4 days ago
The other approach to ‘government efficiency': How digital teams serve the public
Government efficiency is a hot-button issue this year, with masses of federal workers having lost their jobs in its name.
But when it comes to state and local government, efficiency-based reform is all about making things work smoothly, with the help of tech.
'The Other Approach to Government Efficiency,' a session at the 2025 Builders Conference, featured two civic innovators: Eliza Erickson, who leads permit reform efforts in Pennsylvania's Governor's Office, and Max Gigle, a digital product leader in Connecticut. Moderated by Kaela Roeder, the panel broke down how government can better serve people, even when the results don't make headlines.
'In some ways, government is 15 years behind the arc of technology and innovation in the private sector,' Erickson said. 'But we're recognizing more and more the need for real, high-quality technology in the public sector — and we're finding ways to invest in that talent.'
Rather than focus on flashy apps or front-facing dashboards, both panelists stressed that the most meaningful work starts much deeper in the process.
Gigle, who leads digital efforts for Connecticut's Department of Administrative Services, described how his team redesigned the state's approach to business licensing. What seemed like a simple task — building a new website — actually required collaboration with more than a dozen agencies, deep process mapping and a culture change in how services are delivered.
'If someone said, 'We made a website and it took eight months,' I think most folks in the tech world would be like, 'What in the world are you doing with their money?'' Gigle said. 'But in order to really get to the core of the challenge, it took a lot of time to ask questions of what's important here, how do we work across a ton of different stakeholders that have different interests, how do we centralize brands and work through tough challenges?'
In Connecticut, that meant understanding that the real barrier to entrepreneurship wasn't the form itself, but the knowledge gap around what to do when, and with whom.
Sustainability over splash
Both Gigle and Erickson emphasized that true government innovation is measured in staying power, not just short-term wins.
Erickson stressed that at its core, 'successful government innovation … has to be sustainable,' so it lives on after the specific tech team that led that initiative leaves.
Her own team builds from the ground up, empowering the frontline staff who will be there long after an administration changes, making sure they have ownership over new systems and practices.
Making lasting change also means being honest about progress: If a new permit system isn't fully rolled out yet, talk about the education campaigns, the translation work and the user testing that's already reshaping the process.
Those behind-the-scenes steps may not sound exciting, but they're often the reason a teacher can get certified faster, or a barber can open shop a few months earlier.
Narrative, Erikson said, is also important. Government work is often invisible unless it fails, so part of the challenge is sharing success in ways people actually understand, whether that's via TikTok, community meetings or just clearer metrics.
She pointed to Pennsylvania's push to reframe permit reform as a tangible quality-of-life issue, not just red tape.
'If you are a teacher looking for a job and it takes you six months to get your certification, that's six months that you're not allowed to work,' Erickson said. 'If we shorten that time to two months, that's four more months of income. That is really impactful.'
Inviting more people into public service
Civic technologists — a group that once meant mostly IT staff — now include designers, product managers, data analysts and software engineers. Both panelists encouraged students and career switchers to consider public-sector roles, even if they've never seen themselves in government.
'If you care about your city and your state, get involved,' Gigle said. 'Government … can look toxic on the surface. It's not sexy every single day, but, I promise you, the outcome is fantastic.'
The skills you build in government — navigating complexity, managing risk, scaling services — translate directly into roles in big tech and beyond, he added.
Erickson agreed, especially when it comes to the early career opportunity.
'You can put your skills to positive use in such a tangible way,' she said. 'You do two or three years in the public sector, and it puts you on a really impactful career path.'
What innovation really looks like
During a wide-ranging Q&A, attendees asked about risk, disruption and why the government seems so slow to change.
Gigle offered a clear-eyed take: The real risk is not changing. And disruption can come in many forms, from COVID's sudden shift to remote service delivery to a renewed focus on equity and inclusion within government ranks.
Erickson noted that meaningful change often comes from within, when agencies empower the right people to ask why.
'A lot of the bureaucracy and the red tape that exists in government is because someone at some point really believed that it was the right thing,' she said. 'The problem is that we just build bureaucracy and regulations on top of bureaucracy and regulations without unpacking what's been done.'
