Corporate report

FCO's actions in response to the Government Digital Strategy

Updated 16 January 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Action 1: Departmental and transactional agency boards will include an active digital leader

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will provide sustained high-level leadership to deliver the vision in this strategy, including through a board-level champion and digital transition leader.

Progress during 2013

FCO has put in place a board-level champion for digital (Matthew Rycroft) and a digital transition leader. FCO has also begun recruitment for a digital transformation unit.

FCO held an event at its annual leadership conference of ambassadors on the use of digital tools to enhance foreign policy.

Planned activities in 2014

With the digital transformation unit beginning work, FCO will be looking at further opportunities to highlight and build momentum behind its digital agenda.

Progress during 2014

FCO put in place a board-level champion for digital and a digital transformation leader.

Planned activities in 2015

This leadership will be maintained.

Action 2: Services handling over 100,000 transactions each year will be redesigned, operated and improved by a suitably skilled, experienced and empowered service manager

Service managers will be in place for new and redesigned transactions from April 2013.

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will obtain the additional expertise needed to deliver digital by default and embed digital in policy, including through the establishment of an expert digital transformation unit and the development of relevant training, guidance and best practice.

Progress during 2013

FCO has defined and started recruiting for its digital transformation unit designed to provide the additional expertise it lacks internally.

Planned activities in 2014

The digital transformation unit will begin work, scoping FCO’s digital transformation so far and helping prioritise forthcoming activity. The digital transformation unit will also look at training and capability needs across the organisation.

Progress during 2014

FCO established a digital transformation unit, including experienced transformation managers, to provide the in-house skills needed to carry out FCO’s service transformation work. The department made sure new services had a named and trained service manager.

Planned activities in 2015

The roll-out of new training will allow us to continue embedding sound service manager skills across the organisation.

Action 3: All departments will ensure that they have appropriate digital capability in-house, including specialist skills

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will obtain the additional expertise needed to deliver digital by default and embed digital in policy, including through the establishment of an expert digital transformation unit and the development of relevant training, guidance and best practice.

Progress during 2013

FCO has defined and started recruiting for its digital transformation unit designed to provide the additional expertise it lacks internally.

Planned activities in 2014

The digital transformation unit will begin work, scoping FCO’s digital transformation so far and helping prioritise forthcoming activity. The transformation unit will also look at training and capability needs across the organisation.

Progress during 2014

FCO established a digital transformation unit, including experienced transformation managers, to provide the in-house skills needed to undertake the FCO’s service transformation work. The digital transformation unit put in place arrangements through G-cloud to access additional specialist skills lacking in-house (eg service maintenance and iteration).

It also developed and began rolling out a new training curriculum for FCO staff. This training covered digital skills needed for the delivery of services, policy and communications work for civil servants at all levels. It set up a Digital Champions network and held numerous events to publicise the digital agenda.

Planned activities in 2015

The digital transformation unit will continue to roll out its new training offer and highlight the importance of digital to diplomatic work at all levels. It will also monitor whether in-house specialist digital skills and knowledge are adequate, recommending adjustments as necessary.

Action 4: Cabinet Office will support improved digital capability across departments

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Not applicable but will form part of the work to support Government Digital Strategy action 3.

Progress during 2013

FCO has supported Cabinet Office in developing digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will continue to support Cabinet Office in developing digital capability across departments.

Progress during 2014

FCO continued to support Cabinet Office in developing digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue to support Cabinet Office in developing digital capability across departments.

Action 5: For transactional departments, 3 exemplar services will be selected

Redesign starting April 2013, implemented by March 2015 (to be included in relevant business plans). Following this, departments will redesign all services handling over 100,000 transactions each year.

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will work actively to transform its services to digital by default and enhance its online customer service. It will begin this work by digitising key standard elements around its diverse range of transactions, including application, appointment booking and payments, as well as continuing work to integrate digital into its crisis response handling.

