Policy paper

Action 1: ensure there is an active digital leader on departmental and transactional agency boards

Updated 16 January 2015

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

This action forms part of the Government Digital Strategy.

Here’s how departments are responding to this action:

The Attorney General’s Office

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has board-level responsibility for digital, with oversight of the digital by default agenda. The Law Officers’ departments are not transactional agencies but all have a board member with responsibility for digital.

Progress during 2013

AGO has board-level responsibility for digital, with oversight of the digital by default agenda. The Law Officers’ departments are not transactional agencies but each has a board member with responsibility for digital.

Planned activities in 2014

AGO will continue to provide board-level responsibility for digital, with oversight of the digital by default agenda.

Progress during 2014

AGO has board-level responsibility for digital, with oversight of the digital by default agenda. The Law Officers’ departments are not transactional agencies but each has a board member with responsibility for digital.

Planned activities in 2015

AGO will continue to provide board-level responsibility for digital, with oversight of the digital by default agenda.

Cabinet Office

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Cabinet Office’s Executive Management Committee (EMC) has seized upon leadership of the digital agenda and an EMC-level digital sponsor, focused inwardly on the workings of Cabinet Office, will be identified by April 2013. It will establish a Cabinet Office Digital Steering Committee covering a range of seniority and work areas by February 2013.

Progress during 2013

EMC has committed to carrying out the digital strategy as a standing item of EMC meetings. An EMC-level digital leader has been identified to focus inwardly on the workings of Cabinet Office. The creation of a digital governance team is underway to join up the progress of the digital strategy across Cabinet Office.

Planned activities in 2014

EMC will continue to commit to carrying out the digital strategy as a standing agenda item of EMC meetings. The digital governance team will meet regularly to support, monitor and join up the progress of the digital strategy across Cabinet Office.

Progress during 2014

Paul Maltby is the Cabinet Office digital lead, reporting to the executive management committee. Tom Read is the Cabinet Office chief technology officer (CTO), responsible for technology transformation and development of internal service management capability.

The digital lead and CTO established the Digital Governance Group, which brought together delivery and subject matter expertise to evaluate proposals for investment in digital services. Cabinet Office upgraded technology platforms and equipment available to staff within the department.

Planned activities in 2015

A new in-house Digital and Technology Department will be established in the Cabinet Office to support and continually improve digital and technology services.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Board member Stephen Lovegrove is the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) digital leader, and there is an existing network of senior leaders responsible for leading on digital within BIS agencies and arm’s length bodies (ALBs) with a significant digital presence. This will ensure digital leaders are equipped to fulfil the role and will create links and share good practice across the network.

Progress during 2013

BIS has a new digital leader (Ceri Smith) who is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the department’s capability strategy and other change programmes. The digital leader chairs a senior digital network group which has been set up to support implementation of the Digital Strategy and to identify further opportunities for digital transformation.

Planned activities in 2014

All BIS agencies and ALBs with high-volume transactional services have appointed a digital leader who is actively promoting the digital agenda within their organisations. A number have embraced the role and appointed senior leaders to co-ordinate their digital activity.

BIS will continue to work with senior leaders from across the department’s agencies, supporting them to build and strengthen their digital leadership and capability. The BIS digital leader will continue to promote digital by default and ensure the importance of digital is understood by the people who shape the future direction of the department. BIS will also increase the opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing across the senior leadership community through a programme of activities.

Progress during 2014

Chief Digital Officer Tim Knighton and boardlevel sponsor Howard Orme actively promoted digital within BIS.

Tim presented at the BIS Digital Fortnight, the BIS Senior Civil Servants’ event and at external conferences to ensure the digital by default agenda is better understood within BIS. He actively promoted digital within the digital exemplar partner organisations, and engaged the BIS executive board and other internal boards.

BIS set up a Digital Leaders Forum, drawn from transactional partner organisations. It meets each month to discuss important digital issues, and will oversee the completion of the departmental digital services roadmap.

It also formed a Directors Group for those with digital responsibilities, which meets monthly to share information, priorities and milestones.

Planned activities in 2015

BIS will continue to run its monthly Digital Leaders Forum and Directors Group to share best practice, discuss issues and priorities and meet our digital commitments. It will also run joint meetings between our digital and technology leaders to support the implementation of the BIS Government Digital Target Operating Model (GDTOM).

Tim Knighton will ensure digital remains prominent by attending high profile events and conferences.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has appointed a departmental digital leader at executive board level. The digital leader has taken ownership of this strategy, championing the importance of the digital by default agenda internally. He will continue to provide that senior level push to ensure all teams are thinking digitally – in policymaking, the change programme and wider communications.

