1. Workshop 14 - Embedding Agile Coaches into Policy Teams
Wednesday 25th February 2-4pm
‘Agile in Policy’: thoughts and experiments from MOJ Digital
Session Summary
MOJ is currently experimenting with embedding agile methodologies into policy making. They
have tried interactive workshops and embedded coaching programmes. The session will be
spent demonstrating the tactics they have used and the benefits they have observed. The
premise is to get attendees to work in groups, using agile methodologies, to solve a user need.
The workshop facilitators will perform the role as an embedded coach to demonstrate the
benefits to attendees first hand.
Agenda
Introduction - Hannah and Tim (2)
● Talk about the rest of the week, other sessions and some logistics - i.e. some filming,
keen to get blog content etc.
Introduction - Nupur (3)
● Introduce the team
● Outline what the session will be covering and explain that it will be interactive. Detail
exactly what we will be doing and how the interactive exercise will work.
● Brief background:
○ Agile is now well known in the world of tech, digital, IT and was born from these areas. It
is currently being used successfully in government to deliver digital projects and there is
appetite to use it in other areas such as policy and strategy which have traditionally used
waterfall project management techniques.
○ At MOJ, we’re experimenting with embedding Agile methodologies into policy making.
We have tried interactive workshops and embedded coaching programmes, and we want
to spend this session demonstrating the tactics we have used and benefits we have
observed. We teach Agile by doing Agile - so lets get to it (handover to Jess).
Exercise (Part 1): User needs gathering (10)
● Ask the individual groups to discuss what user needs/pain points they would like to
address using an agile methodology. Ideally to be user needs that group members have
already identified in their specific work areas.
● Note - Facilitators to offer support and suggestions to guide the groups to pick
appropriate user needs that can be addressed using agile methods.
Agile Basics - Jess (10)
● What is Agile (This will be a narrative, instead of an Agile Course)
○ user needs research and prioritisation

2. ○ the hypothesis
○ minimising scope
○ iterative delivery
○ focus on delivering something
● What does it mean to have an Agile Culture
● What does it mean to use Agile Routines
Exercise (Part 2): User needs prioritisation + conversion of user story into a hypothesis (20)
Agile in Policy: our thoughts - Nupur (10)
● The context of Government - diverse stakeholders, working to Ministers vs working to
the public, risks + leaks, controversy + politics, transparency, delivery to published
milestones. Policy roles are sometimes external facing, but they’re sometimes internal
facing/strategic. Civil servants aren’t always in control over the problems they’re trying to
solve. Who are our users in this context? How can we work in an Agile way?
● BUT
○ government wants to focus on delivery
○ wants a culture of innovation and empowerment and intrinsic motivation - self-
organising teams
○ social policy operates in conditions of complexity and/or uncertainty - our
thoughts can only be the hypotheses you’ve got in front of you at this stage
○ government wants to focus on the user
● So there must be potential for Agile in policy, with benefits for business productivity and
citizen outcomes.
● Case study: MOJ Digital Policy and Performance team - writing strategy in sprints, using
kanban/scrum; non-digital products being developed iteratively (Digital Capability
Project, which we’ll talk about later - also across Government [OPG/LAA] + in the private
sector + other Governments?)
Exercise (Part 3) : Sketch a solution (15)
Agile in Policy: our experiments - Nupur (10)
● Background to the Digital Capability project: we are prototyping interventions to
introduce user needs focus and iterative/incremental development into Policy and the
Legal Aid Agency
○ Case Study 1: Embedding an Agile coach in a policy team
○ Case Study 2: ‘Learning Agile by doing Agile’ workshop series with policy
○ Case Study 3: Embedding an Agile coach in a Legal Aid Agency team
○ Our approach/principles - empowerment to do things yourself, we don’t want to
be ‘training providers’ but we want to make ourselves redundant. Train the
trainers. Culture shift to self-motivation and innovation.
● What we learned over the course of the project: Moving from resistance to positive
feedback. Actual research outcomes of the Digital Capability project. Our impact - some
indications but still tbc; we need to train teams not individuals. Demystifying jargon.

3. ● Some challenges - measuring capability and long-term impact, scaling
Exercise (Part 4) : Conduct “user” research + agree on the impact to your project (20)
Agile in Policy: the future - Nupur (5)
● Where could using an Agile methodology be most useful?
○ There are so many frameworks and methodologies out there, e.g. Continuous
Improvement, Lean, Prince 2, behavioural insights.
○ We are working with them to present to participants the range of options on offer
to tackle their problems (upcoming collaborations with CI and BI)
○ The digital context - the digital transformation of government means agile is
becoming more and more important.
■ Awareness of agile working practices is fundamental to support digital
product teams.
■ The digitisation of government will be end to end. Parallel with the
Guardian.
● Where else could Agile apply:
○ Could we use Agile Methodologies to transform procurement?
Exercise (Part 5): Retrospective on perceptions of Agile in policy (10)
● Area where you can apply agile in your work area
● Further information about agile that you’d like to have (i.e. next steps)
● Report back
Close (2)
● Thanks for coming
● Hope we have given you some insight into the advantages of embedding Agile coaches.
● If anyone is interested in being interviewed after this session then please let us know
because we value your feedback.
Stationary Needed:
● A3 paper
● Sharpies
● Post its
● [we might do a ‘jargon wall’ - i.e. simple visual glossary stuck up on the wall]
● [we’ll have a think about takeaway products - can certainly point in the direction of
material where participants can find out more]
hannah.freeman 19/2/15 09:48
Comment [1]: FCO weren't keen to have
things stuck on the wall - is there a way
we could do this on a table or flip chart?
nupur.takwale 19/2/15 09:48
Comment [2]: Ah ok. We can just skip
the jargon wall idea, but for the exercises
it would be very useful to be able to at
least stick up post-its (they're only post-
its...)?