What is a ‘process code’?
Every day, public sector employees around the world do the work of governance and public service
delivery. They are facing increasingly complex issues—challenges like addressing the digital divide,
responding to extreme weather events, writing data policy, or procuring software. Rising to these
challenges will require new approaches to the existing processes of governance and public service
delivery.
Public sector employees using new approaches can learn from each other and adapt what others have
done. But because every jurisdiction and transformation process is unique, no guide can be
one-size-fits-all.
A “process code” is a flexible, collaborative, and adaptive guidebook that supports civil servants as
they develop, implement and maintain public code.
It is hosted online, in a version-controlled format. That means anyone can suggest revisions or
additions after they try it out and see what works and what doesn’t. If the local context is different
enough, anyone can branch off their own version of the process code. Over time, the collaborative
community continually enhances and improves a process code, just like open source software.
This is a largely new approach to collaboration in the public sector, and we think of it as a
fundamental digital public infrastructure. We invite you to test, revise, and expand these process
codes, and join a growing community of practitioners.
PC01: Software procurement
This process introduces a digital-native approach to procurement. It maintains the core principles of
public procurement—fairness, transparency and objectivity—but realigns the process with contemporary
software development.
See this process code >
PC02: Building a codebase stewardship organization
This process code is about building a best-fit organization for codebase stewardship. We review the
purpose and process of codebase stewardship before discussing the fundamentals of organization design:
governance, financing, and feature development through distributed version control.
Have a suggestion?
If you or your organization would find a new process code useful, let’s have a conversation about it!
Contact us >
