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The importance of in-house digital capabilities

Roger Oldham (MOJ), talks about the importance of having digital capabilities

Roger Oldham describes his work as 鈥渋ncredibly motivating,鈥� and with good reason. He鈥檚 in charge of the new Digital Services Division inside the Ministry of Justice, a team of skilled experts working on cutting edge new ideas for the department.

The Ministry of Justice is undergoing a radical transformation to modernise the way it works, improve services, and save several billion pounds. Digital is critical for success. It鈥檚 Roger鈥檚 job to ensure that the right people are there to provide expert help for everyone across a business with around 66,000 people, from top to bottom.

He explains:

For senior management and policy and operational colleagues, that means giving them an understanding of what digital can do for their business area - so that digital thinking becomes part of their day-to-day.

That means hiring people for what aren鈥檛 often considered 鈥榯raditional鈥� civil service roles. Roger鈥檚 team includes web developers, strategists, agile delivery managers, product managers and user experience designers, all available to work on specific projects run by the team, or to provide expertise to other parts of the department. The aim is to build a centre of expertise that benefits the whole of the department.

For example, they are currently developing a digital tool to enable users to find out whether they鈥檙e eligible for legal aid; last year the department helped 1.9 million people with these enquiries.

According to Roger:

This should provide people with a quicker and more convenient way to find out if they can get legal aid, and save us money by helping to ensure that only those eligible are passed on to a specialist advisor. People who aren鈥檛 eligible will be automatically directed to other forms of help and information. The result? The right outcome for users and less reliance on call centres.

This, along with other projects, are pioneering, pace-setting efforts. Roger鈥檚 work is expected to be the template for future similar digital divisions in other government departments. This is new territory, and Roger and his team are the trailblazers.

He relishes the challenge:

You鈥檝e got to have a very clear vision of what you鈥檙e trying to achieve. You need to be focused on the fact that you鈥檙e not going to be able to do everything for everybody.

It鈥檚 not always easy and there are tough conversations to be had. So is he enjoying his role?

Roger says:

It鈥檚 incredibly motivating to be working in government at this particular time when so much is changing, when there鈥檚 so much opportunity to pioneer a different way of doing government.

The opportunity to make a difference, to be contributing to something greater than yourself; how could I not be having fun?

Roger Oldham is Deputy Director of Digital Services at Ministry of Justice.

Chris Heathcote, Anna Shipman, and Mat Wall from GDS discuss the importance of in-house digital capability

The Government Digital Strategy says departments need to have 鈥渁ppropriate digital capability in-house.鈥�

What does that mean? It means hiring people like Mat Wall, Chris Heathcote, and Anna Shipman.

They鈥檙e just 3 of the many technical experts working for Government Digital Service, putting their knowledge about the potential of the internet to work in transforming services.

They are 3 very different individuals, united by a passion for public service, smart technology, and something creative lead Chris describes like this: 鈥淲e all just want to make good things鈥�.

Among many things technical architect Mat does are writing code and testing prototypes on the people who will eventually end up using the finished product.

We need to understand how people interact with computers. That鈥檚 quite a subtle, challenging art.

Redesigned digital services are put in front of fresh eyes. Mat and his colleagues watch closely to see how people react.

He says wryly:

That鈥檚 usually when you find out that everything you thought you knew was wrong.

That doesn鈥檛 equal failure, though: it鈥檚 just another step along the journey to something that does work, and is a success.

All 3 use something called , a way of working that鈥檚 deeply embedded into everything that Government Digital Service does.

Software developer Anna says agile is better because 鈥測ou get a better feedback loop.鈥� New ideas are built fast, tested by real users, then refined and re-built to make improvements.

Mat says:

Agile is 2 questions: what do you want by Friday? And how can we make it better than last week?

Chris adds:

There needs to be a change in the way people look at risk. You don鈥檛 always know what you鈥檙e going to get in the end. But you end up with something cheaper and quicker if you use agile.

All of them relish the buzzy and upbeat atmosphere at Government Digital Service.

Mat describes the place as:

very dynamic. It鈥檚 actually quite a well-orchestrated dance.

And Anna is in no doubt that she has found the right place to work:

This is the best job I鈥檝e ever had. I鈥檓 working with some amazing, inspirational people. We鈥檙e doing something I feel is worthwhile. It鈥檚 absolutely brilliant.

Chris Heathcote is Creative Lead at Government Digital Service.

Anna Shipman is a Software Developer at Government Digital Service.

Mat Wall is a Technical Architect at Government Digital Service.

Sue Unerman of MediaCom talks about digital capability

After over 2 decades in the media business, MediaCom鈥檚 Chief Strategy Officer Sue Unerman knows a thing or two about digital transformation.

She鈥檚 a member of the , helping the government understand the digital landscape as well as the private companies that have been wrestling with it for years.

Through her work with all sorts of clients large and small, she鈥檚 learned that it鈥檚 important to make sure every individual in an organisation is following the same path. There are some who live digital lives already, and others who don鈥檛. Getting both sides to meet and understand each other is vital for success.

Sue says:

It鈥檚 about how to make things seamless and integrate teams of people. Not just a set of specialists who know everything and a set of generalists who reject the changes - it鈥檚 bringing advice about integrating those two sets of people into one team with a single focus.

Developing and nurturing digital capability at all levels in the civil service - from the most senior leaders through to frontline staff - is one of the most important tasks facing the government as it implements the and its digital strategy in the years ahead. The nation鈥檚 most successful businesses have already gone through all this, they鈥檝e discovered what works and what doesn鈥檛. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so useful to have their expertise on the Advisory Board.

Radical change works best when the people at the top who are demanding the change understand that the people working for them, lower down the organisation, might have expert knowledge about the issues involved and the way that digital can be used to best effect, says Sue. Rather than imposing change from the top down, it needs to become a two-way conversation.

The secret, the way to unlock it, was to get people talking to each other. You get exchange that leads to real change and everybody embracing it.

Sue has no doubts about the importance of the digital strategy to the nation鈥檚 future success.

Sue says:

The Digital Strategy matters because it鈥檚 the biggest single thing that鈥檚 transforming our lives that we鈥檝e seen in our lifetimes.鈥�

Delivering that transformation in an inclusive way, a way that caters for all levels of digital participation, is also essential, she says.

Consumers are at very different levels, with how they鈥檙e dealing with digital. Some take to it like a duck to water, and you have the teenagers who are digital natives who are growing up with it. Then there are others who find it all very difficult to grasp.

This project matters because it has such huge efficiencies and power in it, but it needs to be delivered in a way that doesn鈥檛 put people off, that people don鈥檛 find frightening, so that everyone can use it in the best possible way. If we can achieve that, we arrive at a new Britain.

Sue Unerman is Chief Strategy Officer of MediaCom.