Progress during 2013

FCO has been redesigning and digitising a number of its services. It has been:

• working to expand online registration of birth and deaths to overseas customers
• developing an online payment system for the highest volume transactional services
• redesigning the academic technology approval scheme

FCO has also:

• digitised the process of verifying an ‘apostille’ issued by the UK government within the last 5 years
• developed an internal crisis hub to support its crisis response (the team responsible was nominated for a 2013 UK Agile award)
• redesigned the provision of travel advice online, improving accessibility of key information
• moved to provide more services on social media, with FCO consular staff now directly responding to questions from British nationals about travel overseas via the @fcotravel Twitter channel

Planned activities in 2014

FCO’s digital transformation unit will begin work scoping its remit and helping prioritise forthcoming activity. The transformation unit will also look at capability and training needs across the organisation.

Progress during 2014

FCO’s new digital transformation unit established a roadmap for the redesign of FCO’s external services. It began using that roadmap with 2 service transformations going live in 2014 (Chevening Scholarships and online appointment booking).

Planned activities in 2015

Implementation of FCO’s digital roadmap will continue, including work on emergency travel documents and legalisation. FCO will also take on more ownership of some transactions currently maintained by Government Digital Services (GDS).

Action 6: From April 2014, all new or redesigned transactional services will meet the Digital by Default Service Standard

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will work actively to transform its services to digital by default and enhance its online customer service. It will begin this work by digitising important standard elements around its diverse range of transactions, including application, appointment booking and payments. It will ensure that all redesigned services meet the Digital by Default Service Standard.

Progress during 2013

FCO has been redesigning and digitising a number of its services. It has been working to:

• expand online registration of birth and deaths to overseas customers
• develop an online payment system for the highest volume transactional services
• redesign the academic technology approval scheme

FCO has also:

• digitised the process of verifying an ‘apostille’ issued by the UK government within the last 5 years
• developed an internal Crisis Hub to support its crisis response (the team responsible were nominated for a 2013 UK Agile award)
• redesigned the provision of travel advice online, improving accessibility of key information
• moved to provide more services on social media, with FCO consular staff now directly responding to questions from British nationals about travel overseas via the @fcotravel Twitter channel

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will ensure that all new or redesigned services meet the Digital by Default Service Standard by April 2014.

Progress during 2014

FCO assessed all its new services against the Digital by Default Service Standard, including an external assessor from the Department of Health on its assessment panels.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue to assess its services against the Digital by Default Service Standard. It will also begin to roll out that standard to new internal services.

Action 7: Corporate publishing activities of all 24 central government departments will move onto GOV.UK by March 2013, with agency and arm’s length bodies’ online publishing to follow by July 2014

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO remains committed to transitioning FCO’s international web presence to GOV.UK by March 2013. FCO will use the move to GOV.UK to streamline its most visited travel content, especially travel advice, making it more accessible to British nationals. FCO will play the lead role ensuring effective GOV.UK content for overseas audiences that is coherent across all government activity.

Progress during 2013

FCO has transitioned its web publishing to GOV.UK, including over 200 country sites in 35 foreign languages. Working with the GDS, FCO also used the transition to streamline key content and its travel advice.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will continue to work with GDS to further improve information for British nationals and overseas citizens, including through further testing of this content with website users.

Progress during 2014

All FCO’s web publishing, including its international and foreign language sites, is now on GOV.UK.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue to work with GDS to review how GOV.UK is meeting user needs for consular and international content. The digital transformation unit is contracting additional user testing capacity to support this work.

Action 8: Departments will raise awareness of their digital services so that more people know about them and use them

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will build encouragement to use digital channels into its project for regional contact centres and continue to promote digital services in consular campaign material.

Progress during 2013

By the end of 2013, 80% of FCO global customer base will be serviced through regional contact centres, with up to 60% of contact being signposted to GOV.UK for self service. The contact centres will also promote GOV.UK as a first point of future and ongoing reference.

Planned activities in 2014

The global contact centre platform will go live in February 2014 and the effective use of digital channels will be a running theme and contact centre priority. The centres will contribute to the promotion of digital services as the department will seek to drive telephone call numbers down and digitally accessed services up.

