Digital

Government

Playbook


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-1

Introduction 4

About 5
Whoitsfor 5
Collaborate 5
Stealthisplaybook 5

Plays 6
Defaulttoopen 7
Openis 7
Checklist 7
Related 8
Getbuy-in 9
What 9
Related 9
Appointaleader 10
Exampletitles 10
Checklist 10
Keyquestions 11
Reference 11
Setguidingprinciples 12
Buildateam 13
Tips 13
Reference 13
Simplifyprocurement 14
Decision-makingtraps 14
Productiveprocurement 14
Reading 14
Createaunifiedaesthetic 15
Resources 15
Reference 15
Choosesoftwarebeforeservices 16
Software-as-a-service 17
Service 17
Questionstoask 17
Related 17
GoBETA 19
What 19

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-2

Why 19
Tips 19
Related 20
Focusontheuser 21
Tips 21
Checklist 21
Keyquestions 22
Resources 22
Thinkmobile-first 23
Whymobile 23
Haveacontentstrategy 24
Resources 24
Prioritizeaccessibility 25
Tips 25
Resources 25
Respectprivacy 26
Resources 26
Tools 26
Besecure 27
Passwordmanagement 27
Tips 27
Tools 27
Leverageintegrations 28
Updateyourstatus 29

Resources 30
Guides 30
Organizations 30
Books 30
Media 31
Federal 31
State&local 31
Other 31

Contributors 32

Acknowledgements 32

Questions? 32

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-3

Collaborate 32
Contact 32

Colophon 32

License 33


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-4

Introduction
...peopleexpecttointeractwithgovernmentthroughdigitalchannels
suchaswebsites,email,andmobileapplicationsBybuildingdigital
servicesthatmeettheirneeds,wecanmakethedeliveryofourpolicy
andprogramsmoreeffective.
- U.S.DigitalService

Withtheneedtodomorewithless,toaddressanagingworkforceandmorepressureto
recruitandretainthenextgenerationofpublicsectorleaders,governmentmustadopt
effectivedigitalpracticesfasterthaneverbefore.

Andusersarestartingtodemandit.

AccordingtoanAccenture2015digitalgovernmentreport:

86percentofthosesurveyedwanttomaintainorincreasetheirdigitalinteraction
withgovernment
73percentareneutralornotsatisfiedwithdigitalgovernmentservices
percentagewhowantonlinetransactionsforlicenses/permits(66percent),taxes
(45percent),fines/tickets(39percent),reportnon-emergencyissues(38percent)
32percentwanttousetabletstoaccessdigitalgovernmentservices;38percenta
mobilephone(51percentforages18-44)

Effectiveimplementationofdigitalofferstheopportunitytoimpactpeoplesperception
ofgovernment.WhenaskedWhichofthefollowingwouldchangepositivelyif
governmentimproveddigitalservices?,citizensresponded:

Mybeliefthatgovernmentisforwardlooking(73%)
Myoverallsatisfactionwithgovernment(72%)
Mywillingnesstoengagewithgovernment(72%)
Mybeliefthatgovernmentisefficientandeffective(70%)
Myconfidenceandtrustingovernment(62%)

Thereinliestheopportunityforgovernmentleaders.

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-5

About
DigitalGovernmentPlaybookhelpsgovernmentinnovatorsexecuteefficientand
effectivedigitalstrategiestobestservetheirconstituents.

Whoitsfor
DigitalGovernmentPlaybookisforgovernmentleaders,electedofficials,technology
andcommunicationsteamsandanyoneelseresponsiblefordeliveringdigitalservicesto
constituents:
Governmentexecutives
Electedofficials
Communications,mediaandpublicrelationsmanagers
Technologyleaders,staff

Collaborate
Thisisaworkinprogressandalwaysgetsbetter.Pleaseaddyourcomments/questionsor
emailinfo@proudcity.com,andwellrespondimmediately.

Stealthisplaybook
DigitalGovernmentPlaybookislicensedunderCreativeCommonsandisfreeto
customizeandre-useforyourorganization.


