There are several reasons why local governments struggle to keep up with the pace of technology. One of the most common issues is the lack of timely executive decision-making.
Let’s be honest—executive teams are often overwhelmed, juggling too many competing priorities on a daily basis. Operational issues tend to take precedence over strategic decisions, and as a result, capital expenditure decisions are frequently delayed. These delays can extend for months, even years, until external pressures force action. A typical example is when a vendor informs that support for an existing legacy system will end within a short timeframe, say 8 months. At that point, we scramble to make decisions based on whatever information and resources we have at hand, leading to rushed, suboptimal choices that only set us up for failure down the line.
To address this challenge, we must first recognise the root cause of the delay: a lack of clear processes and prioritisation at the strategic level. Without fixing this, the problem will persist. The key question is: how can we ensure our organisation makes timely decisions without unnecessary delays? Perhaps we may need a robust escalation process, ensuring that if decisions are delayed, they are quickly brought to the attention of higher authorities.
The point is to ensure that delaying critical decisions is not acceptable any more.