Progress during 2014

FCO’s global contact centre network already encourages customers to use GOV.UK as a first point of contact on its information and services. It surveyed its customers to find out what is holding them back from using GOV.UK. The results are being used to redesign online services.

Planned activities in 2015

Promotion of online services will remain a major part of the role of FCO’s contact centres. As part of the department’s roadmap implementation, it will be looking at ways to better prioritise customer enquiries. This is so people can quickly find relevant information online and get direct support and assistance where necessary. FCO plans to implement new strategies for assisted digital and to encourage greater use of digital channels.

Action 9: We will take a cross-government approach to assisted digital

This means that people who have rarely or never been online will be able to access services offline, and we will provide additional ways for them to use the digital services.

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

As FCO moves more services online, it will carry out a regular survey of customers to establish key reasons holding back use of digital. It will use its contact centres and network of posts to scope out means of addressing assisted digital needs.

Progress during 2013

FCO contact centres have already started capturing customer feedback on GOV.UK, identifying any challenges around access and difficulties in navigating FCO consular content.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will use the global contact centre platform going live to further increase its understanding of assisted digital needs, including through the use of customer surveys.

Progress during 2014

FCO’s global contact centre network already encourages customers to use GOV.UK as a first point of contact on its information and services. It surveyed its customers to find out what is holding them back from using GOV.UK. The results will be used to redesign its services.

Planned activities in 2015

Promotion of online services will remain a major part of the role of its contact centres. As part of the department’s roadmap implementation, it will be looking at ways to better prioritise customer enquiries. This is so people can quickly find relevant information online and get direct support and assistance where necessary. FCO plans to implement new strategies for assisted digital and to encourage channel shift.

Action 10: Cabinet Office will offer leaner and more lightweight tendering processes, as close to the best practice in industry as our regulatory requirements allow

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

As part of implementing the digital strategy, FCO will want to take advantage of leaner and more lightweight Cabinet Office tendering processes.

Progress during 2013

FCO has already made use of G-Cloud for its transition projects.

Planned activities in 2014

In line with government’s cloud-first approach, FCO will continue to take advantage of lightweight Cabinet Office tendering processes for its digital transition work.

Progress during 20142014

FCO continued to take advantage of lightweight Cabinet Office tendering processes for its digital transition work.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue to take advantage of lightweight Cabinet Office tendering processes for its digital transition work.

Action 11: Cabinet Office will lead in the definition and delivery of a new suite of common technology platforms which will underpin the new generation of digital by default services

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Given the small relative size of FCO’s transactions, it would be most cost-effective to draw on common GDS or other government-provided platforms for many of these functions, provided they work internationally.

Progress during 2013

FCO has supported the development of a new suite of common technology platforms which will underpin the new generation of digital by default services.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will continue to support the development of a new suite of common technology platforms which will underpin the new generation of digital by default services.

Progress during 2014

FCO is reusing an appointments booking system developed by the Ministry of Justice in its project on digital consular appointments bookings.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO intends to draw on user testing and code developed by the Passport exemplar to help develop its Emergency travel documents transaction.

It will explore the opportunities to use the GOV.UK Verify service across its services.

Action 12: Cabinet Office will continue to work with departments to remove legislative barriers which unnecessarily prevent the development of straightforward and convenient digital services

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO faces a range of legislative barriers to digitising its transactions and overcoming these barriers will be key to maximising the potential use of digital and delivering the most effective services for British nationals. That is why FCO will work with GDS on removing UK legislative barriers to digitisation and work within international forums and with bilateral partners to remove international legal barriers to digitisation.

Progress during 2013

FCO has sought to remove legislative barriers to helping British nationals marry in some countries. During negotiations with bilateral partners on redesign of services FCO has identified and lobbied to remove barriers to digital delivery.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will be changing legislation to allow the registration of overseas births and deaths of British nationals to be processed electronically in the UK. Negotiations with bilateral partners on redesign of services will include identifying barriers to digital delivery and lobbying to remove them.

