Policy paper

Design Principles: Summary

Updated 18 August 2023

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

Introduction

The Shared Services Strategy for Government gives the Civil Service a better opportunity to maximise the benefits of a collaborative approach by central government departments^{[footnote 1]} forming “clusters” to deliver back-office services. Transformation of this scale and complexity is challenging. A key factor in the success is the governance of design, both at the whole of government level including the government functions, and also within each cluster.

The design principles have been co-created, including with:

• the government functions in scope of the strategy (HR, finance and commercial);
• controls and assurance partners (eg CDDO, IPA), and;
• the shared services clusters, through various shared services cross-government functional working groups, notably the Operating Models Working Group and Enterprise Architects Working Group.

Design principles should flow into clusters’ and functions’ design considerations through the relevant Design Authorities, which should be your first point of contact if you’d like further information.

The design principles provide stakeholders with a clear and consistent direction. They capture considerations that describe what a “good” solution looks like. These should be used by each cluster Design Authority throughout implementation of their shared services programmes, for business as usual and future change.

• ALBs already taking a shared service with or from their sponsor department will join the shared service centre along with their sponsor department.
• ALBs not already taking a service from their department are expected to join as soon as practicable. Exceptionally divergence may be agreed.

What are Design Principles?

“Design principles are a foundational piece of organisational design practice. They help you to establish and maintain good design practice and ensure consistency whilst providing a basis to make decisions about the shape of the design. They enable you to communicate and establish a collective understanding of the vision and approach, and the guiding principles to be applied throughout the design lifecycle.”

Your design principles are an expression of ‘how we do things around here’ and should reflect the vision for the future and give teams a remit to work within.

Civil Service Leaders of Design Guide to Operating Models (HM Government, January 2022)

1. Accountable Leadership

Clusters are accountable and have the levers to drive and manage the performance of the Shared Service Centre, mitigating delivery risks and taking corrective action, where necessary, on behalf of customer departments and end users.

2. Taking people with you

Bringing key stakeholders, business areas and employees, as well as Trade Unions and staff networks, on the journey, through effective change management leading from the front, user experience insights and effective stakeholder engagement and communications.

3. Service excellence

Shared Service Centres that deliver shared services which meet the needs of customers, users and the Civil Service for the benefit of HM Government.

4. Transformation and continuous improvement

Shared Service Centres, the functions, and the business maximise technological and organisational advancements to continually strive to drive sustainability, security, efficiency and effectiveness, enabling customer departments to be more effective in delivering ministerial objectives of the ‘Declaration on Government Reform’, in freeing up civil servants to deliver for citizens.

5. Adopt not adapt

Use out-of-the-box Software as a Service (SaaS) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) products, avoiding customisation, or reuse other established technologies where this is not viable, adopting rather than adapting, to enable convergence and drive value for money.

6. Interoperability

All Shared Service Centres and department services should adopt open technology, consistent processes and data standards to ensure convergence and interoperability across government. This enables streamlined business process and automation through mastering, standardising and simplifying data, processes and technology.

1. Devolved administrations are out of scope of the strategy. Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) are in scope of the strategy (executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, and non-ministerial departments, with public corporations and other bodies being out of scope): ↩