
businesses are building participatory “builds websites that give people tangible
democracy and citizen engagement benefits in the civic and community
websites that use web 2.0 technologies aspects of their lives.” MySociety also
to enable citizens to participate in their aims to “teach the public sector, through
governance and engage with one another. demonstration, how to use the Internet
MySociety is a United Kingdom site that most efficiently to improve lives.”
uses social networking technologies to MySociety uses an extensive network
enable people to engage with each other of online volunteers connected through
in new ways—for example, by creating a variety of social networking media
sites that enable citizens to collaborate including blogs, RSS feeds and Twitter to
and launch community projects that build effective citizen-participation tools.
improve social and economic outcomes These tools are improving people’s quality
in their neighborhood; providing people of life and changing the relationship
with a forum for real-time debate and between citizens and government.
discussion; and connecting people so they
can contribute to the design and delivery
of participatory websites.
Since 2004, MySociety has Highlights
launched a number of websites • As a charity, MySociety connects
that enable people to participate in citizens—enabling them to
their governance and engage with collaborate in the creation of
each other in new ways including: websites that allow people to
participate in their governance
• WriteToThem.com is the and engage with each other in
only website in the United new ways.
Kingdom that people can use
to contact any of their elected • Government organizations such
representatives. WriteToThem has as the Ministry of Justice, the
been used to send over 400,000 Prime Minister’s Office and the
messages, about half of which Cabinet Office are working or
have come from citizens who have worked with MySociety
are writing to a politician for the to develop websites that create
very first time. public value.
• No 10 Downing Street Petitions
Website was built for the Prime
Minister’s Office and enables
citizens to petition government
online. Over five million people
have used the site to sign online
petitions.
France 2025
www.france2025.fr/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to engage with each other through social
networking technologies
Background Highlights
In 2008, the French government The French government is encouraging and
launched France 2025—France’s strategic enabling citizens to discuss and debate
assessment project that “aims to draft issues facing government and strategies
different future development scenarios that could be employed to solve some
for the country and recommend winning of the country’s most pressing problems.
strategies.” France2025.fr was launched as This approach strengthens the governance
the project’s website. relationship, improves transparency and is
a valuable idea-generation and innovation
Solution Overview exercise.
France2025.fr uses web 2.0 technologies
(blogs, wikis and video streaming)
to enable citizens to comment on
government proposals and documents; to
discuss and debate issues facing France
in the future; and to collaborate on
suggestions regarding possible strategies
to address these issues.
United States:
District of Columbia’s
Digital Public Square
dps.dc.gov/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to engage with each other through social
networking technologies
Background Solution Overview
In 2008, District of Columbia CTO Vivek The Digital Public Square is a government
Kundra launched Apps for Democracy, a portal that uses web 2.0 technologies to
contest in which members of the public enable citizens to discover how district
were invited to create iPhone, Facebook agencies work, to participate in the
and web applications and mashups to democratic process and to connect with
visualize and make use of DC.gov’s data government and each other. The project
catalog. The data catalog contains all reflects the districts CTO’s belief that we
types of open public data, such as real- are entering a “new era of governance,
time crime feeds, school test scores and one in which technological advances
poverty indicators. Apps for Democracy now allow people from around the world
was a huge success, costing the District of unfettered access to their government.”
Columbia $50,000 but resulting in a set
of applications worth an estimated $2.6 The site enables citizens to:
million or more. Building on the success of
Apps for Democracy, the District decided • Access, scrutinize and visualize
to launch the Digital Public Square “to government data by opening up the
make government services more effective, data catalog and allowing users to
accessible and transparent.” create custom downloads and live data
feeds.
United Kingdom:
Hertfordshire
Constabulary’s Online
Watch Link
www.owl.co.uk/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to participate in their governance through
digital media
Background Highlights
Police forces across the United Kingdom • Online Watch Link enables and
are trying to enhance community encourages citizens to connect,
intelligence and communication while collaborate and engage with each
supporting neighborhood policing more another to deliver improved outcomes.
effectively. To achieve this, Hertfordshire
Constabulary launched Online Watch Link • The police use the virtual citizen
in 2007. network created through Online Watch
Link to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of their operations.
