The large Swedish public sector is under great pressure to digitalise its operations – not only because a lot of money has been earmarked to make it happen. Lilian Klasson is one of Sweden’s most experienced in public organisations’ digitalisation process – and she warns of these large projects.
Information technology accounts for an increasing share of investment in the public sector. The annual total will soon pass SEK 25 billion (roughly $3 bln) – a number that’s growing every year. An obvious reason for this is the great digitalisation trend that is sweeping across the country.
Lilian Klasson has worked with digitalisation for nearly 30 years, a large portion of those in high-profile projects in the public sector, including for the Swedish parliament. She believes that many of the projects now embarked on risk failing, for one reason in particular – being too large and complex.
– It’s often the case in the public sector to invest in a standard system and then adapt to the business after this. Instead, you should ask: ”What would be our dream situation? How do we want to work?” It’s about finding smarter ways of working.
– Lilian Klasson, public-sector digitalisation expert
– A key is that you must dare to test and experiment with smaller formats, continues Klasson. You read about the project in which the starting point is: “Now we will replace the entire email system”, but I think you should do more pilots, prototypes and work more agile. And to dare to fail.
This being said, she stresses the importance of retaining a strong management, and not letting the IT department become a playhouse. It should be clear from the get-go who will engage in innovation and who will deal with management.
So, what is it that has happened? Why does all of the public sector talk of digitalisation today? In Lilian Klasson’s opinion, it’s simply a question of a lot of people and organisations more or less simultaneously having found a concept that can resolve a lot of issues. However, often that change can be brought about through plain efficiency. Then again, a big part of the initiative comes from above: Swedish government has even appointed a minister of digitalisation, and there is now pressure on public organisations to do something.
The notion that Sweden as a society is losing momentum and slipping down international lists of digitalisation levels, also increases the pressure to act.
– At the end of the day, it’s clear that this is a better way to reach customers. The Swedish Tax Agency has for example been a trailblazer, showing how it’s possible to improve both operations internally, and let the process benefit its customers.