Launch of Digital Government Blueprint - "A Singapore Government that is Digital to the Core, and Serves with Heart"

Launch Of Digital Government Blueprint

05 Jun 2018

The Digital Government Blueprint (DGB), outlining the Singapore Government’s vision and plans for a Digital Government, was launched today by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, at the inaugural Smart Nation Innovations Week Opening Symposium.

The DGB is an ambitious five-year plan put together by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) to harness digital technologies to transform how the Singapore Government serves the public. The DGB builds on the foundations laid by previous e-Government masterplans. It is a statement of the Government’s intent and ambition to better leverage data and harness new technologies, and to drive broader efforts to build a digital economy and digital society, in support of Smart Nation.

On Smart Nation - Economy, Government and Society

Smart Nation is about transforming Singapore through technology. We envision a Smart Nation that is a leading economy powered by digital innovation, and a world-class city with a Government that gives our citizens the best home possible and responds to their different and changing needs.

At the broadest level, the economy is the biggest domain driving Singapore’s growth and competitiveness. It is supported by the Government, which is leaning forward to catalyse growth and innovation across all domains, including the public sector. Crucially, these efforts are underpinned by efforts to ensure that all segments of society are able to harness digital technologies and benefit from them.

Singapore’s plans to drive transformation across the economy, Government and society are detailed in the Digital Economy Framework for Action, the DGB and the Digital Readiness Blueprint. The Digital Economy Framework for Action and the Digital Readiness Blueprint have been released by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). These three plans are key pillars which work together to support Singapore’s Smart Nation goals.

Digital Government Blueprint

The DGB aims to create “A Government that is Digital to the Core, and Serves with Heart”. Being “digital to the core” means using data, connectivity and computing decisively to transform the way citizens and businesses are served, and the way public officers are enabled to contribute fully to their work. A Digital Government that "serves with heart" is one that is able to automate work where possible, in order to provide a personal touch in a way that enriches the citizen’s experience.

Harnessing digital technology will allow the Government to build stakeholder-centric services - better designed policies, services and infrastructure - that cater to the needs of people and businesses. For the public service, this means becoming a digitally-confident workforce which is supported by a digitally-enabled workplace and digital tools.

The DGB spells out a six-fold strategy to build a Digital Government:

a) Integrating services around citizen and business needs;

b) Strengthening integration between policy, operations and technology;

c) Building common digital and data platforms;

d) Operating reliable, resilient and secure systems;

e) Raising our digital capabilities to pursue innovation; and

f) Co-creating with citizens and businesses, and facilitating adoption of technology.

The DGB also articulates concrete milestones for specific initiatives and areas that the Government will embark on now. These will be improved iteratively, as technology evolves and needs change.

Building a Digital Government involves the efforts of every government agency. SNDGG will support agencies by laying out the overall blueprint, building common platforms and systems, exercising technical leadership by setting and enforcing Information and Communications Technology standards, as well as providing technical expertise.