Trends in GovTech 2024

PA Tech Con 2024

PA Tech Con is the largest GovTech conference in Pennsylvania. If you missed this year's conference, here's the link to the conference tracks and speakers. Lots of great topics were covered, ranging from AI to data security to digital experiences for residents.

I've also attached the deck from the keynote: "Top Trends in Government for 2024". Keep on reading to get the tl;dr.

Highlights

Global Turmoil and Local Pressures: Governments face a multitude of challenges such as increasing citizen demands, cyber threats, and regional conflicts. Government leaders have no pause and must be proactive.

Key Findings:

1. Citizen Demands: There's a rapid increase in demand for modern, accessible, and resilient services. Government CIOs must adopt sustainable methodologies to cater to these needs.

2. Government's Role: Governments must oversee responsible and secure digital advancements while revising their own business models.

3. Policy Pressure: CIOs are under pressure to continuously demonstrate value and improve business capabilities.

Trends to Watch in 2024:

1. Experience Management: Governments struggle with a unified citizen experience and need sentiment analysis and collaboration to align cross-department strategies.

2. Executive Data Advocacy: Strong data policies and personalized interactions are vital. Leaders need comprehensive data catalogs, and executive-led data governance is essential to ensure compliance and improve citizen experiences.

3. Digital Identity Ecosystems: Digital identity is fragmented. Governments need to promote compatibility and personal data control while playing a significant role as facilitators.

4. Decision Automation: AI is a critical component in improving government productivity and mission outcomes. Mature areas have shown productivity gains, and a systematic AI use is recommended.

5. Institutional Resilience: Natural events and supply chain vulnerabilities require a robust focus on institutional resilience, scaling IT agility, and addressing talent shortages.

6. Adaptive Security: Cybersecurity needs to be integrated with physical and supply chain security. AI and an adaptive security architecture will be crucial in threat detection.

7. Increase Workforce Productivity: Addressing talent gaps, particularly in digital skills, is essential. Governments are urged to plan for a blended workforce that combines automation and human effort.

8. Digital Platform Agility: Governments will increasingly adopt multi-cloud strategies for modernization, focusing on scalability, resilience, and investment efficiency.

9. Programmatic Data Management: AI-driven data management and integrity are of utmost importance. Continuous improvement in data quality will drive innovation and service delivery.

Predictions:

• By 2027, GenAI tools will significantly reduce modernization costs by creating replacements for legacy applications.

• By 2025, 75% of governments will adopt platform services for modernization.

• By 2026, over 60% of government organizations will invest in business process automation.

• By 2026, more than 78% of government CIOs will increase investments to enhance citizen experiences as a critical business outcome.

Governments must evolve their operations, focusing on data, security, and productivity to meet future demands and maintain public trust.