Servicestandard 2.0
Advancement of quality standards for digital administrative services
In 2020, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) produced the Servicestandard, thereby issuing for the first time quality principles supporting the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG) and promoting user-friendly, digital administration. However, there is still too little awareness of the Servicestandard to date and users do not find it sufficiently practical.
In the Servicestandard 2.0 project, we are working with BMI to advance the quality principles for digitalization of administration services in Germany. The current Servicestandard contains 19 principles across six categories: user-centricity, iterative approach, interdisciplinary collaboration, open work methods, robust technical operation, and effective impact controlling.
The aim of the project is to further develop the Servicestandard. We are focusing on measures that will increase the acceptance and applicability of the standard. At the same time, we intend to bring the standard further in line with the EU’s European Interoperability Framework (EIF) in order to improve collaboration between public administrations within Europe. Together with the German Institute for Standardization (DIN), a standardization process was launched to define clear specifications for the development of user-friendly online services and portals.
We are interviewing a range of stakeholder groups, including current users, specialists, and actors at federal, state, and municipal level, to ensure that the Servicestandard 2.0 is both practical and tailored to requirements. We are also surveying representatives from business and civil society. The development effort is being supported by an advisory group (“sounding board”) made up of representatives from various areas of public administration, including BMI, the National Regulatory Control Council (NKR), the Federal IT Cooperation (FITKO), the Federal Information Technology Center (ITZBund), NExT e. V., IT service provider Dataport, the Association for Municipal Management (KGSt), and DigitalService.
Within our own organization, we have required the application of the Servicestandard in our project work from the outset – and will continue to use it until the 2.0 version is ready. We use self-audits and peer reviews to monitor the implementation of the quality principles. All Servicestandard reports issued to date are available on our Transparency page.
Special features
- User-centered advancement and update to the content of the Servicestandard issued in 2020
- Comprehensive surveying of various stakeholder groups: involvement of users and representatives from public administrations, academia, business, and civil society
- Advancement of the Servicestandard in compliance with the applicable national and international guidelines and standards
Facts and figures
Approx. 60 interviews with experts conducted up to December 2024
A broad consortium consisting of 54 individuals and 45 organizations develops binding requirements
Ernst Bürger, Department Head, Digital Administration, Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community
With the Servicestandard 2.0 project, we want to elevate the state’s digital services to a consistent and high level of quality and thereby increase trust in public administrations.
Read more about this project
