Making Digital Government Work: Why Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Matters

The UK Government recently published its?Blueprint for Modern Digital Government,?which outlines an ambitious reform agenda aimed at transforming public services through digital innovation. The blueprint builds on the State of Digital Government Review and presents a six-point plan for reform, setting a long-term vision for digital public services. The Government Digital Service (GDS) has been refreshed to spearhead this transformation.

While the blueprint rightly focuses on digital capability, data, technology, and service transformation, a key ingredient for success remains underemphasised: strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. Without effective communication, the government’s digital reform efforts risk facing resistance, misunderstanding, and lack of buy-in from key internal and external stakeholders, including civil servants, businesses, and the general public.

Now, this is an issue: the lack of inclusion of strategic communications in digital services and product design and delivery that doesn’t just affect governments and their attempts to digitally transform their environment and the way they support the public. It is also a critical issue for many private sector start-ups, who see comms as an afterthought and consider it only in a tactical way at launch rather than through the discovery phases of the development of the company.

Drawing on my experience working with the Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) profession at the then Department for International Trade (DIT) - now the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), this piece explores the essential role of communications in digital transformation, the barriers that poor communication can create, and recommendations for ensuring that communication is embedded within digital delivery teams.

The Role of Communication in Digital Service Design

Effective communication is critical and foundational in digital service design. It serves as the bridge between user needs, stakeholder objectives, and technological capabilities. At its core, communication ensures that digital initiatives are understood, adopted, and successfully implemented.

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, where user experience is paramount, the ability to convey ideas clearly and persuasively enhances engagement and determines the success of digital initiatives.

Digital transformation is not just about technology but culture, perception, and trust. A lack of strategic communication can lead to misalignment between digital teams and policy units, resistance from civil servants who feel excluded from the process, and confusion among external stakeholders who struggle to see the relevance of reforms.

By prioritising and embedding communications in digital product and service design teams, the government can bridge these gaps, ensuring that both business objectives and user expectations are met through collaborative efforts among developers, designers, and stakeholders. After all, the political risk of releasing digital services that are not adopted can be huge given the costs, modest compared to the development costs of private sector digital services that are funded by investors from VCs and CVCs.

Embedding Communications within Agile Digital Delivery Teams

The Service Manual for Government Digital Services advocates for an Agile approach to digital delivery, yet communications often remain a separate, supporting function rather than an embedded one. This siloed approach creates unnecessary friction, slowing down adoption and increasing the likelihood of misunderstandings during the development and delivery stages.

Embedding a dedicated communications function within Agile digital delivery teams enables better real-time messaging alignment, where communications professionals shape internal narratives alongside product teams. It also ensures that stakeholder engagement begins early in the process, especially with non-digital budget holders, preventing misalignment between policy and technology teams.?

At the same time, visual and interactive communication techniques, such as clear typography, infographics, and multimedia storytelling, play a crucial role in explaining complex digital reforms. These elements help capture attention and make digital transformation efforts more accessible and engaging.

How Communications Can Help Overcome Blockers to Digital Reform

Organisational Resistance to Change

One of the most significant barriers to digital reform is cultural resistance. Civil servants accustomed to traditional workflows may see digital transformation as threatening their roles or an unnecessary disruption. Without clear communication, reforms risk being perceived as top-down directives rather than collaborative initiatives.

Proactive internal engagement is essential. Communication must highlight success stories, demonstrate the benefits of digital tools, and provide regular updates that reinforce how transformation enhances efficiency and service delivery. Transparency is key—civil servants must feel that they are part of the journey rather than passive recipients of change.

Public Trust in Digital Government

The general public is naturally increasingly wary of government digital initiatives due to concerns around data privacy, cybersecurity, and digital exclusion, even though design teams invest time in resolving these issues. Many fear that automated services might reduce human oversight or limit accessibility for those who are not digitally literate.

Addressing these concerns requires a two-way communication approach. The government must actively listen to public feedback, clearly articulate how citizen data is protected, and ensure that digital services are designed with inclusivity in mind. Regular reports, case studies, and user testimonials can help build confidence in digital initiatives.

Unclear Value Proposition for Businesses and Investors

The private sector plays a crucial role in the UK’s digital transformation, yet many businesses and investors struggle to see how government reforms will benefit them.

Without a compelling narrative, digital initiatives risk being seen as bureaucratic exercises rather than opportunities for collaboration that deliver productivity and economic growth.

