Government meets
its mobile future
Seven essential strategies
for state leaders
Table of contents
Introduction
A moment of truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Seven guidelines to help you get started
1. Embrace disruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Think big. Start small. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3. Make the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
4. What’s in it for them? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
5. Play it cool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
6. Be agile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
7. Serve and protect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Conclusion
The new normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 1
A moment of truth
Now that smartphones, tablets, and mobile technologies have been
ingrained in our everyday lives, state governments face a moment of
truth: Step up or fall behind.
2
For cash-strapped agencies in a still-sluggish economy, the
challenge of going mobile might seem too big. But it can
be a huge opportunity.
With modern, flexible tools, agencies can cut costs and
boost efficiency. They can build stronger connections with
citizens. They can provide information and services when
and where they’re needed most. They can transform the
way state employees work and how they connect with
each other.
There are almost as many ways to start the mobile journey
as there are government agencies. It’s not uncommon to
see multiple, independent initiatives within the same state.
Some leaders are early adopters; others take a wait-and-see
attitude. Some think the risks that come with mobile
outweigh any potential rewards; others think they can’t
spend the money right now. Many are simply unsure on
how to begin.
Despite all the challenges, the technology is here, and it
couldn’t have come at a better time. As states grapple
with shrinking budgets and greater pressure to provide
better services, mobile can open up new, more efficient
ways to satisfy constituent demands. This isn’t about the
worn-out promise of doing “more with less.” This is about
doing it differently.
The moment of truth is now. It’s time to get started.
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 3
1
Embrace disruption
You’ve already imagined mobile technology speeding up
or streamlining the way you work. Now, imagine it changing
the very nature of the work you do.
For example, police departments could arm troopers with real-time data as they
race to an emergency location. Or mobile solutions could help state inspectors and
engineers access, collect, and report information—including audio and video
files—in the field. Think about it: They wouldn’t have to write down information
and then waste time traveling back to the office just to type up and file the report.
Instead, they could share it with colleagues instantly.
4
Did you know?
Sixty-eight percent of people
place their mobile devices
next to their beds while
sleeping at night.1
Now take it a step further. What if your
mobile network were tied to smart sensors
that monitor air or water quality, or traffic?
Or could link to data that comes from
devices embedded in medical equipment,
cars, homes, and other places? Think new
levels of visibility. Think data going right
where it’s needed, right away. Think more
than just a streamlined process—imagine
an entirely new one.
Technologies like these are already
in play, just begging for more widespread
adoption. Apps like New York State’s 511
service offer real-time traffic and transit
data, or even travel times for bridges and
tunnels. Instead of phoning in a pothole, a
citizen can use a GPS-enabled phone to
register its location instantly—and even
include a photo.
Using mobile to make your job easier is
only a first step. The next step is using it to
redefine and enhance your job. The
challenge is seeing what isn’t there yet,
then making it happen.
6
Mobile gets rail in a big way
With more than one million riders annually,
Amtrak is investing in mobile technology not only to
improve the way it interacts with passengers but to
change the way conductors do business—from
collecting tickets to maintenance.
The rail service offers a free app that helps passengers
with scheduling, ticketing, and check-in. They can
earn stamps as they travel or link achievements to
social networks that tie back to Amtrak’s reward and
loyalty program.
For conductors, Amtrak developed a solution combining
a mobile app with a magnetic stripe
reader to help process tickets, perform fraud validation,
and even feed into a model that tracks customers
and their locations on the train. The solution can help
them identify which doors to open during stops or
arrange for the right numbers of wheelchairs at the
right place when passengers depart, improving
service and efficiency.
Conductors can also report faulty toilets, damaged
seats, or other incidents in real time through their
devices, shortening the time it takes to repair those
items—rather than wait to begin the process at the
end of a route.2
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 7
2
Think big.
Start small.
Considering how far mobile has come in such
a short time, it’s easy to let your imagination
run wild. Until reality catches up, that is. An
all-encompassing “Land of Tomorrow” is an
awfully difficult thing to write a work plan for.
So take small bites at first.
What does this mean? Start with one clear idea.
Focus on low-risk opportunities first. Add one chunk
of start-up funding. Mix in one existing stakeholder
group—either constituents or employees—that’s hungry
for something new. Stir.
Trying to make a new tool work effectively across every
mobile platform, such as iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android
devices, adds complexity. So don’t make that a must-have
right out of the gate. Start with one, build your foundation,
and plan to expand.
