Guidance

Defence information, knowledge, digital and data policy commitments

Updated 10 December 2024

Information, knowledge, digital and data in Defence

The MOD has a duty to manage and use its information, knowledge and data resources as well as it can, to better deliver its outputs and fulfil its legal and Department of State obligations. To become more effective and efficient, it must:

• continuously improve how it manages and exploits its information, knowledge and data resources;
• create information, knowledge, digital and data capabilities that deliver significant and sustainable military and business advantage, and help improve its services and processes;
• be a standard bearer for good government, actively contributing to pan-government initiatives which improve how departments function and collaborating with our colleagues in other departments to add value.

These inter-related components form a complex, nuanced and increasingly dynamic whole. The information, knowledge and data resources that flow around Defence are central to everything we do, so we need to be much better at managing and using them within an ever-changing environment.

Digital services are integral to people’s lives, and expectations are changing. Whether it’s downloading the latest box-set on Netflix or booking a table at a restaurant over the internet, many people are familiar with digital services and use them regularly. This presents Defence with a host of opportunities to exploit and challenges to be met. We all have different experiences of using these services and some people will be more comfortable using them than others, but with new services appearing daily, we all need to develop a Digital way of thinking, embracing the concept, keeping up-to-date with developments and looking for opportunities to introduce new digital services.

We need to:

• harness the wealth of knowledge and expertise within the Defence community
• employ skilled, motivated and committed people
• exploit the best modern information technologies available to us
• be comfortable with uncertainty and the accelerating pace of change
• work together to improve our collective performance
• be open-minded, agile and forward-looking, embracing change
• constantly look for better ways of doing things
• develop and promote better ways of working

There’s no guarantee that what has worked for us before will work in the future, but once we’ve identified and understood the synergies and dependencies between the various components outlined here, and got them working in harmony with each other, Defence will be much better placed to face, and overcome, future challenges.

Our Commitments

1. Our Department of State obligations

We (the MOD) will:

• comply with our obligations as a Department of State by:
  • fulfilling our legal obligations and monitoring compliance
  • being proactive, continuously reviewing legislation and making recommendations where we believe changes to it are required
  • complying with Government and other regulatory bodies’ rules and standards, monitoring compliance and proactively helping to support and improve external governance components
  • meeting The National Archives and Advisory Council requirements
  • supporting the Government and Judiciary
  • responding to external enquiries and requests for information within mandated timescales
• support the Government’s transparency agenda, being as open as we reasonably can be, both internally and externally, enabling others to hold us to account for our actions and omissions
• actively contribute to, and support, initiatives established to improve Government effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability
• maintain the highest levels of professional conduct when managing, sharing and using information resources and supporting tools

2. People

We will:

• help all members of the Defence community to recognise that our information resources, together with supporting tools and techniques, are vital assets that, when managed and used well, help Defence to become more effective and efficient
• help and encourage all members of the Defence community to default to responsible and proactive sharing, reuse and exploitation of information and knowledge resources
• give all members of the Defence community the learning opportunities and support they need to help them manage and exploit information resources successfully, and thus help Defence fulfil its policy commitments
• promote, encourage and continually improve information, knowledge, digital and data good practice, recognising that effective exploitation of digital technologies, information and our collective knowledge, experience and expertise is crucial to the successful delivery of Defence outputs
• help people find and evaluate good quality information and data
• help all members of the Defence community, irrespective of role or position, to develop their information, knowledge and interpersonal skills and expertise

3. Culture and working practices

We will:

• encourage and help people to share knowledge, collaborate and do the right things with information and data, inviting members of the Defence community to help develop a good culture where they work
• help teams and communities to thrive - nurturing, promoting and celebrating positive cultures that stress the importance of collective responsibility, effective teamwork and the seeking, sharing and reuse of information and knowledge
• encourage reasonable challenge
• maintain a safe, positive environment for these activities

4. Professionalism

We will:

• value and recognise our information and digital professionals for the vital work they do
• grow, nurture and support a respected, capable, cohesive and strong community of information and digital professionals who:
  • follow a set of professional principles
  • demonstrate their professionalism in everything that they do at work, and practice what they preach;
  • are motivated
  • are suitably qualified and experienced
  • want to broaden their knowledge, develop their skills and share their experiences;
  • understand what Defence needs from them
  • can translate their understanding into positive action that helps Defence achieve its goals
  • work closely with members of the Defence community to deliver the right results
  • are employed in sufficient numbers to meet Defence’s complex, ever-changing needs
  • are championed and supported by Defence’s Head of Information Professions
  • are appropriately deployed and tasked
• give our information and digital professionals:
  • access to the specialist learning opportunities and interventions they need
  • opportunities to develop their careers in ways that help them fulfil their potential and meet their professional and personal requirements

