CDDO publishes digital roadmap update

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) has published a progress update on its digital strategy, originally launched in June 2022.

The government envisions a 2025 where digital services are user-centric and efficient, exceeding public expectations, while civil servants will have the right digital capabilities, data and tools to do their jobs in a joined-up and efficient government.

The original three-year roadmap for digital and data identified 75 top public services, and set out a goal to improve at least 50 of these to a “great standard” based on “a consistent measure of service performance”.

So far, according to the update, 15 services has now reached “great standard”, based on a set of assessment metrics, covering digital adoption, digital completion, user satisfaction and accessibility. This includes the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) sign up for flood warnings service, and the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency’s (DVSA) record MOT test results service.

To accelerate progress, over autumn 2023, the CDDO will be providing direct support to departments as they implement their ambitious programmes of improvements, with the ultimate aim for 50 of the top 75 services "to be ‘great’ by 2025,” the update said.

The roadmap focuses on six “missions” the government would deliver on by 2025: the transformation of public services, better use of data, improving digital skills across the civil service, “secure, efficient and sustainable” use of technology, a cross-government digital identity platform, and “a system that unlocks digital transformation”.

In its update, the CDDO said it has “sharpened” its approach and commitment to several of these missions.

This includes mission six, which aims to build digital skills at scale within government. As part of the commitment, thousands of civil servants will be sent on “digital bootcamps”, with an original target of equipping more than 6,500 senior staff with “essential” digital skills by 2025.

The government has added two commitments to the skills mission, including “at least 2,500 new entrants to the government digital, data and technology [DDaT] profession” through apprenticeships and early career talent programmes. It has also set a goal for at least 6% of the overall civil service workforce to be members of the DDaT progression.

Another mission focuses on modernising and enhancing the sustainability of government technology through replacing outdated legacy systems with new technologies.

“Government has already made significant progress, collectively creating a common legacy IT framework, which measures the risk and effort of running outdated legacy technology,” the update said. “Over 25 organisations have now registered and scored their assets using the framework.”

The government added that due to the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) in the past year, there will also be a special focus on identifying and capturing “opportunities from emerging technology, to focus on enabling teams to make confident and responsible use of AI”. The government is also creating a framework for its use of AI.

Other updates include Gov.uk One Login, the government’s new digital identity platform, having reached three million downloads, while more than 2.5 million people have now proved their identity on the platform, either through a web browser or using the smartphone app.

The government has also developed and launched a data maturity assessment for government, and all departments will run an assessment by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.