Abstract:
Government digitization has proven to benefit both citizens and public agencies. On the one hand, citizens are able to find a consistent interface and reliable information on a single site and are able to access streamlined digital government services. On the other hand, centralized digital platforms enable governments to enhance services, reduce costs, and improve citizens’ quality of life.
In addition, by centralizing infrastructure that all agencies can leverage rather than having departments independently build from scratch, a platform approach can dramatically reduce software spending and maintenance costs. A unified government platform helps build interdepartmental relationships, fosters a user-centric mindset within the government, and allows public entities to focus their teams on their core services (education, health, etc.) rather than on building individual digital presence.
Peru, Mexico and Argentina have led the way in digital transformation in Latin America, and have been able to build and launch unified government websites in short timelines by leveraging a user-centric approach. It is important to note that all these teams first focused on the problem, not a technical solution. Building a unified government website was one of the mechanisms to address the problem and goals. In Mexico, led by Yolanda Martinez and Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruíz, the goal was to build a new relationship between society and government, focusing on the experience of the citizen as a user of public services. In Argentina, led by Julian Rodriguez Orihuela, the goal was to inform and provide services to citizens. In Peru, led by Daniella Raffo, Heidi Uchiyama, and Zoila Palza, the goal was to bring the government closer to its citizens through innovation. It is important in all product development to first focus on the problem and the people, and then see where technology fits to solve the problem.
Learning Objective:
Understand how government can use human-centered design and product management approaches to develop a unified digital service by learning about approaches from three different countries. There are lessons learned from similarities in digital transformation across three countries, as well as critical differences unique to each region. This case complements HKS Case 2171.0, “Bringing the Peruvian Government Closer to its Constituents.”
