Policy paper

Action 4: support improved digital capability across departments

Updated 16 January 2015

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

Action 4: support improved digital capability across departments

This action forms part of the Government Digital Strategy. Here’s how departments are responding to this action:

The Attorney General’s Office

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is working with Cabinet Office and the Government Digital Service (GDS) to ensure that it has the digital capability it requires and will be assisting the Law Officers’ departments where required. The Law Officers’ departments are keen to work with Cabinet Office to improve their digital capability.

Progress during 2013

AGO has continued to work with GDS to ensure that it has the digital capability it requires and has worked with the Law Officers’ departments to help improve their digital capability.

Planned activities in 2014

AGO will continue to work with GDS to ensure that it has the digital capability it requires.

Progress during 2014

AGO has continued to work with GDS to ensure it has the digital capability it requires. It has also worked with the Law Officers’ departments to help improve their digital capability.

Planned activities in 2015

AGO will continue to work with GDS to ensure that it has the digital capability it requires.

Cabinet Office

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Cabinet Office will build digital capacity at a variety of different levels across the civil service. This includes general digital skills training and developing government-wide training of leaders and future leaders through the Fast Stream and other accelerated development programmes. GDS will also offer specialist coaching and training of service managers and provide assistance in supporting and recruiting specialist technical roles. This action supports the departmental capability building activity set out in action 3.

Progress during 2013

Through GDS, Cabinet Office has provided advice and support to departments to help them draw together plans to put the right structures and skills in place to undertake transformational and other digital work. It has established a recruitment hub to support recruitment of digital or technology senior civil service (SCS) roles in central government, on either a permanent or interim basis. This includes salary benchmarking and headhunting assistance, and involvement in sift and interview panels.

In addition, the department has set up specialist digital and technology benches to provide skilled people for short term deployment into departmental programmes and projects. GDS’s transformation team provides advice and input on establishing and developing new capabilities for the 25 transformation exemplar services.

Cabinet Office contributed to work on the Civil Service Capabilities Plan (published in April) to ensure that what it said about the digital development priority was closely aligned to the Government Digital Strategy objectives and requirements.

Civil servants have access to general awareness material (through video, e-learning, and a product providing information and guidance on open internet tools that can be used in the workplace). The Government Digital by Default Service Standard, and the Service Design Manual that complements it, were published in April 2013. This created a constantly iterated repository of best practice for all civil servants on designing, operating and improving good digital services (this includes chief technology officer guidance for technology leaders in departments). GDS has run events to share learning and updates on important issues (Sprint 13 in January 2013, Sprint Alpha July 2013, Sprint Share November 2013). An intensive service manager induction and development programme went live in September, complemented by a service owner community. This is supported by regular update bulletins and service manager show and tell sessions. The department set up a programme of user needs and publisher training for GOV.UK content editors in agencies and arm’s length bodies (ALBs) to support transition.

Cabinet Office began working with CSL to integrate digital into SCS leadership programmes (for example, October’s induction event for newly appointed SCS ran to a digital theme). It also contributed to talent management initiatives for Generalist Fast Stream, grade managers, activity managers and cohort leaders, through planned sessions at induction and briefing events, assistance in assessing digital postings, etc. GDS took on responsibility for the Technology in Business Fast Stream programme, with a remit to widen the scope to include digital aspects. Work began with professions to ensure digital is effectively integrated into their curricula. In particular, there was close co-ordination with the communications profession on their digital communications review.

Planned activities in 2014

Cabinet Office will continue to work on further ways to increase the number and skills of specialists available to support departments’ move to digital-by-default working.

Cabinet Office will review existing digital and technology courses run through CSL and work with CSL and professions to improve these where necessary. It will also develop a series of digitally themed masterclasses for senior civil servants.

Cabinet Office will run further sprint events and will share learning in other ways, such as through publishing case studies from exemplars on topics such as channel shift, assisted digital, etc.

Cabinet Office will scale up the service manager and content editor programmes, and extend the community approach to other digital specialisms. The new Technology Leaders Network will define what technology capabilities are needed to support digital developments even more effectively.

Cabinet Office will continue to work with stakeholders across government to build wider awareness and digital skills and knowledge for all civil servants, iterating and building on work begun in 2013.

Progress during 2014

Through GDS, Cabinet Office provided advice and support to departments to help them put structures and skills in place to undertake transformational and other digital work. Its recruitment hub supported recruitment of digital or technology SCS roles in central government, on either a permanent or interim basis. This included salary benchmarking and headhunting assistance, and involvement in sift and interview panels.

The GDS transformation team provided advice, input and support to establishing and developing new capabilities for the 25 transformation exemplar services.