Solution Overview
Online Watch Link (OWL) is a web- • Online Watch Link enables the public
based application that connects all to become actively involved in their
Neighborhood Watch, School Watch, governance as co-producers of public
Rural Watch, Shop Watch, Business safety.
Watch and many other watch programs
in Hertfordshire, Staffordshire and
parts of North Wales. OWL enables the
police to provide timely and localized
communications to watch groups across
the county—helping prevent crime or find
missing people or wanted suspects. The
system enhances communications via
phone, text messaging, fax and email.
Australia:
Country Fire Authority
and the Victoria
Fires Map
mapvisage.appspot.com/fires/
FireMap.html
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to participate in their governance through
digital media
Background Highlights
The Country Fire Authority, a volunteer- The Country Fire Authority RSS feed
based emergency management provides the public with government
organization, is responsible for preventing data in a standardized, usable format. It
and fighting fires in Victoria, Australia. In enabled a private organization to partner
February 2009, Victoria experienced some with government in creating public value
of the worst bushfires in living memory. by developing a mashup that visualized
To provide the public with real-time government data effectively.
information about the number, location
and severity of these bushfires, Google
created the Victoria Fires Map.
Solution Overview
The Victoria Fires Map is a Flash map that
overlays Country Fire Authority data on
to Google Maps. The data is updated in
real time from the Country Fire Authority
website via the Country Fire Authority
RSS feed. Launched within a few hours of
the start of the emergency, the Victoria
Fires Map greatly assisted the public and
emergency services by providing them
with up-to-date information and reducing
the burden on other websites.
United States:
The White house Open
for Questions
www.whitehouse.gov/Openforquestions/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to participate in their governance through
digital media
Background economy on whitehouse.gov. The public
Citizen engagement and improved rated the questions submitted and then
transparency are priorities for the Obama President Obama answered the questions
administration: with the highest rating in a special online
town hall streamed on whitehouse.gov.
“We need to connect citizens with each Over 100,000 questions were submitted
other to engage them more fully and and 3.5 million votes cast.
directly in solving the problems that face
us. We must use all available technologies Highlights
and methods to open up the federal • Open for Questions was a mass citizen
government, creating a new level of engagement initiative that effectively
transparency to change the way business engaged large numbers of people.
is conducted in Washington and giving
Americans the chance to participate in • Responding to citizen feedback in
government deliberations and decision a transparent and meaningful way
making in ways that were not possible enabled a citizen-government dialogue
only a few years ago.” to emerge, which increased citizen
interest in and support for future
Barack Obama, Presidential citizen-participation initiatives.
Announcement Speech in Springfield, IL
02/10/07
Solution Overview
The Obama administration is changing the
way that citizens relate to government—
using technology to enable greater citizen
participation and to solicit and respond to
citizen feedback. As part of this agenda,
the White House launched the Open for
Questions project. The public was given
two days to post questions about the
Copyright © 2009 Accenture
All rights reserved.
Engagement
The Netherlands:
The Dutch e-Citizen
Charter
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to participate in their governance through
digital media
Background Solution Overview
The aim of the Dutch e-government is “to The Dutch e-Citizen Charter consists
improve information exchange, service of 10 quality standards that define the
delivery and interactive participation by digital relationship between citizens and
introducing a new partnership between government. Each standard is built around
citizen and government.” To achieve a citizen right or entitlement:
this, the Dutch government decided that
through Information Communication • Choice of Channel: As a citizen, I
Technologies, citizens should have more can choose which way to deal with
responsibility and choice and should government. Government ensures
be actively involved in the delivery multi-channel service delivery—that is,
of public services. In 2004, the Dutch the availability of all communication
Ministry of the Interior launched the channels: visit, letter, phone, e-mail and
e-Citizen program—an independent Internet.
platform designed to “stimulate the
development of e-government from • Transparent Public Sector: As a citizen,
the citizen's point of view.” To that I know where to apply for official
end, the program solicited citizen input information and public services.
through surveys and forums to aid in the Government guarantees one-stop-
development of an e-Citizen Charter. shop service delivery and acts as one
seamless entity with no wrong doors.
