Creating a robust, resilient digital infrastructure

The pandemic has propelled government digital transformation initiatives at breakneck speed but, despite easing restrictions, now isn’t the time to take our foot off the accelerator.

Government at all levels must focus on continuous improvement of projects launched at the height of the pandemic. For example, QR code-enabled check-in apps and digital vaccine certificates were great programs that created a strong and seamless digital government experience. But these projects can further be developed and utilised to deliver enhanced services to the public — following are three recommendations government agencies can consider to reap the rewards of digital transformation.

1. Drive collaboration across government agencies

The ‘state versus federal’ mentality traditionally associated with government means different jurisdictions have different rules and regulations, which can prove to be confusing for end-users.

At the height of the pandemic state and territory governments developed their own apps for contact-tracing purposes, while at the national level, the federal government’s COVIDSafe contact-tracing app was rolled out. The latter came under scrutiny (pdf download) and was criticised by industry leaders for its inefficacy, with concerns raised around long-term tracking of devices even after the app was uninstalled. Privacy issues were also raised (pdf download) by an ex-Google Australia developer and others before the Select Senate Committee on COVID-19.

The federal and state governments have an opportunity to pool resources and build a strong digital infrastructure for a single contact-tracing app using existing technologies.

With interstate borders open and people travelling freely across the country, a single COVIDSafe app could be redesigned to include QR code scanning for check-ins, while still incorporating Bluetooth-enabled contact tracing. However, app developers need to ensure that the underlying infrastructure is thoroughly tested and monitored using robust observability or application performance monitoring systems.

One positive outcome of the pandemic was the strong collaboration between governments and the formation of the National Cabinet, with the Data and Digital Ministers’ Meeting working to align policies and services across Australia. This presents an opportunity for efficiency, transparency and accountability at all levels of government in a formalised manner.

2. Create a uniform standard

To sustain the great strides made by the technology teams at the state and federal levels thus far, a whole-of-government standard should be implemented to move away from siloed governance.

When companies grow, teams making local decisions don’t always leverage investments already made elsewhere, or benefit from lessons learnt by other teams. The same applies to the various levels of government and different government agencies. If governments can reach consensus on one standard, technology can be reused instead of reinvesting in disparate apps for check-ins and other technology initiatives.

Having engineering standards makes it easier to build better software, faster. This involves defining standards around the languages, frameworks, libraries, platforms, tools and techniques that are used. It enables much better efficiency and transparency, as well the ability to incorporate best practices across a whole organisation or, in this case, the nation.

Standards can be grouped into ‘recommendation rings’ that promote cohesiveness while still maintaining some flexibility and potential for experimentation. These should be very practical and attainable to encourage everyone to understand and follow them, for example:

• Adopt (Yes, you SHOULD proceed, no approval needed)
• Trial (Yes, you MAY proceed with an architect’s approval)
• Assess (No, while you MAY proceed, we don’t recommend it)
• Hold (DO NOT proceed)
• Require (Yes, you MUST proceed)
• Deprecated (No, you MUST NOT proceed)

3. Adopt a long-term approach

Creating an app or initiative around a public health crisis like the pandemic needs to be done with a long-term view. Otherwise, government agencies could expose themselves to security vulnerabilities, an outcome detrimental to all.

The pressure of the election cycle may result in governments looking for a quick ‘vote-winning’ solution or not considering whether future governments will be able to continue with a particular product or service. Having joint technology groups with bipartisan support could prove beneficial.

Agencies like Service NSW have been able to roll out technology initiatives with a clear understanding that a long-term view is needed to sustain their growth. The organisation’s app was expanded to incorporate pandemic check-ins and alerts, then later vaccination certificates, dining and entertainment vouchers, and will now look to add Medicare access, according to Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Victor Dominello.

It’s also important to anticipate how long a project will be implemented, and to ensure that activities created today will have a material impact into the future.

Having a transparent development process that allows continuity, even if project managers and engineering teams change, is crucial. Tools that can deliver true observability are critical for this, particularly when a project involves linking several different government systems together. Having a single source of truth that can identify and locate issues in a highly complex technology stack is vital for ensuring a seamless user experience.

Taking a ‘prevention better than cure’ approach can be achieved with automated, real-time analysis to ensure that the integrity of the digital infrastructure is preserved to provide a consistent quality of digital public services through error-free applications.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/starlineart