And if your idea doesn’t go as planned, don’t worry. It didn’t
cost you much, and you can try something else. In mobile,
as with lunch from a food truck, you learn from your
achievements and your mistakes.
The point is to get started. Build confidence. Each step is a
lesson. And as you accumulate bite-sized victories, you’ll look
back and see that you’ve been building toward that big
vision all along.
8
Are you ready?
What issues are most relevant
or of greatest concern to your
community or user audience?
What function or activity
will make the greatest
impact on your audience?
What will generate the
most business value?
Do you have a strategy in
place to create rapid
prototypes, test market
assumptions, use customer
feedback, and launch ideas
quickly in the marketplace?
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 9
3
Make the case
If your first mobile effort is effective and
compelling, it can stand as a selling point for
future initiatives. Choose wisely. Consider the
business case for the change you propose.
Factor in its influence and value. Determine
the impact to the mission.
Start with a clear, simple goal. What do you want
to accomplish? Lower costs? Improve productivity
of your employees? Provide better services to your
constituents? Narrow your choice to something you
feel comfortable doing.
10
Are you ready?
How have you changed
your business strategy and
plan to line up with your
constituents’ needs?
What’s your plan for
identifying all stakeholders
and getting their buy-in
in supporting a mobile
development project?
What content or
information can you
deliver to constituents
that would make your
mobile app valuable?
What’s your strategy if
your project fails?
It’s usually a good idea to start with a low-risk
project. It could be an app to let anglers buy a
fishing license anytime. It could be a way to help
citizens make appointments. Or it could be
something that helps state examiners more
efficiently record data during site visits.
The effective use of mobile can give your ops
a quick boost. For example, an app can help
constituents get information on their own quickly
and efficiently without help from call center
representatives. In turn, employees could shift their
focus to higher-value tasks or more complicated
cases. Mobile lets you do more now with what
you have now.
Whichever direction you choose, start by
evaluating a business problem that needs a
solution. Mobile is cool, and it’s tempting to do
new things because you can. But in the budgetstrained, mission-critical public sector, “should”
has to come before “could.”
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 11
12
4
What’s in it for them?
Let’s say you developed an
app or solution for a popular
activity, or put a mobile
wrapper around an existing
web offering. It worked great.
But when you launched it, the
response was … meh. Why?
It’s likely you didn’t think about
the end-user experience.
Just as in the commercial world,
governments should work to deliver
engaging, intuitive, effortless, and
gratifying experiences to constituents
and employees. In short, you need to
step into a mobile user’s shoes and
focus on usability and design from
their POV. It’s not just about point
and click, but also touch, swipe, talk,
look, and feel.
Ask basic questions: What do they
need to know? What do they want to
do? How do they expect it to work?
And don’t just ask them hypothetically.
If you want real answers, reach out to
real people. What works for law
enforcement may not work for parking
enforcement. The mobile user
experience for an agricultural inspector
may be quite different from what a
building inspector wants and needs.
Think beyond content. Consider
performance and speed. Security.
Navigation. Data synchronization.
Exploit device capabilities, such as
camera and GPS—or even the
accelerometer. Provide updates and
enhancements. Attention to every
aspect and angle can result in a better
mobile experience for users.
If you’re unsure how to start, ask your
users. Check out what other agencies
have done, or compare notes with
peers in other states.
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 13
Did you know?
More than 300,000 apps
have been developed over
the past three years and
apps have been downloaded
10.9 billion times.3
14
A mobile mentality
Responsive design is an increasingly
popular way for private sector and
state government agencies to give
mobile users a better experience. This
approach automatically reformats the
layout of a website to the size and
shape of the screen on any end-user
device—from smartphones to tablets,
laptops to desktops. The result is a
better and faster experience for
mobile users.
For example, the California
Technology Agency is building basic,
no-frills mobile websites that can adapt
to any operating system or device.
Users don’t have to download anything
to view the sites. The approach is
saving the state time and money.4
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 15
5
Play it cool
If you’re not going to make mobile
tools and apps that are attractive
and polished, why bother? Boring
isn’t a safe play—it’s an app killer.
Be bold. Set yourself apart. Be cool.
Cool is about colors, textures, fonts, and
clever functionality. Yet aesthetics is a means,
not an end—because cool is also about
performance, staying fresh and up to date
with emerging technologies. A mobile app
that’s appealing, clever, easy to use, and
informative will see more use. It’s that simple.
