1 Our findings on how GDS has supported digital transformation in government are based on analysis of evidence collected between October 2016 and January 2017. Our audit approach is outlined in Appendix One.
2 We examined the creation of GDS and its changing role by:
• reviewing digital strategies and policy documentation from 2010 to 2017;
• conducting interviews with senior staff in GDS to understand its changing approach - we also met with the Infrastructure and Projects Authority to understand its work on transformation and its relationship with GDS;
• analysing GDS's budget and headcount data for the period 2011-12 to 2019-20 to understand its resource allocation - we also analysed GDS's data on spending from 2011-12 and its budget allocation data for the 2015 Spending Review period;
• analysing minutes of GDS's governance boards and advisory groups, and published performance reports, to review how it monitors progress against its strategy and assesses its priorities and objectives; and
• interviewing senior digital and technology officers from departments undergoing digital transformation on the role of GDS and support it has provided.
3 We assessed how GDS supported others in managing transformation by:
• conducting interviews with GDS and departments to gain their views on their common technology services and data;
• reviewing GDS documentation relating to the exemplars;
• reviewing Cabinet Office documentation relating to the Transformation Peer Group;
• reviewing the results of our digital skills survey and the findings from our forthcoming report on civil service capability; and
• analysing GDS's work on data against our data framework.
4 We assessed how GDS had used more formal interventions to achieve transformation by:
• analysing GDS spending control case-level data, available from April 2014, to compare the characteristics of spending control requests, processing times and outcomes;
• reviewing 10 spending control requests representing a range of departments and types of decisions; and, for one of these cases, mapping the interaction between the department and GDS over time;
• analysing data on financial savings claimed from spending controls (data which had been subject to review by the Government Internal Audit Agency);
• interviewing GDS officials in the Standards Assurance Team, Government as a Platform and GOV.UK Verify programme teams to: establish how these teams have developed guidance and implemented spending controls and assurance against standards; and assess progress in implementing the platform programmes; and
• reviewing documentation and online material, including guidance on spending controls and programme business cases; and assessing the nature and extent of digital and technology guidance available through GDS webpages and analysing data on service assessments.