Key Insights

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  Code for America started as a fellowship bringing private sector talent into government with an emphasis on practical technology and design solutions.

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  Early projects like Boston’s school selection website revealed that implementation often surfaces flaws in policy that require upstream changes.

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  An agile feedback loop integrating policy makers, designers, and implementers is essential for meaningful government service improvements.

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  Large, legacy government projects typically suffer from long delays between policy writing and implementation, reducing responsiveness and trust.

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  The Quality Payment Program at CMS illustrates how digital transformation success depends heavily on effective collaboration between career public servants and design/tech partners.

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  Many government public servants want to do user research but lack empowerment or training, making capacity-building vital.

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  Long-term engagement of designers and technologists within government yields deeper learning and more sustainable change than short-term fellowships alone.

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  Bridging cultural differences inside government, such as norms around meetings, is crucial for productive partnerships.

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  Criminal record clearing projects demonstrate how laws need to be written with implementation and automation in mind to achieve real impact.

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  Storytelling targeted at public servants themselves is the most effective way to promote Civic design adoption and support systemic change.

Notable Quotes