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There’s public cloud, private cloud, and now hybrid cloud. There’s good debate on which cloud computing type is best for an organisation and project type. Whichever you choose, Hortonworks Chief Technology Officer, Scott Gnau, thinks hybrid cloud is the architecture of the future. I have a chat with Scott about what this means for the industry in an IoT centric world.
With over 35 years in the big data business, there’s no question about Scott’s passionate for data. Currently, he oversees the company’s engineering product management and support service team. The team looks after everything that the company builds and sells, including the Hortonworks DataFlow (HDF). A scalable, real-time streaming analytics platform, HDF provides key actionable insights. At present, the company is looking towards streaming this information for IoT use cases.
The Challenges of Hybrid Cloud
Many of the IoT related problems today are in collecting, storing and analysing data. Protecting and guaranteeing form the other half of the problem, Scott begins.
Aware of this challenge, Hortonworks broadened their portfolio to incorporate these capabilities into HDF and are trying to expand this across hybrid cloud.
Hybrid cloud is becoming more important today. With multiple people moving to the cloud, be it public or private, a trail of hybrid footprint is being created. Scott thinks the footprints are going to be around for a very, very long time.
He gives a brief of the situation, “Different vendors and different manufacturers will have different cloud footprints that they use. And the whole point behind it is that data is going to live in many different places, across hybrid kinds of footprints – some in cloud, some in multiple public clouds. So it’s unrealistic to think that all of the data will be in one place. With that in mind, there should be a toolset that is required to make that work architecturally.”
IoT Tower of Babel
If hybrid cloud is to take the world by storm, then a common set of standards and infrastructure must be in place. This will be an important enabler for the entire industry, says Scott.
“This is why we’ve been investing heavily in our customers like Apache Atlas and others in the industry. We invest in the community, a consortium which we call an ODPI platform initiative, where we are trying to drive a standards base around better data management etc. The idea is the more commonality that we can create in that space, the more value we can bring to customers who try to collect and connect data. And we do it with open source standards,” he explains.
From an economics perspective, he thinks that creating a common set of standards is cheaper than buying new software. Having certain industry wide standards will also be much more desirable since data can be better consumed.
A connected Smart City is only as good as it can get if there is better data management. Sensors should be able to speak a common language for an easier cloud immigration.
Scott says, “If every device vendor uses their own language then no one knows what they are speaking. But if there’s a standard, a standard API, then those devices can all connect together.”
Weaving the Data Fabric
To avoid a Babel-like downfall, a cohesive data fabric must be built. Here, three success factors are needed.
First, a common set of services in terms of security governance and operational management must be established.
Scott elaborates, “If you’ve got data living in many different places, the last thing you’ll have time to do is to implement several different security strategies for each one. You want to build it once and enforce it across each of those places. That requires common services.”
This advice applies to security, governance and operations.
Second, organisations should strive for intelligent connectivity. Moving all the data onto a single platform is unrealistic. What organisations need to do, is to selectively move data to make for efficient processing. Organisations want to be able to define the data flows in real-time to improve the rate of connectivity.
Application portability is the third important success factor for building a data fabric in a hybrid world. The same irk of having data stored in multiple places applies.
“You don’t want to have to rewrite every application for each storage medium. You want to create a common set of software stack so that you can run the application wherever the data lives,” Scott elucidates.
To the end of these three factors, it is the reason why Hortonworks has built the portfolio they’ve built. It leverages on the best of apache opensource, so that in a connected data-driven world, companies can implement a very flexible data fabric.
Protecting the Connected Dots
Claiming that the standards need to be there is the easy part. But who should be driving the change and laying the law?
Scott thinks enterprises, more than government, are most suited to advice on these standards because of their industry knowhow.
On that note, there is no clear reading of the tea leaves on national regulations for data privacy and security. Only one thing’s for sure, laws like GDPR will evolve and become more stringent. In anticipation of that, data lineage, data management and governance will become more important.
The only way to fully understand the scope of the laws is to have full enforcement over meta data tracking. Understanding the data eases when organisations have knowledge of the content of their data, what the data represents, who can access that data, and where it is hosted so that traceability is possible.
“It is only when you can create that traceability or lineage, that you can be fully compliant,” suggests Scott.
Wrapping up, Scott says, “Over the last two years, I’ve talked about better data management and governance, and in many instances, people thought that was very esoteric kind of conversation. But in fact, it is very realistic. Because if you have that in place, you can immediately guarantee that you are compliant with all these regulations because you have that lineage available to you.
“And so, one of the things we can do to help the industry, within public and private sector, is in enforcing better data standards, so that as regulations change, and they will change consistently, it is very easy to take a look at the data assets available and ensure compliance.”
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Launched in 2019, CrowdTaskSG aims to harness the collective intelligence of Singaporeans to provide government agencies with useful insights into national issues and addresses the prevalent notion that citizens’ voices are often overlooked. The platform serves as a bridge between citizens and agencies, offering a centralised platform for citizens to share their thoughts and ideas.
The initiative operates on the premise that Singaporeans can have an active and meaningful role in co-creation, collaboration and crowdsourcing, rather than being passive recipients of government schemes and services.
Citizens have a range of ways to participate, including surveys, polls and questionnaires focused on government policies and issues. In addition, they can take part in testing prototypes for new government websites, providing feedback on areas that require improvement and assisting with translation requests.
This diverse set of options aims to cater to various interests and expertise levels, making it easier for citizens to engage with the platform in a meaningful way. By doing so, CrowdTaskSG endeavours to foster greater interaction and participation from citizens, while also providing agencies with a more comprehensive understanding of public sentiment on various issues.
To broaden the scope of citizen participation, the CrowdTaskSG team is actively exploring additional tasks that can be performed through the platform. The team collaborates with other agencies to identify opportunities to optimise the platform for a wider range of crowdsourcing initiatives.
GovTech method to better engage citizens
The CrowdTaskSG team has been inspired by the widespread popularity of the mobile game Pokemon Go, which employs GPS technology to allow players to discover real-world locations, capture virtual creatures and engage with other players.
Gamification was the secret ingredient that propelled the success of Pokemon Go, as it transformed the simple act of walking into a social experience. The game tracks users’ daily steps and incentivises movement by rewarding them with new monsters.
What made Pokemon Go’s success truly remarkable was not only how quickly it became a worldwide phenomenon, but also how it motivated people to participate in physical activity – a pursuit that many individuals were previously averse to. The CrowdTaskSG team was intrigued by this philosophy and wondered whether a similar approach could be adopted to foster the development of a smart nation.
Undoubtedly, many Singaporeans possess a wealth of skills, ideas and feedback that could support Singapore’s transition towards becoming a smart nation. However, they may lack the motivation to engage in these activities.
CrowdTaskSG bridges the gap between citizens and agencies by integrating gamification elements to make the engagement process more enjoyable and rewarding. Through these efforts, they aim to create a more interactive and captivating platform that inspires citizens to take an active role in shaping national policies and improving their personal well-being.
By incorporating gaming elements, CrowdTaskSG takes completing surveys or tasks on the platform to a whole new level of fun – making mundane tasks far more enjoyable and rewarding. Users can earn experience points to level up and virtual coins for NETS QR purchases after completing a task.
The team has adopted simple gamification concepts to ensure that they appeal to individuals of all ages. To make the platform user-friendly and accessible to all, the team has designed a clean and straightforward user interface that minimises distractions and enhances accessibility.
As a product that is designed to prioritise citizen engagement, the CrowdTaskSG team places great importance on delivering a seamless user experience. In addition to collecting feedback and suggestions through the platform, the team frequently conducts user interviews with CrowdTaskSG users to gain insights into evolving user needs and identify areas for improvement.
The CrowdTaskSG team is committed to carefully considering the needs of government agencies as well as user feedback to continuously add new features and improvements to the platform. After the user interviews and testing sessions, the team works consistently on making the platform easier to use and making sure that information and instructions are clear and easy to understand.
The team recently introduced a Leaderboard feature in their referral campaign, which led to a 10% surge in user participation. They also revamped the reward system, making it more convenient for citizens to redeem their virtual coins.
