Principles Of A 21st Century Government

The following was originally posted the Code for America website and, we thought, deserved to be shared again.

Over the past years of building digital services with local and state governments around the country, we’ve identified seven practices that, when in place, help government become a platform where citizens, public servants and private sector professionals come together to work on issues that affect us all.

1. Start With People’s Needs

Begin projects by conducting research with real people to understand who they are, what they need, and how they behave. Design programs and services around those needs, continuously test with users, and refine policy and processes accordingly.

2. Ensure Everyone Can Participate

Create ways for every community member to productively participate in decisions about issues that affect them. Proactively reach out to a cross section of your community, communicate using language that’s easy to understand, and engage people through diverse channels that meet people where they are.

3. Start Small And Continuously Improve

When you are building or buying government technology, start small and get a working Minimum Viable Product (MVP) into people’s hands as early as possible, test with users frequently, and make continuous improvements based on feedback.

4. Use Real-Time Data To Inform Decisions

Set key metrics to determine if programs and services are regularly meeting objectives and analyse the data to gain insights and drive actions that help improve community outcomes.

5. Default To Open

Work in the open, proactively publish public data online, and collaborate with the community to help make programs and services better for everyone.

6. Build The Right Team

Invest in people who value the role of digital at all levels of the organisation. Increase tech skills and literacy among staff, hire new tech talent where it’s needed, and build multidisciplinary teams focused on delivery.

7. Make Informed Technology Choices

Understand where, when, and how to build, buy, or use existing technology in order to run efficient and effective operations, and deliver services online that meet the needs of the people using them.

This article originally appeared on the Code for America website.