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Right data, right place, right time

• Posted on July 16, 2019 by Yvonne Gallagher

  

  Have you ever had the frustration of having to provide the same information about yourself to different government services? Have you ever had to make decisions without information about what does and doesn’t work? Data is fundamental to delivering public services, improving systems and processes, and supporting sound decisions – but accessing accurate data is far from easy. Drawing from our recent report, Challenges in using data across government, I highlight here some of the difficulties, their implications and ways they can be addressed.

  more… Right data, right place, right time

  Tagged: Behaviour change, Business operations, Cross-government, Customer service, Digital transformation, Forecasting, Fraud and error, Good practice principles, Information management, Information sharing, Innovation, IT, Performance measurement, Public sector reform, Regulation & consumer protection, Risk management

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Cloud services: asking the right questions

• Posted on June 27, 2019 by Yvonne Gallagher

  

  ‘Cloud services’ can bring cost and performance benefits. But they can also bring new challenges and risks. To help leaders oversee decision-making and implementation of cloud services, we recently published ‘Guidance for audit committees on cloud services’. The magazine, Public Sector Executive, invited us to outline the issues in the article The National Audit Office’s guide to cloud services and has kindly allowed us to reproduce it on this Blog.

  more… Cloud services: asking the right questions

  Tagged: Audit Committees and Boards, Business operations, Cross-government, Cyber security, Digital transformation, Good practice principles, Information management, Innovation, Public sector reform, Risk management, Skills

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The power of information for contracts

• Posted on October 1, 2018 by Iain Forrester

  From the collapse of Carillion, to failures within Capita’s £1 billion worth of public contracts, recent NAO reports starkly reiterate the importance of information in managing contracts. As the Comptroller & Auditor General said in his post Risks, resources and government-supplier relationships, government ‘needs to assess the financial health and sustainability of its major contractors and use this information to protect the public interest’. Here we outline the crucial role of information throughout the commercial lifecycle. more… The power of information for contracts

  Tagged: Contract insights series, Contract management, Cross-government, Customer service, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Risk management

  2 Comments

Successful transformation: voices of experience

• Posted on June 29, 2018 by Max Tse

  Evolution or revolution? Inventing new services or transforming old systems and processes? Transformation programmes are complex, ever-changing and face numerous barriers; so what does it take to be one of the minority of transformation projects that succeed? How can organisations’ Boards improve the chance of success? And what does transformation have to do with wagon trains? more… Successful transformation: voices of experience

  Tagged: Audit Committees and Boards, Behaviour change, Cross-government, Customer service, Digital transformation, Employee engagement, Good practice principles, Impacts, Information management, Major projects, Public sector reform, Risk management, Skills

  1 Comment

Being honest: award-winning annual reports

• Posted on March 29, 2018 by Kate Mathers

  How do you make complex departmental annual reports easily understandable? Do you clearly outline your goals and achievement of them? Is it easy for the public to understand your organisational risks and their management? Being clear, concise, honest and open in annual reports is a real skill. To inspire creativity and usability, our yearly guide to good practice in annual reports this year presents examples from both the public sector organisations we reviewed in the Building Public Trust Awards, and some of the private and third sector examples highlighted in other categories. more… Being honest: award-winning annual reports

  Tagged: Accountability, Audit, Business operations, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Information management, Performance management, Public finances, Reporting, Third sector

  2 Comments

Cross-government collaboration: lessons from R&D

• Posted on February 16, 2018 by Sian Jones

  Life-saving drugs, step-changes in energy efficiency, robots and amazing new materials that can transform our lives – these, and many scientific advances, are all the result of research and development (R&D). The UK funds £31.6 billion of R&D a year, and its success depends frequently on collaboration between a wide range of government departments, and with research councils, university bodies, businesses, charities and international organisations. As we look at the fascinating world of R&D, we can also learn much for all types of cross-government collaboration and coordination. more… Cross-government collaboration: lessons from R&D

  Tagged: Accountability, Brexit, Climate change, Cross-government, Digital transformation, Environmental sustainability, Good practice principles, Growth, Impacts, Information management, International, Leadership, Overseas aid, Process management, Project management, Research & development, Third sector, Universities

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Who benefits from Gift Aid? Ask the new Tax Centre

• Posted on February 8, 2018 by Jonny Mood

  The National Audit Office – University of Birmingham Tax Centre has been launched! So what does this mean for taxpayers – and for tax officials? The average taxpayer may never be aware of its role, but the new Tax Centre will help provide the all-important independent academic evidence useful to those making and implementing tax policy; it will provide crucial insights into issues such as taxpayers’ behaviours, the impact of making tax digital, tax evasion and avoidance, and customer service. As we detailed at the launch event, our recent joint work on Gift Aid shows how the NAO and the University of Birmingham can work together, and with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), to improve understanding of the effectiveness of taxes and tax reliefs. more… Who benefits from Gift Aid? Ask the new Tax Centre

  Tagged: Behaviour change, Impacts, Information management, International, Public finances, Public sector reform, Tax

  6 Comments

Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winners

• Posted on January 5, 2018 by Amyas Morse

   
  The 2017 Civil Service Awards highlighted some of the tremendous work being done to deliver public services not only more efficiently and cost effectively, but in ways that meet people’s needs better, engage users more, and stimulate ongoing improvements. In reviewing the 2017 nominations, I was particularly taken by the range of innovative approaches and excellent use of engagement and feedback loops. more… Engaging, sharing, innovative Award winners

  Tagged: Amyas Morse, Behaviour change, Business operations, Collaboration, Cross-government, Customer service, Digital transformation, Information management, Innovation, Process management, Project management, Public sector reform

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Can better service bring in more tax revenue? How the NAO is helping government investigate

• Posted on June 29, 2017 by Andy Morrison

  Do you pay all the tax you should? Chances are, this depends on your values, your familiarity with tax rules, opportunities for evasion, and your attitudes. These may be affected by how much help you get from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – and could potentially be influenced by how happy you are with HMRC’s service. In our recent report on The quality of service for personal taxpayers, we said we would work with HMRC to explore whether service quality affects tax revenues. The way we have done this is a great example of how the NAO can help to drive public service improvement. more… Can better service bring in more tax revenue? How the NAO is helping government investigate

  Tagged: Behaviour change, Customer service, Impacts, Influencing, Information management, Performance management, Tax

  1 Comment

Excellence in Public Sector Reporting and the Election break

• Posted on April 27, 2017 by Administrator

  The NAO Blog must take a break in the period before the General Election. Meanwhile, we would like to highlight our interactive guide to Good practice from the ‘Excellence in Reporting’ in the Public Sector Award, sponsored by the NAO and part of the wider PwC-sponsored Building Public Trust in Corporate Reporting Awards. Kate Mathers, one of our Executive Leaders, sits on the judging panel for the public sector awards. We set out below the criteria for which we looked. Our publication provides examples of good practice from the 50 reports we reviewed. more… Excellence in Public Sector Reporting and the Election break

  Tagged: Accountability, Cross-government, Good practice principles, Impacts, Information management, International, Local government, Performance management, Public finances, Reporting

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