Task

Watch the video "What is Digital?" (2:28), where we discuss what digital means. We will also explain the commitment to digital in Wales.

Transcript of video

To start, we’re going to explore what we mean when we talk about Digital. 

That’s because the term Digital is vague. It’s almost become a buzzword. Because of that, there’s often misconceptions around what it means. 

Let’s start by looking at what it isn’t. Digital isn’t only about technology. It’s not something that’s the responsibility of the IT department. It’s also not a case of replacing old, often manual ways of working, with something new and different. 

So, what is it? Digital is about changing the way we do things, to adapt to the dynamic environment we work in. 

This is one definition from Tom Loosemore. He is one of the founders of the Government Digital Service (GDS). It serves as a great summary of what digital is.  

In this quote, you’ll notice “technology” is the last thing that’s mentioned. That’s because new ways of working are as, if not more important, than technology. With the right culture, processes and business models, organisations make better technology choices. 

The final piece of the puzzle is about understanding the user. That’s because nowadays, the expectations of people are higher and always changing. In the course materials, you’ll be able to hear from members of the public. In the clips, they explain why they use digital services in their day to day lives. Many have the same expectations for the public services they have to use. 

Throughout the course, we’ll introduce you to some ways you can get started. 

There have been some significant commitments to Digital in Wales. Much of this began in 2018 with a report and set of 6 recommendations called System Reboot.  

The broad conclusion was that providers of public services here in Wales need to improve. It stated that they need to take advantage of Digital transformation. But there needs to be a co-ordinated approach. 

This again shows when we talk about Digital, it’s about a lot more than technology or IT​. 

Instead, it’s about: 

  • A change of culture 
  • Embracing new ways of working 
  • Designing services that meet the needs of users 
  • And validating them by using data to make decisions