ICT approaches for productivity gain

Improving front-office digitisation, interagency communications and user-centric software architecture are key to boosting public sector productivity.

Over the past 25 years, we have seen a significant investment in ICT from government, coupled with the creation of a mixed public sector economy — encapsulating elements of capitalist and socialist characteristics — to improve the way the public service system operates. Despite this, however, there is still plenty of room for improvement in order to reach our full potential when it comes to productivity within the public sector.

A number of logistical constraints imposed in government departments, such as traditional bureaucratic frameworks that favour dated systems and processes, have proven to be a hindrance. As a result, inefficiencies remain prevalent, leading to a plateau in productivity within the public service industry.

Improving public sector productivity will have a flow-on beneficial effect for numerous stakeholders — most notably for employees and the Australian public. This is more important than ever as today’s digital economy has led to higher expectations from clients and employees alike.

Further, there is the potential to redistribute taxpayer dollars as a result of saved labour costs and other system efficiencies, along with the opportunity to transform and improve culture within the public sector.

Mediating this issue is key to achieving productivity gains that will see Australia rise to global standards when it comes to our public sector.

Recently, digital transformation models and a shake-up in operational structures are moving the public sector towards a service-based model with the aim of improving contestability. Government agencies are now placing an increased importance on performance metrics usually seen in a market economy — customer satisfaction and stakeholder engagement (both internal and external).

To continue building upon the momentum of digitisation, strategic partnerships between government departments and ICT consulting firms should be forged to foster healthy levels of productivity within the public sector.

There are a number of strategies that can be implemented in order to achieve this objective. ICT consultants should begin by considering three key areas for improvement — front-office digitisation, interagency communications and user-centric software architecture.

Front-office digitisation

The digitisation of front-office systems brings about opportunities to improve the relationship between the public and the public service sector, since service delivery systems are the first point of contact for clients. Digitising and simplifying processes prevents disengagement with government agencies and gives the community more of an incentive to engage with the public service sector.

A prime example of this is the digitisation of WA Police’s Check My Crime system. Previously, lost or stolen property could only be reported through a paper-based system that required officer mediation at several stages of the process, drawing out an otherwise simple procedure.

By working with ICT consultants and systems integrators, the WA Police improved the system by effectively cutting out human interaction. The new online platform enables victims of stealing and damage-related crimes to view the status of their offence investigations, record additional items and print an abridged report for insurance purposes.

In an interview at the launch of the service, then Police Minister Liza Harvey was quoted as saying: “The Check My Crime initiative is a win for victims of these crimes and for police. It puts information at the fingertips of people at a difficult time — and it helps free up officers to focus on the investigation and frontline duties.”

Interagency communications

Another area to consider when looking at improving public sector productivity is how to better facilitate interagency communications, by developing systems that enable different agencies and departments to easily share information across the public service network.

In its current state, interagency communications is lacking, and access to information from across different departments is fragmented and siloed.

The solution lies in a system which encourages information sharing across departments in order to facilitate cross-agency relationships, helping to streamline investigative processes and boost service delivery standards.

Take the case of the Police Justice Information Exchange, for example. This project successfully combined multiple platforms into one seamless system, enabling several agencies, including the WA Police, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Departments of the Attorney General and Corrective Services, to refer to a single touch point when managing a defendant’s journey through the justice system — from prosecution to bail management and court bookings.

If successfully implemented, systems that improve integration of government departments will not only lead to productivity gains, but will see an increase in efficiencies and the safety of sensitive public information.

User-friendly software architecture

As touched upon earlier, cutting out human interaction at as many stages of a process as possible is a practical, time-saving and, ultimately, cost-saving measure. Another way of implementing this is to develop tools that put the power of fixing data into the hands of the end user — cutting out the need to refer to an IT services department for simple data fixes that could be handled directly.

For a large government client, Ajilon’s development of a new functionality called the Core System Admin tool proved to be an effective solution, with the implementation of the tool estimated to have saved the department in question approximately 16 days of administration time over the course of one year.

There is a culture in the public service which has, in the past, hindered the potential to improve output in the sector. Gradually, however, government departments and agencies are engaging with ICT consultants and systems integrators in order to improve efficiencies within the sector.

These proficiencies have undoubtedly marked an improvement in public sector productivity, ultimately benefiting both public service employees and the public that engages these services.

With more collaboration between the public sector and ICT professionals, Australia will surely flourish on the world stage and set the benchmark when it comes to public service standards globally.

*Peter Hawkins is Director of Solutions and Industry at Ajilon. He has more than 14 years of experience in management and IT consulting.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/4Max

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