From Digitalisation to Digital Maturity: Building a More Connected Perak
By Ahmad Safwan
Founder of ShiftPerak
Perak has already made important progress in digitalisation. The state has introduced major initiatives including the Perak Digital Economy Action Plan 2030, the Perak Smart City Blueprint 2040, digital public services, business initiatives, connectivity improvements, and data platforms.
The foundation is there. The next opportunity is not simply to launch more digital tools.
It is to improve digital maturity by connecting government, people and businesses into a more integrated state digital ecosystem.
Digitalisation Is Not the Same as Digital Maturity
Digitalisation often begins by moving individual activities online. A form becomes an online form. A booking becomes an online booking system. A payment becomes cashless.
These changes matter. But a collection of digital tools is not automatically a digital ecosystem.
Digital maturity begins when services, systems, information and organisations start working together around what people, businesses and government actually need to achieve.
Digitise
Move individual functions online. Forms, applications, bookings, payments, information and services become digital.
Consolidate
Bring multiple digital services into common portals, accounts or access points. The user has fewer places to search.
Integrate
Allow identity, information, workflows, payments, status and data to move between relevant systems. Users should not need to repeatedly provide the same information.
Connect the Ecosystem
Government, people and businesses interact through connected digital journeys. Opportunities and transactions move across the ecosystem rather than remaining inside individual platforms.
Become Proactive & Outcome-Driven
Relevant services are surfaced when needed. Data supports better decisions. Digitalisation is measured by what actually improved, not only by what was launched.
Perak has already made meaningful progress in the earlier stages. The opportunity now is to continue moving towards the later stages.
A Digitally Mature Perak Should Be Easier to Live In, Do Business In and Govern
The digital ecosystem should not be designed only around government applications. It should be designed around the state itself. That means three groups need to work together: Government, People, and Businesses.
The model is not simply Government → People or Government → Businesses. It is:
Direct connections across all three. That is where digitalisation starts becoming a state ecosystem rather than simply an e-government programme.
Living in Perak
For people, digital maturity should improve everyday life. That includes much more than applying for government programmes. A person living in Perak interacts with the state through many different parts of daily life:
Everyday Journeys Should Feel Connected
Someone living in Perak should not need to understand which department, agency or application owns each part of their journey. They should be able to begin with what they actually want to do:
- I want to find a job.
- I want to access healthcare.
- I want to book a public facility.
- I want to know what is happening near me.
- I want to report a local issue.
Relevant Information Reaching the Right People
The information exists, but the user still needs to know where to look. Digital maturity creates the possibility of moving from:
People searching for government information
Relevant information reaching the right people
A digital ecosystem for Perak should not stop at the boundary between public and private services. People interact constantly with businesses, so businesses must become part of the wider digital state experience.
Doing Business in Perak
Business digital maturity should go much further than helping companies create websites, use social media or attend digital training. The stronger question is: Can digitalisation make a Perak business easier to discover, easier to transact with, easier to operate and easier to grow?
From Digital Presence to Complete Customer Journey
Fragmented Journey
Connected Journey
Business to People
A digitally mature state should make opportunities (jobs, services, training, recreation) easier to discover.
Business to Business
Connect local suppliers, logistics, technology partners, and local talent to larger supply chains and new investors.
Business to Gov
Licensing, procurement, incentives, and training should become part of a smooth business journey, not separate administrative islands.
Governing Perak
From Departments to User Journeys
Government is naturally organised into ministries, agencies, and PBTs. People and businesses are not.
A person thinks: “I need help with this.”
A business thinks: “I need to get this done.”
Digital maturity means designing more around the journey while allowing government agencies to continue performing their respective roles behind it.
Government Communication Should Become Actionable
Feedback Should Become an Improvement System
The opportunity is to move beyond treating each interaction independently and spot the patterns.
Repeated question
may indicate unclear information.
Repeated complaint
may indicate a process problem.
High abandonment
may indicate a difficult journey.
Long processing time
may indicate an operational bottleneck.
The Connected Digital Foundation
This does not mean everything must exist inside one application. The important thing is that the components can work together.
Identity & Profiles
People and businesses should not recreate identities unnecessarily. Profiles help surface relevant opportunities.
Discovery
Users should begin with “What do I need?” rather than “Which application should I use?”
Payments & Transactions
Transactions should become easier across both public and private services where appropriate.
Notifications
Receive relevant updates on application status, deadlines, local alerts, and opportunities.
Integration & Data
Existing systems exchange information instead of rebuilding. Data helps understand demand and usage.
Analytics & AI
AI becomes an enabling capability inside the ecosystem (predicting demand, matching opportunities) rather than a standalone project.
Measuring Digital Maturity by Outcomes
A state still needs activity measures (users, transactions, systems). But these should increasingly connect to real outcomes.
For People:
- Is everyday life easier?
- Are services easier to find?
- Are journeys simpler?
- Are opportunities easier to discover?
For Businesses:
- Are businesses easier for customers to discover?
- Can they connect with suppliers easily?
- Is interaction with government easier?
- Is productivity improving?
For Government:
- Are services faster?
- Are complaints being turned into improvements?
- Are programmes reaching the intended audience?
- Is data improving decisions?
Ultimately: Is Perak becoming more competitive?
Those outcomes are a more meaningful measure of digital maturity.
Where ShiftPerak Could Contribute
ShiftPerak is being developed around this digital-maturity opportunity. It should not attempt to replace Digital Perak, state agencies, PBTs or existing technology partners. Its potential role is to help identify and connect gaps across the ecosystem:
- Digital Maturity Analysis & Journey Design
- Ecosystem Connection (Connecting existing systems)
- Business Customer Journeys
- Feedback and Insight
- Integration, Implementation & Outcome Measurement
Start With Real Journeys, Not a Giant New Platform
The first step should not be a massive statewide rebuild. A better approach is to identify a small number of journeys where the existing ecosystem is fragmented. Improve one or two areas. Measure the outcome. Then expand what works.
The Bigger Opportunity for Perak
Perak already has many of the ingredients. The opportunity is to make those ingredients work together more effectively. A digitally mature Perak would be:
Easier to live in. Easier to do business in. Easier to govern.
“How can Perak move from having many digital initiatives to becoming a connected digital state where government, people and businesses can interact, participate and grow together?”
About the Author
Safwan Rahman
Founder, ShiftPerak
Safwan focuses on practical digitalisation for businesses and organisations in Perak, with an emphasis on better business outcomes, stronger digital experiences and more effective ways of working.