\u201cWhat can the Service Standard do for us?\u201d, representatives of several states and larger municipalities from across the country wanted to know this week. I tried to answer \u2013 with gesticulating hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at standards from various angles, the representatives asked our Service Standard team to provide input to an in-person meeting they had in Bavaria this week. They are supporting prioritised service roll-out work streams linking all levels of government. I did the talk as other team members ran a workshop at the \u2018State in the future\u2019 barcamp<\/a>. Conveniently, I was able to do it remotely. As per their request, I provided an overview but also covered it from their angles of interest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I usually take a broader view, but it was helpful to look at it from these individual lenses: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The German Service Standard is a \u2018legal and operational standard\u2019 since the online access standards regulation came into effect in October 2025. Given the deadlines it sets, it needs to be operationalised and implemented now to ensure new services are compliant when launched in early 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Various levels of government are working to make it a \u2018financial standard\u2018 of some kind, tying it to digital budgets and making it mandatory through additional spend control mechanisms and procurement frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the roles and skills the Service Standard names and the ways of working it describes, it should at least inform some \u2018organisational standard\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Service Standard covers technical aspects in various of its criteria, albeit not making it per se a \u2018technical standard\u2019 in itself. In the coming months, we aim to align it more closely with the federal IT architecture guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, I never thought too much about the Service Standard as a \u2018communicative standard\u2019. But our exchange with our colleagues in the Cypriot government last week led us to discuss their \u2018Verified Seal\u2019<\/a>. Excellent services that have met the Service Standard get it and carry it in their footer. By clicking the seal, users can learn about the service\u2019s quality \u2013 if they choose to. In addition, the peer review formats and resulting reports can be powerful communication artefacts, too, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While remote setups can be tricky for engagement, I was delighted to spot Adrian in the room. He is heading up the digital agency for Brandenburg and has been a vocal supporter of the Service Standard for a while. I referenced some of the work he and his team are doing to start a conversation in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n