Cook County’s Digital Equity Plan Implementation

Clients: Cook County - Office of the President

Advisor: Deloitte

Challenge: In October 2023, Cook County released the first Digital Equity Action Plan, a crucial step to address the digital divide that impacts communities in suburban Cook County, which results in barriers to economic opportunities, social connections, and community wellbeing. The plan identifies Cook County’s path to digital equity through accessibility, confidence, safety and security, and affordability. Because the plan is vast and includes initiatives of varying complexity and readiness, Cook County’s Director of Digital Equity asked Civic Consulting Alliance to develop a holistic roadmap to implement initiatives outlined in the Digital Equity Plan. 

Action: Over several weeks, Civic Consulting Alliance and pro bono advisor Deloitte directly supported the Director of Digital Equity to flesh out the recommendations in the Digital Equity Action Plan. Each initiative was templated with a project description, objectives, milestones, ownership, cost estimates, funding sources, and timeline to execute. We hosted workshops with staff to prioritize and sequence each initiative based on filters related to feasibility. Finally, we developed a project management office framework to monitor progress and updates on the initiatives.

Result: This project equipped the Cook County Office of the President to implement the Digital Equity Action Plan, clarity about responsibilities for its execution, and tools to track progress and outcomes over the next three years. Now, Cook County is well-positioned to maximize its efforts to advance digital equity for all community members.