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-6

Plays


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-7

Defaulttoopen

An"openorganization"whichIdefineasanorganizationthat
engagesparticipativecommunitiesbothinsideandoutresponds
toopportunitiesmorequickly,hasaccesstoresourcesandtalent
outsidetheorganization,andinspires,motivates,andempowers
peopleatalllevelstoactwithaccountability.Thebeautyofan
openorganizationisthatit'snotaboutpedalingharder,butabout
tappingintonewsourcesofpowerbothinsideandoutsidetokeep
pacewithallthefast-movingchangesinyourenvironment.
-JimWhitehurst,TheOpenOrganization

Openis
Opensource
Opendata
Openknowledge
Openmindset

Checklist
Offerusersamechanismtoreportbugsandissues,andberesponsivetothese
reports
Providedatasetstothepublic,intheirentirety,throughbulkdownloadsandAPIs
(applicationprogramminginterfaces)

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-8

Ensurethatdatafromtheserviceisexplicitlyinthepublicdomain,andthatrights
arewaivedgloballyviaaninternationalpublicdomaindedication,suchasthe
CreativeCommonsZerowaiver
Catalogdataintheagencysenterprisedatainventoryandaddanypublicdatasets
totheagencyspublicdatalisting
Ensurethatwemaintaintherightstoalldatadevelopedbythirdpartiesina
mannerthatisreleasableandreusableatnocosttothepublic
Ensurethatwemaintaincontractualrightstoallcustomsoftwaredevelopedby
thirdpartiesinamannerthatispublishableandreusableatnocost
Whenappropriate,createanAPIforthirdpartiesandinternaluserstointeract
withtheservicedirectly
Whenappropriate,publishsourcecodeofprojectsorcomponentsonline
Whenappropriate,shareyourdevelopmentprocessandprogresspublicly

(Source:DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play13)

Related
DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play13(U.S.DigitalService)


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-9

Getbuy-in
What
Thekeycomponenttoanysuccessfuldigitalprojectisbuy-in,sothattheinitiativecanget
financialandmoralsupport.Youmustfirstgetalignmentwithallinternalstakeholders,
includingelectedofficials,managementandstaff.

GovernmentdigitaleffortsarenotITprojects.Whetheritsanewwebsiteoranyother
public-facingdigitalservice,theseinitiativesrepresenthowconstituentswillperceive
governmenteffectivenessandservicedelivery.

Togetbuy-in,emphasizethemission-criticalaspectsofgovernmentandthebest
approachtoscalingimpact:

Communityengagement:Itsaboutmeetingpeoplewheretheyare,interacting
withconstituentswhenitsmostconvenientforthem.
Servicedelivery:Itsabouthowpeopleaccessservicesandincreasinglythisis
online.
Platformapproach:Yourwebsiteisfundamentaltoaholisticapproachto
successfuldigitaloperationsandservesasthefoundationtoeverythingelse.

Related
DigitalServicesPresentationtoSanRafaelCityCouncil(video)

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-10

Appointaleader
Theremustbeasingleproductownerwhohastheauthorityand
responsibilitytoassigntasksandworkelements;makebusiness,
product,andtechnicaldecisions;andbeaccountableforthesuccess
orfailureoftheoverallservice.Thisproductownerisultimately
responsibleforhowwelltheservicemeetsneedsofitsusers,which
ishowaserviceshouldbeevaluated.Theproductowneris
responsibleforensuringthatfeaturesarebuiltandmanagingthe
featureandbugbacklogs.
-U.S.DigitalServicesPlaybook
Exampletitles
Productlead/owner
Chiefdigitalofficer,digitaldirector
Chiefinnovationofficer,innovationdirector
Communicationsofficer

