by Gemma Roddy

At Room151’s Technology, Data and Finance Forum last week, the conversations were refreshingly honest – real stories of projects that lost their way, but also of digital success. It was a reminder that technology, on its own, is only half the answer. That’s been my experience too.

There was plenty to be excited about. But also lessons from projects that drifted off course: systems that users didn’t adopt, digital tools that didn’t deliver the promised results, or teams that had to stop and reset. Sometimes, after months of hard work and significant investment. For anyone accountable to elected members or the public pound, those moments are tough.

Reflecting on the discussions and drawing on my own work with local government and public sector organisations, here are some must-dos for anyone thinking about where to start with digital change.

1. Be clear on your intention

Start with why. What problem are you trying to solve? Can everyone describe it in the same way? What’s the root cause (measured, observable or perceived) of the problem?

Clarity here saves a lot pain, delay and cost later.

It’s also a good time (right up front!) to start thinking about benefits – what are the expected benefits? These should be an essential part of your ambition to do something different with digital.

Example: “Across the council, many of our processes were built up over time to meet specific needs. They’ve served us well, but they don’t always work together. Staff spend too much time on admin rather than helping residents. Residents expect to access services quickly and easily, but our systems make that difficult.”

If your team can’t summarise the ‘why’ this clearly, pause and agree on it before you start talking about tech. It will help keep everyone aligned when things get complicated.

2. Align your strategies

Your digital ambitions should flow directly from your corporate plans, customer strategies and workforce strategies. What outcomes are you trying to achieve for residents, partners, or staff? How can digital tools enable those goals?

Avoid the temptation to create projects because a new technology looks impressive. Instead, use digital to solve problems that matter. As Steve Jobs put it: “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology”.

Example: ‘A council I worked with paused a costly system replacement when they realised their real issue wasn’t the tech – it was unclear processes and inconsistent data. Fixing those first helped to ensure that the later digital investment actually delivered.’

3. Involve people early

The best digital projects are built with people, not for them.

Ask yourself and your teams: who is going to be using this new system or be affected by it? Whoever it is – they need to be in the conversation early.

Talk to staff about what’s frustrating them now and what a better day at work would look like. Ask customers or residents what would make accessing your services easier. These insights shape stronger requirements and build early ownership.

Example: ‘A housing team we’ve worked with involved frontline officers and partner organisations in designing a digital repair request process. This led to faster fixes, happier residents and a team that felt proud of ‘their’ system.’

4.  Get your requirements right before you buy

Don’t rush to solutions. Take time to understand what really needs to change and write that down clearly.

This isn’t about slowing things down; it’s about speeding up success later. When your user needs and requirements are clear, suppliers can respond more effectively, or systems can be built to match prioritised needs, and your teams can measure acceptance, use and progress confidently. When your needs are clear, this validates the requirements and objectives.

5. Communicate early – and keep doing it

Ask yourself: Who needs to know about this, and when? Get people excited, engaged and bought in from as early as you can. You don’t need a big board paper for every decision. Keep it simple with short virtual check-ins, one-to-one conversations, or workshops designed around how your stakeholders already work.

Meet people where they are. Don’t expect them to come to you. Engage early so that decisions later aren’t a surprise. Surprise breeds resistance.

Example: ‘One digital project I supported ran “coffee and chat” sessions for staff across departments. It built trust, surfaced real concerns, and turned sceptics into advocates before the project even launched.’

And yes, you still need to start

You might hear the advice to ‘just get going’, and there’s truth in that. But it only works if you’ve got direction and shared understanding. Get people aligned on the problem and the priority… “This is what we’re focusing on, together.” Then move.

Digital change isn’t about tech. It’s about people, purpose and progress. When you start well, you give yourself the best chance to finish well.

Starting right.

What do you think trips organisations up most at the start of digital change – is it unclear direction, lack of alignment or rushing to solutions?

Or put another way:

What’s the first conversation you have when planning digital change? Is it about technology, people, culture… or is it something else entirely?

Whatever it is, I’d love to chat. Contact me at gemma.roddy@the4oc.com.