Public Policy Document
Introduction
The Digital Government Service Policy was issued in 2023, based on international best practices in delivering digital government services, to enhance the quality of government services. The policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of government entities and sets the rules that must be adhered to in order to monitor and measure the positive impact of this policy on services and establish a baseline for the current state in the UAE Federal Government. This, in turn, would lead to higher efficiency and productivity and greater trust from users in the quality of digital government services. The policy will contribute to improving user experience, facilitating people's lives, and establishing a mechanism to monitor compliance with the approved standards, thereby enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of government services overall.
Policy Objectives
- Support the digital transformation in the Federal Government.
- Enhance the resilience and reliability of the Federal Government's digital infrastructure and services.
- Ensure the high availability and continuity of digital government services.
- Enhance customer satisfaction and further enhance the quality of digital services provided by the Federal Government.
Priorities & Key Components
- Establishing Specific Parameters for Service Availability Based on Importance and Sensitivity:
- Identify and classify important and critical services, and establish service level cards.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan according to the established and approved policies and standards set by the relevant authorities.
- Maintain a minimum level of service availability and response time according to the service availability matrix (measured monthly) for all critical externally provided services.
- Provide a unified service available 24/7 throughout the year, except in cases where it is not expected to provide service within a unified timeframe.
- Implement necessary measures to meet the minimum service availability and response time.
- Apply measurement tools to ensure accurate measurement and reporting of service availability and response time.
- Provide clear contact details for support, along with an escalation process.
- Provide 24/7/365 support for all critical and vital services.
- Setting Response and Resolution Parameters in Case of Failures or Unmet Targets:
- Schedule outages and planned maintenance during off-peak hours.
- Notify customers in advance of scheduled outages and maintenance (at least 24 hours prior).
- Establish and test recovery procedures before implementing any outage.
Expected Outcomes
- Clear identification of important and critical services (individual services, service packages, outsourcing services).
- Ensure the availability of important digital services at 99%.
- Ensure the availability of vital digital services at 99.9%.
- Respond to inquiries within one second for at least 95% of the cases.
- Respond to transactions within four seconds for at least 95% of the cases.
- Provide 24/7/365 technical support throughout the year.
- Understand the root causes of outages and failures.
- Understand the readiness and feasibility of alternative and recovery plans.
- Measure response levels and address the challenges of affected segments.
Target Audience
All Federal Government Entities who oversee the provision of government services across various delivery channels, including service centers, call centers and digital channels, as well as customers (individuals or corporate customers).