In my daily work supporting IT modernization across the Danish public sector, I often notice a familiar pattern: The focus is mostly on technology - the solution itself - while other key elements, such as processes and the people using the systems (internally and externally), are frequently overlooked.
But digital maturity isn’t just about building new tools. It’s about finding the right balance between three critical pillars: processes, people, and platforms.
Untangling legacy systems
A common challenge in the public sector is adapting organizational processes to fit outdated IT systems. Too often, teams have to create workarounds or bend their workflows to make aging technologies function.
The result? Constant patchwork changes to how people work - just to keep things running, even if the system itself isn’t ideal.
This leads to inefficiency: valuable time is wasted adjusting to tech limitations rather than improving service delivery. In the worst cases, manual errors creep in - errors that can directly affect citizens.
A more sustainable strategy is to rethink both your leadership approach and your view of what a solution should be. Today’s modular, component-based platforms make it possible to upgrade parts of a system without overhauling everything - letting you respond to evolving business needs more flexibly.
Processes: Focus on the core mission
Before implementing a new—possibly component-based - platform, start with your processes. What workflows need to be supported? What business problems are you trying to solve?
Processes should always be designed around user needs and the organization’s core mission.
Ask:
- Where do we deliver the most value?
- Where is the risk lowest?
When you clarify your workflows and what the system needs to support, your organization becomes more effective. Technology should serve the business—not the other way around.
People: The Leadership mindset matters
People determine whether digital transformation succeeds or fails. That’s why leadership must support agility and foster a culture that’s curious and user-focused.
Leadership should regularly zoom out and ask:
- What problems are we solving for citizens?
- How can we free up time for care, or improve efficiency?
Empowering your employees is just as important. Those closest to users—often frontline staff—usually have the best insight into their challenges. That insight is invaluable when designing digital solutions that actually work.
And once new systems are implemented, don’t forget training, support, and adoption strategies. New tech only creates value if people understand and use it properly.
Platforms: Build new, modernize, or adapt?
When it comes to platforms, public organizations often face three options:
Stay with the current system – the easiest path, but often leads to stagnation.
Modernize what exists – allows for incremental improvement, but risks carrying forward legacy issues.
Start fresh – the most transformative, but also the most complex approach.
Balancing the three: Processes, people, platforms
To truly mature digitally, public sector organizations must strike a balance between processes, people, and platforms. Focusing too much on one at the expense of the others leads to imbalance:
Ignore processes, and even the most modern system won’t fix broken workflows.
Overlook people, and your systems will face resistance and underuse.
Underinvest in the platform, and technology won’t meet evolving needs.
One final piece of advice
If I could offer one simple recommendation to any public organization planning a new tech initiative, it would be this:
Always start with the business problem. Ask yourselves:
- What are we trying to solve for the citizens?
- Where can we create the most value?
Start small, ship quickly, and gather user feedback early. Keep IT and business decisions closely aligned. And above all, be willing to rethink processes, people, and platforms together.
By approaching modernization from a holistic perspective, you won’t just upgrade your technology - you’ll improve the quality of public service.