Conclusion 4

There are gaps in core operational delivery capabilities in government organisations which impact on the cost and quality of services it delivers. Operational capability across government is varied and weaknesses have real consequences for citizens. For example, where a department lacks the capability to understand and deal with demand, the result is backlogs in government services. Where a department does not focus on systematic and continuous improvement, pain points for customers are not identified and addressed. Where organisations fail to consider systems as a whole, and work in silos only focusing on their own part of the process, they may just move demand and the cost of dealing with it to another part of government. The ODP acknowledges the criticality of improving capability across government, and its approach to doing so includes interventions such as a skills framework for generic operational capabilities, apprenticeship schemes, and targeted training for senior leaders. The ODP’s goal is that all its interventions deliver measurable returns on investment, and it has built data expertise and is gathering baseline data so it can measure improvement. The ODP’s understanding of whether its approach is effectively building the right capabilities will be crucial to delivering better services. recommendation The ODP should monitor how effectively the approach set out in its strategy is building the capabilities that are needed to deliver improvements to the cost and quality of government services.