Agencies should consider the opportunities of digital governance, rather than viewing it as just a directive. Digital governance is critical to an agency’s mission for a number of reasons:
Improved citizen and businesses experiences. Good governance enables organizations to invest resources that first improve digital experiences and, ultimately, the customer satisfaction. Digital governance also adds accountability to officers and leaders, which ultimately leads to better customer service to the public.
Cost savings. Good governance helps agencies identify the best opportunities to spend—or cut—that next digital dollar. By truly understanding the digital interactions of users, agencies can focus dollars where the digital customer experience can be dramatically improved, while at the same time, deflecting customer interactions from higher-cost channels. Digital channels are by nature lower-cost channels, thereby enabling even greater cost savings.
Cooperation, not competition. Like all organizations, Federal agencies have directorates or lines of business that often compete for funding. Digital governance supports a shift in mindset where the organization aims to make digital investment decisions that rally around the customer, rather than internal fiefdoms.
Promotes standardization. Digital governance standardizes look and feel across the agency to strengthen the agency’s “brand” and deliver a consistent, cohesive digital experience for users. It also facilitates the work of individual business units. This flexible, integrated framework gives agency staff a foundation on which to build, rather than having to reinvent the wheel for each digital endeavor.