Why the First Minister is wrong about public sector technology delivery

This week, the For Wales See Wales podcast interviewed Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales. In it, she expressed her frustration at the speed of digital transformation in Wales.

We agree.

As we said in our report last year, while technology has changed immeasurably over the 25 years of devolution, the way we deliver it in Wales just hasn’t kept up.

We spin up big programmes that take years to write business cases before getting to any form of delivery. We create endless programme boards and advisory groups that talk rather than deliver. We reach for ‘magic’ technology solutions that promise to solve problems rather than thinking about the outcomes we’re trying to achieve. We don’t trust teams to make decisions and deliver at pace.

These old ways are not working, and our failure to adapt means the Welsh public sector is far behind other parts of the UK and internationally.

However, we don’t agree with her suggestion that the problem is with the state delivering technology.

Public sector technology delivery is the norm outside Wales

Outside of Wales it’s normal for the public sector to lead digital transformation.

GOV.UK was delivered 14 years ago by civil servants working in modern ways, with modern technology, and working in the open.

In 2014, civil servants at DVLA (in Swansea) developed their new vehicle tax services in-house in just 12 weeks, and then later In 2017, brought all their technology teams in-house. There are digital delivery teams in Companies House (in Cardiff) and the Office for National Statistics (in Newport).

Today the NHS in England is delivering new digital prevention services, and working in the open at the same time. Scotland’s Public Service Reform Strategy commits to building high-performing digital teams.

There are digital units in many governments working to successfully transform government services all over the world - from Germany, to Canada. Even small countries like Barbados are building internal digital transformation capability.

Ultimately, if the public sector doesn’t own its digital capability, it can’t own its outcomes. This is a matter of digital sovereignty - ensuring Wales has the power to shape its own future rather than being a passive passenger to external vendors.

Wales is not too small to have these skills

It’s often been suggested that Wales, as a country, is too small to have in-house skills. But we have a fantastic range of digital and technology talent already here.

Digital and technology creates high quality, well paying jobs, growing our economy here in Wales.

We have a thriving fintech and cyber security industry. We have leading academic bases like the Language Technologies Unit in Bangor, innovation centres like M-Sparc on Ynys Mon, and the Human-Centred Computing Research Group in Swansea.

We have large UK government departments, with expert digital teams, based here.

We have small pockets of good practice in places like NRW, WRA and Sport Wales. Digital Health and Care Wales is starting to grow its user-centred design capability. And we have the Centre for Digital Public Services - which will shortly be based in the heart of the civil service itself.

The question is what is holding back the devolved public sector in Wales?

We must do better

Wales has the potential to become a beacon for modern, human-centred public services.

To do that, we need bold, committed political leadership to fundamentally change how the public sector works.

To succeed at digital transformation, the next First Minister, and the next Welsh Government needs to unlock our existing talent, and give it the space and permission to deliver.

Our report sets out how to do that with a better approach to delivery, and clear recommendations around the leadership, skills and funding required.

None of this is radical. It just needs the will to make it happen.