CrowdTaskSG offers government agencies a cost-effective solution as they can currently utilise the portal free of charge. It is a user-friendly, self-service platform that not only enables government employees to submit tasks easily but also allows them to review responses with the built-in data visualiser.
The platform uses MyInfo verification to ensure that all participants are genuine, and its screener function simplifies the process of reaching specific groups of people for government agencies.
The platform has received positive feedback, with many users citing how it has facilitated fast and efficient communication with participants. This is particularly advantageous for User Experience (UX) and Design Thinking teams, who rely heavily on user testing and feedback throughout their design process.
The technology infrastructure that CrowdTaskSG uses has also been employed to develop the SG Translate Together (SGTT) web portal, which is a distinct product from CrowdTaskSG. This has enabled the Ministry of Communications and Information to collaborate with the public to gather translation data through crowdsourcing.
The data collected is utilised to enhance and train SG Translate, the Machine Translation Engine, resulting in more translations that cater to local needs. Additionally, SGTT provides translation resources and a form platform to engage with the local translation community.
The CrowdTaskSG team places a high priority on ensuring that the onboarding process for new users is easy and seamless when developing a product that is intended for widespread use. Therefore, deciding between a mobile application or a web-based application was a crucial consideration for the CrowdTaskSG team when they began the project.
There were several reasons why a mobile-responsive web platform was ultimately chosen for CrowdTaskSG:
- Because there are more steps to go through, downloading a mobile application to answer a survey is a huge barrier for new users. If it is a web-based platform, new users can log in by scanning a QR code, which is a quick touch-and-go.
- As a result of the pandemic, most Singaporeans are now accustomed to scanning QR codes to open websites in a browser, which became one of the onboarding workflows.
- Having a web-based platform enabled to reach users not only on mobile phones but also on desktop computers and even fixed kiosks in the form of touch-screen TVs and tablets when agencies conduct road shows and engage citizens.
To ensure that CrowdTaskSG could be accessed on various screen sizes, including desktops, mobile phones, tablets, and TVs, the team put a great deal of thought into the design of their components to maintain a consistent user experience across all platforms.
TypeScript is the main programming language used by the CrowdTaskSG team, and React is used for the front end, while NodeJS is used for the back end. Using a single language across the stack makes it easier for developers to switch between frontend and backend development with minimal contextual overhead.
A robust audit trail is crucial for a mass-market application as it helps developers quickly identify and resolve technical issues that users might encounter. Moreover, regular performance testing ensures that the application can handle high volumes of traffic and load spikes that may coincide with marketing efforts. By doing so, the team can avoid any performance issues that might lead to a poor user experience and ultimately impact the success of the application.
Constantly being wary of malicious activities is a common challenge with gamification in crowdsourcing platforms. Users could be inclined to cheat the system by submitting tasks multiple times or completing unassigned tasks to gain an advantage in their pursuit of rewards. While not a technical challenge, it is burdensome.
To prevent such behaviour, measures have been put in place to ensure that task submissions on CrowdTaskSG are unchanged or idempotent; submitting the same task multiple times does not benefit the user nor are they rewarded for completing tasks that are not assigned to them.
Nonetheless, security is of paramount importance for the CrowdTaskSG team as they are deploying a government product. Hence, every major release undergoes professional vulnerability assessments and penetration testing before distribution.
In addition to these pre-release tests, the team conducts monthly risk assessments using open-source scans and other risk surveillance tools. The team also has a surveillance bot that monitors traffic and potential attacks in real-time to ensure that any suspicious or unusual activities are promptly investigated.
About the team
For a diverse team to function effectively, a strong product vision and shared goals that inspire collective buy-in are crucial, beyond just support and resources. Creating a culture that embraces and celebrates diversity is essential in acknowledging that each individual brings unique perspectives and expertise to the table.
This recognition helps ensure that every team member can make meaningful contributions to the various domains. Support and resources can be generated from within the team if the right culture and communication are in place.
CrowdTaskSG’s work methodology is heavily influenced by GovTech’s Agile, Bold, and Collaborative values. The team convenes every two weeks for “retrospectives,” during which they discuss the previous sprint and exchange fresh concepts regarding the product and their work approach. To capture spontaneous ideas, they also maintain idea boards to jot down any potentially useful insights for future reference.
Regular and open communication is important and members talk to each other often (at least once a day). The team values a “no-blame” culture, which creates a safe space for members to express their thoughts and concerns.
Trust is a cornerstone of the team’s work culture, with everyone aware that they are working together for the best of the product. The team takes a collaborative approach to problem-solving, with all domain leads gathering to discuss various perspectives before arriving at decisions and working through problems quickly and efficiently.
The CrowdTaskSG team proactively helps each other to overcome any obstacles that may impede their progress. A conducive culture and effective communication facilitate this internal support system, enabling team members to assist one another in achieving their shared goals.
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Pemerintah Singapura meluncurkan CrowdTaskSG pada 2019. Sesuai namanya, CrowdTaskSG memang ditujukan agar pemerintah bisa lebih melibatkan partisipasi warga untuk menyelesaikan masalah nasional dan pembangunan di Singapura, sehingga kontribusi dan masukan dari warga bisa digunakan sebagai dasar penentuan keputusan dan tindak lanjut lembaga pemerintah.
Inisiatif ini meluncur dengan premis bahwa warga Singapura bisa memainkan peran aktif dalam pemerintahan. Mereka tidak hanya sebagai pemain pasif yang menerima skema dan layanan pemerintah. Namun, warga bisa berkreasi bersama, berkolaborasi, dan menjadi sumber informasi bagi pemerintah.
Inisiatif ini meluncur sebagai respons atas pendapat yang umum beredar kalau pemerintah Singapura kurang memerhatikan aspirasi warga. Oleh karena itu, CrowdTaskSG diciptakan untuk menjembatani kesenjangan antara warga dan lembaga pemerintahan. Lewat platform ini, pemerintah menyediakan satu platform terintegrasi untuk berbagi pendapat dan ide.
Hal ini diwujudkan dengan memberi kesempatan bagi warga untuk berkontribusi dalam survei, jajak pendapat, atau kuesioner tentang kebijakan dan masalah pemerintah lewat CrowdTaskSG. Selain itu, warga juga bisa melakukan tugas seperti menguji prototipe fitur atau produk baru di situs web pemerintah, memberi umpan balik tentang wilayah kerja yang perlu peningkatan, dan ikut terlibat untuk kebutuhan penerjemahan. Sebab, Singapura biasanya perlu menyosialisasikan kebijakan pemerintah dalam empat bahasa, Inggris, Melayu, Mandarin dan Tamil.
Tim CrowdTaskSG terus berupaya meningkatkan minat warga untuk berkontribusi aktif di platform ini. Mereka juga terus mengeksplorasi tugas-tugas bersama (crowd task) lain yang bisa diintegrasikan di platform ini. Untuk itu, tim CrowdTaskSG kerap menjalin komunikasi dan kolaborasi dengan instansi lain untuk mempelajari dan menggali ide bagaimana platform ini bisa lebih dioptimalkan untuk mendukung berbagai inisiatif crowdsourcing.
Gamification untuk menarik partisipasi warga
Sejak pertama meluncur, GovTech sudah menyertakan gamification pada platform ini. Mereka terinspirasi untuk memasukkan faktor permainan dalam platform ini lantaran terinspirasi oleh kepopuleran gim Pokemon GO.
Pokemon GO adalah gim berbasis lokasi dan augmented reality. Lewat gim ini, pemain diajak untuk menangkap dan mengumpulkan berbagai monster unik khas Pokemon. Memanfaatkan GPS di perangkat pengguna, mereka harus menjelajah ke tempat-tempat berbeda untuk menemukan berbagai monster langka itu. Monster Pokemon yang terkumpul bisa dilatih dan dipertarungkan. Gim ini sekaligus menghitung jumlah langkah yang dilakukan dalam sehari untuk menangkap monster-monster itu.
Kesuksesan Pokemon GO berhasil mengangkat gim ini menjadi fenomena dunia. Menariknya, gamification permainan itu berhasil menarik orang untuk keluar rumah dan lebih aktif melakukan kegiatan fisik. Hal yang kian jarang dilakukan di kehidupan modern sebelum popularitas gim ini meledak.