Progress during 2013

DCMS has a digital leader for the department and has continued to champion the use of digital across the department in the way it makes policy and communicates.

Planned activities in 2014

DCMS will continue to provide digital leadership and will promote the use of digital in policy and communication.

Progress during 2014

DCMS has a digital leader for the department and has continued to champion the use of digital across the department in the way it makes policy and communicates.

Planned activities in 2015

DCMS will continue to provide digital leadership and will continue to embed digital in policy and communication.

Department for Education

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Education (DfE) has a digital leader in place to orchestrate digital direction throughout the department and ensuring alignment with the broader government objectives through a DfE investment board. The board is a sub-board of the DfE executive management committee providing governance over the totality of IT deliverables with a view to ensuring continued alignment with business strategy, policy implementation and business operational priorities.

Progress during 2013

DfE has a digital leader in place as well as a digital board sponsor. There are programmes of work reporting to the IT strategy board to align digital and IT programmes of work where possible. A digital community has been commissioned to bring together digital expertise (both delivery and policy) and share standards and good practice.

Planned activities in 2014

The DfE digital leader will meet with all directors to engage with them on all aspects of digital and their individual policy/delivery areas. The digital leader will review organisational structure and roles within teams, with the aim of optimising digital by default delivery.

Progress during 2014

DfE had a change of digital leadership in 2014 and a departmental digital sponsor from the board has been nominated.

Planned activities in 2015

The DfE digital leader is establishing a strategic view of digital activity for the next 2 financial years, to help co-ordinate planning and implementation of new digital services.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) already has a board-level digital leader, who takes management responsibility for some of its principal agencies. It will review whether it is necessary to have digital skills represented at board level across the delivery bodies.

Progress during 2013

Defra continues to provide board-level digital leadership.

Planned activities in 2014

Defra will consider whether it is necessary to have digital skills represented at board level across its delivery bodies.

Progress in 2014

Defra’s digital leader is its chief information officer (Julie Pierce), who reports directly to the board.

Planned activities in 2015

Where digital is integral to service delivery in Defra’s agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the department will consider whether to have digital skills represented at board level.

Department for International Development

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

It currently has a digital leader who is both on Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) departmental board and the executive management committee. It will establish a digital operations unit, reporting to the digital leader, that will take responsibility for overseeing the delivery of this strategy.

Progress during 2013

DFID’s digital leader is a director general who sits on the departmental board and executive management committee. DFID has also appointed a non-executive director board member with a digital background and experience.

The department has established a new digital advisory panel, including global digital and development experts. The panel will provide an overview of strategy for digital and technology in its programmes.

Planned activities in 2014

The digital advisory panel will provide further challenge and direction on how DFID develops and increases its digital activities and use of technology in its programmes.

Progress during 2014

DFID’s digital leader is a member of the departmental board and executive management committee, and a non-executive director chairs its digital advisory panel.

The advisory panel met 4 times during 2014, providing useful challenges to its activities and priorities. A digital steering committee of senior staff representing different areas of the organisation was set up to respond to the challenges posed by the panel. This is chaired by the digital leader.

Planned activities in 2015

The advisory panel will continue to challenge and provide direction on activities outlined in its strategy.

Department for Transport

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The department’s senior leaders will champion the use of digital in the workplace, leading by example. The department’s digital leader will ensure that delivery agencies have senior board champions for digital and that there is a digital champion sitting on the Department for Transport (DfT) board.

Progress during 2013

Updates against digital strategy are now a regular feature of DfT board meetings and there is a commitment from senior leaders to ensure that the department uses digital tools and techniques to engage more effectively with its stakeholders. Each transactional agency has a board member responsible for digital service delivery.

Planned activities in 2014

The merger of Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) into a single delivery agency will continue with the appointment of a single board, whose structure will include a digital champion to oversee delivery of the strategy. The new chief executive of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will implement a new board structure following the review being carried out in November 2013. A Digital Leaders Group will be set up across DfT to ensure that all areas have a clear point of accountability and focus on implementing the digital strategy.

Progress during 2014

DfT has a digital leaders group that is chaired by the DfT digital leader and includes digital and technology leads from the department’s agencies. DVLA and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have similar posts on their main boards. This ensures that all areas have a clear point of accountability and focus on implementing the department’s digital strategy. The group meets bi-monthly and ensures that central messages, best practice and experience are shared throughout the department.

Planned activities in 2015

The department will continue its programme to raise digital awareness; its strategy committee will consider the impacts of digital and technology development on the department’s objectives.

Department for Work and Pensions

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

To strengthen departmental leadership, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has appointed a new board-level digital leader with responsibility for co-ordinating, directing and leading the digital agenda.

