Guidance
GORS Professional Behaviours
Understand the behaviours which are used to assess the technical skills of Operational Research (OR) analysts in Government.
Documents
Details
Knowledge and application of OR skills and techniques
Senior Civil Servant
- Reviews and evaluates the effectiveness and value of OR input and use of analytical methods and tools within the Department.
- Develops Departmental OR expertise, encompassing new techniques as appropriate, to meet current and future analytical requirements.
- Champions and sets direction for major proposals for analytical work programmes involving OR contributions, ensuring the contribution made by OR supports the aims and objectives of the Department.
- Ensures adequate and appropriate application of OR to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes: formulates and produces innovative options for policies and programmes; assesses and constructively challenges proposed policies and programmes; and ensures evaluation of projects and other work is planned for and undertaken.
Grade 6 and 7
- Maintains, develops and uses professional networks within the Civil Service and externally in order to maintain knowledge of activity and enable innovations in analysis.
- Adequate, innovative and appropriate application of OR to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of projects. Ensures that evaluation of projects takes place and work is quality assured.
- Awareness of quality assurance techniques and ensure the appropriate application of techniques to deliver robust analytical models and results.
- Explores new uses of departmental administrative data, and relevant open data, as enabled by new technologies and techniques.
- Adequate and appropriate application of OR to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of projects: formulates and produces innovative projects; assesses and constructively challenges proposed projects; and ensures evaluation of projects and other work is undertaken.
GORS level 3 – SEO equivalent
- Leads in breaking down complex problems into a clear structure and formulates specific questions that can be tackled through analysis of available data and modelling.
- Has extensive knowledge and depth of understanding of a number of OR techniques and demonstrates a breadth of knowledge, across a range of hard and soft analytical techniques.
- Takes critical and informed views of possible approaches given customer needs and is fully knowledgeable about the strengths and limitations of the data and techniques available.
- Develops the understanding of different data structures, and how to make them usable.
- Stays abreast of developments in Government OR and exploits these as appropriate to break new ground in own work area.
GORS level 2 – HEO equivalent
- Helps break down complex problems into a clear structure and formulates specific questions that can be tackled through analysis of available data and modelling.
- Has good knowledge and depth of understanding of a number of OR techniques and a growing awareness of a range of hard and soft analytical techniques.
- Helps to translate customer requests into practical and effective approaches to the solution of customers’ problems and has good knowledge about the strengths and limitations of the data and techniques available.
- Develops the understanding of different data structures, and how to make them usable.
- Stays abreast of developments in Government OR and exploits these as appropriate to break new ground in own work area.
GORS student
- Develops knowledge and understanding of strengths and limitations of OR techniques applied in team’s area. Develops experience in the practical application of techniques to own work area.
- Can explain why the approach taken in own work area is appropriate.
- Recognises the importance of data quality, identifying and raising issues relevant to work.
Achieving impact with analysis
Senior Civil Servant
- Communicates key messages from analytical work in clear and concise lay terms for Ministers and senior officials.
- Reviews findings and recommendations of analytical work with senior officials and able to convince Ministers and senior officials on policy and programme implications of analytical evidence.
- Delivers confident and engaging presentations of OR and analytical work, to a wide range of audiences (Board level, major conferences etc).
- Demonstrates proven examples where analysis has impacted on eventual outcome of the work, or a change in direction based on evidence.
Grade 6 and 7
- Gives authoritative advice on evidence and data, and their sources.
- Convinces senior officials on the implications of analytical evidence in a wide context.
- Ensures junior analysts are aware of popularised lay terms for analytical techniques.
- Delivers confident and engaging presentations of OR and analytical work, to a wide range of internal and external audiences.
GORS level 3 – SEO equivalent
- Gathers information about stakeholders’ needs and uses this along with an understanding of the context to design a piece of analysis to meet their needs.
- Demonstrates a wider understanding of the context of their analysis by describing how they used their contacts, background reading and other research to develop this.
- Communicates key messages to senior officials and able to explain a difficult concept to non-analytical colleagues.
- Fully knowledgeable about strengths and limitations of analysis and underlying data, and can describe how they have explored uncertainty in a piece of analysis and how they explained the implications to the client.
- Presents results of analysis to senior officials, external stakeholders and/or analytical audiences, with the context clearly explained and the impact of the analysis effectively communicated.
