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Idea In Brief
Data on agenda
Every public sector leader we know is thinking about how they can do more with data. One vital way is for leaders to think about where they are with their data maturity and how they can progress it.
What to do
Public sector organisations need to think deeply about how data, information and insights could help them to discharge their public duties more effectively, efficiently, and appropriately.
What to avoid
A data maturity assessment needs to take account of where an organisation is and where it needs to be. It is unfair, inappropriate, and unhelpful to assess an organisation against an unrealisable ideal.
Every public sector leader we know is thinking about how they can do more with data to achieve better outcomes for the public good.
One vital way is for leaders to think about where they are with their data maturity (their capability to use data to achieve strategic goals) and how they can progress it.
The Cabinet Office has developed a data maturity assessment tool for the public sector. This is a welcome development – many previous data maturity assessment tools focused on the private sector, where data’s value is primarily monetary rather than societal.
We have been exploring how this tool can help the public sector meet its data ambitions.
The Cabinet Office model helps public sector organisations to think about the public value of data, benchmark themselves against one another, and learn from similar organisations.
We have found that organisations benefit just by doing the data maturity assessment; it encourages staff to engage in data conversations, understand new concepts, and think about how they can develop their own capability to interact with data.
Nous helps public sector organisations get to grips with data maturity assessments. From this work, we have tips to share on getting the most out of them for your overall strategy, your staff, and your service users.
What to do
- Focus on outcomes. What do you want to achieve with better data? Many data maturity assessment tools assume you primarily want to improve your organisation’s analytical capability. But the public sector requires a broader lens. Public service organisations often need to use data to make the best decision right now for an individual, an organisation, or the country.Public sector organisations therefore need to think deeply about how data, information and insights could help them to discharge their public duties more effectively, efficiently, and appropriately. Getting this right through your data maturity assessment can be a game-changer.
- Connect to your strategy. Data is a strategic asset and should be treated like one. Public sector organisations have limited capacity to improve and develop organisational data maturity. So the focus is frequently on easy changes that don’t require broad organisational buy-in. This misses the opportunity to get real impact from our actions.A data maturity assessment lets you assess what data capabilities are strategically important, understand how well you perform in these areas, and explore what you can do to take your capabilities to the right level to deliver your strategy.
- Think about how to improve the day job. Public sector workers often need to focus on the problem in front of them, whether that is helping a person with complex needs or resolving a tricky policy issue. The right data, data skills and data systems can make the difference between a good decision and a bad one. Data can also help people and organisations be more efficient and effective, focusing their energy on what matters to the public and their ministers.Well-presented and timely data provides new perspectives and gives us a chance to see problems in new ways, enabling creative solutions. A data maturity assessment can help you figure out what matters to your people and how use this to efficiently serve your stakeholders.
What to avoid
- Pitch for high data maturity everywhere. A data maturity assessment needs to take account of where an organisation is and where it needs to be. It is unfair, inappropriate, and unhelpful to assess an organisation against an unrealisable ideal or a one-size-fits-all model of what “good” data maturity looks like.An expert who understands the public sector, data, and organisational change can guide you through the elements of a data maturity assessment that you need to help you understand what you need to do to achieve your goals.
- Try to do it yourself. It is tempting to mark your own homework but this rarely gives you the perspective you really need for growth. This is particularly the case in organisations where data leaders struggle to get the traction needed to secure investment in data capability.Getting an external perspective on your data maturity can be your catalyst to help everyone understand the investment needed in data capability for the organisation to really fly.
- Limit your thinking to your ‘data’ teams. Public sector leaders all understand the importance of data for their organisational priorities. But many lack the bandwidth to understand continuing developments in this space. This is understandable; “data” is a big world. But this can lead to data being siloed and becoming solely the concern of experts in darkened rooms. This is the wrong approach.All public servants need a certain understanding of data tools and opportunities that data provides to perform their roles even better. They also need an organisation and a culture that makes this happen. A well-designed data maturity assessment includes engagement with non-specialists at all levels and provides breadth of insight across an organisation.
Find out more in our latest report, “Delivering Data’s Promise: Making data strategy work in the public sector”.
Get in touch to discuss how our adaptive approach to the Cabinet Office Data Maturity Assessment can work for you.
Co-authored by Katharine Purser during her time as a Principal at Nous.
Connect with Nic Dillon on LinkedIn.
