Story tools

Print this article

Email to a friend

Your feedback

Implementation plan sets goals for July 2007

The Cabinet Office has set out its plan to deliver the first phase of its transformational government agenda by July 2007.

The strategy document Transformational Government: Enabled by Technology was launched at the EU Ministerial conference in November 2005 and set out three key themes that formed the foundation of the modernisation programme.

The implementation plan draws upon best practice from both the public and private sectors to establish an environment for change and draws together technology and business functions through the CIO Council and the Service Transformation Board (STB).

This document is a long-term vision for change and it sets out the activities for the first phase of a three-phase programme for the next 15 months. The final phase is expected to be completed by 2011.

For citizen centric services, the plan sets out four areas of focus: 

• systematic engagement with citizens, businesses and front-line public servants;
• the role of Customer Group Directors;
• the need for service design principles to set agreed standards for service delivery; and
• the need to develop modern channels for citizen and business access to services.

The plan sets out a number of goals to be reached by November this year, including establishing standards for customer research, a research gap analysis to have been completed, using the STB to address obstacles to service transformation and agreeing plans to reduce the number of government websites.

By July 2007, it is expected that departmental Comprehensive Spending Review planning will incorporate service transformation.

Shared services will be pushed forward on a number of fronts:

• Customer Service Centres
• Human Resources, Finance and other Corporate Services
• Common Infrastructure
• Data Sharing
• Information Management
• Information Assurance
• Identity Management
• Technology Standards and Architecture
• Sharing Culture

Among the initiatives, the plan sets out nine discrete sectors felt appropriate for implementing shared services, including education, health criminal justice and local government. Plans are now under development for each of these sectors and will cover "the current landscape, the proposed end of state, a transition plan and benefits, risks and implications." They are expected to cover delivery for between three to seven years, with the number of centres expected to be established in the "tens rather than hundreds" and high-level performance targets announced. The plans will be finalised by November.

The Cabinet Office is also looking to clarify establish its strategy for data sharing. In December 2005, the Prime Minister set up a Ministerial Committee on Data Sharing (MISC31) with the aim of promoting Whitehall plans across the public sector. By the end of 2007, a statement is expected to spell out the government’s position on the balance between privacy and access and the legal implications. An "informed public debate" is expected to be announced that will feed into this process.

The barriers towards developing a sharing culture will also be examined, with Sir David Varney charged with the role of leading the work as part of his review on the opportunities for transforming the delivery of public services for the Treasury, which was announced in the Budget last week.

The professionalism theme will have six areas of focus:

• Leadership and Governance
• Portfolio Management
• IT Profession in Government
• Reliable Project Delivery
• Supplier Management
• Innovation

It sets out the structure of responsibilities for delivering the strategy plan. Responsibility for delivery is set at both the Ministerial - the cabinet sub-committee on Electronic Service Delivery – PSX(E) – chaired by the Chief Secretary of the Treasury – and official levels, where the CIO Council, STB and the Pan-Government Shared Services Board will lead.

Local authorities are to have a special role in the plan. A further discussion document – Transformational Local Government – has been published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that looks at the strategy from a local perspective and is aimed at promoting wider debate of how change will take place across English councils. The devolved governments are also included, with the Cabinet Office inviting them to participate more fully in the CIO and CTO Councils.

The strategy contains initiatives to increase the level of successful project delivery. These include aims to boost the skills set of professionals across the public sector including continued work with the PPM and procurement professionals to further the shared agendas. Also a Common Assessment Framework will be created that will be used to manage supplier performance.

Related Links

Cabinet Office: Transformational Government: Implementation Plan (PDF: 283KB)

ODPM: Transformational Local Government (PDF: 190KB)