A targeted engagement strategy is critical. Communication teams should develop industry-specific messaging highlighting efficiency gains, cost reductions, and new opportunities for innovation.

Roundtable discussions, thought leadership articles, and strategic partnerships could further reinforce the value proposition of digital government initiatives. Stakeholder mapping and engagement is essential.

Misalignment Between Digital and Policy Teams

Government digital teams often work faster than policy units, leading to misalignment, delays, and missed opportunities. This disconnect can result in policies that are either out of step with technological capabilities or digital services that fail to reflect broader policy goals.

One reason is the different culture that exists across Government and specific arms-length bodies (ALBs)—Agile vs. a very siloed waterfall approach.

A structured communication framework can help bridge this gap and modernise government cross-working. Regular cross-team meetings, shared communication channels, and collaborative working sessions can ensure that digital priorities align with policy objectives from the outset.

Embedding a communication function within digital teams further helps translate complex technical updates into clear policy-aligned narratives.

Lessons from My Work with the DDaT Function at DIT

Between 2016 and 2019, I was the DDaT Head of Communication and Engagement at the then Department for International Trade.

The directorate and team worked at a pace. There was friction, but the focus was on delivering a range of services to support trade. The teams within the directorate were digital, whether in digital design, data, or technology.

Part of my work was to support position each specific project that the directorate worked on, internally, across government and with stakeholders. I worked with designers and user researches to find out every little nuance in order to better frame the work we did and the value we secured.

I scaled my communication work to focus more on the strategic side and equally worked with departments' communications and marketing teams, as well as those from other departments, very much jumping between silos.

Only when I left the team in 2019 did I realise and was told about how strategic communications and stakeholder engagement played a crucial role in digital transformation. Some key takeaways that were shared with me included:

• Early engagement was key: Bringing communications professionals into digital projects from the start ensured messaging was aligned and stakeholder concerns, including those from Ministers, Perm Sec and Leadership, were addressed proactively.
• Agile and collaborative comms strategies worked best: Just as Agile delivery methodologies allow for continuous iteration, communication strategies must be flexible and adaptive for the new approach by the government.
• Senior leadership buy-in is crucial: If leadership does not champion the digital transformation message, uptake across departments suffers.

When I left the team, I made sure that the role was held by a senior civil servant. I equally ensured that digital teams realised the value of comms to their own individual work.

Recommendations for Strengthening Communications in Digital Reform

To ensure the success of the new UK Government’s digital transformation, an entrepreneurial culture is needed, and the following actions are a must:

Embed a Communications Lead within Every Digital Delivery Team

A senior communications professional should sit within Agile teams, ensuring real-time collaboration and feedback loops. Their role should not be limited to external messaging but should also facilitate internal alignment.

Develop a Cross-Government Digital Communications Strategy

A comprehensive strategy should clearly articulate how reforms will improve services for citizens, businesses, and civil servants. It should also provide guidance on effective stakeholder engagement and crisis communication management.

Invest in Stakeholder Engagement Initiatives

Regular consultations, industry roundtables, and open forums should be held to ensure businesses, investors, and the public are informed and engaged. Strategic partnerships can further amplify key messages.

Adopt Agile Communications Practices

Just as digital teams work iteratively, communications teams should use rapid feedback cycles, real-time analytics, and adaptive messaging to ensure that communication strategies remain relevant and responsive.

While at DIT, I designed an Agile communications process that I use to this day with technology start-ups and forms part of my own advisory and playbook.

Champion Internal Storytelling and Case Studies

Success stories from within government departments should be widely shared to build confidence and encourage adoption. Digital transformation should be framed as an ongoing journey rather than a one-off initiative where you get a spike of interest and then nothing. Influence is an ongoing effort.

Making Digital Reform a Success

The UK Government’s digital transformation is a necessary and ambitious step forward. However, its success depends on technology,?strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement. Without clear, consistent, and compelling communication, even the most well-intentioned digital reforms risk faltering due to scepticism, resistance, or misunderstanding.

What the UK Government does is, at the same time, an example of how other nations can better service their own citizens and businesses.

By embedding communications within digital delivery teams, adopting Agile comms methodologies, and investing in stakeholder engagement, the government can unlock the full potential of its digital transformation agenda—making digital government a reality that is trusted, understood, and embraced by all.

Need advisory on how you can use and embed communications in your digital teams?

I've worked in the UK and internationally with clients who understand and needed strategic communications as part of their digital transformation needs and ambitions.

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