In today’s data-driven world, public sector organisations are under increasing pressure to use data more effectively. However, many data teams still face a significant challenge convincing senior leadership how a data strategy will help them do that. They often find it hard to get past “we need a data strategy to manage our data better.” While this is true, and can be easily accepted in the private sector, it doesn’t always resonate with senior public sector colleagues. We need to be much clearer about the value a data strategy will unlock for them.
The challenge with generic data strategies
Most consultancies recommend that your data strategy must underpin your business strategy. They will then proceed to write a rather generic data strategy that commits the organisation to “treating data as a strategic asset”, and a set of activities focused on improving data governance, data design, data management and quality controls. While these, executed well, will benefit any organisation, especially in the public sector, they can be hard to convince senior colleagues to do. This can be even more difficult when you don’t have a coherent business plan to connect these activities to – which is more common than we would like it to be.
Three essential questions for public sector data strategies
To avoid this pitfall, I always start by asking three questions when working with public sector clients. These questions help guide the development of a data strategy that is both practical and impactful:
1. Who is the intended audience for this data strategy? This drives clarity on who needs to be convinced of the value of investing in data capability – whether it’s senior leadership, the purse-string holders, or the general public. This defines the tone and approach to strategy development.
2. What purpose will a data strategy serve in this organisation? This helps teams dig beyond the sense of needing a data strategy because they’ve been told they need one, or because everybody does, to the core reasons for putting a strategy in place. This determines the scope and focus of the strategy.
3. How will things be different once the strategy is implemented? Being able to articulate the desired outcomes from the strategy helps uncover the ways in which having a data strategy will really deliver value – and helps prioritise the commitments and actions within it.
Different types of data strategy that work in the public sector
Being honest and clear about the answers to these questions, we can craft a data strategy that speaks directly to the needs and priorities of your organisation, based on a clear vision and a coherent set of strategic choices made by stakeholders who want to engage. For example, your data strategy could focus on:
1. Transforming into a data-led organisation. This type of strategy provides a blueprint to help all colleagues across the organisation understand what it really would mean to be data-led and AI-enabled. It shows what is expected of them and how they will be supported in using data to drive decision-making in everything they do.
2. Empowering data teams. In many public sector organisations, data teams can feel undervalued. A data strategy can provide clarity of focus and direction for these teams – driving productivity and improving the value they are able to unlock for the organisation. This can be an important first step when senior leadership is not yet ready to adopt a broader, more strategic approach.
3. Building public trust and transparency. Using and sharing data in the public sector can be a cause of concern amongst the general public in the UK. An extended, collaborative approach to building a transparent strategy – working in the open and in consultation with public service users – can foster trust and confidence.
4. Setting a collective vision for shared goals. Where leaders are ready to be more ambitious, a data strategy which sets a collective vision for a group of organisations focused on the same goals (for example a Whitehall department and its arm’s-length bodies) can align their efforts to use data in new and impactful ways.
Breaking the mould on data strategies
Approaches like these break the mould of data strategies adopted by the private sector, which just don’t work in public sector contexts – where the focus is on service delivery, transparency, and public accountability, rather than profit.
By answering key questions upfront – considering who needs to be involved, what we are trying to achieve, and being clear on how the strategy will make a tangible difference – we can drive the right conversations about how we use data, and create a roadmap that resonates with those you need to influence and delivers real benefits.
If this has triggered thoughts and you’d like a conversation, get in touch via LinkedIn or at contact@kompassconsulting.co.uk.