Checklist
Aproductownerhasbeenidentified
Allstakeholdersagreethattheproductownerhastheauthoritytoassigntasksand
makedecisionsaboutfeaturesandtechnicalimplementationdetails
Theproductownerhasaproductmanagementbackgroundwithtechnical
experiencetoassessalternativesandweightradeoffs
Theproductownerhasaworkplanthatincludesbudgetestimatesandidentifies
fundingsources
Theproductownerhasastrongrelationshipwiththecontractingofficer

(Source:U.S.DigitalServices,DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play6)

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-11

Keyquestions
Whoistheproductowner?
Whatorganizationalchangeshavebeenmadetoensuretheproductownerhas
sufficientauthorityoverandsupportfortheproject?
Whatdoesittakefortheproductownertoaddorremoveafeaturefromthe
service?

(Source:U.S.DigitalServices,DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play6)

Reference
WhatisaProductLead?(18F)


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-12

Setguidingprinciples

Startwithasetofvaluestoguideyourdigitalmodernizationefforts.Thesewillbeapoint
ofreferenceforgo-forwardstrategic,tacticalandtechnicaldecisions.

Forexample,SanRafael,Calif.,approachesitsvendorpartnershipswiththeseprinciples:

Authenticandresponsiveengagement
Transparency
Accessibility(user-centereddesign,mobile-friendly,ADAcompliant)
Continuousimprovementandlearning


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-13

Buildateam
Establishamulti-department,metrics-drivendigitalimplementationteam.

Tips
Cross-agency
Givethemfreedom(overtime,etc.)
Atstart,givethemgetoutofjailcard.
Givethemautonomy.
Questiondecisions-peerreview.
Prepareyourteamforcriticism.
Makethemfeelappreciated,doingsomethingreallyawesome(taketolunch,etc.)

Reference
LetsGetDigital,SanRafael!
CastingaWideNetforInnovation(GovernmentTechnology)


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-14

Simplifyprocurement

Decision-makingtraps
TraditionalRFPprocess
Over-specifying
Copyinganothercitysrequirements
Buyingbeforetrying
Closedcommunication
Unproductivecriteriaforvaluingavendor(likeeachteammembersresume)
Largegroupofuninvolvedstakeholders

Productiveprocurement
Beflexible
Asktotrybeforeyoubuy
Considermonthly/annualsubscriptionoptions
Considerstafftimeinvestedindecisionprocesstoyourbottomline
SaaSeliminatesneedforRFP,large/one-timepurchase
Forcedintoamoretraditionalprocurementprocess?ConsiderRFItosee
alternativeoptions.

Reading
WhatILearnedBuyingOurNewCityDigitalServices


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-15

Createaunifiedaesthetic
Resources
U.S.WebDesignStandards(18F)

Reference
SanRafael,Calif.,DesignPrinciples&Guidelines


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-16

Choosesoftwarebeforeservices
Thetechnologydecisionswemakeneedtoenabledevelopment
teamstoworkefficientlyandenableservicestoscaleeasilyand
cost-effectively.Ourchoicesforhostinginfrastructure,databases,
softwareframeworks,programminglanguagesandtherestofthe
technologystackshouldseektoavoidvendorlock-inandmatch
whatsuccessfulmodernconsumerandenterprisesoftware
companieswouldchoosetoday.Inparticular,digitalservicesteams
shouldconsiderusingopensource,cloud-based,andcommodity
solutionsacrossthetechnologystack,becauseoftheirwidespread
adoptionandsupportbysuccessfulconsumerandenterprise
technologycompaniesintheprivatesector.

- U.S.DigitalService,DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play8

Traditionally,governmenthastreatedtechnologyacquisitionthesamewayitdoes
infrastructure-alongspecificationandprocurementprocess,coupledwithalarge
upfrontpayment,followedbyincrementalmaintenancecostsoverseveralyears.

Buttechnologyisnotthesameasabridgeorroad,especiallyinthisdayandage,with
platformsandsoftware-as-a-servicedisruptinghowwebuy,deployandexperience
continualupgradesthroughapredictable,subscription-basedpricingplan.

