Digital Government 2020

Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy

Qatar Digital Government aims to provide a better life for all communities. All around the world, technology is enhancing people’s everyday lives. Technology allows us to do the things we need to get done in ways that are simpler, easier and faster than ever before. For governments, technology offers new opportunities to connect with, and meet the needs of members of the public and the business world, while also giving government employees the tools they need to build a world-class civil service that is more efficient, open and innovative.

Qatar Digital Government 2020 strategy will benefit everyone.  

• Members of the public - whether they are citizens, residents or visitors – will be able to access Digital Government services that are simple, secure, and available anytime, anywhere.
• Businesses and private organizations will find it easier, simpler, and faster to register and operate a business. Qatar’s Strategy for economic diversification relies on creating the right environment for investment and businesses, and removing any barriers to doing business, so that the economy can continue to grow and develop.
• Government entities will be confident they are providing better services to people and businesses, are more efficient, and are achieving better overall outcomes for the nation. The result is savings in public administration due to the Digital Government, and time savings to citizens and other users. Beyond cost and time savings, e-Government also creates greater transparency and higher-quality outcomes.
• Qatar Digital Government 2020 will deliver benefits to customers through better services and to government through administrative efficiency, which leads to better outcomes for the nation. These benefits have been derived from broad international and specific Qatari experience:
• Customer benefits: Most obviously, Digital Government creates value for the direct customers. It saves them time, because they no longer need to make many trips to government offices. It provides a better user experience, when paper forms and certificates are not required, and enhances service quality, as automation allows for faster and less error-prone processing of customer requests.
• Government benefits: Digital Government streamlines a wide range of administrative processes. By automating cumbersome processes, the government can increase productivity and redirect resources to more important priorities. It can also improve its operating efficiency across and within agencies by leveraging shared platforms, data and resources.
• Benefits for the Nation: At an aggregate level, Digital Government drives better outcomes for the whole nation. Better services will help Qatar create a better life for its citizens and residents. Serving businesses faster and providing them with valuable open datasets will enhance national economic development. Successful e-Government will also raise the international profile and standing of Qatar. Greater transparency fosters trust and makes it easier for different parties to interact. In particular, e-Government supports more transparent government performance, by being able to track the speed and quality of execution. This can be further enhanced by promoting prudent access to open data, for example health care outcomes. Finally, electronic channels allow for constituents to have a much more open and transparent participation in policy creation.

Vision

Qatar Digital Government 2020 provides these benefits, with a comprehensive approach, tailored to the specific starting situation in Qatar which has been analyzed in great depth.

The vision for Qatar Digital Government 2020 has been inspired by the people who will benefit from it most. It reflects the desires of the many citizens, business people, and government employees to embrace technology to access and deliver services. They are optimistic about a future of simple, fast and secure transactions and e-services. They also look forward to a more open government and having the opportunity to contribute their ideas to the decision-making process.

Strategic Objectives

Qatar Digital Government 2020 vision is supported by three strategic objectives that determine where action will be taken to deliver benefits and value:

• Strategic Objective 1: Better Serve Individuals and Business – emphasizes the customer focus, serving the people who live and work in Qatar, and the businesses that fuel the nation’s economic growth.
• Strategic Objective 2: Create Efficiency in Government Administration – maximizes opportunities to make better use of public funds.
• Strategic Objective 3: Increase Government Openness – generates economic and political value by collaborating with customers on co-design.

Turning Vision into Action

Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy aligns with the National ICT Plan 2015 and is complemented by the National Broadband Plan, the eHealth Strategy, the National Development Strategy 2011–2016, and sector-specific plans. In addition, the four thrusts contribute substantially to each of the four pillars and objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.  

Implementation Roadmap

The four strategic thrusts outlined in this strategy have been logically derived from the overall Digital Government vision and strategic objectives, and are supported by a comprehensive set of project charters. The delivery of these projects will take considerable time and coordination; tackling all of them will require contribution and support from all government entities.

The roadmap contains the schedule for these projects over a sequence of three waves. The majority of the activity starts during the first wave, to build sufficient momentum for delivering the rest of the projects, and meet the 2020 targets.

Operating Model

The implementation requires the development of a clear structure of governance that defines the responsibilities of the various actors involved in the implementation as follows:

• The Council of Ministers will be responsible for legislative changes and is ultimately responsible for Qatar Digital Government 2020 strategy.
• The Steering Committee will provide oversight of implementation of the strategy, resolve issues facing the implementation, provide coordination with government agencies, and approve the project plans for Qatar Digital Government 2020.
• The Strategy Management Office (SMO) under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology will actively manage the Digital Government projects, prepare progress reports, and manage the issues and risks of Qatar e-Government 2020.
• The Digital Transformation Assessment (DTA) body will assess progress and adherence to the relevant e-Government guidelines of each government entity, and prepare the annual report of digital transformation, for review by the Steering Committee and submission to the Council of Ministers.
• Policy will be set by respective ministries such as the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) (for ICT-related investments and policies), the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs (MADLSA) (process and human capital development), the Ministry of Finance (Budget approval) and others.
• Individual government entities will be responsible for delivering the programs and for ongoing operations.

Governance Structure for the Implementation

Effective governance levers will be put in place to steer programs and projects towards achieving Qatar Digital Government 2020 vision. These include:

• A review of the ICT budget and procurement, which MoTC would undertake to confirm that these are aligned with the Digital Government Strategy and related policies and guidelines.
• Monitoring by the SMO to oversee progress and resolve issues;
• Periodic assessments by the DTA to evaluate e-Government outcomes within entities against planned objectives.

In conclusion, Qatar Digital Government 2020 as outlined in this document is ambitious, yet well grounded in reality. But Qatar Digital Government 2020 future will only happen when all entities of the government work towards the common vision.

Download the Qatar Digital Government 2020 strategy.