Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Accepted
The Department is working toward this by developing common standards, technology architecture and ways of...
Recommendation
The Department is working toward this by developing common standards, technology architecture and ways of working. The NAO reported that the Department has set up its governance and controls well, but ensuring compliance with these common standards and approaches across the Department is a substantial task and at an early stage.70 The Department told us it is pleased with the progress it is making and that a network of chief information officers, working to common standards, should have the effect it wants across the devolved model of Defence.71 The Department estimated that currently around 80% of its effort goes on these basic enablers that it needs to put in place.72 For example, the Department told us it is now cataloguing all its data and who is steward of that data.73 By 2025, the Department wants to have fixed these ‘enablers’, so that it can instead put 80% of its effort into using the data for advantage.74 We asked the Department for an example of what this meant. The Department spoke about its ‘R2D2’ programme, which aims to bring datasets together so that military planners can understand the readiness of the Armed Forces at the push of a button.75
Government Response Summary
The department is accelerating digital transformation through the Digital Exploitation for Defence (DX4D) programme and will track and measure progress through the Strategy Delivery Plan, with dedicated resource in place to measure specific key performance indicators.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6. PAC conclusion: The department is not yet able to share and exploit data across the Armed Forces and with partners effectively enough. 6. PAC recommendation: The department should set out in its April 2023 update to the digital strategy, how it will measure its progress in creating the ‘backbone’ and track its balance of effort between data enablers and data exploitation. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: April 2023 6.2 Through the Digital Exploitation for Defence (DX4D) programme, the department is accelerating digital transformation across Defence. This is a key component in progressively shifting more of the balance onto exploitation, accompanied by a maturation of the digital function. Establishment of the Integrated Design Authority in Strategic Command will further help to break down and remove siloes whilst driving a consistent approach across Defence. 6.3 Delivering the Digital Backbone by 2025 is key to this and progress is being tracked and measured through the Strategy Delivery Plan, with dedicated resource in place to measure specific key performance indicators.