The Government Digital by Default Service Standard came into full force in April, and is supported by the Service Design Manual. This is a repository of best practice, constantly iterated by GDS, for use by anyone wishing to understand how to design, operate and improve good digital services. It includes chief technology officer (CTO) guidance for technology leaders in departments. GDS ran events to share learning and updates on important issues (eg Sprint 14, Sprint Go, Sprint Beta).

GDS developed and extended its service manager induction and development programme to cover wider digital teams. This was complemented by a service manager community supported by regular update bulletins and service manager show and tell sessions.

The department ran a programme of user needs and publisher training for GOV.UK content editors in agencies and ALBs to support transition. It piloted a Digital and Technology Skills Matrix with 15 departments and agencies, which began to be used to support digital transformation activities such as:

• running or designing assessments of digital and technology skills
• creating development plans
• improving the Digital Foundation programme and designing Digital Expert programmes (eg for user researchers) run through the Department for Work and Pension’s Digital Academy
• creating consistent skills specifications for digital roles across government
• defining the digital leadership skills needed across government to achieve service transformation

Cabinet Office contributed to talent management initiatives and set up a new Digital and Technology Fast Stream with a remit to widen the scope to include digital aspects. Work continued with professions to ensure digital is effectively integrated into their curricula, particularly the Operational Delivery Profession.

Planned activities in 2015

Cabinet Office will continue to work with stakeholders across government to build wider awareness and digital skills and knowledge for all civil servants, iterating and building on work undertaken in 2014.

The Government Digital Inclusion Strategy aims to ensure all civil servants have basic digital skills. Cabinet Office’s digital inclusion team will work with CSL and departments to analyse the results of the annual skills review and address any gaps in basic skills.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) will identify all service managers, digital leaders, digital specialists and others to undertake digital training. Digital leaders across BIS will actively support capability improvements across their organisations.

Progress during 2013

BIS has been working closely with GDS and BIS agencies and arm’s length bodies (ALBs) to redesign digital services, initially through the exemplar digital projects. This will enable the development of core skills and knowledge which can be extended out to other services and used to showcase digital benefits. For example, to support the National Apprenticeship Service exemplar an agile coach was recruited and is now supporting around 30 people across the organisation to carry out service improvements in an agile way. BIS will continue to work with policy teams to embed digital tools and techniques and improve open policymaking.

Planned activities in 2014

BIS will continue to raise awareness of digital by default to ensure people have, as a minimum, an appreciation of what digital by default means and how services might increasingly be offered through digital channels. As part of taking forward the Civil Service Capability Plan, learning and development will be available in BIS to build digital capability as one of the priority areas.

Progress during 2014

BIS supported the Cabinet Office’s digital awareness campaign in March, through intranet articles and briefing meetings.

During BIS’s Digital Fortnight, it ran presentations by 2 BIS exemplars, the BIS chief digital officer and by GDS on agile methodology. There was also a policy session which focused on digital inclusion and assisted digital.

BIS worked with GDS to recruit a number of senior digital and technology roles across partner organisations. GDS actively supported BIS exemplars through skills transfer.

Planned activities in 2015

BIS will continue to promote digital in the department itself and to improve awareness within partner organisations.

The department will also focus on increasing capability within 5 exemplar organisations, and wider work with other BIS partner organisations.

It will produce case studies to be shared across the department to highlight this work. A mentoring programme will identify policy mentors to offer one-to-one help and advice for anyone new to open policymaking.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is keen to work with GDS and the Government Communications Network to ensure that its staff have access to the most up-to-date digital skills and knowledge. It is actively working to identify digital learning opportunities.

Progress during 2013

DCMS trained policymakers and communicators as a priority in its new digital engagement strategy. The digital communications team, which is implementing this strategy, has been focusing on ensuring staff have access to the latest digital skills and knowledge. This includes publishing to GOV.UK, using digital channels for informal and formal consultation, using social media sites for research and horizon scanning and using digital channels for better communication and campaigning.

Planned activities in 2014

DCMS will continue to focus on providing access to digital skills and raising knowledge of policymakers and communicators.

Progress during 2014

DCMS has continued to work with Cabinet Office and GDS, ensuring staff have access to digital skills through GOV.UK training and by raising the digital awareness and skills of policymakers and communications staff.

The DCMS 2014 Staff Conference focused entirely on digital.

Planned activities in 2015

DCMS will continue to build on its work in 2014 by developing its content on GOV.UK and working with Cabinet Office. DCMS will also benefit from updated technology that enables staff to access a wider range of digital platforms.

DCMS will also identify how to continue its internal training work through a range of activities linked to its updated digital strategy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) welcomes Cabinet Office’s support in this area, particularly in sharing benefit and expertise beyond departmental boundaries.