• Accountability and
Benchmarking: As a citizen, I
am able to compare, check and
measure government outcome.
Government actively supplies
benchmark information about its
performance.
Scotland, UK:
e-Petitioner
epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to participate in their governance through
digital media
Background At the time of its launch, e-petitioner was
In 1999, the newly established Scottish truly innovative; the Scottish Parliament
Parliament committed itself to principles was the first in the world to enable
of “open, accessible and participative citizens to raise e-petitions. However,
democracy.” Reflecting this commitment, with the advent of web 2.0 and social
the Parliament established the Public media technologies, the Public Petitions
Petition Committee to oversee the public Committee has been exploring new ways
petitions process. The Scottish Parliament of enabling participation and engaging
considers this process vital to encouraging the public. This review of the e-petitions
public participation as it provides system was, in part, a response to a 2007
“members of the public with direct access petition submitted through e-petitioner
to the policy development and scrutiny entitled “New technologies and engaging
processes.” The Public Petitions Committee young people in the democratic process.”
considers public petitions addressed to
the Parliament, determines whether a The inquiry concluded that the e-petition
petition is admissible, decides what action system should be re-developed to include
should be taken upon an admissible public web 2.0 technologies as a priority and that
petition and continually reviews the new interactive, social media technologies
operation of the public petitions system— should be used to increase awareness of
including the e-petitions system. the public petitions system and encourage
public participation. As a result of the
inquiry, the Public Petitions Committee
Solution Overview launched a new blog page that allows
Launched in 2004, the e-petitioner is a petitioners and the committee to share
web-based tool that enables citizens to photographs; to post and view video
raise, view, learn about, sign, comment on, and podcasts; and to link to the Scottish
discuss and track the status of e-petitions. Parliament’s YouTube page, website
This user-friendly tool is fully integrated and podcasts through Holyrood TV, the
into the Scottish Parliament’s website. Parliament’s webcasting service.
Highlights As early leaders in e-participation,
From a very early stage, the the Scottish Parliament is looking
Scottish Parliament has partnered at ways in which it can use web
with citizens in creating public 2.0 technologies to regain its
value—encouraging individuals to leadership position, encourage
participate in their governance and citizens to participate in the
enabling them to contribute to the public petitions process, reach
policy development and scrutiny out to traditionally hard-to-reach
processes online. groups and, ultimately, enable
citizens to continue partnering
The e-petitioner tool empowers with government in the creation of
petitioners to engage and work public value.
with a wide audience across
Scotland; to raise, generate support
for and track the status of petitions
quickly and easily; to discuss and
debate petitions and issues facing
government; and to provide the
public with detailed supporting
information.
e-Governance strategy:
Educating citizens and encouraging participation through online
training and learning resources
Background Highlights
In January 2009, Kentucky launched The Kentucky Open Door illustrates
Kentucky Open Door, a web-based how building citizen learning platforms
transparency and accountability tool into web-based transparency and
designed to “provide a more transparent, accountability tools enables citizens
accountable state government, and to to acquire the knowledge required to
allow you [residents] the opportunity to engage government in a meaningful
find out how your tax dollars are being dialogue about public value, spending and
applied to move our state forward.” performance.
