Zero Hour: How to Get Far Quickly When Starting Your Digital Service Unit Late
Summary
You can move much faster when others have paved a way. About a decade later than others, our federal-level government digital service unit only started in late 2020, during the pandemic. It’s growing rapidly now, expanding to 120 people by the end of 2022, and taking shortcuts thanks to other units elsewhere. Magdalena will share what the team achieved by building on the experiences and outputs from other international digital service units, how planting the seeds through a fellowship program was pivotal as an enabler, and where they want to be by 2030.
Key Insights
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Germany’s federated structure and large population create unique complexities in delivering digital government services compared to smaller countries like Estonia or Singapore.
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Only half of Germans interact online with authorities, partly because fewer than 10% of public services are fully digitized end-to-end.
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Starting late in digital government means building strategically on existing projects, data sources, and technical infrastructure rather than from scratch.
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Magdalena’s team repurposed an existing company and fellowship programs to rapidly launch digital services during the pandemic.
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Quick wins, like a simplified digital tax service for pensioners, help build trust and gain stakeholder buy-in for larger reforms.
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User journey mapping uncovered key bottlenecks, such as confusing postal letters for digital identity cards that prevented adoption.
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Balancing aspirations with what is achievable now is crucial to maintain momentum and credibility without rushing and risking failure.
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Skipping basic user research and journey mapping often leads to missed insights and worsened outcomes, even if pressured to move fast.
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Fellowship programs like Tech for Germany bring private sector expertise into government, creating a valuable community for innovation and knowledge exchange.
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Successful digital government transformation involves not just front-end services but influencing legislation and fostering digital mindsets among senior officials.
Notable Quotes
"Germany is a large federation with 16 federal states and an additional European Union layer, making digital service delivery quite complex."
"Only 50% of people in Germany interact with authorities online, compared to 80-90% in Nordic countries."
"We started the digital service as a subsidiary company during the pandemic and delivered first services within a year."
"It was really hard to get senior stakeholder attention when starting late, especially when the topic is not fashionable anymore."
"We built on whatever we could find, including technical APIs and even paper forms that had already simplified processes."
"Quick wins are essential to build trust and start conversations with stakeholders who might be skeptical or overworked."
"Meeting stakeholders where they are means using language and concepts they understand, not just tech jargon."
"We treated user research and journey mapping as non-negotiable basics, even when pressured for rapid delivery."
"Digital identity cards had a bad reputation, but when we explored further, we realized the card itself is a valuable existing asset."
"You need thick skin to deal with longstanding institutions who are skeptical because they've seen many projects come and go."
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