Essential Guide: Digital transformation in the public sector

Public sector bodies are rapidly implementing digital transformation strategies to improve their engagement with citizens, deliver better public services, cut costs and to help deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Digital technologies and best practices offer enormous opportunities to improve efficiency, overhaul ageing legacy IT infrastructures, and even to take a new look at how to best serve the needs of citizens in an increasingly online world.

But it's a tough task - stories of problematic projects abound - but those organisations in government, healthcare, education and elsewhere that get digital transformation right are proving that the effort and investment reaps significant rewards.

In this essential guide, we look at examples of best practice, the challenges of digital government, the lessons being learned by digital, data, and technology professionals, and the benefits of success.

Citizens increasingly expect public bodies to offer digital services as good as they receive from the likes of Amazon or Google - but how well are organisations delivering digital engagement?

In the constant drive to deliver more efficient and lower-cost public services, digitally transforming ways of working and internal processes offers a step-change in improvement.

All public sector bodies carry a significant investment in legacy IT, with data often siloed in disparate systems. Better data sharing and integration is one of the keys to successful digital public services.

We look at some of the real-life examples of digital government transformation in action

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The Essential Guide to Sneaker Vocabulary

NDC

An abbreviation for Nike Dot Com. Because typing the whole thing out was so difficult......Usage: It's sadderday and NDC f*&%ed me again.

NDS

Acronym for "Near Deadstock." Described as shoes with some wear, but not overly worn and un-cared for. See Beaters.......Usage: I only wore these to the mall once; they are NDS.

NIB

Short for for "new in box," as opposed to those of you that put your dirty ass sneakers back in their boxes......Usage: I got Yeezys for sale, NIB.

N00B

Also known as newb, a term used to describe people that are late to the bandwagon and overtly try to fit in despite their lack of knowledge......Usage: This N00B is trying to school me on sneakers? FOH.

NOS

Acronym for "New Old Stock." It's rare people care about this anymore, but this is what you would go digging through the back rooms of mom & pop retailers for......Usage: Find yourself an old mom and pop shop with some NOS and you'll be ISS famous.

NT

1) Short for NikeTalk, a website established in 1999 and used to be responsible for all the sneaker leaks. 2.) The best place on the Internet to get clowned for #NTDenim......Usage: If your NT membership began in 1999, you're an OG.

#NTDenim

A style made iconic by Michael Jordan, '80s and '90s hip-hop artists, and I'd like to think, yours truly. Basically, mom jeans for men......Usage: I refuse to wear anything but Levi's 501s, #NTDenim for life.

NWB

See also NIB. Just happens to be a term that is more popular outside of sneakers. Either way, it means NEW......Usage: I got Air Kanyes for sale, NWB.

OBO

1) Short for "or best offer"  2) An option that ensures that lowballers will offer next to nothing for anything you are selling......Usage: Yeezy 750 Boost for sale: $1,000,000 OBO.

OGs

1.) Short for original 2) DJ Clark Kent and Russ Bengtson (the opposite of n00bs or retros)......Usage: OGs know what it means to have that 25 PSI back on the Air Max 95.

On Ice

Player Edition

A sneaker design intended for a player that is produced and sold at retail.......Usage: Ray Allen 13s are player editions that released to the public. 

Player Exclusive

PLM

Short for Product Line Manager.  A person that manages the production numbers and orders for a particular category of a sneaker company's products......Usage: If you're friends with the PLM, you always have a connect.

Quickstrike

Red Octobers

A term Kanye West created while trying to build hype for his Nike line, until he realized nobody at Nike cared about him and they just wanted to use him to make money. The Red Yeezys never released in October, which means this term shouldn't even exist......Usage: "Yeezy's all on your sofa. These the Red Octobers" – Kanye West

Remastered

Jordan Brand's way of charging $20 extra for a retro......Usage: The quality on remastered Jordans means they can charge you more for them.

Reseller

The reason Jordan Brand can get away with charging $20 extra for a retro. Often improperly referred to as "scum of the earth," "pieces of shit," and the reason "the game is fucked up." In short, resellers are entrepreneurs that worked harder to make connections than most sneakerheads are willing to work......Usage: "I hate resellers" – Everyone who didn't get Saturday's Jordan release.

Restock

The reason you should not try to become a reseller. Also, an excuse to produce more sneakers and create more demand for styles that didn't sell out in the first place......Usage: We didn't sell out, so we pretended to restock and tweeted out the same link over again.

Retro

Not OG.....Usage: Wearing retro shit is old fashioned according to Big Sean.

Sample

A sneaker that was produced with the intention to physically see how the style, materials, or design would feel and function. And also one of the most falsified keyword terms in eBay history.....Usage: Sample size is typically 9 or 13 for men.

SB

Short for Nike Skateboarding, an active category within Nike.....Usage: Everyone claims SBs are dead but they keep retroing classics.

Sole

The bottom of the sneaker that touches the ground. Sometimes icy, occasionally gummy and always dirty if they're white.....Usage: Nothing ruins your soles like wearing your shoes does.

SOLE/SC

You already know!.....Usage: SC is the GOAT sneaker magazine.

Special Edition

Abbreviated, that's SE. At this point, it really doesn't mean anything......Usage: The Jordan XX8 SE didn't have the crazy shroud the regular XX8 had.

Tonal

All one color. For example, the Red Octobers, although not October, are tonal red......Usage: Why say all black when you could say tonal black and sound so much cooler?

TZ

Tier Zero, although it sounds like some sort of Star Trek time travel speed, TZ is actually the highest of Nike accounts. They receive incredibly limited product and usually sell it out the back door before you have a chance to buy it......Usage: TZ releases back in the day used to be crazy difficult to get.

Upper

The part of the sneaker that wraps the foot and attaches to the midsole. Great for spilling coffee, ice cream or nacho cheese on, and best when treated with some Crep Protect or Jason Markk......Usage: The ZX Flux has almost no limitations on how its upper can be designed.

Uptowns

An ancient term that is used to describe Air Force 1s. Scholars have determined the origins have been long lost but all signs point to the man, the myth, the legend, Bobbito......Usage: "In a fresh pair Air Force One sneakers Uptowns, we call em uppies, when they're on divas." - Rakim

VNDS

Very Near Deadstock. AKA, "Worn once, in the house, only for Instagram...because I can't afford to buy sneakers and pay my rent, eat and go to school, but I'm so thirsty for attention I do it anyway and lose money in the process.".....Usage: You know a pair is VNDS when the soles are icy.

White-on-Whites

Air Force 1s, bruh......Usage: White-on-whites are classic summer time kicks.