Meet Juan Intan Kanggrawan, Heading Data Analytics, Research & Digital Products at Jakarta Smart City.
He is an analytics, product management, and technology strategist with over 15 years of multifaceted experience in business, government, and technology. Juan leads diverse teams across strategy, product, data, policy, technology, and more, driving organizations to make informed, agile decisions and commercialize digital and data product portfolios.
His journey spans a decade in Singapore, benchmarking cutting-edge innovations, followed by a pivotal role in driving digital transformation initiatives in Indonesia's public sector. Juan's passion extends beyond his professional realm as an active volunteer, dedicated to fostering talent, academic research, and engaging in philosophical discussions. His commitment to driving impactful change in cities, societies, nations, and regions is evident through his innovative approach and dedication.
Dive into an engaging conversation with Juan Intan Kanggrawan, Head of Research & Data Analytics at Jakarta Smart City. Get insights into his unique journey, spanning diverse sectors and regions, and discover how his multidisciplinary expertise shapes data analytics and innovation strategies within the smart city landscape. Get ready for a candid dialogue that illuminates the transformative power of technology in societal impact and digital transformation!
Q. Your journey showcases a diverse blend of experiences in business, government, and technology. How have these varied exposures shaped your approach to data analytics and innovation at Jakarta Smart City?
A: In simple words, I know which business & technology approaches that will be useful and feasible in the context of bureaucracy / public sector. Many innovation, data analytics and digital transformation efforts in the public sector are not successful due to the gap between business/technology with the unique condition in the public sector. I can ensure an agile approach, data tech stack, AI features, OKR setting etc that will be sufficient and executable in the public sector.
Q. Your role involves overseeing teams across strategy, product, data, policy, and more. How do you foster collaboration and synergy among these diverse departments to drive impactful digital and data product portfolios?
A: In a nutshell, they are collaborating and complementing each other. Recommendation from the data team will be useful for planning, development and deployment of new products. New products need adjustment and support from policy. Updated policy needs further assessment and macro direction/strategy to ensure the effectiveness.
Specific for the government, it is very common everywhere (even in developing countries) that there are silos. It is crucial for me to instill a collaborative mindset. Because in the end, we need to work together to tackle complex city challenges,
Q. Transitioning from Singapore to drive digital transformation in Indonesia's public sector is a significant shift. What were the key challenges you faced, and how did you navigate cultural or operational differences to implement successful digital initiatives?
A: Singapore: professional, systematic, meritocratic, clear - Indonesia: dynamic, uncertain, high risk high gain, relation-based to certain extent - My approach: (i) understand & highlight the ultimate goal/objective (ii) respect all colleagues from diverse background & competency (iii) step back if there are strong blockers, be flexible in our approach, refine accordingly depends on the latest on the ground situation
Q. Your contributions in delivering digital products related to citizen responses, integrated transportation, and e-payment systems are impressive. Could you share how these innovations have shaped the smart city landscape and impacted citizens' lives?
First: we have strong leadership (governor, heads of agency, taskforce leaders) who have solid innovative mindset
Second: we have clear objectives about innovation & citizen impact. Hence the direction is still valid & consistent even after we went through various leadership transitions (5 governors)
Third: we always collaborate & explore new ideas/innovation/tools (e.g. with start-up, research agencies, US, UK, Japan, Germany, Singapore, etc)
These aspects have enabled the innovation that influence direct live of citizens (e.g. citizen reporting system, access to transportation services, COVID-19 vaccination, electronic payment, tax payment & reconciliation)
Q. In your volunteer work impacting the city, society, and nation, what drives your passion for talent building, academic research, and philosophical discussions? How do these diverse interests complement your role in leading research and data analytics?
I really LOVE these activities! They enrich, enlighten and challenge my existing perspectives
Seeing the existing challenges/conditions from different perspectives (social, philosophy, history) triggers us to think different & formulate new solution/approach
Surprisingly, I meet many active & passionate partners and colleagues from these activities (research, discussion, social service)
Q. Considering your extensive background, what advice would you offer to aspiring leaders seeking to integrate data-driven strategies within the public sector to drive societal impact and digital transformation?
Understand the digital & data maturity of your organization (structure, management team, team composition)
Always prepare for quick win (tangible results) and mid-long term plan/roadmap (3-5 years)
See potential partners & change agents across levels (from management/leadership, mid management, up to operational/execution team)
Q. Could you share insights into your approach to continuous learning and staying abreast of the latest technological advancements? How do you integrate these learnings into your role at Jakarta Smart City?
Always see the latest tech trend on that year (e.g. from World Economic Forum, Gartner, Accenture, McKinsey, etc)
Speak & attend conferences. Talk to other technology leaders. Be open minded.
Encourage experimentation culture in the team. Explore and test various latest technologies (it is possible even in the public sector!)
Q. Looking ahead, what future innovations or initiatives do you foresee in the smart city landscape, and how do you aim to further Jakarta's journey towards digital transformation and data-driven policies?
A: The core/essence is still the same. In the future, we will still use technology & innovation to drive concrete impact for citizens, government and city ecosystems.
From a technology perspective, we will be leveraging the latest AI technologies to drive better decisions across levels and provide more usable & accessible digital services. It will expedite and scale-up the existing digital transformation initiatives. From a smart city movement perspective, we will be concretely & technically collaborating with more intensity (e.g. ASEAN Smart City Network, US-ASEAN Smart City, UK-ASEAN Smart City, Japan-ASEAN Smart City). It is not only for benchmarking or "ceremonial" meetings, but concrete working collaboration (I like the idea of "modular smart city" where various smart cities across countries can complement & strengthen each other).
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