When we talk about the digital transformation of Europe’s public sector, it’s easy to get caught up in the buzzwords: innovation, interoperability, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity. But the GovTech4All project goes beyond the buzz. It's not just about rolling out shiny new technologies. It’s about building a system that lasts—a system that works for citizens, civil servants, startups, and ministries alike. And most importantly, it’s about doing it in a way that’s smart, inclusive, and rooted in real-world experience.
At the core of this mission is the Final Sustainability Strategy—a detailed, honest, and ambitious blueprint developed by most of 16 partner organisations from 11 countries. The document offers a plan not just to implement tech innovations, but to ensure they don’t fizzle out once project funding ends. Instead, GovTech4All aims to embed these tools deeply into the DNA of Europe’s digital public infrastructure.
So how do you build something sustainable across such a fragmented landscape? The secret lies in how the strategy was developed—not just what it proposes. And here’s where GovTech4All really stands out.
Listening First: Interviews and Focus Groups with a Purpose
From the very beginning, the project was grounded in one deceptively simple principle: ask the people doing the work.
GovTech4All didn’t try to build a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it started by listening. Through a carefully structured process of interviews, focus groups, and surveys, the consortium gathered input from local administrations, digital innovators, academics, civil servants, and policy experts across the EU.
Three rounds of consultations were key:
- Questionnaires went out first. These weren’t box-ticking exercises. They were designed to uncover what really matters to stakeholders—things like barriers to public procurement innovation, real-life tech readiness in administrations, and user-centric design challenges.
- Workshops followed, bringing partners together to map their current value models, challenges, and aspirations. These were honest sessions—participants spoke candidly about what was working, what wasn’t, and what could be done better.
- Finally, a validation phase ensured the feedback was more than symbolic. The draft strategy was reviewed by pilot teams to stress-test assumptions and adjust recommendations based on reality, not theory.
This process didn’t just result in richer insights—it fostered a level of ownership among stakeholders that will be key for the strategy’s survival in the wild.
Thinking in Models: Adapting the Business Canvas for Public Value
Another cornerstone of GovTech4All’s methodology was the use—and adaptation—of the classic Business Model Canvas. But this isn’t a corporate startup story. There’s no chasing hockey-stick revenue curves or unicorn status here. Instead, the canvas was reworked to reflect public value over private profit.
Customer segments? Reframed as user segments—citizens, civil servants, businesses, NGOs. Revenue streams? Not about sales or subscriptions, but about long-term public financing, impact measurement, and sustainability indicators.
In short: the tool was used to ask better questions, not just fill in boxes. What value is being delivered to citizens? What infrastructure is needed to make it work? Who owns it? Who maintains it? And what happens when the project ends?
By keeping the canvas but adjusting the lens, GovTech4All developed sustainability strategies that are grounded in service delivery and democratic responsibility.
The “Kaizen” Twist: Why Small Steps Matter
A final methodological pillar is what the team calls a “Kaizen-inspired” approach—borrowed from the Japanese concept of continuous, incremental improvement. The idea here is refreshingly humble: don’t aim for revolution. Start with what works. Improve steadily. Learn as you go.
GovTech4All isn’t trying to reinvent public administration overnight. It’s trying to give it the tools to evolve—with accountability, inclusivity, and resilience. This applies not only to tech but to governance structures, funding models, and public-private partnerships as well.
It’s the kind of approach that allows a project to stay relevant even as political winds shift or new crises emerge.
A Living Document for a Living Europe
The result of all this? A “living” sustainability strategy—one that adapts to local realities, respects national differences, and promotes cross-border interoperability. The document is rich with technical insights (on post-quantum cryptography, Rules as Code, open procurement models), but it never loses sight of its north star: making digital government work better for people.
Europe needs operational, scalable, and user-oriented systems that serve the public good. GovTech4All is showing how we might get there—not with top-down mandates, but through collaboration, feedback loops, and a grounded methodology that puts people first.
This isn’t just a strategy. It’s a call to rethink how we build the future of Europe—one canvas, one stakeholder, one citizen at a time.