Public sector bosses gamble on digital as lack of strategy and skills hit decision-making

A new study has revealed that European public sector organisations lack clear digital strategy, with most of the companies admitting to gambling on digital projects.

The Fujitsu study found that more than half (58%) of organisations said that the success of the majority of digital projects in their organisation is a gamble.

36% of those surveyed admitted that their digital strategy is unclear and confused, while 20% said that their organisation does not share a common view on digital priorities. Almost a third (30%) list this failure to prioritise digital projects among the top-three barriers to digital projects being implemented successfully.

The study also revealed that over 58% of public sector leaders find it difficult to know the right digital decisions to make, and 51% said they don’t have the right skills to deliver a successful digital projects.

When looking closer at the challenges the public sector faces in digitalising successfully, the study reveals a worrying lack of skills which is causing uncertainty over digital decision-making.

More than half (58%) of public sector IT decision makers admit it’s difficult to know the right choices to make; while 51% state they don’t have the right skills to successfully deliver digital projects.

When asked what hinders their ability to make confident decisions, 30% said a lack of skills to execute digital projects and over a quarter (28%) pointed to a lack of skills to plan and define digitalisation projects.

Fujitsu UK & Ireland vice president and head of public sector Steven Cox said: "The digital skills gap is an ongoing issue and the public sector unfortunately suffers more than most.

"To address and move past this, public sector organisations must take advantage of the external expertise around them.

"IT partners can be an invaluable source of digital insight, particularly when organisations are in the planning stages of digital transformation."

Cox noted that seeking guidance and advice from those with experience will help to succeed in digital strategies.

"Digital transformation will bring many challenges but collaboration is key. If you combine that to create the right strategy – success will surely follow."