Government CFOs: Empowering Public Services and Government Finance Leadership

Expert insight to help government and public sector finance leaders drive organizational impact.

How government CFOs can speed digital transformation in the public sector

Digital transformation takes longer in the public sector; lengthy funding processes, restrictive procurement requirements and the need to upskill staff all contribute to the extended timeline. Government CFOs can help their agency progress faster by using their influence across three areas: 

  • Assess your portfolio to ensure it doesn’t overweight foundational investments.

  • Jump-start executive leader collaboration to drive digital cohesion.

  • Set the foundation for technology-enabled insight generation.

Download the Government CFO’s Guide to Accelerating Transformation

Progress your agency’s digital transformation with three key actions.

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    How Gartner supports government finance leaders’ priorities

    How Gartner clients have achieved success

    • Canadian Blood Services
    • Brookhaven National Lab
    • Washington State Agency

    Evaluating Public Sector Finance Maturity

    Canadian Blood Services
    Jennifer Camelon, CFO

    “Gartner helps us accelerate our progress and gives the team confidence that they’re using industry standard approaches to problems they’re trying to solve.”

    The CFO of a Canadian nonprofit partnered with Gartner to determine the maturity of the finance team and create a roadmap to transform the function.

    Executing ERP Replacement in Finance

    Brookhaven National Laboratory
    Susan McKeon, CFO

    “One of the most important things about having a CFO Executive Partner is the knowledge of having somebody that’s actually been in the role and addressed many of these challenges before.”

    With support from her Gartner Executive Partner, the CFO of Brookhaven National Laboratory successfully mapped an implementation plan for a new ERP system.

    Positioning Finance as a Strategic Partner

    Washington State Employment Security Department
    Danielle Cruver, CFO

    “The coaching about how to build those relationships for a strategic partnership has been a game changer.”

    The CFO of a Washington state agency has leveraged Gartner to increase her influence across the executive team, driving greater involvement and accountability in the organization’s budgeting process.

    Related insights

    Research

    Benchmark your function’s maturity with Gartner Digital Finance Score

    See how you stack up against eight finance objectives, map your path to digital maturity and prioritize actions to improve your government finance function’s effectiveness.

    Explore Sample Report
    Webinar

    Learn how your government finance peers manage change fatigue to maximize team success

    With competing initiatives such as budget reductions and new technology implementation, government CFOs must rethink how to lead their team through transformation.

    View Webinar
    Tool

    Make insight-driven government finance tech purchasing decisions with Gartner BuySmart™

    Discover vendors; manage your team’s evaluations in one place; and use predefined, customizable checklists to prioritize your requirements.

    Watch a Demo

    Gartner Finance Symposium/Xpo™

    Gather alongside your peers in National Harbor to gain insight on emerging trends, receive one-on-one guidance from a Gartner expert and create a strategy to tackle your priorities head-on.

    View Conference

    FAQs for government and public finance leadership

    As digital transformation in public finance progresses, public sector CFOs have an opportunity to enhance efficiency by optimizing their digital investments. Government CFOs who want to help improve the performance of their agency’s digital investments can start by:

    • Benchmarking investments against public sector peers to help improve upfront technology selection and funding decisions.

    • Partnering with their CIO to co-lead digital initiatives to improve the chances of achieving these investments’ intended outcomes.

    As demand for transparency and accountability in public sector finance grows, government finance leadership can adapt by using performance outcomes in their budgeting process. Integrating performance-based budgeting (PBB) techniques with legacy budgeting practices can help government CFOs better align resources with desired outcomes.

    The government CFO role has become increasingly important to government agencies and other public sector entities as a champion of rigorous financial management and a safeguard against fraud. Gartner helps government finance leaders deliver confidently on their priorities by providing objective, industry-leading insights; practical tools for strategic decision making; and expert, one-on-one guidance around the best practices of government finance leaders.

    Drive stronger performance on your mission-critical priorities.