Andrew Greenway
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
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Founder, Public Digital. Co-author of Bluffocracy. Still Countdown's most rubbish champion.
reposted by
Andrew Greenway
Martin Stanley
3 days ago
Report after report recommends Civil Service Reform - but it never happens. Here's why:-
ukcivilservant.substack.com/p/civil-serv...
Includes references to writing by
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
,
@samfr.bsky.social
&
@iandunt.bsky.social
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Civil Service Reform: The Chapter 10 Problem
David French recently drew attention to what authors and editors sometimes call the āChapter 10 problemā.
https://ukcivilservant.substack.com/p/civil-service-reform-the-chapter
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Andrew Greenway
James Ball
17 days ago
I think
@philtinline.bsky.social
has hit in a really important idea here ā working out why we keep getting trapped in doom loops is going to be crucial in the next few years. Working out how to escape them, even more so.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Andrew Greenway
James O'Malley
21 days ago
If you read one thing today make it this. Fantastic read.
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The Civil Service has a new Cabinet Secretary at a time where the bureaucracy faces a stark choice between reform and Reform. It needs a new story for state capacity, a Northcote-Trevelyan review for the C21st, and new institutions to break inertia.
andrewgreenway.substack.com/p/in-permane...
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In permanence crisis
An argument for state capacity and civil service reform
https://andrewgreenway.substack.com/p/in-permanence-crisis
21 days ago
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Very good post about a very bad thing.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Andrew Greenway
Mark OāNeill š»
about 1 month ago
Bad It's unusual to come across a truly bad new digital service these days. People now praise the online passport service for speed and ease of use, the same for Jobseeker's, voter registration. Most online public services delivered since the establishment of the Government Digital Service are atā¦
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Bad
It's unusual to come across a truly bad new digital service these days. People now praise the online passport service for speed and ease of use, the same for Jobseeker's, voter registration. Most online public services delivered since the establishment of the Government Digital Service are at least functional and many are best of breed. So it is interesting to find yourself trying to use a brand new online service which is a complete failure.
http://bearoneill.com/2026/01/29/bad/
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Andrew Greenway
Alex Thomas
about 2 months ago
Louise Casey blunt on grade inflation in the civil service - compares decisions grade 5s make now to those fast streamers used to makeā¦
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Andrew Greenway
Giles Wilkes
8 months ago
I am writing a policy pamphlet. Here are all the ways to demonstrate I don't really have a policy answer, that I need to avoid: a. You call for a "national conversation or debate" b. You suggest that what is needed is āa change in cultureā 1/
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Andrew Greenway
James O'Malley
8 months ago
Universal Credit is a model for how to do government right (FREE TO READ!)
takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/universal-...
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Universal Credit is a model for how to do government right
I'm actually serious.
https://takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/universal-credit-is-a-model-for-govt
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Andrew Greenway
Caitlin G. DeAngelis
11 months ago
you know things are going well when they break out the turnip photos
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Andrew Greenway
Jim Waterson
12 months ago
Obviously it's Reddit and that attracts Reddit people but I do think it's funny how "a simple single government website and functioning passport service" are things people genuinely feel quite patriotic about and are such easy wins if you roll that out even further.
www.reddit.com/r/AskBrits/c...
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From the AskBrits community on Reddit: In what ways is the UK more developed than most countries?
Explore this post and more from the AskBrits community
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskBrits/comments/1jn3tnp/in_what_ways_is_the_uk_more_developed_than_most/
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Andrew Greenway
Ciaran Martin
12 months ago
My favourite bit of the whole Carswell piece š Niche, for sure, but to anyone who has actually been to a single one of the weekly meeting of permanent secretaries, let alone more than 100, the idea that this meeting takes all the major public policy meetings is utterly hilarious
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Andrew Greenway
The Future Governance Forum (FGF)
12 months ago
š£OUT NOW ā Impactful Devolution 02: Local govt for the digital era Last week the PM set out plans for digital change across Whitehall. Our new report with
@publicdigital.bsky.social
sets out how digital can drive reform in local govt. Read it here ā¬ļø
www.futuregovernanceforum.co.uk/resource/imp...
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Andrew Greenway
POPVOX Foundation
12 months ago
On 3/24, join us &
@niskanencenter.bsky.social
for a discussion on how to address the critical but often overlooked issues with implementation across the Executive branch. Feat:
@marcidale.bsky.social
@pahlkadot.bsky.social
&
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
www.popvox.org/events/imple...
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The Implementation Gap: Turning Legislative Intent into Executive-Led Outcomes ā POPVOX Foundation
A discussion focused on going beyond traditional legislative training to address the critical but often overlooked issues with implementation across the Executive branch.
https://www.popvox.org/events/implementation-gap
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James is always worth reading, and this longread is particularly worth the time, especially if you're an optimist about governments taking state capacity seriously.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
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Andrew Greenway
Dan Hon
about 1 year ago
You should know that a big part of 18F's work was to make sure multi-million to multi-*hundreds*-of-millions dollar contracts at fed *and* state level didn't go to shitty enterprise IT consultancies that *repeatedly* delivered tech that didn't work, was late, or didn't even do what it needed to
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Andrew Greenway
steve
about 1 year ago
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Hats off to the 10% - TEN PER CENT - of the UK population who can summon up some strong opinions about King Stephen of Blois
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
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Andrew Greenway
Kate Bevan
about 1 year ago
My proposal for this grey February Monday is that political reporters should be abolished. They're far too addicted to the psychodrama, they don't have expertise in any policy areas, they bigfoot their expert colleagues on any story that involves an MP, and this creates too noise and little light.