Progress during 2013

Defra has supported the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2014

Defra will continue to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Progress in 2014

Defra continued to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2015

Defra will continue to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Department for Education

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

Department for Education (DfE) has supported the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2014

DfE will continue to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Progress during 2014

DfE worked with the GDS and the Cross-Government Transformation Working Group to identify the digital and transformational skills required for its departments.

Planned activities in 2015

DfE will:

• undertake a survey to measure the awareness and understanding of digital by default in DfE and its agencies and ALBs
• hold a digital learning month in February
• establish a departmental digital skills and capability building plan

Department for International Development

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The department will work with GDS colleagues to ensure it has the skills and capabilities it needs to deliver Department for International Development (DFID) priorities. It will develop a programme of skills development, which will include delivering the proposed Civil Service Learning modules.

Progress during 2013

DFID continued to liaise with GDS and Civil Service Learning to identify where there was guidance or training which helped to address the needs of DFID staff.

DFID is part of a group of digital team leads that was convened across government departments with similar transformation and capability needs. The group meets on a regular basis to share experience and ideas. DFID has also compared experience with the Scottish government’s Digital Directorate and shared learning materials; subsequent meetings have been scheduled with the Welsh and Scottish governments.

The department has ensured that Fast Streamers and graduate intake are taking up opportunities to gain digital experience in within relevant teams.

Planned activities in 2014

DFID are planning a digital development day with the aim of encouraging staff to participate, learn and follow through into better programme design.

Progress during 2014

DFID held a 3-day Digital for Development event. DFID staff supported GDS at Civil Service Live with case studies of the department’s work on building digital skills and knowledge. It continued to liaise with the capabilities team in GDS and the wider cross-government network to identify new resources and to share knowledge across departments. It continued to build on its good relationships with the Scottish government by sharing ideas on digital capability.

Planned activities in 2015

DFID plans further events (such as seminars and workshops) to maintain momentum with building skills and confidence in using digital tools and techniques. It will work closely with the DFID Innovation team where goals overlap.

Department for Transport

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

It will determine what digital skills are required by Department for Transport (DfT), working with GDS, identifying individuals with high-end digital skills who could be deployed across the department and putting digital skills training in place where required.

Progress during 2013

DfT has supported the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2014

DfT will continue to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Progress during 2014

The department continued working closely with GDS and put multidisciplinary teams in the areas of greatest priority. Joint teams of DfT and GDS staff working with contractors is common practice. Where the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency used contractors they ensured that adequate knowledge was transferred to in-house teams.

Planned Activities in 2015

DfT will continue to support the Cabinet Office in its approach.

Department for Work and Pensions

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will work closely with Cabinet Office to deliver improved capability within the department.

Progress during 2013

The DWP intranet provides links to a variety of resources designed to help build digital capability amongst staff. DWP has been improving the capability of policy-making staff to take advantage of new digital tools and techniques to increase public interaction with policymaking. While access to some social media is currently restricted in general, communications staff who need to deliver and manage external communications have unlimited access.

Planned activities in 2014

DWP will develop a digital skills training product for policy staff that will be available early in 2014.

Progress during 2014

DWP developed a tag cloud of important digital terms. It started using this to help raise awareness of the range of issues involved in making an organisation digital and to inform the syllabus for its academies.

It ran Sprint DWP in February, followed up by 3 more in October:

• Sprint DWP: Digital Leaders
• Sprint DWP: Operations
• Sprint DWP: Security

It established a social media strategy to introduce and roll out the use of social media to its Work Services Directorate. It trialled this approach in 3 Jobcentres: London Bridge, Newport, and Rusholme.

DWP also piloted the use of unrestricted wifi in Caxton House to see how this would help encourage more digital ways of working, including the use of online collaboration tools.

Planned activities in 2015

DWP will continue to ensure it increases digital capability. This will be through increasing the breadth of Digital Academy offerings and running more sprint events. These will raise awareness and understanding of business and digital transformation.

It will also use the results of the social media pilot to evaluate if it should be extended to all Jobcentres.

DWP will continue to investigate how new ways of working will help the department become leaner and more agile.

Department of Energy and Climate Change

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will work with Cabinet Office colleagues to ensure it has the digital skills and capabilities it needs to deliver DECC priorities.

Progress during 2013

As part of the department’s digital skills and capabilities plan, DECC has been developing plans for in-house training, guidance and support to improve the department’s digital capability and embed greater appreciation of the merits of digital engagement and delivery channels. DECC has been supporting access to social media and other mainstream digital channels as these form an essential part of the department’s engagement strategy.