Solution Overview
Kentucky Open Door includes a citizen
education platform. The educational
component is designed to teach people
how the state budget is prepared, give
them insight into the state’s rainy day
fund and enable them to view Kentucky’s
top appropriations. The learning platform
also includes a budget builder, which gives
users a chance to understand in more
detail the considerations and compromises
that shape budgetary decisions.
e-Governance strategy:
Educating citizens and encouraging participation through online
training and learning resources
Background Solution Overview
Online participatory budgeting is In 2009, Wellington City Council launched
becoming increasingly common. New the Wellington Budget Simulator, a
government websites enable constituents website that enables residents to find
to not only understand how government out what range of services the council is
spending priorities are determined and responsible for, how spending increases
how budgets are created, but also to set and decreases in each area affect rate
up their own budgets and submit their levels and how changes in spending affect
spending preferences to government. This services. Once users have designed their
interaction empowers citizens around the budget and have seen how their choices
world to develop a deeper, more detailed would affect services and rates, their
understanding of how government and choices are submitted to the council. As
public service organizations operate a result, decision makers enjoy a better
and the complex, conflicting demands understanding of citizens’ preferred
constituents place upon them. In New spending priorities as they consult on the
Zealand, the Wellington City Council draft plan for 2009-19.
is using online participatory budgeting
to create a more informed, active The main aim of the Wellington Budget
citizenry that is better able to engage in Simulator is to help residents understand
a conversation with government about the difficult choices the council faces
public value and what they expect from in trying to keep rates affordable
public services. while retaining the resources that help
Wellington stay vibrant and internationally
competitive.
Highlights
For citizens, the Wellington
Budget Simulator illuminates the
competing demands government
must consider when formulating
a budget. The site also provides
citizens with insight into the actual
impact spending changes may
have on their city. In this way,
the Wellington Budget Simulator
shows citizens how complicated
and difficult it is for government
to create budgets that reflect the
preferences and needs of all its
constituents. This kind of online,
interactive participatory learning
experience enables citizens to
engage government in a more
productive way and to participate
more fully in their governance.
United Kingdom:
Change4Life
www.nhs.uk/Change4life
e-Governance strategy:
Educating citizens and encouraging participation through online
training and learning resources
Background Solution Overview
Without intervention, an estimated 90 The aim of the Change4Life project is
percent of children in the United Kingdom to reduce obesity levels by educating
could be overweight or obese and at risk the public about the causes of obesity
from serious diseases by 2050, placing a and steps they can take to improve
huge burden on the health service and their health. The Change4Life campaign
resulting in a public health crisis. The uses TV advertising, posters, billboards
government is trying to tackle the problem and online channels to communicate
from the bottom up by educating the a core set of simple messages to the
public about healthy living and bringing public—including “fat in the body” is more
about a “lifestyle revolution on a huge important than “fat bodies”; there is a
scale.” To tackle the “obesity epidemic,” definite link between fat and preventable
the Department of Health launched illnesses; modern life is responsible for
Change4Life: a campaign designed to the obesity epidemic; and a few minor
“galvanise support from everyone in the lifestyle changes can result in dramatically
country, from grass roots organizations improved health.
to leading supermarkets and charities” to
“halt the rising tide of obesity.” The Change4Life campaign is a partnership
between government, charities and
businesses. The Department of Health
encourages any organization, from
supermarkets to local charities, to register
as partners and support this society-wide
initiative:
"Ten million people visit their Highlights
corner shops every day and 36 • Through the Change4Life
million shop at Asda and Tesco campaign, government is trying
(supermarkets) each week—the to enroll charities and businesses
fact that grocers and supermarkets as co-producers of improved
are on board means we can public health.
really influence what goes into
our shopping trolleys. It's • The Change4Life website is a
unprecedented for supermarkets well-designed citizen education
to join the Government and pledge platform that effectively conveys
to cut prices on healthy food. But key messages and provides
this isn't an exclusive club. Anyone citizens with links to online and
who promises to help families to offline support, so it is easier for
be healthier can join. I am today them to change their lifestyle.
challenging every CEO of every
company who can influence what
we eat and how we exercise to
come forward and tell us how they
are going to help beat this national
epidemic. Obesity affects us all so
everyone must get involved."