Nolongerisitacceptabletobuildpublic-facingdigitalservicesthatonlyupgradeyears
laterthroughanothercumbersomeprocurementanddevelopmentprocess.


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-17

WithSaaS,usersexperiencethevalueofeconomiesofscale,withaniterativelybetter
product(newfeatures,securityupdates),withoutcontinuouslyhavingtomanagea
bespokeservice.

Software-as-a-service

Softwareasaservice(SaaS;pronounced/ss/)isasoftware
licensinganddeliverymodelinwhichsoftwareislicensedona
subscriptionbasisandiscentrallyhosted.
-Wikipedia

Attributes:
Fastertimetodeployment/launch,oftenimmediately
Remote,web-basedaccess
Frequentand/orrecurringsoftwareupdatesacrossoneplatform
Subscription-basedpricingoptions(monthly/yearly)
Pricingtransparency(+freemium,trybeforebuy)
Centralized,cloud-basedhosting
Support(chat,email,phone)
Servicelevelagreements(ex:99.99%uptimeguarantee)

Service
Attributes:
Longerdesign/developmenttime
Highlycustomizable
Opaquepricing,oftenrequiringdetailedspecificationsandnegotiations
Musthaveagreatinternalproductowner/leadertomanagevendorrelationship

Questionstoask
Doyouneedcustomizeddevelopment?
Doyouhavebudgetforrecurring/ongoingcustomizeddevelopment?
Ifyestoabovequestion,willthisbemaintainedinternallyorbyathirdparty?
Ifinternally,doyouhavegreatdevelopers/designers/ITmanagersthatcan
maintainANDcontinuallyupgrade?(Ifnotothisquestion,youshoulduseSaaS.)

Related
Government(Software)asaService(ELGL)

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-18

GoBETA
Theobjectiveofthisphaseistobuildafullyworkingprototype
whichyoutestwithusers.Youllcontinuouslyimproveonthe
prototypeuntilitsreadytogolive,replacingorintegratingwith
anyexistingservices.
-GOV.UK

What
BETAisthepre-releasephaseofatechnologyproject.Alsoreferredtoasalpha,pilotor
test.

Why
Letsyouincrementalize(startsmallandevolve)
Allowsgovernmenttoengagewithpublic,getfeedback
Ismoretransparent
Limitssurprisefactorforresidents
Lowerstressonstaffupdatingtheirprocesses
Encouragesexperimentation

Tips
Promoteandeducatetofosteraproductivefeedbackloop.
Havefunandtrythings(beopentonewideas).

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-19

Setadeadlineforlaunchingtolive.

Related
WestCarrollton,Ohio,LaunchesDigitalPresenceinStateofBeta(Government
Technology)


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-20

Getsocial


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-21

Focusontheuser
Wemustbegindigitalprojectsbyexploringandpinpointingthe
needsofthepeoplewhowillusetheservice,andthewaysthe
servicewillfitintotheirlives.Whethertheusersaremembersof
thepublicorgovernmentemployees,policymakersmustinclude
realpeopleintheirdesignprocessfromthebeginning.Theneedsof
peoplenotconstraintsofgovernmentstructuresorsilos
shouldinformtechnicalanddesigndecisions.Weneedto
continuallytesttheproductswebuildwithrealpeopletokeepus
honestaboutwhatisimportant.
-DigitalServicesPlaybook,Play1
Tips
Emphasizewhatyoudo(payments,jobs,issuereporting)
De-emphasizepersonality/agency-focusedapproach
Followacommonlookandfeel(patternlibrary)
Usefeedbackmechanisms(polls,surveys)
Employandmonitoranalytics
Beempathetic

Checklist
Earlyintheproject,spendtimewithcurrentandprospectiveusersoftheservice
Usearangeofqualitativeandquantitativeresearchmethodstodetermine
peoplesgoals,needs,andbehaviors;bethoughtfulaboutthetimespent
Testprototypesofsolutionswithrealpeople,inthefieldifpossible
Documentthefindingsaboutusergoals,needs,behaviors,andpreferences
Sharefindingswiththeteamandagencyleadership
Createaprioritizedlistoftaskstheuseristryingtoaccomplish,alsoknownas
userstories

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-22

Asthedigitalserviceisbeingbuilt,regularlytestitwithpotentialuserstoensureit
meetspeoplesneeds

(Source:U.S.DigitalServices,DigitalServicesPlaybook)

Keyquestions
Whoareyourprimaryusers?
Whatuserneedswillthisserviceaddress?
Whydoestheuserwantorneedthisservice?
Whichpeoplewillhavethemostdifficultywiththeservice?
Whichresearchmethodswereused?
Whatwerethekeyfindings?
Howwerethefindingsdocumented?Wherecanfutureteammembersaccessthe
documentation?
Howoftenareyoutestingwithrealpeople?

(Source:U.S.DigitalServices,DigitalServicesPlaybook)

Resources
CivicUserTestingGroupBook


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-23

Thinkmobile-first
Responsivedesignis100%mobile-friendlyandadaptstoalldevices(phone,tablets,
laptops,desktops,kiosks).

Whymobile
Mobileusageisincreasing
Buildonce(savestime,money)
Noneedforstand-aloneapp
Search-enginefriendly


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-24

Haveacontentstrategy
Makethisapriority
Writeuserstories(Iamaresident/visitor/business...)
Identifycontentgoals
Followastyleguide(AP,Chicago,Conscious-age/gender)
Useacontentmanagementsystem

Resources
18FContentGuide


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-25

Prioritizeaccessibility

buildsitesthatareusablebyeveryone,nottomeetminimum
standards
-18F

Law:Section508-requiresthatgovernmentprovidesequalaccesstoinformation
todisabledemployees
Standard:WebContentAccessibilityGuidelines(WCAG)

Tips
Ensurekeyboardaccess
Usesemanticheadings(h1,h2,h3,etc.)
Labelformelements
Usealt/imgtags
Usemultimediacaptioning(audio/video)
Takeintoaccountcolorcontrast

Resources
WebAccessibilityEvalutationTool


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-26

Respectprivacy

TheAmericanpeopleexpectgovernmentwebsitestobesecure
andtheirinteractionswiththosewebsitestobeprivate.
-CIO.gov

Protectinguserprivacyisanimportantaspectanddutyofanypublicserviceorganization.
HTTPSiswebsecurityprotocolthatvalidatesandensureprivacyprotectionsareadhered
to.

AstheU.S.federalgovernmentstates,HTTPSguarantees:

Confidentiality.Thevisitorsconnectionisencrypted,obscuringURLs,
cookies,andothersensitivemetadata.
Authenticity.Thevisitoristalkingtotherealwebsite,andnottoan
impersonatororthroughaman-in-the-middle.
Integrity.Thedatasentbetweenthevisitorandthewebsitehasnotbeen
tamperedwithormodified.

Resources
https.cio.gov

Tools
LetsEncrypt

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-27

Besecure
Passwordmanagement
Two-factorauthentication(2FA)
Back-ups

Passwordmanagement
Easilycreatestrongpasswords
Cansafelysharepasswords
Majortoolshavefreemiumplans

Tips
Limitusers,permissions
Usestrongpasswords
BediligentaboutupdatingyourCMSsoftware
SubscribetoyourCMSsecurityannouncements
Back-upregularly(daily)

Tools
LastPass
PassPack

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-28

Leverageintegrations
Makesurethird-partyvendorsareappropriateforyourcity
Alwaysaskthird-partyvendorstoverifytheirAPIisopen
Avoidwatereddowncatch-allsolutions
Dataandapplicationprogramminginterfaces(APIs)
Getverificationofthird-partyAPIusage


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-29

Updateyourstatus
Tokeepresidentsinformed,thecitypostsmonthlyDone/Doingstatusreportson
accomplishmentsandupcomingwork.

Example:https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/donedoing-10/

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-30

Resources
Guides
TheDigitalServicesPlaybook(U.S.DigitalService)
18FGuides(18F)
TheHTTPS-OnlyStandard(CIO.gov)

Organizations
ELGL(elgl.org)
NationalAssociationofGovernmentWebProfessionals(NAGW)(nagw.org)
SunlightFoundation(sunlightfoundation.com)

Books
SmartCities:BigData,CivicHackers,andtheQuestionforaNewUtopia,Anthony
Townsend

Citizenville:HowtoTaketheTownSquareDigitalandReinventGovernment,Gavin
Newsom,LisaDickey

Start-UpCity,GabeKlein

DeliveringonDigital:TheInnovatorsandTechnologiesThatAreTransforming
Government,WilliamD.Eggers

TheSolutionRevolution:HowBusiness,Government,andSocialEnterprisesAreTeaming
UptoSolveSocietysToughestProblems,WilliamD.Eggers,PaulMacmillan

TheResponsiveCity:EngagingCommunitiesThroughData-SmartGovernance,Stephen
Goldsmith,SusanCrawford

InnovativeState:HowNewTechnologiesCanTransformGovernment,AneeshChopra

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-31

OpenDataNow:TheSecrettoHotStartups,SmartInvesting,SavvyMarketing,andFast
Innovation,JoelGurin

OpenGovernment,DanielLathrop,LaurelRuma

Thefoundationforanopensourcecity,JasonHibbets

BeyondTransparency:OpenDataandtheFutureofCivicInnovation,BrettGoldstein,
LaurenDyson

SocialMediainthePublicSector:AGuidetoParticipation,Collaborationand
TransparencyinTheNetworkedWorld,InesMergel

CivicUserTestingGroupBook,DanielX.ONeil

OpenOrganization,JimWhitehurst

Media
Federal
FCW(fcw.com)
FedScoop(fedscoop.com)
FedTech(fedtechmagazine.com)
NextGov(nextgov.com)

State&local
RouteFifty(routefifty.com)
StateScoop(statescoop.com)
StateTech(statetechmagazine.com)

Other
GovFresh(govfresh.com)


DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-32

Contributors
LukeFretwell,KevinHerman,JeffLyon,AlexSchmoe

Acknowledgements
Thankyoutothefollowingforyourinspirationandsupport:

RebeccaWoodbury(SanRafael,Calif.),ErikaMattingly(WestCarrollton,Ohio),Kirsten
Wyatt(ELGL

Questions?
Collaborate
UsetheCommentsfeatureinthisdocumenttoaddquestions/feedback.

Contact
Email:info@proudcity.com
Phone:(510)671-0593

Colophon
ComputerbyEdwardBoatmanfromtheNounProject
CreditCardbyEdwardBoatmanfromtheNounProject
SharebyMatteoDalPassofromtheNounProject
SmartphonebyCurvefromtheNounProject
BrowserbyDesignify.mefromtheNounProject
LockbyEdwardBoatmanfromtheNounProject
analyticsbyAlfredoCreates.comfromtheNounProject
SettingsbyilCapitanofromtheNounProject

DigitalGovernmentPlaybook-33

securebrowserbyElliotMidsonfromtheNounProject
sloganbyKirbyWufromtheNounProject
mixedgroupbyPetervanDrielfromtheNounProject
ContrastbyAlexSkodynfromtheNounProject
creativeteambyDelwarHossainfromtheNounProject
connectionbySymbolonfromtheNounProject
CloudbyEdwardBoatmanfromtheNounProject
erlenemeyerflaskbyKirbyWufromtheNounProject
BasketballPlaybyRihardsGromulsfromtheNounProject
UserbyViktorVorobyevfromtheNounProject
FlowChartbyRohithMSfromtheNounProject
CheckbyKimmiStudiofromtheNounProject
SyncbyProSymbolsfromtheNounProject
LightBulbbyiconspherefromtheNounProject
ConversationbyMRFAfromtheNounProject

License

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