As state governments pursue digital transformation, many agencies have made significant progress toward modernizing the technology supporting their operations. Two components of digital transformation they must address as part of this process are digitization and automation. While many people believe these terms and activities are synonymous, they are two phases in the modernization continuum. Understanding the differences between them enables agencies to implement each effectively and reap the full benefits of their investments.
While these two processes overlap, it’s important to grasp how the two functions are independent of one another. Digitization refers to the process of converting a document or other physical media into a digital format. Automation takes a function that has been performed by a person and recreating it in an environment in which human intervention is limited or not needed. Understanding that digitization is independent from, but a necessary precursor to, automation empowers state governments to achieve true digital transformation.
Digitization and automation have the power to ease agencies’ administrative burdens, enhance customer experience, and connect data to help staff discover new insights. Understanding the relationship between these two essential processes helps agencies drive digital transformation and reap the benefits that digitization and automation can provide.
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