Norway:
NAV eLearning
elaring.nav.no/alderspensjon/
e-Governance strategy:
Educating citizens and encouraging participation through online
training and learning resources
Background Throughout the course, there are questions
In 2006, the Norwegian Government for users and practical examples to
embarked upon a major pension reform illustrate and reinforce learning points.
program designed to increase the level The tool also features a glossary, and users
of flexibility in the pension system, can choose to assess their knowledge
encourage employees to stay in work through a test.
longer and ensure that the pension system
is fiscally sustainable in the long term. Highlights
This reform program has had a major Your Pension is a highly effective
impact on citizens in terms of pension e-learning tool. It presents complicated
policy, eligibility requirements and messages and learning points in an easily
incentives. accessible way. Engaging interactive
functionality includes self-assessment
Solution Overview tests, multiple-choice questions and
To educate citizens and provide them with illustrative examples.
an overview of the reform program and
how it will affect them, the Norwegian
Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)
has launched a eLearning tool as part of
“Din Pensjon” (Your Pension), which can
be accessed from NAV’s website (www.
nav.no). Din Pensjon is a comprehensive
self-service solution that enables the
public to apply for pensions online and
allows users to view standard payables
such as next payment and last payment.
Din Pensjon also includes a standalone
e-learning course module that enables Copyright © 2009 Accenture
users to understand how the pensions All rights reserved.
reform program affects them in terms of Accenture, its logo, and
how they earn and receive their pension
High Performance Delivered
and how individual pensions are regulated.
are trademarks of Accenture.
Accountability
United States:
Recovery.gov
www.recovery.gov/
e-Governance strategy:
Increasing transparency and accountability by developing
web-based tools to report on results achieved
Background Solution Overview
The American Recovery and Reinvestment The American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act is an economic stimulus package. Act transparency and accountability site,
Worth approximately $787 billion, the Recovery.gov, has three aims:
package is designed to jumpstart the
United States economy while saving • Education—Explain the American
and creating millions of jobs. Some Recovery and Reinvestment Act
stimulus money is distributed by federal
• Transparency—Show how, when and
agencies, such as the Departments of
where the money is spent
Education, Health and Human Services
and Energy, which decide who will • Accountability—Provide data that will
receive award grants and contracts. allow citizens to evaluate the Act’s
Stimulus money is also being given to progress and provide feedback
state governments and, in some cases,
is going directly to schools, hospitals, The site currently includes interactive
contractors and other organizations. The graphics to show projections of how
Act provides for unprecedented levels stimulus money will be distributed across
of transparency and accountability and areas and the number of jobs created or
makes it clear that citizens must be saved in each state. The site also currently
able to find out how, when and where includes an online form that enables
their tax dollars are spent. To achieve users to “share their recovery story” and
this, Recovery.gov was launched to send government feedback regarding the
enable citizens to track the progress effectiveness of the American Recovery
and impact of the economic stimulus. and Reinvestment Act. In the future, the
site will include information about federal
grant awards and contracts as well as
formula grant allocations. Federal agencies
will provide data on how they are using
stimulus money, and eventually, prime
recipients of federal funding will provide
information on how they are using their
federal funds.
Highlights
• Recovery.gov is user friendly and
easy to navigate, making it easier
for citizens to find, visualize and
interpret information.
• Recovery.gov includes community
pages and interactive channels
that enable citizens to provide
feedback to government.
• Recovery.gov includes education
and learning pages that enable
citizens to interpret stimulus
data and evaluate the impact of
the stimulus act.
• Recovery.gov is continually
updated and improved to include
new, up-to-date information
as agencies and organizations
receiving stimulus funding make
such information available.
• The site has links to all other
agency and state stimulus sites
so the public can use Recovery.
gov as a one-stop transparency
and accountability site to track
the impact of stimulus spending.