Resep rahasianya tentu terletak pada gamification yang berhasil dieksekusi dengan baik oleh pembuat permainan ini. Pokemon Go sukses mengubah kegiatan berjalan keluar rumah yang menjemukan menjadi kegiatan sosialisasi yang menyenangkan.
“Hal inilah yang membuat kami berpikir apakah kita bisa memanfaatkan cara yang sama untuk membantu membangun misi Smart Nation di Singapura,” jelas tim pengembang CrowdTaskSG dalam wawancara dengan OpenGovAsia.
Lewat CrowdTaskSG, tim ingin memberi ruang bagi talenta-talenta terbaik Singapura untuk memberikan kontribusi mewujudkan Smart Nation. Sebab, mereka percaya banyak warga Singapura yang memiliki potensi, ide, dan masukan berharga untuk membantu membangun negara. Namun, talenta itu tersiakan karena kurang difasilitasi oleh platform yang tepat dan kurangnya motivasi untuk ambil bagian.
Tim CrowdTaskSG berharap dengan berbagai gamification yang dihadirkan bisa menjembatani kebutuhan pemerintah dan keinginan warga untuk berkontribusi. Mereka pun ingin membuat proses kontribusi itu menjadi sesuatu yang menyenangkan.
Tim mengintegrasikan gamification ke dalam berbagai tugas yang ada di CrowdTaskSG. Misal, ketika warga membantu menyelesaikan survei atau tugas tertentu, mereka akan mendapat poin untuk naik level. Adopsi leaderboard ini diklaim berhasil meningkatkan pertumbuhan pengguna hingga 10 persen.
Mereka juga bisa mendapat koin virtual yang bisa digunakan berbelanja lewat NETS QR (jejaring pembayaran elektronik menggunakan kode QR di Singapura). Sejauh ini, tim sudah mengadopsi konsep gamification sederhana yang cocok untuk semua umur.
Sebagai layanan self-service, tiap instansi pemerintah di Singapura bisa membuat tugas atau survey yang mereka perlukan di CrowdTaskSG. Tim berpendapat mereka mendapat repons positif dari instansi pemerintahan yang memakai platform ini. Sebab, mereka mendapat cara yang efisien dan cepat untuk mendapat umpan balik warga.
“CrowdTaskSG sangat berguna untuk tim pengalaman pengguna (User Experience/ UX) dan tim Design Thinking yang ingin mengetes pengguna dan mendapat tanggapan mendalam dalam proses desain mereka,” jelas tim lagi.
Selain itu, CrowdtaskSG Tech Stack juga dimanfaatkan untuk membuat dan menyempurnakan situs SG Translate Together (SGTT). Lewat portal ini, Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika Singapura bisa berkolaborasi dengan warga untuk melakukan translasi data. Data ini lantas digunakan untuk melatih dan memperbaiki kemampuan SG Translate, the Machine Translation Engine, agar hasil terjemahan terasa lebih lokal. SGTT menyediakan sumber daya translasi dan forum sebagai tempat bersosialisasi komunitas para penerjemah.
Untuk membuat platform ini menarik dan berguna bagi pengguna, CrowdTaskSG aktif mencari umpan balik dan saran pengguna.
“Kami kerap melakukan wawancara pengguna untuk memahami kebutuhan mereka dan bagaimana meningkatkan kenyamanan mereka. Kami juga menjaga agar antarmuka layanan kami tetap bersih dan sederhana untuk mengurangi distraksi dan kemudahan pemahaman pengguna.”
Untuk menjaga keamanan, platform ini menggunakan verifikasi pengguna. Sementara bagi instansi pemerintahan yang ingin menggunakan platform ini, mereka bisa memanfaatkan fitur pemindaian untuk mendapat responden yang tepat.
Ketika berbicara pengembangan CrowdTaskSG ke depan, tim berkomitmen untuk senantiasa menerima umpan balik pengguna, baik warga atau instansi pemerintah, untuk terus memperbaiki layanan mereka dengan fitur baru.
Teknis pengembangan CrowdTaskSG
Tim CrowdTaskSG membagikan sejumlah tips ketika membuat layanan yang akan diakses secara massal. Menurut mereka, hal utama yang harus dipertimbangkan adalah kemudahan akses pengguna. Dengan pertimbangan itu, mereka membangun CrowdTaskSG sebagai situs web yang mobile-responsive agar bisa digunakan oleh pengguna yang menggunakan berbagai perangkat, baik ponsel maupun desktop.
“Jika dibuat sebagai aplikasi mobile, akan menambah kesulitan pengguna yang ingin berpartisipasi. Mereka mesti mengunduh aplikasi itu terlebih dahulu. Hal ini bisa menjadi penghalang besar bagi warga untuk berpartisipasi. Dengan membuat , pengguna baru cukup memindai kode QR, login, dan bisa langsung berpartisipasi.”
Untuk bahasa pemrograman, mereka menggunakan TypeScript, dengan frontend berjalan menggunakan React dan backend menggunakan NodeJS. “Memiliki bahasa yang sama di seluruh stack membantu pengembang kami beralih dengan cepat ketika mengembangkan frontend dan backend dengan sedikit contextual overhead.”
Untuk mempercepat respons ketika pengguna manghadapi kendala teknis, tim CrowdTaskSG menyarankan perlu dilakukan audit yang kuat agar bisa segera dilakukan identifikasi masalah. Mereka juga melakukan pengujian secara rutin untuk memastikan aplikasi mampu menampung ketika terjadi lonjakan lalu lintas.
Meski gamification dipercaya bisa meningkatkan interaksi warga, namun kendalanya adalah bagaimana cara mengatasi kecurangan. Sebab, ada saja warga yang ingin mencurangi sistem dengan mengirimkan tugas berkali-kali atau menyelesaikan tugas yang tidak ditujukan kepada mereka demi mengejar hadiah.
Untuk mengatasi hal ini, tim memastikan tugas yang dibagikan di CrowdTaskSG bersifat idempotent. Artinya, warga hanya bisa mengirim tugas sekali. Jika lebih dari itu, maka tidak akan berpengaruh pada peringkat atau nilai pengguna. Selain itu, mereka juga melakukan pemeriksaan validasi secara ekstensif untuk memastikan pengguna tidak diberi imbalan untuk melakukan tugas yang tidak ditugaskan kepada mereka.
Terkait dengan masalah keamanan, tim memastikan melakukan serangkaian ujian penetrasi dan menilai potensi kerentanan pada setiap perilisan besar. Selain uji pra-rilis, setiap bulan mereka juga menilai risiko keamanan melalui pemindaian open source dan alat pengawasan risiko lain. Tim juga memiliki bot untuk melacak lalu lintas dan potensi serangan secara real-time untuk memastikan penyelidikan tepat waktu terhadap aktivitas yang mencurigakan atau tidak biasa.
Membangun tim kreatif
Tim CrowdTaskSG dilatih untuk tak takut berinovasi. “Tim kami berpedoman pada nilai-nilai organisasi kami untuk menjadi Gesit, Berani, dan Kolaboratif. Kami melakukan dengan cepat, menguji dengan cepat, dan gagal dengan cepat.”
Mereka juga melakukan retrospektif per dua minggu sebagai momen untuk mengevaluasi hasil Sprint sebelumnya dan berbagi ide baru. Ide-ide ini tidak terbatas pada produk yang tengah dikembangkan tapi juga cara bekerja. Mereka juga memiliki papan ide yang akan menampung ide semua anggota tim yang mungkin bisa berguna di masa depan.
Selain itu, mereka menjalin komunikasi yang terbuka dengan tim dan berusaha mengadopsi budaya tanpa menyalahkan. Dengan demikian, mereka bisa memupuk ruang aman bagi anggota tim untuk berbagi pemikiran dan keprihatinan secara terbuka. Mereka juga menanamkan pola pikir untuk mengutamakan kepentingan pengembangan produk dalam cara kerja mereka.
Bekerja dengan tim yang berbeda latar belakang, tim CrowdTaskSG mengutamakan kebersamaan dan mengumpulkan perspektif dari berbagai sisi lewat diskusi yang cepat dan efektif. Selain itu, memiliki visi dan tujuan produk yang kuat juga mempersatukan tim yang berbeda latar belakang ini.