Progress during 2013

DWP has recently recruited a new director general, who sits on the department’s board, to lead on the digital agenda. The necessary restructuring to support the new director general was completed in autumn 2013.

Planned activities in 2014

DWP will continue to support the director general leading on the digital agenda.

Progress during 2014

DWP started a programme of transformation which focused on how it should look and operate in the future. It created the future vision for DWP, centred on understanding citizen needs, focusing on their outcomes and delivering in a way that creates a joined up organisation. It also produced guiding principles to direct all change efforts and business design to support the vision.

It developed a business design plan and roadmap to further modernise DWP. These include a secure digital self-service identity management and risk engine; some are already being delivered by existing programmes.

Planned activities in 2015

The digital leader will continue to pursue DWP’s transformation agenda, setting out a roadmap for transformation. This will enable its future vision, which includes a secure digital self-service identity management and risk engine. Some of these are already being delivered by its existing programmes.

Department of Energy and Climate Change

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

DECC will recruit a replacement to their board-level digital leader and review how far it is necessary to have digital skills represented at board level across all its network of delivery bodies.

Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) appointed a replacement digital leader with overall responsibility for the digital agenda in April 2013 (the department’s chief information officer) with access to the board.

Progress during 2013

The Digital Service Delivery Unit was established in July 2013 to support embedding digital by default principles across the department and its network of delivery bodies.

Planned activities in 2014

DECC’s Digital Service Delivery Unit will continue to support digital by default principles across the department and its network of delivery bodies.

Progress during 2014

A digital strategy board chaired by DECC’s digital leader has been in operation since September 2013. This board reports to to DECC’s executive operational board, OpCo. OpCo’s responsibilities include overseeing the development and implementation of knowledge management, transparency and digital strategies.

Planned activities in 2015

DECC will continue this support and will embed digital by default into business as usual during 2015.

Department of Health

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Department of Health (DH) is committed to stewarding a ‘digital first’ health and care system and to becoming itself a digital first department of state. The departmental digital leader works directly on this agenda with 2 director general board members.

Progress during 2013

The digital leader is directly responsible for the delivery of the department’s digital strategy. This is a core workstream within the ‘Our DH’ transformation programme, part of Civil Service Reform.

The DH executive board is fully engaged and highly supportive of the strategy and real progress is being made towards a digital first culture within the organisation. Structural changes have been made within the department to reflect this.

The digital leader attends a cross-ALB board that identifies digital and technology priorities across the health and care system. They have also established a specific ALB digital leaders network with full representation from across the health and care system.

Planned activities in 2014

DH will continue to develop the work of the ALBs’ digital leaders’ network. DH will formalise a shared approach to forward planning for digital across DH and its ALBs, encouraging greater transparency and earlier engagement. This will also support greater collaboration, and increased shared knowledge and skills among the digital teams.

Progress during 2014

Will Cavendish, Director General of Innovation, Growth and Technology, replaced Rachel Neaman as the DH digital leader in July.

DH’s digital team delivered coaching sessions to the permanent secretary and directors-general on a range of topics including the Digital by Default Service Standard.

Some of the department’s larger ALBs also appointed new senior digital leads within their organisations, including NHS England (Helen Rowntree), Public Health England (Diarmaid Crean) and NHS Blood and Transplant (Ceri Rose).

The department also revised its governance arrangements for major digital and technology programmes in health and social care and established the National Information Board (NIB) which sets strategic direction for the health and care system on technology and information. NIB comprises senior leaders across DH’s ALBs, as well as representatives from the department and other interested lay people.

Planned activities in 2015

The NIB will consult and engage on a number of issues integral to achieving excellent delivery of digital health services.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will provide sustained high-level leadership to deliver the vision in this strategy, including through a board-level champion and digital transition leader.

Progress during 2013

FCO has put in place a board-level champion for digital (Matthew Rycroft) and a digital transition leader. FCO has also begun recruitment for a digital transformation unit.

FCO held an event at its annual leadership conference of ambassadors on the use of digital tools to enhance foreign policy.

Planned activities in 2014

With the digital transformation unit beginning work, FCO will be looking at further opportunities to highlight and build momentum behind its digital agenda.

Progress during 2014

FCO put in place a board-level champion for digital and a digital transformation leader.

Planned activities in 2015

This leadership will be maintained.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

To support delivery of its digital strategy, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will develop new organisational digital capabilities. It has begun to reshape its organisation and governance of digital strategy and delivery with the formation of the HMRC Digital Service (HDS) and the establishment of the head of this unit as the department’s digital leader.

