Evolution of GDS's strategy

1.6  GDS has supported transformation across government in several distinct phases (Figure 2).

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Figure 2 
Major developments and policies, 2010 to 2017

GDS is entering a new phase in its development

GDS leadership periods

Source: National Audit Office 
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1.7  Between 2012 and 2015, GDS's approach to supporting transformation was based around 25 exemplars in departments. Early on GDS created a single government website (GOV.UK) and migrated department websites to it. GDS aimed to use similar approaches to transform all large transactional services across government, starting with the exemplars.

1.8  GDS and government organisations more widely have achieved some important successes since 2011. For example:

•  Government departments and arms-length bodies quickly adopted new approaches to the development and use of technology. In our 2012 report A snapshot of the use of Agile delivery in central government, we identified 33 projects across 16 organisations that were using agile methods.7

•  New digital leaders integrated technology more closely in organisations. In our 2015 survey The digital skills gap in government, three-quarters of respondents agreed that digital leader roles were breaking down barriers between IT and other business functions.8

•  GDS demonstrated that common standards for government websites could be applied quickly through the introduction of GOV.UK. GDS sees GOV.UK as a key enabler for wider service transformation.

1.9  In other areas, GDS has been less successful. For example, in our 2015 report Early review of the Common Agricultural Policy Delivery Programme, we found that GDS and the other organisations involved had struggled to work together effectively.9

1.10  The outcome of the Exemplar Programme showed how the web interfaces with the customer can be much improved but also illustrated the difficulty of transforming services within departments' existing service environments.

1.11  GDS recognised the need to take a new approach for the spending review period starting in 2015. In late 2014, it began to develop a new strategy called the Enabling Strategy to support transformation. In April 2015, the focus of this strategy narrowed to developing or reusing common technology and shared platforms.

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7  National Audit Office, A snapshot of the use of Agile delivery in central government, September 2012.

8  National Audit Office, The digital skills gap in government - survey findings, December 2015.

9  Comptroller and Auditor General, Early review of the Common Agricultural Policy Delivery Programme, Session 2015-16, HC 606, National Audit Office, December 2015.