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Andrew Greenway
Hetan Shah
about 1 year ago
āWe have to get over the feeling that any failed pilot is a waste of money. It is not, as long as you've learned something by doing it.ā NAO chief Gareth Davies on the need for innovation in public services and how the NAO will support this
www.thetimes.com/article/9e71...
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UK public services ātoo expensive and not good enoughā
As demand outstrips budgets, the head of the National Audit Office calls for Whitehall to take risks and innovate ā but to learn quickly from its failures
https://www.thetimes.com/article/9e7180be-bda4-4209-9560-1762e7834634?shareToken=0652c85fac9b5ded319ca3bf73ca4425
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Andrew Greenway
Sam Freedman
about 1 year ago
A truly dreadful piece of writing that neatly demonstrates why he had no respect at all from the rest of the senior civil service.
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Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
about 1 year ago
Loads of interesting stats in this just-published State of digital government review. Not least that 50% of digital and data recruitment campaigns failed in 2024. What matters now are crunchy actions to follow the crunchy analysis.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
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State of digital government review
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-digital-government-review/state-of-digital-government-review
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Andrew Greenway
Ben Terrett
about 1 year ago
At GDS for launch of the digital government blueprint. Will try and live post on this thread š§µ
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Andrew Greenway
Dai Vaughan
about 1 year ago
I've written this thread up as a blog post with some more details: Why some DVLA digital services don't work at night
dafyddvaughan.uk/blog/2025/wh...
add a skeleton here at some point
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Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
about 1 year ago
This is miserable behaviour,
@transportforlondon.bsky.social
Miserable.
traintimes.org.uk/map/tube/
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Live London Underground / bus maps
https://traintimes.org.uk/map/tube/
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Andrew Greenway
Chris Fleming
about 1 year ago
NHS App back in the news and I'm not one to miss an opportunity to reheat my favourite graphic. (Other icebergs are available) What's fascinating in the app's case is that it probably needed a simple 'solution-first' strategy to provide the political drive to do the alignment in the background.
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reposted by
Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
about 1 year ago
The unmissable double act of
@pahlkadot.bsky.social
and
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
published this
@niskanencenter.bsky.social
report on re-invigorating state capacity just before Xmas. Deliberately US centric, leavened by some UK flourishes.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
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The how we need now: a capacity agenda for 2025 and beyondpublic digitalpublic digital
Report by Andrew Greenway and Jennifer Pahlka
https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2024/12/report-the-how-we-need-now-a-capacity-agenda-for-2025-and-beyond
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Andrew Greenway
David Lawrence
about 1 year ago
I really enjoyed this IFP Statecraft interview with
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
&
@pahlkadot.bsky.social
, which is surprisingly positive about the potential for UK state capacity. We need more of this! Full interview here:
www.statecraft.pub/p/what-can-t...
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Andrew Greenway
Katherine Wastell
about 1 year ago
There's been recent focus on hiring designers from big-name tech companies (
lnkd.in/eEjxq8EQ
). Their skills are impressive, no doubt. But in todayās climate of cost-saving, organisations need designers with the hard-earned experience of a transformation.
www.katherinewastell.com/blog/designi...
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Designing on a cold, rainy night in Stoke ā Katherine Wastell
Over the years in the teams Iāve led and supported, Iāve observed a unique skill-set in the designers with transformation experience. Theyāve learnt how to do design in challenging, high-pressure envi...
https://www.katherinewastell.com/blog/designing-on-a-cold-rainy-night-in-stoke
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Amy is consistently one of the most interesting and thoughtful thinkers/writers about the civil service. V good thread
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
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Andrew Greenway
Dave Rogers
about 1 year ago
Wondered what 'test and learn' means? I've written this to unpack and explain it
public.digital/pd-insights/...
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Just what is 'Test and Learn'?public digitalpublic digital
A blog explaining the concept of Test and Learn in organisational change
https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2024/12/just-what-is-test-and-learn
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Andrew Greenway
James Plunkett
over 1 year ago
Went to the speech this morning. A few thoughts. TL;DR - I thought it was really good, but of course lots of tricky challenges to work through. š§µ
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Andrew Greenway
James Higgott
over 1 year ago
I just finished shortlisting 215 applications for the NHS App Lead Product Manager role. My back hurts. My eyes hurt. My brain hurts. But here are some things I noticed plus some tips in case you ever want to apply for a role like this in future.