Progress during 2013

HMRC has appointed a chief digital and information officer as digital leader.

Planned activities in 2014

HMRC will continue to provide senior digital leadership within the department.

Progress during 2014

HMRC published its revised digital strategy in September.

Planned activities in 2015

Digital service managers will be empowered to implement what works best on a continual basis. HMRC will build active relationships with customers through digital tax accounts and assisted digital services. Customer feedback and service data will be used to continually develop services.

Her Majesty’s Treasury

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) has a dedicated head of digital communications and departmental digital leader who is also head of communications. He advises the chancellor and senior officials on all communications issues, including digital, and will ensure that digital enjoys a high profile within the department.

Progress during 2013

HMT’s head of communications has continued to serve as the department’s digital leader.

Planned activities in 2014

HMT will continue to provide digital leadership within the department.

Progress during 2014

HMT recruited for a head of digital who will start in 2015. Throughout 2014, the digital team has continued to provide digital leadership within the department.

Planned activities in 2015

The new head of digital will provide digital leadership within the department.

Home Office

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

Home Office’s digital leader will be the Director General, Finance and Corporate Services. Empowered digital champions will sit on the boards of the Identity and Passport Service, UK Border Agency and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). They will join with the chief information officer and head of the Policy Profession to form the leadership group for digital within Home Office. The digital leader will be more than a ‘champion’ of digital at board level, but will be accountable to the board for the digital transformation of Home Office.

Progress during 2013

Since the publication of its digital strategy, Home Office has reviewed its organisation design against Government Digital Service (GDS) recommendations for a large transactional department. A chief operating officer (COO) was appointed on 1 November 2013 and will be the digital leader representing digital on the Home Office board.

Planned activities in 2014

Home Office will continue to expand its capabilities in line with GDS recommendations.

Progress during 2014

Norman Driskell was appointed as chief digital officer. Digital leaders are in position on the appropriate boards and the Home Office transformation board meets monthly bringing together digital leaders from across partner organisations.

Planned activities in 2015

Home Office will continue to expand digital leadership following GDS’s recommendations.

Ministry of Defence

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Director, Transformation (shortly to become Director, Defence Strategy) was appointed as digital leader on May 2012 with access to board members, to ensure that digital enjoys a high profile within the department as part of the transformation programme.

Progress during 2013

Director, Defence Strategy, the departmental digital leader, has successfully raised the profile of digital across the department. This is reflected in the chief information officer’s ICT transformation plan, which was presented to the department’s new information board.

Planned activities in 2014

The departmental digital leader will establish and chair a Digital Champions group to support implementation of Digital in Defence. He plans to submit a report on progress to defence board members on the first anniversary of the Digital in Defence publication.

Progress during 2014

Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) digital leader is represented on MOD’s 4 star (permanent secretary level) information board. The digital leader worked with MOD’s chief information officer (CIO) to ensure MOD’s future technology roadmap included collaborative tools such as enterprise social media.

The digital leader led by example by writing a popular internal blog, actively participating in social channels (eg Yammer) and taking part in technology pilots.

MOD now have a Digital Transformation team. They began a new stakeholder engagement programme, designed to raise awareness and knowledge of digital across the wider defence organisation.

Planned activities in 2015

MOD will refresh the digital roadmap that determines future digital activities.

It will establish an initial ‘Digital Operating Model’ for defence.

Ministry of Justice

Departmental digital strategy commitments (December 2012)

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has established the Director General, Transforming Justice as digital leader to champion digital transformation at board level. The digital services division will lead on implementing the strategy, supported by the digital leader and digital transformation board.

Progress during 2013

The digital leadership role was transferred following the successful launch of the MOJ digital strategy, a digital services team and the first 6 months of operation. Board-level digital leadership has been maintained, with the Director General, Corporate Services coming into the role as digital begins to mainstream within the department.

Planned activities in 2014

MOJ will maintain board-level digital leadership on the main departmental board and will seek to extend this to agency boards before the end of 2014.

Progress during 2014

MOJ’s digital leader, Matthew Coats, sat on the departmental board with the chief digital officer, Paul Shetler, reporting to him directly. In April 2014 this board-level digital leadership was extended to agency groups through the formation of the Digital Steering Group (DSG). DSG received considerable senior level interest and provided a strategic forum for senior civil servants with digital responsibilities. This will help increase visibility of digital across the department.

Planned activities in 2015

Matthew Coats, the director general for MOJ corporate services and the chief executive of the Legal Aid Agency, will continue as MOJ’s digital leader, sitting on the departmental board.

The director-level departmental Digital Steering Group will play an increased role in promoting digital work across MOJ and in supporting implementation of the digital strategy.