If people don’t get that from you, they won’t
stop to think about why government is
different from business. They’ll just stop.
Did you know?
Seventy-one percent of
global mobile users expect
websites to load as quickly,
almost as quickly, or faster
on their mobile devices as
on their desktops.5
You don’t need to rebel completely to add
spice to your mobile tools and apps. Function
comes first. But it won’t necessarily cost
more to inject a little spirit. Nor is it a frill.
Anything that boosts a solution’s chances of
adoption is an investment in its effectiveness.
Invent new ways for users to interact with
information. Pay greater attention to detail.
Use more innovative features. If people enjoy
using what you give them, they’ll use it over
and over again.
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 17
Mobile hits the road
Boston motorists can download the city’s Street Bump app,
which uses their accelerometer-equipped smartphones to
identify and automatically report the exact locations of
potholes via GPS.
With this app, the city hopes to save money and eliminate
the need for engineers to survey 806 miles of roadway.6 The
$80,000 cost to develop the app was less than half of what
the city spends on traditional survey techniques every year.7
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 19
6
Be agile
We all know mobile
technology is moving
fast. New platforms here.
Changing expectations
there. For government
agencies, keeping up
with the Joneses might
mean stepping outside
their happy places.
Think of mobile as a vital
component of your future work
environment. You won’t know
everything about your future
mobile needs, but you can make
smart infrastructure investments.
This can give you the capacity
you may need later on. For
example, it may make sense to
use one technology platform for
your employees and another to
provide services to constituents.
20
Mobile won’t do away
with the legacy systems you
already operate. Those are big
investments with long lifecycles,
and they won’t transform to
meet every six-month planning
horizon. So make your mobile
strategy work with them.
Operate with one foot in the
present and one in the future.
That’s real agility.
development model may
take too long in a mobile world.
Instead, agile development is
iterative and flexible. Developers
engage users early and reap
valuable feedback that can
lead to rapid changes and
enhancements. That can
translate into lower costs,
greater efficiency, and
higher quality.
Agility is also about changing
course if you see trouble ahead.
Maybe an app or program
isn’t meeting your usability,
savings, or revenue expectations.
Or you might want to expand
something that’s working well.
Sometimes change is good and
necessary. Just don’t take too
long to decide.
And while your agency might
rely on a multi-year technology
spending plan, mobile runs on a
much shorter timeframe, usually
in months. Your plans should
reflect that. It’s a different way
to approach development.
But agility is more than a
mindset. It’s also a methodology.
The traditional “waterfall”
Are you ready?
What’s the capacity of your back-end systems and
infrastructure to integrate mobile technologies?
Have you created a test environment for multiple
platforms and emerging mobile technologies?
22
There’s a developer for that
As part of the state transportation department,
the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
provides dozens of apps, including a couple that
can help travelers locate nearby bus stops or offer
real-time tracking of commuter rail lines through
GPS- or Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Yet the state didn’t develop any of them. Instead,
through a licensing agreement, the state allows
anyone—including the commercial sector and
private citizens—to use open, real-time, and static
traffic data to build apps for consumers.
Through this approach, Massachusetts saves
money, time, and manpower by leaving
development up to others. And while the open
policy means several apps may offer the same
service, state officials reason that consumers
might find the most useful ones.4
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 23
7
Serve and protect
Mobile users—employees and citizens—want easy and quick
access to systems through their mobile devices. They expect
security and privacy are already built in. Mobile technology brings
its own features to these issues, and that requires a different
approach. It begs a few questions, too:
How concerned should I be about
viruses and other malware? How can I
protect data from being hacked? What
if a device is lost or stolen? How can I
protect the privacy of mobile users?
These issues may seem challenging,
but mobile security is achievable and
feasible. An effective strategy takes
a risk-based approach and involves
security specialists from the start.
Use industry-standard mobile
computing policies, practices, and
protocols. Train your employees.
Take cues from leading consumer
applications. Centralize various mobile
initiatives. Share experiences among
different departments.
24
You’ll still have to think hard about
what data should be made available on
such devices or who should get access.
But mobile security is an enhancement,
not an obstacle. It offers innovative
tools for biometric authentication,
digital signatures, one-time passwords,
and use of geo-location services.
With mobile integrated into your
infrastructure, you can evolve beyond
passwords and enhance security across
your systems through multi-factor or
risk-based authentication.