Mereka juga mengutamakan budaya yang saling merangkul dan merayakan keberagaman, karena anggota tim sadar mereka semua memang menyumbang perspektif dan keahlian yang berbeda ke dalam tim. Budaya gotong royong untuk menyelesaikan masalah satu sama lain juga dilakukan agar proyek yang tengah dikerjakan bisa bergerak maju.
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Singapore has grown into one of the world’s most advanced economies in just five decades, actively updating pro-business policies to keep pace with global advancements. As a highly open economy dependent on international trade, the Southeast Asian economic powerhouse is frequently regarded as a bellwether of world growth.
Robust investment in the tech sector has aided the country’s development. According to the Global Data Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Projects Database, Singapore was the leading destination in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc for foreign investment in manufacturing, software and IT services in 2022. Semiconductors accounted for more than half of FDI, with 142 projects worth $8.2 billion in the first six months last year.
The country is continuing its efforts to be at the forefront of developing and adopting cutting-edge technology. Singapore launched the Smart Nation initiative in 2014 with one overarching goal: to support the development of people and businesses in an increasingly digital landscape. The initiative leverages developments in digital technologies to create seamless, tech-driven experiences.
Collaboration with businesses is critical to achieving the city-state’s goals. Enterprises with AI and data analytics capabilities, cybersecurity, immersive media, and the Internet of Things will be central to Singapore’s Smart Nation digital transformation.
Regulation, infrastructure, and people
Its commitment to development built on solid policies has allowed Singapore to grow into a regional – and now an increasingly global hub – for economic activity. And with a 60-year legacy, the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) is one of the drivers of this national transformation.
EDB has an established reputation for fostering economic vibrancy and relevance by attracting corporate or individual investors to use Singapore as a launchpad for their business ambitions in Asia and globally. The city-state has become a favoured location for major technology companies to establish their global or regional headquarters.
Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director of EDB, discussed the Singapore Government’s strategies for enhancing the nation’s appeal to global investment and technology development in an interview with Mohit Sagar, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of OpenGov Asia.
Jacqueline believes that one of the key factors contributing to Singapore’s success is its pro-business regulatory environment. The nation’s commitment to the rule of law ensures stability and predictability, which is highly attractive to businesses.
“Regulation in Singapore is extremely progressive and pushes the envelope. Tech companies are looking for a place that has facilitative regulation that allows data, for example, to flow and be analysed easily. Singapore does not have specific rules related to data residency. We want to be a data hub and a place where data analytics can be done without much hindrance. We have also set up frameworks to both facilitate the development and use of AI and are thinking of ways in which to think about governance and ethical use of AI,” Jacqueline explains.
Additionally, Singapore’s robust infrastructure and talented workforce are crucial elements that support the nation’s continued growth and prosperity.
Infrastructure is critical for any country aspiring to become a tech-empowered powerhouse. Renowned for its excellent infrastructure and connectivity, Singapore is a top choice for companies looking for a reliable base. As a result, the city-state has emerged as a hub for submarine cables and data centres, with the widespread availability of high-speed wireless broadband access, including 5G and 4G networks.
The Singapore Government also promotes experimentation and innovation by establishing regulatory sandboxes to test new and innovative initiatives and technologies. These sandboxes allow for experimentation in a live environment, with guardrails to protect the public.
“We’ve got sandboxes in various areas. And one of the more famous ones is in fintech. For example, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has set up a sandbox for FinTech innovation over several years, resulting in some interesting developments and ventures that have gone on to do big things,” Jaqueline shares.
Leading technology companies offer exciting projects and the right scale to attract software developers, UI/UX designers, machine learning experts, and IoT specialists.
To attract talent and help companies build their A-team here, Singapore has introduced various employment passes and made the application process smoother and more transparent.
“If you’ve got enough of a base of people doing big and interesting things, they attract other people who want to learn from them and take part in that journey. Cutting-edge projects can come from big tech companies or MNCs but we’re very proud to say that some of the tech startups we incubate are also working on interesting things,” says Jaqueline.
Southeast Asia is emerging as a digital innovation and startup hub for the world, given the region’s population of approximately 650 million, most of whom are under 35 years old. This demographic, combined with the region’s economic growth and increasing technology adoption, creates a conducive environment for digital innovation and startups to thrive.
As a result, Southeast Asia is attracting significant interest from investors and entrepreneurs worldwide, making it a hotspot for digital innovation and startups. However, with competing countries in the region, Singapore needs to ensure that it remains an attractive destination for top-tier talent by fostering an environment that supports innovation and growth.
Jacqueline and her team are also championing advanced manufacturing, which already has exciting developments in robotics and IoT. There are also interesting innovations in various technological fields, such as AI, cybersecurity, Web 3, and fintech. These areas present new opportunities for Singapore to remain at the forefront of technological innovation and attract top talent and leading technology companies.
“Another big emerging area for Southeast Asia is SaaS. There will be a lot of cloud computing solutions adoption and exciting developments in B2B SaaS over the next decade, says Jacqueline, adding that she is convinced there will be growth in this area amid the current slowdown in the global economy. Even though the tech sector globally is facing some current headwinds, its long-term prospects remain strong. Previous market corrections have also shown that some of the best and strongest companies emerge from within a down cycle.
With its conducive environment for digital innovation and startup growth, Singapore is well-positioned to take advantage of these developments and emerge as a leader in these emerging technological fields.
Technological advancements create exciting opportunities for small businesses. The availability of top talent, a supportive regulatory environment, and access to funding make Singapore an attractive destination for companies looking to capitalise on tech innovation and achieve long-term success.
LKYGBPC to refine the business
Jacqueline has been involved with the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC) as a judge for some years. Her involvement with the competition demonstrates her commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of startups in Singapore and beyond.
The LKYGBPC provides aspiring entrepreneurs and startups a platform to showcase their innovative ideas and gain exposure to investors, mentors, and industry experts.
She has been impressed by the high quality of submissions – from startups to post-revenue companies to businesses with fully-fledged minimum viable products evaluated in the marketplace. They reveal a level of maturity in terms of having a solid business plan and demonstrating a use case in real life, including finding a market for their product.
The competition provides an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups to refine and improve their business concepts and gain exposure to investors and industry experts who can provide valuable advice and support.
“It’s a great opportunity to get feedback from judges. And if you win, it’s a great opportunity for you to market your startup, your concept and your product,” she states emphatically.
In Southeast Asia, many issues need to be addressed, which present significant potential for entrepreneurship and innovation. Jacqueline believes that entrepreneurs should focus on developing products and services that solve real-world problems. By creating solutions to these problems, entrepreneurs can contribute to the digital economy in the region and have a positive impact on society.
Jacqueline’s emphasis on problem-solving highlights the importance of creating products and services that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Entrepreneurs can create solutions that benefit society and drive sustainable growth and development.
“There are many problems to solve – digital payments, wealth management, asset management and investment insurance,” Jaqueline acknowledges. “Moreover, there is much potential in the sustainability space, particularly in carbon services, monitoring, verification, and reporting for carbon credits. With the Southeast Asia region’s growing focus on sustainability, entrepreneurs can develop innovative solutions to help address the pressing environmental challenges facing the world today.”
Jacqueline encourages more women to participate in the tech industry, knowing there is ample opportunity for them to contribute to both the engineering and non-engineering aspects of technology. As a prominent woman in tech herself, she recognises the value of diversity in the industry and the need to increase the representation of women in technology-related fields.
“Tech is everywhere. And that requires a whole range of skill sets. There’s a common misperception that tech means you need to be a software developer or a machine learning expert. If you’re interested in hardcore engineering, there are many places for you to be and very good job prospects, but tech is now a sort of broader concept. Tech needs soft skills,” she elaborates.
Jacqueline’s perspective highlights the value of diverse backgrounds and skill sets in the technology industry. At the top of the field, she says, quite a few CEOs come from non-engineering backgrounds, having studied History, Anthropology, English language and Literature.
This shows that doing well in the sector is not limited to individuals with just one type of educational background or expertise. There are many opportunities for people with different experiences and abilities to contribute to the growth and success of tech companies.
