Service Delivery
How to run a mission based government like you mean it. I would not be surprised to see some governments or Ministers seeking to use elements of this approach to achieve rapid results...
The UK Post Office scandal - lessons
The UK Institute of Government looks at lessons to be learnt. One lesson, the extent to which complex governance arrangements blur accountability is a widespread problem in Australia. Boards and outsourced services do not reduce political risk...
USA mandates AI expertise and oversight in Federal Agencies
All USA government agencies are in the next 60 days, required to appoint a chief AI officer with significant expertise. Amongst other things these officers are required to correct all non-compliant uses of AI by the end of the year...
This podcast series delves into the largest scandal in the history of the UK Public sector...
How might artificial intelligence affect the trustworthiness of public service delivery?
The first APS Long-term Insight Briefing. It is good to see the reference to empathy being an element in good design...
A Considered Use of AI in Government
A Canadian comparative study of AI failures by governments and the lessons to be learned in designing, implementing and governing these systems. The Australian example of an AI failure is Robodebt...
Spatial Inequality, Partnership Deals and Place Based Systems Change
This article summarises international examples of place based interventions, lessons learned and looks at emerging possibilities...
Guidance for deciding when to use a consultant
These Victorian guidelines are a good framework for deciding when to use a consultant. The flow chart and examples at the bottom of the document are particularly good...
NSW Education staff to spend a week in schools as part of induction
The NSW Department of Education has announced that all central office new staff will spend a week in a local Primary or High School as part of their induction. This is a very good initiative. Many central office staff do not understand the work that they are responsible for. Their job is to serve those who do the real work...
For those interested in service delivery. A good explanation of the impact of Packetization on the rise of platforms and the increasing specialisation of labour. This site is a good resource...
Tight on values, loose on delivery
A case study on improving service delivery outcomes as resources are reduced. There are lessons for service delivery about the importance of giving those at the frontline discretion...
Robodebt follows a well-worn path
I have written before about the UK scandal highlighted in the film 'I, Daniel Blake.' Here is another scandal driven by algorithms in Holland which resulted in the whole Cabinet resigning. We need to pay more attention to case studies from overseas...
I have recently discovered this organisation, which specialises in training teams and leaders to design and deliver services that work. Check it out...
A podcast interview with James Plunkett about how policy and service design will have to be done differently in the future. He provides advice to public servants about how to take advantage of flux and uncertainty. He also reminds us that ethics is more important than economics. I strongly recommend this to you all...
Trade reimagined and Rethinking regulators
Each week Tom Burton from the Australian Financial review publishes a newsletter on the public sector. I recommend you subscribe to it. In this edition of the newsletter two very important issues are covered - the radical redesign of how imports and exports are processed and the debate about regulatory trends...
The Future of Work Is Projects - So You’ve Got to Get Them Right
About two thirds of projects fail. This podcast provides advice on the right way to frame projects, how to structure organisations around them, and pitfalls to avoid...
We’d all like life to be simpler. But we also don’t want to sacrifice our options and capabilities. Tesler’s law of the conservation of complexity, a rule from design, explains why we can’t have both. Here’s how the law can help us create better products and services by rethinking simplicity. This concept is very important for anyone designing and providing services to others...
Victorian Ombudsman’s report into allegations of nepotism in government schools
Nepotism in schools is a systemic problem. As it is in many geographically distributed organisations. More rules will not fix the problem. One approach is to ban the employment of relatives in small workplaces with exceptions signed off in central office...
Radical overhaul of the NSW public service is the Premier's legacy
The creation of the Department of Customer Service is a fundamental change to way that the Government operates. It is a new Central Department with whole of government powers...
An excellent article that looks at the divide that exists between those staff involved in policy and those involved in delivery. The impact of this is wasted talent and less responsive services. Highly recommended...
Cate Blanchett is the voice and face of ‘Nadia’, the avatar that has been created to assist people with disabilities to interact with Commonwealth government services. See the future of government service delivery here...
Eight UK case studies on how to integrate local services. The biggest learning – the need to establish peer learning opportunities for those who do this work in local communities..
A recent decision by NSW will blur the lines between Commonwealth and State service delivery and is a great step forward for NSW residents...