United States:
NYC Citywide
Performance Reporting
and My Neighborhood
Statistics
www.nyc.gov/html/ops/nycstat
e-Governance strategy:
Increasing transparency and accountability by developing
web-based tools to report on results achieved
Background Solution Overview
Government organizations around the The NYCStat portal is New York City’s
world are trying to increase citizen one-stop shop for all essential data,
trust by making more spending and reports and statistics related to city
performance data available for public services. NYCStat provides access to
scrutiny. In his first State of the City a wide array of performance-related
Address in 2002, New York City’s Major information—including citywide and
Bloomberg signaled his commitment to agency-specific information, 311-related
accountability and transparency: “As data and interactive mapping features for
elected officials, we must remind ourselves selected performance data and quality-of-
that we are here to serve all of the people, life indicators. Through NYCStat, New York
not just those who voted for us. That's City is using web-based technologies to
why we are doing everything possible enable citizens to become directly involved
to create ‘Openness in Government’... in their governance by “eliminating the
‘Open Government’ is not just a slogan; mystery about where and what kinds of
it's the only effective way to deal with performance information are available.”
complicated problems. As part of ‘Open Ultimately, the portal is making public
Government,’ we will create a ‘Citizen service organizations more accountable to
Service Center,’ that will allow New their customers.
Yorkers to reach all services by calling one
phone number, ‘3-1-1.’" The NYCStat portal provides quick and
easy access to a range of different
By 2008, 311 was receiving over 15 reporting tools. Among them:
million calls a year—and having a dramatic
impact on New York’s public services. • CPR, the Citywide Performance
Reporting System, an interactive
Launched in February 2008 and 2009, dashboard designed for user-friendly
respectively, the Citywide Performance access to the most critical performance
Reporting and NYCStat systems use data indicators for every city agency, with
from 311 and other sources to enable monthly updates and automatic
New Yorkers to understand their city evaluation of trends within specified
government’s performance. program areas
• The Mayor’s Management Report, citizens' lives are affected by area, analyze long-term trends, and
the public report card on city government. Many of these review specific agencies' outcome
agency performance that is measures are being reported for measures.
published twice a year the first time and represent fresh
thinking about how to measure
• The NYC*SCOUT web page, which the outcomes each agency is
maps street conditions, such as responsible for.
potholes and catch-basin defects,
and allows users to track the • Measure performance by
progress of repairs comparing current data to data
for the same period the year
• My Neighborhood Statistics before, thereby holding agencies
(MNS), which maps comparative accountable for year-over-year
performance data at the improvement.
neighborhood level for
• Make performance trends
approximately 50 selected
obvious by providing graphical As part of the NYCStat portal,
performance measures
representation of performance, My Neighborhood Statistics
including pie charts and color- lets residents know how city
• Scorecard Cleanliness Ratings,
coding to provide early warnings agencies are performing in their
updated monthly for streets and
for areas that need attention. neighborhood by enabling them to
sidewalks throughout the five
view locally mapped performance
boroughs • Provide drill-down capability, statistics using a street address or
allowing users to review intersection. Color-shaded maps
• 311 Customer Service Center comparative trends over a five- also allow for easy comparisons
data, including basic operational year period. of highs and lows in different
statistics and community-level neighborhoods.
reports on the city’s response to • Aggregate important measures
service requests from 311 callers into citywide themes, which
cut across agency silos and
• Citywide Customer Survey Results disciplines to reveal the overall
from the 2008 survey of New picture about city government
Yorkers’ opinions on the delivery performance.
of city services
• Deliver monthly, quarterly
• NYCity Map, which lets users find or annual updates of each
information on transportation, measure—depending on how
education, public safety, often the statistic is produced—
resident services, neighborhood so the most recent data is always
available.
Highlights
information and city life
CPR: Agency Performance Reporting
• Additional performance measures • Enable users to download data and My Neighborhood Statistics
at the websites of 12 key city for more detailed review and are very strong e-transparency
agencies analysis. platforms in terms of enabling
the public to understand how
A crucial part of the NYCStat • Provide detailed information government is performing. They
portal is the Citywide Performance about each measure, including an are also user-friendly sites that
Reporting (CPR) tool. Launched explanation of what the measure enable individuals to decide
in February 2008, CPR seeks to means, its reporting frequency how to visualize the data of
implement transparent, interactive and other useful details. interest. However, because these
performance management and platforms do not link performance
improve accountability by making CPR: Agency Performance Reporting data to government spending,
performance data easily accessible. is New York City's comprehensive the public cannot use them
online performance reporting tool to understand how efficiently
CPR is a feature-rich set of web- that gives the public access to a and effectively government
based applications that: collection of critical performance is spending public money.
measures from more than 40 city
• Track performance for the most agencies. The tool enables users to
important "outcome" measures— search for performance measures Copyright © 2009 Accenture
those directly reflecting how relating to a specific service or
All rights reserved.