In addition, advanced technology like quantum and AI has far-reaching implications and requires technical skills and a broader understanding of governance, regulations, ethics, and other related areas. Jacqueline’s background in social science – she used to be an economist – has lent to her belief that it is essential to have individuals with diverse backgrounds and skill sets working together to ensure that these technologies are developed and used responsibly and ethically.
While technical expertise is crucial, the inclusion of social science and humanities backgrounds can provide a deeper understanding of the impact and implications of technology on society. It is essential to have a diverse and inclusive workforce that represents different backgrounds and experiences to drive inclusive and comprehensive innovation and success.
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Having robust, effective, and easily accessible healthcare is essential for enhancing the standard of living, achieving better treatment results and increasing lifespan. Tech-enabled progress made in the field of medicine has been a boon, with groundbreaking innovations and discoveries paving the future of healthcare.
The healthcare sector is witnessing a rapid transformation, with the emergence of new technologies that promise to tackle the most pressing global healthcare challenges. MedTech has become increasingly crucial in this context and has opened up a plethora of possibilities for healthcare professionals to advance their skills and knowledge and expand their reach to underserved regions.
The advent of innovative healthcare technology has empowered doctors to provide better care to a greater number of people, irrespective of their geographical location and help prevent and combat emerging diseases effectively.
Technological advancements offer more effective medication, more accurate diagnostics and improved drug delivery systems giving hope for better patient care and prognoses. Integrating healthcare components through technology can also lead to more efficient and accessible healthcare services while lowering costs.
The healthcare industry hugely benefits from technology, which has been the driving force behind the significant progress made thus far. Technology will continue to play a crucial role in catalysing further advancements in healthcare, enabling healthcare professionals to provide better care, develop innovative treatments and improve patient outcomes.
The Impact of Digital Technology on Healthcare
During an exclusive interview, Prof Lawrence Ho Khek-Yu, a Senior Consultant, Professor, and Director, Centre for Innovation in Healthcare at the National University Health System in Singapore acknowledged the significant influence of COVID-19 on healthcare practices. Social distancing measures have had a profound impact on healthcare delivery both inside and outside the hospital.
“The outbreak has brought about a significant transformation in the digital healthcare landscape. With social distancing measures in place, teleconsultations have become increasingly prevalent, and patients, as well as healthcare providers, have had to adjust to this new format of healthcare delivery,” Prof Lawrence explains.
While the adoption of teleconsultations has seen a good uptake, other digital systems such as digital identification for tracking hospital entry and exit have encountered hurdles during implementation.
Prof Lawrence has identified the lack of an integrated healthcare ecosystem as a major challenge to the successful implementation of telemedicine. While video consultations are prevalent, the scarcity of examination tools and delays in medication delivery remain major obstacles. The limited access to medical information and the inability to provide detailed explanations or drawings further impede the progress of telemedicine.
Additionally, elderly patients, and other segments of society, may have difficulty using technology. Moreover, telemedicine cannot replicate the nonverbal and emotional aspects of in-person interaction. To overcome these obstacles, he feels, telemedicine in healthcare consultations and visits must be refined and expanded.
Prof Lawrence emphasises the need for the medical industry to evolve and improve its diagnostic and treatment capability. Current diagnostic techniques are limited to the five senses but there is a significant potential to collect more accurate and comprehensive patient data through the integration of sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This could lead to more precise diagnoses and tailored treatment plans, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
“Telemedicine may have some advantages, such as reduced travel time and longer appointments, but it will only be successful if patients see it as a viable alternative to face-to-face consultations,” Prof Lawrence reiterates. “It is important to have a gradual evolution and improvement in the medical industry, as opposed to dramatic changes driven by hype.”
He believes current medical developments primarily focus on the developers and creators rather than the end-users. This approach needs to be reoriented towards a more user-centric model for future medical development, including its cost-effectiveness.
Systems should be developed that take into account the specific needs and preferences of patients, healthcare providers and other stakeholders. This would ensure that healthcare development is better aligned with the needs and goals of those who will ultimately benefit from it
Academia should be incentivised to look out for interests outside of its own research driven solely by academic interests such as self-serving publications and ranking are no longer practical nor justifiable by public funding. There is a growing consensus that the focus of research should shift towards the development of practical applications.
In addition, he stresses the importance of investors in promoting innovation and addressing gaps within the healthcare ecosystem. He suggests that investors should prioritise addressing population-level issues, rather than focusing solely on niche areas.
As people’s lifespans continue to extend, addressing the requirements of an ageing population has become increasingly critical. It is crucial for startups to thoroughly explore this market and develop innovations specifically tailored to the needs of this demographic.
Drawing on the example of Singapore, which has implemented technology to support its elderly population, he suggests investors consider this increasingly important and growing segment when evaluating potential startups for investment.
“To effectively address the complexity national healthcare poses, a systems approach to problem-solving is necessary, where sustainability and equality take precedence over profits,” advocates Prof Lawrence. “Rather than focusing on building more structures, it is important to prioritise addressing issues of affordability and inequality through technology.”
Urban Ideas and Solutions Through LKYGBPC
The Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC), which began in 2001, is a biennial global university start-up competition hosted in Singapore. Organised by Singapore Management University’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, focuses on urban ideas and solutions developed by student founders and early-stage start-ups.
Prof Lawrence, who serves as a member of the judging panel, believes assigning mentors to teams based on their area of expertise can offer valuable guidance and support. This is just one of the many initiatives undertaken by the panel to foster, encourage, and sustain the entrepreneurial drive of the LKYGBPC participants.
In his view, when discussing the fundamental contrast between innovation and entrepreneurship, he feels that innovation involves tackling issues with fresh perspectives and novel ways, while entrepreneurship requires both discipline and adaptability in managing growth.
“Many people fail in business because they lack discipline and work independently,” says Prof Lawrence. “Cultivating a larger community of individuals who are adaptable and capable of working as part of a team is critical to entrepreneurship success.”
He considers seeking advice and collaborating with others crucial to surmount obstacles in innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovators should be willing to seek the assistance and counsel of others, particularly those with expertise in areas such as regulation or commercialisation.
People must understand that there are unique challenges at each stage of the process and bringing them to the right people to help solve them is important. Moreover, entrepreneurship demands financial discipline that benefits from the guidance and mentorship of multiple individuals.
Singapore’s drive to remain competitive in the global arena is a case in point. The country, he says, serves as a springboard, connecting people and providing access to other countries. To attract and retain talent and expand into new markets, he recommends leveraging Singapore’s strengths, such as its robust education system and its position as a hub for the Asian ecosystem.
Prof Lawrence co-invented the revolutionary Master and Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot (MASTER), which has now been incorporated into Endomaster.
He has mentored three startups in the fields of photonics and medical technology to identify potential failures and early warning signs through his own experiences.
Prof Lawrence has served as co-chair for the Gut & Obesity in Asia (Go Asia) Workgroup, which investigates the correlation between obesity and gastrointestinal and liver ailments in Asia.
In summation, he stresses the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity, as it enables individuals to learn and prepare for future challenges.
“Those who have never failed or struggled in the trenches may not be able to achieve long-term success,” Prof Lawrence concludes.
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Kemajuan teknologi dan sains telah membawa efektivitas dan efisiensi industri kesehatan sehingga bisa menjangkau lebih banyak orang di pelosok wilayah. Kemudahan akses pada layanan perawatan kesehatan ini diharapkan bisa meningkatkan kualitas hidup dan umur warga.
Telemedicine menjadi salah satu perkembangan terbaru di industri ini yang populer imbas pandemi COVID-19. Saat itu, telemedicine berhasil membantu pasien untuk berkonsultasi dengan dokter, melakukan diagnosis, dan pengobatan dari jarak jauh.
Perkembangan kecerdasan buatan (AI) ikut berkontribusi memodernisasi layanan kesehatan. AI berpotensi membantu dokter untuk membuat diagnosis yang lebih cepat dan akurat, memprediksi hasil kesehatan, dan melakukan asistensi rencana perawatan. Layanan berbasis AI seperti chatbots dan asisten virtual, juga bisa dimanfaatkan untuk menjembatani komunikasi layanan kesehatan dengan pasien.