Progress during 2014

FCO worked with Cabinet Office to support their efforts on international best practice in digital government. FCO helped create the D5 network, which is a new network of governments that are world leaders on digital government (currently the UK, South Korea, Estonia, New Zealand and Israel, with plans to expand). The inaugural summit was held in London in December.

FCO removed some legal barriers to digital services around birth and death registration.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue working with the Cabinet Office to help support their work to develop international best practice in the delivery of digital services.

Action 13: Departments will supply a consistent set of management information (as defined by the Cabinet Office) for their transactional services

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Working with GDS, FCO will take forward a programme to improve management information on its existing services and build effective management information into new services. FCO will use the transition to GOV.UK to improve how it uses website analytics to improve the services and information it provides to users.

Progress during 2013

FCO consular directorate’s management information improvement project has been working to improve the production and use of management information to drive improvements in services. A number of FCO services, including the legalisation and the registration of birth deaths and marriages abroad, were integrated with the GOV.UK Performance Platform.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO will ensure that management information data requirements are fully integrated into plans for new and updated consular IT systems.

The introduction of online payments for birth and death registrations and other services in 2014 will give the department further sources of management information for its services. This will include the number of users accessing information on its services on GOV.UK but also the proportion who then go on to apply for the service online.

Progress during 2014

Four FCO digital services are already on the Performance Platform, and FCO built Performance Platform integration into newly transformed digital services.

Management information data requirements were fully integrated into requirements for new and updated consular IT systems, due for tender in early 2015.

Planned activities in 2015

As FCO moves more services online it will make sure they are built so they can go onto the Performance Platform. It is also interested in extending the Performance Platform to cover non-digital elements of major transactions and will scope how that might work in practice.

Action 14: Policy teams will use digital tools and techniques to engage with and consult the public

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

FCO will make full use of digital to enhance open policy formulation and transparency, including through the appointment of an open policy lead. That person will oversee work across FCO to promote more open policy formulation and share best practice. That open policy official will also work with FCO’s transparency steering group to look at the possibilities for releasing more FCO policy reporting online.

Progress during 2013

FCO has introduced a ‘Core Policy Skills – Digital Diplomacy’ course geared at explaining to policy officers how they can use digital tools to enhance their work. FCO also held an event at its recent leadership conference on how digital tools can be used to enhance foreign policy work.

FCO has also republished its open data strategy to outline how it intends to improve openness and continuously improve the quality of the information/data released, promote open government and accountability internationally and engage more consistently with its stakeholders.

Planned activities in 2014

FCO’s digital transformation unit will look at further opportunities to use digital tools to improve how it conducts foreign policy.

Progress during 2014

FCO’s digital transformation unit worked on using digital tools to improve how it conducts foreign policy. This included hackathons, online consultations, and a number of pilots (eg looking at online election monitoring and analysing ambassadors’ Twitter networks). It also developed and began rolling out a new training curriculum for FCO staff, which includes how digital tools can help every stage of the policy cycle.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO’s digital transformation unit will continue to pilot opportunities for using digital tools to enhance policy work. This will include:

• more work with technology industries
• looking at new tools that can help policy officers
• working with the Government Innovation Group on data science opportunities

Action 15: collaborate with partners across public, private and voluntary sectors to help people go online

Action 15 was added to the Digital Strategy in December 2013, so reporting on departments’ actions will begin with 2014.

Progress during 2014

FCO has started to examine the digital inclusion challenges relevant to its services.

FCO’s offices provide access to digital services in areas where internet connectivity is poor.

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will continue to consider digital inclusion issues as it implements new approaches to assisted digital and increasing digital take up.

Action 16: help third party organisations create new services and better information access for their own users by opening up government data and transactions

Action 16 was added to the Digital Strategy in December 2013, so reporting on departments’ actions will begin with 2014.

Progress during 2014

FCO’s travel advice is already released through an application programme interface (API).

Planned activities in 2015

FCO will consider data that could be released through APIs, including the scope to extend Performance Platform data to cover non-digital elements of major transactions.