Gov on the Go

The effectiveness of mobile in the public sector will depend largely on how it is implemented. These seven steps can help the public sector capture productivity benefits from mobile:

1. Rethink business processes
2. Define the problem you are trying to solve
3. Adopt a “mobile first” approach
4. Focus on user experience
5. Use iterative design: Prototype, test, prototype again
6. Make mobile a source of security, not a threat
7. Define a governance structure

This report examines three key areas where mobile acts as an enabler of productivity for the government and its citizens.

The mobile government worker

Mobile technology not only helps front-line workers do more with less in the face of shrinking workforces and tightly stretched budgets, but also allows them to do their jobs better. No longer constrained by location or time, field workers - human services caseworkers, emergency responders, and law enforcement officers - can operate as truly mobile workers and remain productive on the go. 

Citizen services 2.0.

Globally, mobile Internet users are expected to exceed desktop Internet users by 2015.1 Mobile technology offers great promise in making interaction with government easier, requiring less of citizens’ time, money, and effort. Myriad mobile applications - from apps that provide basic information on public services to sophisticated sensor- and GPS-enabled, real-time, “thinking” apps - have opened fresh channels of exchange between citizens and the government. 

Co-creation and co-production

Citizens as the solution. Mobile technology allows governance to shift from one-way service delivery to a more collaborative, co-designed, and co-created model. As citizens come to play a more active role rather than being passive recipients, public service delivery can be transformed. Greater emphasis on creating solutions with citizens rather than just for them improves not just service delivery, but also the way the government approaches a problem.