Survey Suggests it's Time to Lean in to Digital Transformation

Agencies within the Federal Government have long seen the need to change how they operate, but the obstacles to overcome in moving from manual to automated processes can seem difficult to surmount.

Though newer agencies like Space Force are envisioned and created as digitally native, most government organizations feel paralyzed by congressionally mandated, manual planning processes.

While broader legislative change is absolutely necessary, there are ways to improve processes right now. In fact, according to a recent survey from Meritalk, 98% of public sector leaders have felt a shift in momentum towards digital transformation over the past two years, with 89% of those surveyed saying they had made more digitization progress over the last two years than in the last decade.

Despite the growing momentum, 88% of those surveyed said there were hurdles stifling their progress towards digital transformation initiatives including:

• Data and Privacy Concerns
• Not enough budget
• Resistance to change from end users
• Lack of skilled IT workforce

Leaders surveyed said that to make the changes they would like to at their organizations that they would need:

• Workforce and Education Training
• Committed multi-year funding
• Shared best practices across federal, state, and local governments

But how can organizations that are looking to digitally transform obtain the resources they need to get started? How can they get everything they need done at once? According to a recent FedTech magazine article, organizations don’t have to change everything at once to create meaningful change; “the federal government’s path to digital transformation is an iterative one, with many steps along the way.”

Leaders at organizations such as the Department of Veterans Affairs(VA) are making the push to transform iteratively over the next several years. The VA’s recently appointed Chief Information Officer, Kurt DelBene told lawmakers he plans to act as a change-agent and lead a department-wide digital transformation, modernizing its IT systems and improving internal software development offerings.

According to the Meritalk survey, people who are leading transformation efforts at their organizations are more likely to do the following:

• Improve data management to streamline workflows and reduce redundancies
• Expand their use of FedRamp or StateRamp-certified cloud providers
• Improve data tagging/searchability
• Track social impact

To achieve digital transformation there needs to be changes addressing people, processes, and technology within a consistent framework. Implementing changes in these areas iteratively over time will result in better services for citizens, readiness to protect our national interests, and a sustained competitive advantage with other countries.

Meritalk survey respondents who have begun implementing change said they reaped the following benefits from investing in digital transformation:

• Improved security
• Increased operational efficiency
• Reduced costs
• Better visibility into the status and location of documents
• Better compliance with government mandates

Our customers have cited similar benefits by using our software to manage their integrated planning processes.

“Decision Lens has enabled us to make tremendous progress across the Command to standardize and create efficiencies across the CoE’s business processes related to Requirement Prioritizations and the POM processes like Budget Analysis, Continuous Planning, Spend Plans and more. Since implementing Decision Lens enterprise-wide in 2017, our leadership has gained more visibility into both historical information and current information, which helps us make informed decisions and to ensure time, money, and manpower are put towards the activities that best support our Mission.” COL Jeff M. Howell, Director, Priorities, Analysis, and Requirements, G3/5/7

Decision Lens develops integrated planning software which creates a sustained operational advantage by modernizing how government prioritizes, plans, and funds.

Paramount in all we do is security, integration with government platforms and simplicity of procurement.

Our roots in decision science uniquely position us to deliver this technology as well as the process and people necessary to drive transformation. Want to learn more about how we can support your organization in its digital transformation? Request a Demo today!