5. Management and governance

We will:

• maintain an effective knowledge base which helps Defence manage and use information resources better in support of its work, keeping it under ongoing review to make sure that it remains comprehensive, usable and reflects emerging legislation, regulation and good practice
• develop, publish, review, maintain and implement a portfolio of interlinked defence information and digital strategies and plans that, between them, cover all elements of the business we need to manage to help us fulfil these policy commitments
• put effective organisational structures in place to help Defence fulfil these policy commitments
• implement, maintain and continuously improve a set of approved professional roles that will help us to achieve our information, knowledge and data aims
• delegate responsibility for keeping content relevant, up-to-date and useful to the right teams and people;
• set up and manage a governance regime to help us monitor, measure and review how Defence is performing against these policy commitments
• abide by our own departmental rules, standards and codes of conduct

6. Physical environment

We will encourage and support members of the Defence community to help influence and shape the physical environments they work in, to make these conducive to collaboration, knowledge sharing and other information, knowledge and data related activities.

7. Information capabilities

We will:

• review new and incoming technologies for the capabilities they offer
• offer the Defence community better – intuitive, easy to use, good quality, reliable, secure, fast, flexible and safe – information services, facilities and tools that:
  • harness the best of the new and the old
  • offer an exceptional experience, performance wise
  • don’t disadvantage individuals in any way
  • help people to manage, share and use information resources efficiently, effectively and professionally and perform better at work, helping make their working lives better, less stressful, more rewarding, enjoyable and productive

8. Funding and investment

We will spend responsibly and wisely in support of Defence’s information, knowledge, digital and data-related activities, always looking to achieve value for money and maximise the return on investment.

9. Transformation, change and innovation

We will:

• use information resources and digital capabilities to help Defence shape the way it works, continuously improving business effectiveness and efficiency, offering solutions that are simple and elegant, where possible
• listen to people and learn from their experiences
• welcome new ideas
• encourage people to innovate by sponsoring, championing and rewarding new ideas and solutions;
• offer proactive support to change initiatives
• apply the best practices, processes and tools to provide digital services, processes and interventions that meet people’s raised expectations
• measure our organisational maturity across the gamut of information-driven business improvement activities – using approved maturity models and supporting processes
• adopt a holistic approach to change, taking all relevant business factors into account

10. Relationship management

We will:

• serve our customers, whether internal and external, better, by:
  • cultivating and growing positive working relationships with them
  • asking them what they need from us, rather than assuming we know best
  • managing content properly through life, publishing and sharing useful information in ways that meet their requirements and preferences, always making sure they can find the information and services they need, when they need them

11. Risk management

We will:

• make sure that effective risk management structures, roles, processes and products are in place to help Defence to develop resilience and cope with disruption
• set our risk appetite, helping us to understand priorities and resource work
• manage risks properly through life – identifying, assessing and managing threats to our information resources and supporting tools and networks (and our ability to use them), expressing these clearly, concisely and consistently

12. Information, knowledge and data resources

We will:

• identify and employ a suitably qualified and senior person to be responsible and accountable for how information assets are managed, shared and used in Defence
• identify information requirements early
• create, manage, organise, protect, value, share, review, dispose of and use all information assets through life, for the benefit of Defence, the Government and citizens, in accordance with legislation and Government/Defence rules:
  • making sure that they are of as high quality - accurate, relevant, timely, complete, etc – as they realistically can be, to meet our needs
  • making available the information, knowledge and data resources people need to do their work
  • making sure that each asset has a suitably qualified and accountable person looking after it
  • focusing on where we’re weakest, and then working hard to raise standards
  • keeping a comprehensive, accurate and well-managed record of business, as well as looking after items of historic or public interest
  • accessioning records to The National Archives correctly and in a timely manner
• adopt approved standards, wherever possible, to help support sharing and common understanding
• protect the privacy of individuals and respect confidentiality, in accordance with legislation and Government/Defence rules.