Planned activities in 2014

DECC will take full advantage of GDS and Civil Service Learning (CSL)-delivered coaching and training for specialist roles, and also GDS assistance during recruitment of technical staff.

Progress during 2014

DECC took full advantage of GDS and CSL training for specialist roles, and GDS assistance for the recruitment of technical staff.

Planned activities in 2015

DECC will continue to work closely with GDS to build staff skills and capabilities.

Department of Health

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Department of Health (DH) will work with Cabinet Office and GDS to ensure it has the digital capability it requires for the future.

Progress during 2013

DH has created a new Informatics and Digital Services division to bring together information and digital strategy and policy, digital leadership, service design and delivery, and portfolio management for DH and its ALBs. The division includes new roles such as product managers and user experience specialists.

DH has also created a digital strategy delivery team focusing specifically on commitments in the digital strategy and it has recruited the first Fast Streamer into a digital role in the department.

Planned activities in 2014

DH will recruit the additional service managers and digital specialists required for the team and will look to share resources and roles with ALBs where appropriate. DH will continue to assess digital capability needs to ensure it has the skills it needs.

Progress during 2014

In September DH launched its revised PolicyKit, an online policy-making resource for policy professionals. The department worked closely with the Open Policy Making team at Cabinet Office to ensure best practice, knowledge and expertise was shared across government.

DH also increased its engagement with the GDS’s service management community, with its first trainees from across the ALBs joining in 2014.

Planned activities in 2015

DH will continue to work with Cabinet Office to build digital skills and cross-government knowledge, and will ensure that DH staff benefit from initiatives it runs.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (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.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

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

All HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) service managers have received training through programmes run by GDS.

Planned activities in 2014

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

Progress in 2014

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

Planned activities in 2015

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

Her Majesty’s Treasury

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

This action is not applicable to (HM Treasury) HMT.

Progress during 2013

This action is not applicable to HMT.

Planned activities in 2014

This action is not applicable to HMT.

Progress during 2014

This action is not applicable to HMT

Planned activities in 2015

This action is not applicable to HMT.

Home Office’s

###Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012) Home Office will seek to work with Cabinet Office on the development of its own capability, and the creation of a cross-government pool of digital expertise.

Progress during 2013

Home Office has promoted its exemplar experience via GDS network and encouraged opportunities for re-use.

Planned activities in 2014

Home Office will continue to share its experience with other departments as well as with GDS.

Progress during 2014

Improving digital skills was one of the 8 priorities of the wider Home Office Skills Plan launched in April. All staff are encouraged to attend show and tells and to build their personal development through initiatives such as Code Club and Digital Month.

Planned activities in 2015

Home Office will continue to share its experience with other departments and GDS. Measures will include:

• significantly increasing Home Office employees’ awareness of digital by January 2016 (using a pulse survey to measure awareness)
• increasing the numbers​ of civil servants​ achieving ​’basic digital skills’ ​​through Civil Service Learning’s Digital Awareness and Digital Skills learning packages
• establishing a clear link between continuous improvement and agile approaches during the year
• establishing new digital hubs outside Home Office’s London offices by March 2016

Ministry of Defence

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

Ministry of Defence (MOD) has supported the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Planned activities in 2014

MOD will continue to support the work by Cabinet Office to raise digital capability across departments.

Progress during 2014

MOD provided placements for Digital and Technology Fast Stream civil servants within the department.

MOD has advertised cross-government digital courses to its staff.

Planned activities in 2015

MOD will continue to work closely with GDS to build staff skills and capabilities.

Ministry of Justice

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Ministry of Justice (MOJ) will use training programmes run by GDS and its own capability-building programmes. It will work with GDS in establishing its new digital services division. With Cabinet Office support, MOJ will enable ICT, information assurance and procurement to adopt a more flexible way of working to support digital transformation.

Progress during 2013

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

Planned activities in 2014

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

Progress during 2014

Cabinet Office continued to help develop digital capability in MOJ by:

• providing liaison managers, joint working and specialist advisory resources
• giving advice and support through digital project controls and approvals processes
• supporting recruitment, by giving access to the GDS bench and other recruitment solutions

To encourage digital capability across departments MOJ ran initiatives such as workshops and placing staff within policy teams. It aimed to test what worked best, with a view to scaling up the most successful approaches. The digital services division continued work with the MOJ Policy Excellence Group and their policy hub. Digital staff at the policy hub work alongside those from communications, analytical service and policy to devise innovative solutions to policy issues with a focus on digital.

Planned activities in 2015

MOJ Digital Services is playing an important role in building digital capability for non-specialists across MOJ.

In 2015, initiatives such as the MOJ Staff Capability Project and the Justice Lab will allow the MOJ digital services team to increase digital capability in the operational and policy professions.