Rebooting the public sector starts with having the right data architecture

FROM ageing populations to digital disruption and climate change, governments across the world are facing complex challenges. The public sector has to continually evolve to meet the needs of citizens, but they struggle to do so effectively. A study by McKinsey has found that around 80 per cent of public sector transformations tend to fail.

Singapore is working hard to buck this trend. The government has been actively driving digital innovation. Last year, it released the Digital Government Blueprint, outlining strategies and key performance indicators to build a Digital Government by 2023. During the closing dialogue of the Smart Nation Summit this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also highlighted the need for Singapore and its leaders to constantly reinvent themselves to keep pace with digital disruption.

Indeed, the Singapore government has made significant investments to ensure that it is well-positioned to leverage technology that will dramatically transform public services. Some of the projects it has undertaken range from government chatbots to the development of a National Digital Identity framework.