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Andrew Greenway
Chris Fleming
over 1 year ago
Patient records and the NHS App are in the news again. Me and
@mattstibbs.bsky.social
wrote down some thoughts. TLDR: the perfect architectural approach wonāt solve for fundamental environmental challenges that need addressing.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
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Patient records and the NHS Apppublic digitalpublic digital
Technical, design, commercial and policy challenges with putting medical records in the hands of NHS patients
https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2024/10/the-nhs-app-and-single-patient-records
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reposted by
Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
over 1 year ago
I've written up what we mean when we say 'Be Bold'.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
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What we mean when we say āBe Boldā ā Public Digitalpublic digitalpublic digital
https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2024/10/what-we-mean-when-we-say-be-bold?x-craft-preview=Cd62waNb48&token=143OL3EdnB4jYOdYoXkS9pgR64ZEADOE
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Andrew Greenway
Hetan Shah
over 1 year ago
'Taking the time to do things right isnāt anti-innovation ā it is what is required to get deep-rooted change in social systems.' My piece on AI and public services in this week's
@newstatesman.com
www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024...
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Tony Blair is wrong ā AI will not magically solve our public services
Too many people might be left out of its revolution.
https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024/10/tony-blair-is-wrong-artificial-intelligence-ai-publ
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Andrew Greenway
Gavin Freeguard
over 1 year ago
Some news about Data Bites⦠After 5 years, 49 events, 199 presenters, five PMs, 10 Cabinet ministers for data in govt & more bad jokes than any of us would care to remember, Data Bites is leaving
@instituteforgov.bsky.social
Iām delighted to say it has a new home atā¦
@publicdigital.bsky.social
!
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Andrew Greenway
Richard Pope
over 1 year ago
TLDR: Public services could and should work much harder for the public. But that wonāt happen through more design thinking or liberal sprinklings of AI. It wonāt come through better ādata sharingā either, which = photocopying data. Or just digitising services as they exist today.
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Wrote some words about how universities need to out-run the giant snail, or risk a soggy descent into mediocrity.
www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/chang...
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Change is coming, whether higher education likes it or not
Universities may talk about digital transformation, but are yet to translate it into action. Hereās how to start building the momentum for change, instead of standing still
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/change-coming-whether-higher-education-likes-it-or-not
over 1 year ago
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Andrew Greenway
Gavin Freeguard
over 1 year ago
Peter Kyle (DSIT Sec of State) opens Talks about his mum's experience of hospital scans not detecting lung cancer (
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
), notes AI scanner that can now work in 7 seconds. That belief in tech that will make lives better will guide this govt's approach
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AI would have saved my mother from lung cancer, says Labour MP
Peter Kyle believes AI scans would have given his mother a fast-track diagnosis and better chance of survival
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/11/02/peter-kyle-labour-ai-technology-scans-lung-cancer/
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Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
over 1 year ago
Early days, but optimism is definitely in order.
public.digital/pd-insights/...
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Not bad for week onepublic digitalpublic digital
We are delighted that this administration decided - on its very first Monday - to make a clear, bold move to make digital government a priority, not an afterthought.
https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2024/07/not-bad-for-week-one
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reposted by
Andrew Greenway
Tom Loosemore
about 2 years ago
My colleague
@andrewgreenway.bsky.social
and I have just published 'The Radical How', a NESTA-funded paper making the case for governments changing how they do change.
https://public.digital/2024/02/21/why-we-should-radically-change-how-we-do-change
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Why we should radically change how we do change ā Public Digital
https://public.digital/2024/02/21/why-we-should-radically-change-how-we-do-change
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Andrew Greenway
Anna Hirschfeld
about 2 years ago
I have so many many questions....why make this, who paid for it, and were they aware of how sexist, misogynist and down right patronising this was when they made it? A brief illustrated history of cross-government collaboration in Microsoft 365
technology.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/14/a...
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Andrew Greenway
Public Digital
about 2 years ago
No more Big IT. "We have to redesign government so it that it can redesign government services." article by Mike Bracken in the FT this morning, free to read link here:
www.ft.com/content/6b1f...
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No more āBig ITā: the failed 90s model has ruined too many lives
Governments must reflect on the lessons of the Post Office software scandal ā or face further disasters
https://www.ft.com/content/6b1f9cf2-8ab7-483e-8570-febc08f8f1e3?accessToken=zwAGD15Xnr_gkc9rH5zyirdIPtOFcP68CPjx4w.MEYCIQDpLJB2Rm1Qe_ovDFMzGgczviP82vu9Buf4C-DlEvmtaQIhAI3xZ7H7SpLBtgWd2eR2TYSj4qHkUWje_OMbc2RE1BCj&sharetype=gift&token=56af8c3e-78c6-4527-9eb2-99ded97f199c
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Andrew Greenway
Dai Vaughan
about 2 years ago
There's been lots of comment on Post Office Horizon so far - but Mike (and some of us from
@publicdigital.bsky.social
) have published some thoughts on avoiding a sequel:
public.digital/2024/01/12/a...
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Avoiding another Horizon ā Public Digital
https://public.digital/2024/01/12/avoiding-another-horizon
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