Like every developing technology,
mobile introduces some new risks. But
it also offers an extraordinary set of
tools and capabilities to mitigate those
risks and enhance your overall security.
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 25
Are you ready?
What strategies have you developed to
strengthen the security of data accessed
through a mobile device?
What mobile device management policy do
you have in place? Are you permitting
employees to use their own devices?
How often are you reviewing and updating
your security policies?
26
Mobilizing the caseworker
In Florida, more than 2,300 foster care caseworkers were
given camera-enabled smartphones and laptops. With this
capability, they can remotely take time-and-location-stamped
images, which are immediately uploaded to the state’s
online database. They can also provide other critical data,
notes, and observations. All of this helps them reduce time
spent on paperwork and better manage their workloads.8
With the adoption of mobile case-management tools in
Miami-Dade County, officials there reported a 30 percent
increase in home visits, timely reporting, and better
compliance with state requirements.9
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 27
The new normal
Fact: Mobile technology
is changing society
and promises to keep
evolving for years to
come. People expect
immediate service and
instant information.
While state governments
may understand and
acknowledge this, it’s
Leading agencies are
embracing and taking
advantage of mobile. They’re
adaptive. They understand
mobile isn’t a shiny new toy but
rather a method for making a
super-sized impact on their
various roles. They use mobile
not only to change the way they
do business but also to take it to
an even higher level. Merge
mobile with cloud computing,
big data, and analytics and—
voila!—you can be even more
effective than ever.
In government, it’s not about
competition. It’s about fulfilling
your mission. It’s about helping
citizens, business, and society.
Mobile can help you accomplish
that. It can spur innovation
across government services even
as you face daunting pressures
and challenges, whether they’re
about budgets, regulations,
accountability, or reputation.
So … what are you waiting for?
not enough. They should
act to stay responsive
and relevant in this
new world.
With mobile, you can
reach a wider audience, stay
connected 24/7, tailor services,
and improve citizen deliberation.
Employees can collaborate like
never before, improving
their efficiency.
Government meets its mobile future Seven essential strategies for state leaders 29
Contacts
Jason Salzetti
Deloitte Digital
Deloitte Consulting LLP
San Francisco, CA
+1.415.783.4052
[email protected]
Art Stephens
US State Technology Strategy
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Camp Hill, PA
+1.717.541.3137
[email protected]
Roy Mathew
US State Technology Strategy
Deloitte Consulting LLP
San Jose, CA
+1.408.704.4527
[email protected]
Lona Cooper
US State Technology Strategy
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Camp Hill, PA
+1.717.695.5322
[email protected]
To learn more
Visit www.deloitte.com/us/goingmobile
Endnotes
1. Time. Aug. 15, 2012. “Your Wireless Life: Results of Time’s Mobility Poll.” Retrieved from http://www.time.com/
time/interactive/0,31813,2122187,00.html
2. White, M. & Briggs, B. (2012). “Tech Trends 2012: Elevate IT for digital business. A Federal Perspective.”
Retrieved from http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/Federal/
us_fed_Federal_Tech_Trends_2012_062112.pdf
3. Digital Buzz Blog. 2012, July 9. Retrieved from http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-2012-mobilegrowth-statistics/
4. Collins, H. (2012, April 25). “States Aim to Launch More Mobile Apps.” Government Technology. Retrieved
from http://www.govtech.com/policy-management/States-Aim-to-Launch-More-Mobile-Apps.html
5. Compuware Corp. news release. (2011, July 19). “New Study Reveals the Mobile Web Disappoints Global
Consumers.” Retrieved from http://www.compuware.com/d/release/592528/new-study-reveals-the-mobileweb-disappoints-global-consumers
6. Fox News, “’Street Bump’ app detects potholes, alerts Boston city officials,” July 20, 2012.
7. Ovide, S. (2012, June 12) “Tapping ‘Big Data’ to Fill Potholes.” Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.
wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303444204577460552615646874.html
8. Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2011). “Letting Go of the Status Quo – A Playbook for Transforming
State Government.” p.104.
9. AT&T. “Our Kids of Miami-Dade Case Study.” Retrieved from http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/
en_US/popups/video/our-kids.jsp
This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering
accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not
a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that
may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should
consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who
relies on this publication.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Consulting LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see
www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
Copyright © 2013 Deloitte Development LLC, All rights reserved. Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited