This application of technology would be a dream come true in government. Imagine the ability to adapt quickly to the needs of citizens, and even use predictive technology to make proactive decisions before problems arise.
We are on the cusp of this transformation in the public sector, but a cultural shift must occur first: the ability to accept — and even celebrate — failure.
The world’s most successful companies use failure as an opportunity for growth. In software development, we use a model of constant improvement – or agile software development – to make adjustments based on new information. We are constantly looking back at completed tasks and asking: How could it have been better?
For decades, progress in government has been hindered by the inability to make small, quick decisions and adjust later as needed.
It’s important to understand why failure has been such a frightening concept for so long in the public sector. Most government operations were formed in the post-World War II era of the 1950s and '60s. Arguably during this “steady” era, the preferred approach to government was to gather as much information as possible, collaborate on a course of action and make thoughtful big decisions.
The impact was slow to come to fruition, but such decisions often remained relevant for decades.
Today, that approach falls short when the impactful relevance of any decision is rarely more than a few years.
The need for speed has been clear when it comes to matters of public policy. Look, for example, at emerging issues around drone regulation, whether or not to govern bitcoin, or adding digital security regulations to private companies. Speed, however, isn’t just a legislative matter — it’s vital in every corridor of government.
The new formula for success is making fast, small decisions with limited information, and making course corrections as realities unfold. In other words, the risk of becoming more agile is that there will be failures along the way, and that’s okay.
Cultural shifts are never easy and can take time to evolve, but there are steps you can take to apply agile decision-making in your organization:
Step 1: Choose a Project
Especially in federal agencies, multi-year projects are quite common. From updating legacy systems to revamping a website, these undertakings are perfect for applying agile execution. But the project you choose for applying agile thinking doesn’t have to be large — it can be as simple as replacing an outdated process with a digital option.Step 2: Identify Roles and Responsibilities
Like software development teams, it’s crucial that roles for execution are made crystal clear up front and that the chain of decision-making is identified from the start. Across all projects, there needs to be a person who can make the final call if decisions can’t be made by the designated deadlines. This person must be empowered to celebrate failure along the way, and encourage team members to do the same.Step 3: Divide Progress into Two-Week Sprints
A “sprint” is a term we use in software development that is a thrust for a finite set of outcomes, usually between one and two weeks in duration. This is a very specific and achievable set of objectives, and every day there is a team meeting (or “stand up”) to assess the progress toward the sprint goals. Government projects would benefit greatly from this model because it allows for quick decisions on a tight timeline — forcing more agile progress towards the larger goal.Step 4: Make Room for Adjustments
When a decision can’t be made due to fear of failure, everybody loses. This has historically been one of the greatest hindrances to success in the public sector. Using an agile approach, which makes room for failure and quick pivots is essentially a series of “small” wins building towards a larger overarching goal. Make room for mistakes, but remember that failure is an opportunity for growth.Life is changing too rapidly to predict the future with any accuracy, but we know that technology is not slowing down any time soon. As government embraces agile methods for execution, adopts tried-and-tested methods, and becomes comfortable with the notion of failure, we’ll start to recognize progress as often as we do in the private sector. Let’s start today, one project at a time.
