Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
HMCTS acknowledges key lessons for programme delivery, including flexibility and leadership capacity.
Conclusion
HMCTS told us it has identified lessons from the programme. For example, it identified the importance of understanding the impact of delivering large scale changes while also maintaining performance and having a whole programme level view of progress. The Ministry and HMCTS also identified that they needed to consider the bandwidth 51 C&AG’s Report, para 3.7 and Figure 11 52 Qq 95–97, 101 53 Qq 28, 32, 73 89–91, 100–101 54 Committee of Public Accounts, Transforming courts and tribunals, Fifty-Sixth Report of Session 2017–19, 16 July 2018, para 3 55 Committee of Public Accounts, Transforming rehabilitation: progress review, Ninety-Fourth Report of Session 2017–19, 24 April 2019, para 1 56 Committee of Public Accounts, Transforming courts and tribunals, Fifty-Sixth Report of Session 2017–19, 16 July 2018, para 3 57 Q 24; Letter from Nick Goodwin, Chief Executive HM Courts and Tribunals to Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of Committee of Public Accounts, 17 March 2023 18 Progress on the courts and tribunals reform programme required from senior staff when delivering programmes of this complexity. They also acknowledged the overall need for building flexibility into the programme, especially in terms of sequencing of work, to enable them to make changes that are needed along the way.58 Finally, they recognised the importance of culture change HMCTS acknowledged that it was vital that it feeds lessons learned to date into both the remainder of the reforms and its wider programmes.59 58 Q 91 59 Qq 28, 32, 73 89–91, 100–101 Progress on the courts and tribunals reform programme 19
Government Response Summary
The government states it has already learned lessons through various processes and is planning further lessons learned activities for programme closures. It is also piloting a new lesson learned platform, with an aim to launch it department-wide by spring 2024 to ensure lessons are factored into new projects.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 6.2 The department has already learnt lessons through a number of processes including early adopter evaluations, outputs of maturity assessments and lessons from the closure of multiple projects. 6.3 The department is planning a series of lessons learnt activities as it approaches each individual programme closure, with a focus in particular on the Common Platform. 6.4 The department is currently piloting a lesson learned platform, the aim of which is to share lessons across all projects, particularly those major projects and programmes on the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio. The pilot will be evaluated in the autumn, and subject to its findings, the department intends to launch a lesson learned platform across the department and its agencies/arm’s length bodies in spring 2024. New projects will refer to this platform to ensure lessons are being factored in.