17 Accepted

We asked about the inherent difficulty of reconciling the need to maintain the autonomy of...

Conclusion
We asked about the inherent difficulty of reconciling the need to maintain the autonomy of individual police forces with the need to implement co-ordinated and consistent IT transformation across all of the forces. The Department said it accepted that the task was complicated and difficult, but not impossible. It said that its new engagement model and spirit of partnership were “designed to make that complicated task as easy as it can practicably be.”32 The Department also told us that the National Police Chiefs’ Council had raised a number of qualifications about the new engagement model, which it was taking very seriously and working through diligently to make sure that the new model worked effectively.33
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the observation and details specific actions to address the challenge of balancing police autonomy with IT transformation. This includes embedding a new Engagement Model, establishing a Product Centricity Steering Committee, rolling out a Product Maturity Assessment, and creating a Product Owner Playbook.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government Accepted
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2022 3.2 The department has worked closely with policing and made good progress in embedding the new partnership approach within the NLEDP. 3.3 The revised and simplified Engagement Model allows police to have a strong voice in programme decision making and product prioritisation. Significant progress has already been made and it is already leading to a more informed and collaborative relationship, which is aiding the delivery of LEDS. 3.4 Accountability for the successful delivery of the programme remains with the senior responsible owner (SRO) and ultimately the accounting officer for the Home Office. 3.5 The department will continue to closely monitor and evaluate the progress of embedding this Engagement Model. • The Product Centricity (PC) transformation Programme in PPPT is in the process of setting up and rolling out a Product Centricity Steering Committee. This will be made up of senior/influential members of both Home Office & Policing and the purpose will be to set strategic direction, review progress and make key decisions. One of the key areas will be reviewing progress and reflecting upon successes and learnings. • The PC Programme is also devising, and soon to roll out, a Product Maturity Assessment, – this will allow us to compare and contrast the implementation of the Engagement Model, identifying gaps, inconsistencies, and the routes to correcting these. • The department is also working closely with Policing to create a Product Owner Playbook, this will set standards and define ways of working for all Product Owners in their roles and ensure consistency of approach across all of NLEDP. 3.6 These represent the current thinking and work to monitor and evaluate the embedding of the Engagement Model. More detail will be provided in the April update.
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 4.6 yrs
Report published 08 Dec 2021