Pengobatan yang efektif, teknik diagnostik yang lebih akurat, dan sistem pemberian obat yang lebih baik diarahkan untuk memperbaiki sistem perawatan, pengobatan, dan prognosis pasien. Selain itu, kemajuan teknologi juga diharapkan bisa mengurangi biaya perawatan kesehatan lantaran operasional yang makin efisien.
Menggali potensi dari celah di teknologi kesehatan
Lawrence Ho Khek-Yu, Konsultan Senior & Profesor National University Hospital, Singapura sepakat kalau COVID-19 memang membantu mempopulerkan telemedicine. Meski demikian, ia merasa layanan ini masih sulit untuk menggantikan layanan konsultasi tatap muka. Menurutnya, telemedicine saat ini memiliki peran penting dalam hal konsultasi, namun masih memiliki sejumlah kelemahan dibanding diagnosis tatap muka.
“Jika Anda menggunakan konsultasi video, Anda hanya dapat melihat tapi Anda tidak dapat memeriksa. Tentu saja pemeriksaan adalah hal yang penting. Semestinya kita bisa memiliki kemampuan yang sama serupa dengan pertemuan tatap muka. Menurut saya, alat pengujian untuk melakukan diagnosa masih kurang pada layanan telemedicine,” jelas Lawrence dalam wawancara dengan CEO & Pemimpin Redaksi OpenGov Asia, Mohit Sagar.
Kedua, layanan telemedicine masih harus mematangkan ekosistem pendukung, salah satunya terkait dengan pengantaran obat. Di Singapura, layanan pengantaran obat bisa dikirim dalam satu minggu. Hal ini tentu akan menghambat proses pengobatan ketimbang langsung datang dan diberi obat ketika melakukan kunjungan tatap muka.
Meski demikian, Lawrence menyebut layanan telemedicine masih dilakukan di masa setelah COVID-19 untuk pasien yang kondisinya sudah cukup stabil di rumah. Sementara sebagian besar pasien sudah kembali melakukan kunjungan tatap muka seperti biasa.
Selain itu, penjelasan yang bisa dilakukan lewat telemedicine menurut Lawrence masih terbatas. Ia merasa kesulitan jika harus melakukan penjelasan dengan tambahan gambar yang dengan mudah dilakukan dalam pertemuan tatap muka secara langsung.
Selain itu, ia pun menaruh perhatian pada kesulitan akses teknologi yang dialami oleh pasien lanjut usia. Telemedicine sulit untuk membaca dan menyampaikan aspek nonverbal dan emosional dari interaksi langsung.
Ia menekankan industri medis perlu mengembangkan dan meningkatkan metode untuk mendiagnosis dan merawat pasien. Ia berharap telemedicine bisa mendukung diagnosis dengan memanfaatkan sejumlah panca indera untuk memeriksa gejala. Dalam pertemuan tatap muka, dokter bisa langsung mengukur detak jantung dengan stetoskop, merasakan dengan sentuhan jari, pendengaran, atau diagnosis sensoris lain untuk mendapat data dari pasien. Kesamaan proses diagnosis seperti inilah yang perlu dikembangkan untuk layanan telemedicine ke depan.
Untuk memperbaiki layanan perawatan medis jarak jauh, semua kekurangan itu perlu ditambal. Tambahan sensor, metaverse dan kecerdasan buatan (AI) dapat dimungkinkan untuk melakukan hal ini dan membantu menganalisa data pasien yang lebih akurat dan komprehensif. Ia optimis kemajuan teknologi bisa mengatasi semua kelemahan itu karena saat ini kita sedang berevolusi untuk meningkatkan layanan telemedicine secara bertahap.
Sebagai seorang investor, menurut Lawrence, inovasi itu menjadi pendorong inovasi yang cukup besar. Namun, agar bisa lebih berdampak, menurutnya baik inovator, akademisi, dan startup mesti benar-benar menyentuh permasalahan di akar rumput. Selama ini, penelitian-penelitian yang dilakukan para edukator kurang peka dengan kebutuhan masyarakat. Mereka melupakan mengapa mereka ada di institusi akademis yang semestinya menelurkan solusi bagi masyarakat. Begitupula dengan para investor. Mereka pun mesti memiliki visi untuk melayani dan menyelesaikan masalah di masyarakat terlebih dulu sebelum menajamkan sasaran ke ceruk pasar yang lebih sempit.
LKYGBPC untuk majukan entrepreneurship
Bagi Lawrence, inovasi berangkat dari inisiatif untuk menyelesaikan masalah dan mengeksekusi ide solusi itu dengan kedisiplinan. Disiplin dalam memperbaiki produk, mengelola konsumen, membangun tim dan organisasi, serta mengelola keuangan. Lawrence menganggap kompetisi bisnis internasional seperti LKYGBPC bisa memberikan kesempatan bagi para pebisnis muda untuk melakukan ekspansi pasar ke negara lain.
Prof Lawrence menjadi investor di tiga startup. Pertama adalah Master and Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot (MASTER). MASTER kini telah diintegrasikan menjadi Endomaster, startup MedTech yang paling banyak mendapat kucuran dana di Asia pada 2017. Ia pun mendanai startup di bidang fotonik dan bioteknologi yang mengembangkan peringatan dini dibidang kesehatan.
Berdasarkan pengalaman memiliki tiga startup teknologi kesehatan, Lawrance menyarankan agar startup perlu fleksibel dan membuka diri. Mereka mesti bersedia menerima masukan dari konsumen, tim, dan mereka yang lebih ahli. “Saya merasa bahwa beberapa inovator sangat protektif terhadap produk mereka sendiri, mereka pikir ini adalah bayi mereka.”
Sebab, dari berbagai masukan itu, founder dan tim bisa memetakan dengan cepat berbagai tantangan yang mungkin mereka hadapi di sepanjang jalan. Setelah itu, mereka mesti menemukan orang yang tepat untuk memecahkan tantangan tersebut.
Mereka pun harus berjuang untuk mewujudkan apa yang mereka janjikan dari konsep yang diajukan. Menurut Lawrence, beberapa orang lebih jago menuliskan ide mereka di kertas dan Power Point ketimbang terjun langsung ke lapangan.
“Para pejuang kertas dan Power Point sangat sulit untuk berhasil. Anda harus benar-benar melakukannya hingga berdarah-darah, hingga Anda menguasai dan memenangkan pertempuran,” tegasnya.
Tantangan berikutnya untuk startup kesehatan adalah soal regulasi. Startup perlu menemukan ahli untuk membantu merancang uji klinis agar lolos berbagai uji klinis dan regulasi.
Tantangan yang terakhir adalah masalah komersialisasi produk. Bagaimana menghasilkan pendapatan dari produk yang akan dijual.
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To increase efficiency and productivity, leverage better insights for decision-making and provide seamless digital services for citizens, Singapore’s government is investing in digital technologies such as robotic process automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics.
The government is prioritising modernisation, transformation and digitalisation of its corporate shared services to improve service quality and efficiency and the overall customer experience. By reducing manual workloads and eliminating errors, these technologies will enable the development of new skills in its employees and create capacity for new priorities.
OpenGov Asia is pleased to recognise VITAL for its innovative and disruptive use of technology in the public sector through the optimisation of government processes and the pushing of new limits.
Providing common services in human resource, payroll, finance and procurement to over 100 public service agencies, VITAL, a department under the Ministry of Finance and the central agency for corporate shared services, has earned a stellar reputation over the years as an organisation that actively leverages digitalisation and automation at the enterprise level. Through the use of digital technology and robotic automation, the agency has successfully managed and transformed corporate service delivery for the Whole-of-Government (WoG).
VITAL has worked to expand and propagate its digital and automation capabilities internally and among Whole-of-Government (WoG) agencies. This is aimed at achieving economies of scale, enhancing efficiency, strengthening governance, and improving the quality of service.
All these endeavours have led VITAL to being awarded the prestigious OpenGov Asia’s Recognition of Excellence Award which will be conferred during the 8th Annual Singapore OpenGov Leadership Forum 2023.