Accountability
United States:
NYCStat Stimulus Tracker
www.nyc.gov/html/ops/nycstim
e-Governance strategy:
Increasing transparency and accountability by developing
web-based tools to report on results achieved
Background Solution Overview
The 2009 American Recovery and NYCStat Stimulus Tracker is New York
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) supplies City’s web-based transparency and
around $787 billion of funding to US accountability tool designed to allow
government agencies and departments citizens to follow stimulus funding
designed to support efforts that include progress at the project, contract and
modernizing health care, improving payment levels and enables the public
schools, upgrading infrastructure and to understand how effectively the
investing in technologies that will lay the city is spending stimulus money by
foundation for a robust and sustainable linking public outcomes to money
21st-century economy. Stimulus funds spent through the Outcome Tracker and
allocated to New York City are being Contract/Budget Tracker. The stimulus
used to ensure the continuation of tracker also includes geographic
vital city services, provide assistance information systems (GIS) technologies
to New Yorkers in need and stimulate that provide a mapping component,
the city’s economy. By law, government enabling citizens to understand how
organizations receiving these funds stimulus funding is making a difference
must provide citizens and public officials in their neighborhoods. Specifically,
with the ability to track how federal NYCStat Stimulus Tracker looks at
stimulus funds are received and spent. the city’s use of stimulus funding in
eight areas: infrastructure; energy
efficiency; economic and workforce
development; health and social services;
education; public safety; neighborhood
stabilization; and budget relief.
NYCStat Stimulus Tracker enables Highlights
citizens to: • By linking outcomes, such as
jobs created or sustained and
• See how funding sources are number of internships created,
distributed to building projects to stimulus spending, residents
and other city programs. are able to understand how
effectively the city is spending
• Track key performance
public money to improve people’s
measurements, such as jobs
quality of life.
created.
• The stimulus tracker enables
• Drill down to see details of citizens to understand how, why
projects and learn how these and where the city is spending
projects are helping the city—for stimulus funding by organizing
example, the start and end dates data by area, subcategory and
of construction projects. project/program.
United States:
The IT Dashboard
it.usaspending.gov/
e-Governance strategy:
Increasing transparency and accountability by developing
web-based tools to report on results achieved
Background • How federal agencies spend their IT
From the start, the Obama administration budgets in terms of specific projects and
has made it clear that it is committed programs.
to transparent, open and accountable
government. To meet this goal, the • How agencies and individual programs
administration has launched a number are performing in terms of actual
of initiatives including recovery.gov, the cost against allocation (measured in
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act percentage variance from planned),
tracking site, and the appointment of the schedule (measured in average days late
nation’s first Chief Performance Officer. per milestone) and an overall evaluation
The Federal Government CIO Vivek Kundra rating from the agency CIO, which
believes that this new style of government includes a range of difficult-to-quantify
involves “engaging citizens, making sure factors, such as risk management and
that we put information out there in the contractor oversight.
public domain and a different worldview
The IT Dashboard enables users to create
of what it means to be a citizen.... The
personalized data feeds they can use
idea of citizenship in terms of civic
to build mashups, applications and
participation and transparency or open
widgets. The dashboard also has extensive
government allows you...to embrace the
visualization capabilities that enable users
notion that the government is about we
to create a wide variety of customized,
the people and that it's taxpayer dollars
interactive charts.
that are being spent.”
