11 minute read
Digital Strategy
Transforming for a Digital Future: Six missions
Cabinet Office video containing Infographics which explain six missions that make up the roadmap. Further videos are available on the Cabinet Office’s youtube channel
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HM Revenue and Customs is currently working with a British start-up to integrate blockchain technology into supply chains in order to increase efficiency and security.
The pandemic forced the government to work more quickly to meet policy objectives through the use of digital technologies. The Vulnerable People Service, delivered by the Government Digital Service, built infrastructure for data sharing between central government, local government and wholesalers in days, to enable the delivery of over 4.2 million supply packages to vulnerable people.
The policy acknowledges that the government is still behind other sectors in many areas and has many challenges to overcome with services that are slow, difficult to use and expensive to deliver. Government departments use competing digital identity solutions and duplicative identity verification transformation programmes. The quality of government data is inconsistent and effective data sharing between departments is limited. Technology is outdated and expensive. Furthermore, it has also been acknowledged that the UK has a digital skills gap. All these areas need to be addressed.
In the 2021 Spending Review, the government said it would invest an additional £8 billion in digital, data and technology transformation by 2025. This is to replace outdated and inefficient legacy systems and deliver better services and greater value for taxpayers.
The vision for 2025
The policy’s vision is that by 2025, the UK government will be a more efficient digital government providing better outcomes for everyone.
The goals of the policy include: exceeding public expectations, by creating user-centric policies and making public services more efficient; equipping civil servants for a digital future, by upskilling them and giving them the data and tools to do their jobs and enhancing government efficiency and security by encouraging digital innovation.
The perceived benefits for the public include being able to access public services more easily and more quickly, for example when setting up a business or renewing their driving license.
Benefits for government
The benefits envisaged for those working in government include more efficient processes and systems, with manual processes being automated, resulting in policy and programmes that are more precise and impactful. Improving the quality of data and how it is used should enable better decisions and lead to fewer mistakes. It should be easier to share evidence and insights across the UK and reduce duplicated work. Initial government research has implicated cost savings of £1 billion through digital transformation of services, by removing the costs of paperbased services and processes; £101 million net per year by the end of 2025 thanks to the rollout of a digital remuneration framework, reducing attrition rates of specialists and spending on contractor and consultant labour; and further savings by using combined purchasing power and reducing duplicative procurement, implementing a shift to a ‘buy once, use many times’ approach to technology.
How will this be achieved?
There are six cross-government goals, called “missions” in the report, to be met in order to deliver these changes. These are: transformed public services that achieve the right outcomes; one Login for government: better data to power decision making; secure, efficient and sustainable technology; digital skills at scale; and a system that unlocks digital transformation. Mission One: Transformed Public Services that Achieve the Right Outcomes is sponsored by Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of HM Prison and Probation Service and Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. It includes the goal of by 2025, at least 50 of the government’s top 75 identified services will move to a “great” standard against a consistent measure of service performance.
The Central Digital and Data Office will be working with partners across government to transform the most frequently used services to provide better user experience and efficient processes with reduced cost. The list of top 75 identified services has been developed by digital leaders across government, including the Permanent Secretary-level Digital and Data Board with a focus on high priority services for both government and citizens. The included services have been chosen based on importance, frequency of use, and volume of users and the list will be reviewed and updated. Some of these 75 identified services include applying for and claiming benefits and allowances, applying for visas and passports, driving license management, student finance and registering to vote.
How will progress be measured?
The Digital and Data Board, a forum of Permanent Secretaries developed the roadmap and will provide overall governance for the strategy and review and report on progress every six months, and monitor efficiency savings. Each mission mentioned above is led by a Permanent Secretary level sponsor and will be governed by a steering group of senior civil servants, including Chief Digital Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Chief Data Officers.
Each commitment will be translated into quantifiable targets against which progress will be measured. There will be Quarterly Business Reviews chaired by CDDO and HM Treasury to understand progress and blockers against targets, using departmental data to track key performance indicators and maturity indicators, including progress against efficiency savings.
Introducing the policy, Heather Wheeler said: “Technology has revolutionised every aspect of our society and our economy, including the way that we deliver our public services, helping to make people’s lives easier and safer. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen further strides in the use of innovative new technology, such as the NHS COVID Pass which enabled UK citizens to travel, ensuring
Alex Chisolm: Transforming for a Digital Future
Alex Chisholm, Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, outlines how government’s new digital strategy will drive transformation
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UK funding capital should be encouraged to finance digital growth. This funding could come from pension funds
Heather Wheeler MP, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
their health and safety.
“Our ambition is to go beyond these pockets of brilliant practice. We must deliver policy that has a real impact on people’s lives - not just in a crisis, but every day and for everyone. When people order their groceries, book a holiday or check their bank accounts, they expect and receive a seamless and easy experience. The same should be true of government services.”