- Can explain two or more problem structuring methods and/or hard OR methods to non-analysts and can show how they could be used together to address a business need.
- Describes how the OR techniques they use fit with popularised lay terms used for analysis (for example, data science, analytics, etc.).
- Leads on the production of a technical report involving collaboration with others. Demonstrates how they ensured the report was quality assured and fit for purpose.
GORS level 2 – HEO equivalent
- Describes how a piece of analysis they have carried out has been influenced by their understanding of the stakeholders’ needs.
- Explains results or insights from their analysis, conveying difficult concepts to non-analytical colleagues.
- Describes how they have explained the limitations or uncertainties in their analysis and what this means for the business or policy area.
- Delivers presentations of OR and analytical work, appropriately tailored to a range of internal and external analytical audiences. Has included the “big picture” or context in presentations of analytical work.
- Can explain one problem structuring method and one hard OR method to non-analysts.
- Demonstrates an awareness of the popularised lay terms for analysis (data science, analytics, big data).
- Writes or contributes significantly to a technical report, and describes how they structured and approached writing the report.
GORS Student
- Identifies key messages from analytical work, able to translate these into terms for use with either technical or non-technical audiences.
- Reports own analytical work in sufficient detail, meeting customer needs, effectively presenting results in both written and oral form.
- Explains clearly the analytical evidence resulting from own analysis and the implications for the project and policies being analysed.
Sustaining and developing OR professionals and professionalism
Senior Civil Servant
- Ensures GORS approved, government wide standards for professional OR staff (recruitment, professional development and promotion) are maintained and applied with the Department.
- Ensure active contribution to the Government Operational Research Service (GORS) and Departmental commitment on continuing professional development for OR analysts.
- Leads on the OR capability within the Department through setting the overall direction, identifying future needs, and embracing future advancements seen in OR outside government and in other Government Departments. Works to facilitate, promote, and mainstream GORS professional activities, ensuring OR is recognised within the Department as most current standard of analysis.
- Pushes for the latest appropriate technologies, to enable useful new analytical techniques.
- Ensures that appropriate quality and product assurance processes are in place and are monitored, consulting with stakeholders and external experts when required.
Grade 6 and 7
- Supports GORS recruitment, induction of high quality OR professionals in the GORS community. Supports progressive professional development, including time to explore the newest techniques and technologies.
- Sets direction for OR professionals across the business area, supports the department OR community and proactively contributes to wider GORS business goals.
- Instils professionalism and integrity in all aspects of analytical work, delivers GORS best practice ensuring that work is appropriately quality assured.
- Promotes OR group’s reputation for professionalism, good service, and most advanced analysis; suggests areas where OR can make a contribution.
- Appropriately selects and oversees the work of external OR staff (consultants, academics).
- Develops and agrees quality and product assurance requirements with customers and analysts at the start of analytical projects, building in sufficient time for delivery.
- Manages quality and product assurance issues, escalating to stakeholders and external experts as appropriate.
GORS level 3 – SEO equivalent
- Supports the direction for OR professionals across the business area and supports the Departmental OR community.
- Contributes to wider GORS activities and extends professional networks across the analytical professions and broader department.
- Promotes professionalism and exemplifies best practice in the performing and communication of analytical work. Ensures that projects are managed well, and fully documented.
- Allocates time for and makes sure that appropriate quality assurance is carried out and engages with customers so that they understand the level of assurance provided, and limitations and caveats of the analysis.
- Suggests and makes effective use of opportunities to promote the OR profession within the business area, seeking out areas where OR can make a contribution.
GORS level 2 – HEO equivalent
- Provides induction to junior staff on the role of OR within the Department and business area.
- Provides guidance to junior staff on how to get the most out of their training and professional development.
- Contributes to wider GORS activities and builds analytical professional networks.
- Displays professionalism and uses best practice in the performing and communication of analytical work.
- Makes suggestions on areas where OR could make a contribution to own team’s work.
- Carries out robust quality assurance on analytical work and ensures that products are fit for purpose and are used to best effect.
GORS Students – AO equivalent
- Seeks opportunities to learn from colleagues.
- Takes seriously own professional development.
- Operates with professionalism and integrity in all aspects of analytical work including conduct, adherence to Codes of practice and working in best interests of the Department. Maintains best practice and works to Departmental standards.
- Demonstrates importance of quality assurance checks through building them into own work, securing assistance from peers and more senior colleagues. Raises and escalates risks where identified.