  Algorithmic Decision Making (ADM) has permeated all aspects of society.
Government organizations are also affected by this trend. However, the use of
ADM has been getting negative attention from the public, media, and interest
groups. There is little to no actionable guidelines for government
organizations to create positive impact through ADM. In this case study, we
examined eight municipal organizations in the Netherlands regarding their
actual and intended use of ADM. We interviewed key personnel and decision
makers. Our results show that municipalities mostly use ADM in an ad hoc
manner, and they have not systematically defined or institutionalized a data
science process yet. They operate risk averse, and they clearly express the
need for cooperation, guidance, and even supervision at the national level.
Third parties, mostly commercial, are often involved in the ADM development
lifecycle, without systematic governance. Communication on the use of ADM is
generally responsive to negative attention from the media and public. There are
strong indications for the need of an ADM governance framework. In this paper,
we present our findings in detail, along with actionable insights on
governance, communication, and performance evaluation of ADM systems.