However, as mentioned above, previous data strategies have failed and criticism has come from some, doubting whether this policy will have any significant impact.
Encouraging
Alex Case, former senior civil servant at 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, now the senior director and public sector industry principal at Pegasystems, said the strategy was a “very encouraging statement of the future direction and objectives” for government but went on to say that there remains a disconnect between Agile approaches being followed by government project teams, and the nature of project approval, which is typically more Waterfall-like.
“For Agile to be successfully utilised in government a fundamental rethink of all that sits around it is required. This strategy will hopefully start that process, but time (and delivery) will tell if it completes it.”
Rob Anderson, public sector research director at GlobalData said that the new roadmap looks good on paper, but lacks specifics on how it will be delivered. “Other than having a permanent secretary sponsor for each mission, the method of delivery is light on detail.” L
FURTHER INFORMATION
Outgoing PM Johnson appoints Mike Potter as Chief Digital Officer to head up Central Digital and Data Office; Fiona Ryland joins as Chief People Officer
After an external recruitment campaign lasting months, Mike Potter has been named chief digital officer. The appointment, which comes with a reported salary of up to £190,000, was approved by outgoing PM Johnson and overseen by a panel comprising civil service COO Alex Chisholm, CDDO non-executive chair Paul Wilmott and Gina Gill, CDIO at the Cabinet Office.
Potter brings extensive experience from both the public and private sectors, most recently at Tecknuovo where he was appointed as chief strategy officer earlier this year. Prior to this he served as interim executive director, digital transformation & group CIO at Thames Water, after previously holding the position of CTO.
Potter’s 15 years in the public sector including stints at the Environment Agency, Rural Payments Agency, NHS Blood and Transplant, and most recently at HMRC and the Cabinet Office, where he was director for EU Exit Capability.
According to Computer Weekly, Potter will lead a team of 200 specialists in the CDDO and will report to Chisholm, who said: “As the new Government Chief Digital Officer, Mike will be harnessing the unprecedented opportunities for digital technologies and data across the Civil Service, strengthening UK Government delivery both immediately and in the years to come.”
On accepting the position, Potter said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to take on the role of Government CDO and I’m delighted to be returning to public service at such an important time. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues across the civil service to continue to grow the digital skills we need for the future and deliver the roadmap for digital and data.”
The recruitment also announced Fiona Ryland as Government Chief People Officer. Currently chief operating officer and vice president at University College London, Ryland has held senior HR director roles at UCL and the contract catering group Compass, before which she held HR roles in retail companies including Comet, Dixons and Asda.
She said: “It is a real privilege to join the Civil Service in this role. I am looking forward to supporting the tremendous work that our teams deliver for people across the UK.”
Cabinet Office minister Heather Wheeler: “It’s great to see the Civil Service attracting such high calibre leaders to help sharpen our focus on delivering for the British public.
“Building a more skilled and efficient Civil Service is a key priority, supported by innovative use of the best technology available – and Fiona and Mike will be at the heart of that work.”
Mike Potter Fiona Ryland
A delicate chemistry of people, process and technology
Change is a complex journey in any organisation. The unique nature of the public sector means there’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint in how to react and adapt to unique societal and economic changes brought about by Covid, Brexit, climate emergency and political uncertainty. This issue’s expert panel of Rebecca George OBE, Georgina Maratheftis and Joe McGarry answer five key questions on transformational change which examine its complexity, workforce skills and how to retain a focus on engagement, motivation and outcomes while real-time change is happening.
Transformational change expert panel
Rebecca George OBE Department for Education
Rebecca is the Independent Chair, Skills Reform Board for the Department for Education, which is responsible for delivering reform across further and higher education.
A partner at Deloitte, Rebecca is a senior business manager with practical experience of managing businesses and improving operational efficiency. She has been involved in activities to increase the participation of women in the IT industry since the mid-90s, mentoring a wide variety of people over more than twenty years. A past president and former trustee of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, Rebecca was awarded an OBE in 2006 for her work to support the Egan Review of sustainable community skills. Georgina Maratheftis techUK
Georgina is techUK’s associate director for local public services, working with suppliers and public sector organisations to create the conditions for meaningful transformation. techUK explores how the technology can help solve some of the most pressing problems communities face, with the goal to improve outcomes for citizens.
Prior to joining techUK, Georgina worked for a public policy events organisation where she managed the policy briefing division, responsible for generating new ideas for events that would add value to the public sector across a number of portfolios from education, criminal justice and health. She has a passion for public sector transformation and technology. Joe McGarry Moorhouse Consulting