VITAL’s Digitalisation Strategy for Enhanced Service Delivery
Alex Tang, Director (Service, Innovation, and Compliance), VITAL, Ministry of Finance in Singapore, said that VITAL’s Digitalisation Strategy led to the transition from manual, paper-based processes to digital services and operations. These services are provided to their service partners and public agencies that they have collaborated with over the years.
“To encourage greater adoption of these tools, we developed an in-house ‘Digital First’ microsite to share use cases, tips, and resources with VITAL officers and conducted frequent brown-bag sessions to generate greater awareness of digital tools,” Alex explains.
VITAL has dedicated significant efforts to upskilling its officers in automation. In addition to training 28 officers in Robotics Process Automation (RPA) developer software to automate complex tasks, they have trained and provided low-code RPA developer software training to over 140 officers. This approach enables a broader group of individuals to use automation to improve processes effectively.
As the Robotics and Automation lead in Whole-of-Government (WoG) for corporate services, VITAL has also developed a service-wide microsite called “Robotics and Automation Hub (R&A Hub)”. This platform provides WoG Agencies with access to RPA resources, common automation scripts and other offerings to promote the use of RPA.
As of February 2023, more than 2,300 different people had visited the hub’s site since it opened. As part of its citizen development initiatives, VITAL has taken the lead in WoG efforts in trialling low-code RPA tools.
Their automation journey included tabletop research, learning journeys, consultations, solution identification, proof of concept followed by a pilot, and gradual scaling up of implementation across multiple processes over the initial 2 to 3 years.
“In the early phase of our automation journey, we visited organisations to learn from them, consulted our advisory panel and industry experts and performed extensive research. Throughout our journey, we continually learned and adapted as we implemented RPA,” Alex recalls.
To reap the most benefits and ensure the long-term viability of the automation initiative, it was critical for process owners and developers to align their understanding to ensure robust process selection – focusing on those that were manual, tedious, repetitive and rule-driven to reduce abortive work and building scripts that do not meet business needs.
VITAL’s digitalisation is the result of an ecosystem that includes a central innovation team that is supported by Ops-Tech specialists and process experts in the Operations functions.
The VITAL Innovation Hub is made up of a group of specialists who conduct technology exploration and agile experimentation to source, test and scale up innovative solutions that improve VITAL’s efficiency and effectiveness. This team drives the digitalisation and automation agenda, collaborating with operations functions to identify appropriate processes for testing, scaling up and spreading automation adoption throughout the organisation.
Initially, the Innovation Hub led by Jessica Ong, Deputy Director (Innovation Hub) has played a critical role in the early stages of the project as the developer, working closely with process experts in operations to collect business requirements, develop scripts, and deploy them. However, as the RPA developer capability within Operations grew, the Ops-Tech specialists in the line functions took over this role.
At the same time, the Innovation Hub shifted to a governance and advisory role, responsible for reviewing and deploying scripts, upgrading applications, troubleshooting incidents, providing guidance, and building capabilities.
Alex summarises the top five crucial points for successfully integrating and streamlining digitalisation and automation projects as follows:
- Speak with industry early adopters to determine the benefits and drawbacks of a solution, determine if it meets the organisation’s needs, start small and validate efficacy before scaling up.
- Deploy solid policy-operations-technology integration. Collaborate with central teams to review policy and system requirements to use technology tools.
- To reap greater benefits across the entire government, processes must be standardised and consolidated through the use of shared services and common central systems.
- Verify software and solution compatibility with key internal and external systems and applications, as well as the hosting environment.
- Avoid automating inefficiencies. Before developing a script, examine the selected process and streamline it by eliminating unnecessary steps.
Alex and his team discovered that RPA is extremely sensitive to changes in system or application performance – the more applications and systems a script integrates, the more complex it becomes. Deploying patches can have an impact on performance, including success rate, and may require more script changes.
“We found it useful to plan early and assess the complexity of the integration scope during script development,” Alex explains.
Although automation is often touted as a means to increase efficiency, it can also cause anxiety and uptake-hesitancy among employees. To overcome stress and resistance, effective communication is necessary.
VITAL took a different approach and presented Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as an enabler, freeing its people from manual and tedious tasks. This allowed them to focus on more valuable work, professional growth, and innovation.
Developing the skills and capabilities to become an RPA developer can be challenging, especially when coding knowledge and experience are required. Fortunately, the shift towards democratising automation development through low-code or no-code tools has made it easier.
“Currently, we are upskilling more officers to be Citizen Developers who can tap on low-code RPA tools to automate simple, manual tasks,” Alex reveals.
Key Factors That Lead to Success
In addition to the innovation structure, Alex identifies two crucial factors for success: effective change management and a robust ecosystem that encourages bottom-up innovation.
“As a shared services outfit, we aggregate and process many transactions across WoG, which makes VITAL a fitting target for automation,” Alex states.
There are abundant automation opportunities in Operations functions, as these teams are often eager to ease their daily workload through tech solutions. To meet this immediate need, VITAL invites successful automation projects to apply for its annual innovation project awards, which recognise credible innovation efforts and successful use cases.
VITAL had also created a dashboard to track RPA script success rates and time savings – useful metrics that validate the efforts and serve as “fuel” for further automation adoption and growth.
The automation initiative is continuously monitoring the external environment for potential changes in the technology industry that could impact the solutions they use, the systems landscape and the corporate services space in WoG as part of future-proofing. This allows them to anticipate the impact of the automation programme and adjust their strategy accordingly.
“We are moving up the value chain in our automation journey by exploring the integration of RPA with the use of other intelligent tools,” Alex concludes.
He is confident that VITAL is vital to Whole-of-Government (WoG), as their efforts are intended to future-proof automation strategies across the public sector. Ultimately, they want to work more intelligently, smarter and safer to provide the best service experience they can.
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Sebagai Badan Pusat Layanan Publik di Singapura, VITAL memiliki sejumlah inisiatif digital yang mendapat sorotan dari OpenGov Asia. Berbagai inovasi yang dilakukan organisasi ini memberikan transformasi layanan pemerintah Singapura yang dapat memberi manfaat bagi warga.
Saat ini VITAL, memiliki pusat layanan yang mengakomodasi lebih dari 100 lembaga. VITAL secara aktif mendorong digitalisasi dan automasi di tingkat enterprise sejak didirikan pada 2006. Lembaga yang ada di bawah Kementerian Keuangan ini terus melakukan disrupsi digital untuk mendorong transformasi di berbagai layanan pemerintah Singapura.
Berbagai inisiatif digitisasi, digitalisasi, dan automasi dengan robot gencar dilakukan untuk mengubah standar layanan pemerintah. Saat ini, inisiatif digital dan automasi terus ditingkatkan agar bisa lebih ekonomis, efisien, memperkuat pemerintahan, dan menigkatkan kualitas layanan.
Seluruh upaya tersebut telah membawa VITAL memenangkan Recognition of Excellence Award OpenGov Asia yang akan diserahkan bersamaan dengan diadakannya acara tahunan ke-8 OpenGov Leadership Forum 2023 Singapura.
Strategi VITAL terapkan automasi
VITAL telah mentransformasi layanan pemerintah Singapura dari manual, berbasis kertas, menjadi layanan dan operasional berbasis digital. Bahkan, percepatan proses lewat automasi bot dan robot berhasil membuat VITAL meningkatkan efisiensi pemerintah hingga 66% dan menghemat 12 ribu jam dari total 191 ribu transaksi yang harus diproses.
Dalam wawancara khusus dengan Mohit Sagar, CEO dan Pemimpin Redaksi OpenGov Asia; Alex Tang, Direktur Layanan, Inovasi & Kepatuhan VITAL menjelaskan sejumlah kerumitan yang menjadi tantangan untuk melakukan automasi. Mulai dari manajemen perubahan ketika mengembangkan skrip, komunikasi dengan pengguna untuk mengurangi penolakan dan ketidakpastian, serta hal-hal yang berkaitan dengan kemampuan para developer dalam mengembangkan skrip untuk automasi.
Perencanaan dan manajemen perubahan diperlukan untuk mengurangi kerumitan yang terjadi ketika terjadi perubahan dalam sistem atau aplikasi. Semakin banyak aplikasi dan sistem yang diintegrasikan, akan meningkatkan kompleksitas proses automasi. Makin tinggi kompleksitas akan berpengaruh pada tingkat keberhasilan sistem otomatis yang sudah diterapkan. Pada sistem yang kompleks, perubahan skrip juga akan menambah tingkat kesulitan ketika melakukan tambalan sistem keamanan.