In the future, the IT Dashboard will
Solution Overview include more detailed and more extensive
The IT Dashboard, as part of the federal spending and performance data, along
government’s comprehensive budget with additional chart customization
tracking portal USASpending.gov, is features, agency-generated content, such
designed to enable citizens to understand: as widgets or mashups using IT Dashboard
data, and personal portfolios that enable
• How the federal IT budget is distributed users to create their own portfolio of
across agencies. “investments” to watch and subscribe to
updates to these investments.
Highlights
Even though the scope of the IT
Dashboard is limited to tracking
IT spending, it is one of the most
successful web-based transparency
and accountability tools
government has developed:
India:
Lokvani
sitapur.nic.in/lokvani/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to report problems and resolve complaints
through online channels
Background government quickly and easily using
Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh, India) is a online forms. It has also dramatically
predominantly poor, rural district. When improved the efficiency, transparency and
a new district magistrate was appointed accountability of back-office processes
in July 2004, the system for reporting designed to resolve citizens’ complaints.
problems to government was on the verge
of collapse. All grievances had to be raised Because the vast majority of Sitapur’s
either face to face in a single government residents do not have computers at home,
office or via letter. There were no Lokvani is made available via Internet
computers to help government employees kiosks. By 2008, 110 Lokvani kiosks had
track and respond to citizens’ grievances. been established across the district.
What’s more, the system for processing These kiosks are cyber-cafes that act
citizens’ complaints was inefficient and as “franchises” for the Lokvani system,
opaque. In 2005, the district launched with kiosk owners actively encouraging
Lokvani to provide the public with a more citizens to register grievances through
efficient and effective means of reporting the Lokvani system. Because the literacy
problems to government. rate in the district is just 38 percent
and computer literacy is rare, the
Lokvani portal is specially designed to
Solution Overview be as user friendly as possible. Between
Lokvani is a Government to Citizen, or 2005 and 2008, individuals registered
G2C, interface that provides citizens over 100,000 grievances through the
with a channel for registering grievances Lokvani portal. In fact, the system
with government. The Lokvani portal has been so successful it has now
enables citizens to report problems to been rolled out across 35 districts.
Highlights
• Lokvani has dramatically
improved the efficiency and
effectiveness of the grievance
reporting system in Sitapur.
Citizens can now report problems
online at their convenience; they
no longer have to travel to a
government office and stand in
long lines to register grievances
face to face. Further, their
problems are resolved much more
quickly than they were under the
previous system.
• Lokvani has been so successful
because district government
effectively engaged private
businesses in local communities,
enabling government to provide
citizens with free access to the
portal through Internet kiosks.
United Kingdom:
Community Fix
www.communityfix.co.uk/
e-Governance strategy:
Enabling citizens to report problems and resolve complaints
through online channels
Background Highlights
Individuals and private organizations Community Fix provides citizens with a
(charities and businesses) are developing single channel for reporting problems
websites that make it easier and more to government so they can be fixed as
convenient for citizens to report problems quickly as possible. Sites like Community
to and request services from government. Fix are likely to grow in popularity
These sites are much faster and easier to because they reduce the cost to the
use than most government sites, which citizen of interacting with government;
require users to submit online service the majority of local government websites
request forms, send emails or place require users to find and then submit a
telephone calls. service request form or call a hotline,
whereas sites like Community Fix enable
Solution Overview citizens to report problems in seconds and
upload photographs in place of a detailed
Created and maintained by a new media description of the problem.
agency, the Community Fix website uses
web 2.0 technologies to enable citizens
to report local problems directly to the
organizations responsible for fixing them.
Users simply pinpoint the exact location
of the problem on a map and give a brief
description of the problem. Users also
have the option to upload a photograph of
the problem. The information is then sent
automatically to the government agency
responsible for addressing the issue. Once
the problem is resolved, users post this
information on the site, and the problem
Copyright © 2009 Accenture
is labeled as fixed. Between the site’s
All rights reserved.
launch in February 2008 and February
2009, users submitted more than 10,000 Accenture, its logo, and
incident reports to government agencies High Performance Delivered
across the United Kingdom. are trademarks of Accenture.