Digital Infrastructure

Digital services are how most Americans interact with the government, from filing taxes, to accessing benefits, to obtaining information. Still, federal IT projects consistently fail. Transforming government’s digital infrastructure is far more involved than any single project–it requires changing the foundational elements of how the government designs, develops, and buys software.

Fortunately, best practices have evolved in the private sector over decades–so the answers are there.We’ve observed pockets of excellence inside the government. Still, the challenge to create the right conditions in every agency to consistently deliver digital excellence remains.

Objective

The federal government delivers digital services that work, powered by cross-functional teams using the Product Operating Model.

Policy change

Congress and agencies codify the Product Operating Model into digital operations and service delivery. Niskanen provides actionable, data-informed recommendations to guide implementation.

How we’ll get there

The Product Operating Model aligns people, structures, processes, and budgets within an organization to enable continuous, user-centered digital delivery for real-world outcomes.

We are committed to helping the federal government adopt the Product Operating Model approach for more effective and responsive digital services. We will also continue to build off our initial framework to further explain key concepts and provide useful tools that key stakeholders need to take action.

We will publish case studies and deep dives into particular elements (see our mini-series here on capability-based budgeting). We will package our insights into a “Product Operating Model Playbook” to empower government leaders–both on the Hill and in the Executive–in addition to lending leaders our ongoing support through briefings and legislative review