“Kami merasa perencanaan lebih awal berguna dalam menilai kompleksitas cakupan integrasi di tahap pengembangan,” ujarnya.
Selain itu, pengembang juga perlu mengintensifkan komunikasi dengan pengguna. Hal ini diperlukan untuk mengatasi ketidakpastian dan penolakan. Mereka mengubah persepsi automasi dari ‘ancaman’ menjadi ‘bantuan’.
Automatisasi sering disebut-sebut sebagai ancaman posisi kerja bagi manusia dan menimbulkan kecemasan bagi para pegawai. Tapi, VITAL mempromosikan automasi sebagai alat bantu untuk menghilangkan pekerjaan manual dan repetitif. Sehingga, pegawai lebih produktif, memberikan nilai tambah pada pekerjaan mereka, melakukan pengembangan profesional, dan inovasi.
Tantangan berikutnya terkait dengan kemampuan dan pengalaman pengembang menulis skrip untuk automasi. Untuk mengatasi masalah ini, VITAL memanfaatkan software automasi tanpa coding atau low coding. Pengembang ahli di pusat akan tetap menangani kebutuhan coding automasi yang rumit. Tapi di hilir, para pengguna bisa memanfaatkan software RPA kode rendah dan tanpa kode untuk melakukan automasi sederhana.
Alex lantas membeberkan lima langkah yang mereka lakukan untuk memastikan inisiatif automasi yang mereka jalankan agar dapat menjawab kebutuhan ratusan agensi yang terhubung dengan VITAL.
- Belajar dari orang lain
Pada tahap ini, VITAL mempelajari berbagai riset, mengambil pelajaran dari pengalaman sebelumnya, dan berkonsultasi dengan pakar dan analis industri sambil melakukan penelitian ekstensif. Untuk menentukan proses mana yang perlu automasi dan digitalisasi, Alex memberi tips agar melakukan penyelarasan pemahaman dengan pengguna. Hal ini bisa dilakukan ketika berdiskusi dengan calon pengguna di tahap awal. Proses digitalisasi bisa diutamakan pada proses yang masih manual dan repetitif.
“Bicaralah dengan para pengguna awal di industri untuk menentukan manfaat dan kekurangan solusi yang ditawarkan. Mereka bisa membantu untuk menilai apakah solusi itu sudah memenuhi kebutuhan organisasi,” jelasnya.
Penyelarasan dengan pengguna tersebut dapat menjadi konsep yang memandu VITAL untuk memulai segala ide dan inisiatif mulai dari yang kecil, seperti proof-of-concept. Dari titik ini, pengembang bisa mendapat validasi seberapa efektif inovasi yang ditawarkan. Sehingga, perbaikan lebih mudah dan lebih murah untuk dilakukan sebelum memperbesar skala solusi tersebut untuk pengguna yang lebih banyak.
“Kami lantas mengidentifikasi solusi, menguji coba bukti konsep dan melakukan penyesuaian dan peningkatan fitur selama 2 hingga 3 tahun ke depan,” tutur Alex.
- Integrasi kebijakan-operasi-teknologi
VITAL bekerja sama dengan tim pusat untuk meninjau kebijakan dan persyaratan sistem ketika mereka akan mengaktifkan penggunaan suatu alat teknologi.
- Standardisasi dan konsolidasi
Alex juga menyarankan agar memiliki layanan bersama dan terpusat untuk proses standardisasi dan konsolidasi yang menjadi rujukan dari seluruh organisasi kepemerintahan.
- Uji kompatibilitas
Perlu dilakukan uji kompatibilitas antara software dan solusi yang akan dipasang ke sistem utama dan lingkungan hosting, baik berupa aplikasi internal dan eksternal.
- Memilih proses yang diautomasi
“Terakhir, jangan mengotomatiskan inefisiensi. Tinjau proses yang dipilih, sederhanakan terlebih dahulu dengan menghilangkan langkah-langkah yang tidak perlu sebelum membuat skrip,” seru Alex.
Ke depan, untuk menghadapi kebutuhan dan tantangan yang terus berubah, Alex dan tim di VITAL terus mengamati berbagai perubahan yang terjadi. Baik perubahan di industri teknologi, lanskap sistem, dan ruang layanan korporat di WoG yang bisa berpengaruh pada solusi yang mereka gunakan. Pengawasan dilakukan agar mereka bisa mengantisipasi perubahan itu dan melakukan penyesuaian.
Mendorong tim yang inovatif
Untuk mendorong inovasi dan digitalisasi, VITAL menciptakan ekosistem tim inovasi pusat yang didukung oleh tim spesialis Ops-Tech dan pakar proses fungsi operasi.
Tim pusat inovasi melakukan eksplorasi teknologi dan eksperimen untuk mencari, menguji, dan meningkatkan solusi inovatif untuk menghasilkan efisiensi dan efektivitas di VITAL. Mereka bekerja sama dengan pakar proses fungsi operasi untuk mengidentifikasi proses yang sesuai dalam menguji dan meningkatkan serta menyebarkan adopsi otomasi di seluruh organisasi. Mereka juga mengumpulkan persyaratan bisnis, mengembangkan skrip, dan menerapkannya. Secara parallel, hal ini mengembangkan kemampuan pengembang Proses Automasi dengan Robot (PAR).
Sementara itu, tim spesialis Ops-Tech mengambil peran sebagai pengatur tata kelola dan penasihat untuk meninjau dan menerapkan skrip, memutakhirkan aplikasi, memecahkan masalah insiden, memberikan panduan, dan membangun keterampilan dalam berinovasi.
Selain membentuk struktur tim yang kuat, VITAL juga melakukan manajemen perubahan dan menciptakan ekosistem yang memberi stimuli untuk terus berinovasi. Hal ini dilakukan dengan mengundang proyek-proyek yang sudah berhasil ditangani oleh VITAL.
Mereka juga menggelar penghargaan proyek inovasi tahunan untuk terus menjaga kebanggaan tim atas hasil dan perubahan yang mereka lakukan. Hal ini diakui sukses dalam menjaga minat tim agar terus mencari hal yang bisa ditingkatkan secara bersama.
“Kami juga telah mengembangkan dasbor untuk memantau tingkat keberhasilan skrip PAR dan melihat penghematan waktu yang telah dilakukan. Metrik ini berguna untuk memvalidasi upaya kami dalam menyediakan ‘bahan bakar’ untuk adopsi dan memantau pertumbuhan lebih lanjut dalam penggunaan otomasi,” papar Alex.
Selain itu, untuk transfer informasi dan pengetahuan antar tim di VITAL dan luar VITAL, Alex berbicara sejumlah hal yang sudah mereka lakukan secara efektif.
- Microsite
VITAL kerap memanfaatkan microsite sebagai pusat informasi untuk semua inisiatif digital yang dilakukan.
- Digital First
Microsite ‘inhouse’ ini digunakan untuk berbagi contoh kasus, tips, dan sumber daya bagi sesama pegawai VITAL. Mereka juga kerap mengadakan pertemuan santai untuk membahas dan memperkenalkan solusi digital baru.
- Pusat Robotik dan Otomasi
Microsite ini digunakan untuk menyediakan segala informasi terkait dengan robotik dan skrip automasi.
Situs mini ini digunakan sebagai referensi internal untuk berbagai agensi yang terhubung dengan layanan korporasi pemerintah. Sejak diluncurkan, layanan ini sudah mendapat 16 ribu kunjungan oleh sekitar 2.300 pengunjung unik per Februari 2023.
- Pelatihan
VITAL telah melakukan pelatihan internal bagi 28 karyawan dan melatih lebih dari 140 petugas VITAL lain. Pelatihan yang diberikan adalah penggunaan Proses Automasi dengan Robot (PAR). PAR diperlukan untuk mengotomatiskan proses yang kompleks. Pelatihan difokuskan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan menggunakan software automasi low-code PAR. Saat ini, sudah ada 12 lembaga pemerintah Singapura yang telah mengikuti pelatihan ini.
