This document summarizes the work of the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) in transforming digital government services in the UK. The key points are: 1) GDS pioneered new agile, user-centered approaches to developing digital public services that have been adopted around the world and saved the UK government £4.1 billion over 4 years. 2) GDS established new standards, governance, and centralized technology functions to shift government services to be digital by default and continually improved based on user needs and data. 3) By taking new approaches to policymaking, delivery, procurement, and working with suppliers, GDS helped modernize how government operates and delivers public services digitally.

1. Digital
government

2. Help governments,
large organisations
and political leaders
succeed in digital
transformation.
At scale.

3. The BBC, Apple, The Guardian,
Canada, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay,
Ontario, Finland, Malaysia, Australia,
UK Government

4. In 2011 the UK
Government
opened the door to
the internet
generation
@publicdigitalhq

5. We founded the UK
Government Digital Service

6. 2008: 8th
2016: 1st
@publicdigitalhq

7. We saved the UK
Government
£4.1billion in 4 years
@publicdigitalhq

8. The approach pioneered in the
UK has been copied by the US,
Canada, Australia, NZ,
Singapore, Israel, Mexico,
Argentina, Peru, Ontario…
@publicdigitalhq

10. Digital?
Applying the culture, processes,
business models & technologies
of the Internet-era to respond to
people’s raised expectations
@publicdigitalhq

11. It is not just “doing IT better”
It is about the need to
redesign public services to
work better and cost less,
using new ways of working
@publicdigitalhq

12. Digital is your catalyst
for fundamental public
service and civil service
reform
@publicdigitalhq

13. Better for less
@publicdigitalhq

14. This is the team that redesigned the UK welfare system (£150bn/year)
They cost 90% less than the earlier failed outsourcing

15. “Don’t waste a crisis”

16. Spring 2013: 3 years. £425m. 0 users.

17. This is the team that redesigned the UK welfare system (£150bn/year)
They cost 90% less than the earlier failed outsourcing

18. Tale of two reviews
Feb 2013 “reset”
May 2015 “much progress”

19. Feb 2013 “Black”
What did the Welfare Department
get wrong?

21. Tale of two reviews
Feb 2013 “reset”
May 2015 “much progress”

22. 1. Agree Policy
2. Guess Requirements
3. Procure IT system
4. Inflict on Users
5. Operate (aka Stasis)

24. Started with a date - Fear.

25. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”

26. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”
Policy? Theory-by-committee.

27. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”
Policy? Theory-by-committee.
Untested assumptions - false certainty.

28. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”
Policy? Theory-by-committee.
Untested assumptions - false certainty.
Viewed as an “IT project”, not a service.

29. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”
Policy? Theory-by-committee.
Untested assumptions - false certainty.
Viewed as an “IT project”, not a service.
Service was never actually designed.

30. Started with a date - Fear.
“This is massive.”
Policy? Theory-by-committee.
Untested assumptions - false certainty.
Viewed as an “IT project”, not a service.
Service was never actually designed.
Real-world impact on claimant or staff?

31. What had changed?
They started again,
using digital ways of
working
@publicdigitalhq

32. Digital?
Applying the culture, processes,
business models & technologies
of the Internet-era to respond to
people’s raised expectations
@publicdigitalhq

33. Open
Multi-Disciplinary
Iterative
Incremental
Reprioritising based on reality
@publicdigitalhq

35. “Help more people,
find more work,
more of the time;
while supporting
those who can’t”

36. A clear vision
Describing the outcome,
in human terms

37. The right leadership

39. Multi-disciplinary teams
Empowered
Starting small,
staying fast

41. Ruthless, relentless focus
on making the service
simple for citizens.

43. User research every week,
observing actual behaviours
“No unproven
assumptions”

44. Incrementing and iterating
the service each week
Reprioritising constantly,
as you learn more

45. Software continuously
tested and deployed
(to live) every day

46. Starting small to
demonstrate the
value of a digital
approach worked
(“show, don’t tell”)
@publicdigitalhq

48. 48

55. 25 of the most
important
services in
government
@publicdigitalhq

56. gov.uk/design-principles

57. GDS
@publicdigitalhq

58. GDS
@publicdigitalhq

59. @publicdigitalhq

60. @publicdigitalhq

61. https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/
GDS centralised:
- standards setting and enforcement
- technology spend control
- digital skills development
- common platforms (GOV.UK publishing,
payment, identity assurance)
- legacy hosting
- performance data

62. https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/
Departments :
- retained service ownership
- write most content
- required to develop their own digital
capability, with support form GDS

63. https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/agile-delivery/
GDS centralised
technology spend
control stops
expensive ‘Big IT’
disasters

64. www.gov.uk/service-manual/digital-by-default
GDS service standard
demands all services
are high quality and
keep improving

65. GDS publishes
performance data for all
800 services on
gov.uk/performance
@publicdigitalhq

66. gov.uk/performance

67. Data > intuition
@publicdigitalhq

68. Insight > data
@publicdigitalhq

69. gov.uk/service-manual

70. This lead the UK to challenge some of
the ways government operates…
@publicdigitalhq

71. GDSwww.gov.uk/service-manual/governance/governance-principles
New Governance to
support agile delivery

72. Constant Planning > The Plan

75. New comms strategy: open by default
“Make things open; it makes things
better”

77. www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-
governent/agile-systems-projects-a-clarification-of-business-case-guidance
Changing the way
funding approvals
works

78. GDSwww.gov.uk/service-manual/digital-by-default
Standards for best
practice that iterate
over time

79. GDS

80. GDSGDSBen Terrett@publicdigitalhq@publicdigitalhq

81. New tech governance model
Mission IT
Back Office
Common
Infrastructure
Services
Digital Public
Services
GDSBen Terrett@publicdigitalhq@publicdigitalhq

82. Mission IT
(Technology
Leaders)
Back Office
(Next Gen.
Shared services)
Common
Infrastructure
Services
(Technology
Leaders)
Digital Public
Services
(Digital Leaders)
@publicdigitalhq
New tech governance model

83. In 2015 we had a 4 year business
case approved for ‘Government As A
Platform’
The aim: save £1.5bn by reducing
technology duplication, while
enabling new services to be
developed faster/more cheaply

87. Radical chance in
its approach to
suppliers and its
default delivery
model
www.gov.uk/digital-marketplace

88. www.gov.uk/digital-marketplace
Transforming the
supplier base from
this…

89. www.gov.uk/digital-marketplace
To this…

90. These are the ways modern digital
organisations operate
Most were new to government
The change has not been easy
But it’s been worth it…

91. Thank You
www.public.digital