James Kemp
@jamesmkemp.bsky.social
Public servant, delivering change mostly. Have worked in many departments. Based in Scotland. #GovPDC Explorer Scout Leader, sometimes gamer & writer
The way it went was organised chaos. The end game debrief included loads of stuff that wasn't in the plan, but people had fun, and that's all that counts!
November 22, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The way it went was organised chaos. The end game debrief included loads of stuff that wasn't in the plan, but people had fun, and that's all that counts!
So what it needed through the discovery and high level design, following the GDS Service Manual, was a bit of creative thinking to look at the process non-linearly, use real-time APIs to check facts to minimise document handling, and when we did get sent docs minimise how long we held them.
November 18, 2025 at 8:29 AM
So what it needed through the discovery and high level design, following the GDS Service Manual, was a bit of creative thinking to look at the process non-linearly, use real-time APIs to check facts to minimise document handling, and when we did get sent docs minimise how long we held them.
We had also been trying since at least 2007 to improve the service and streamline things to make it easier to automate. I'd run a team of operational analysts. We did process mining (although the hard way back then).
That laid the foundations to understand where we relied on paper in the system
That laid the foundations to understand where we relied on paper in the system
November 18, 2025 at 8:26 AM
We had also been trying since at least 2007 to improve the service and streamline things to make it easier to automate. I'd run a team of operational analysts. We did process mining (although the hard way back then).
That laid the foundations to understand where we relied on paper in the system
That laid the foundations to understand where we relied on paper in the system
What we had was a couple of years on minor services with some people working on the nuts and bolts of the main application service. We did that with loads of ops colleagues, because we saw them as users as much as the public.
That built confidence in the process.
That built confidence in the process.
November 18, 2025 at 8:23 AM
What we had was a couple of years on minor services with some people working on the nuts and bolts of the main application service. We did that with loads of ops colleagues, because we saw them as users as much as the public.
That built confidence in the process.
That built confidence in the process.
I was allowed to fail right from the outset. The instruction I got from the director was that we were going to build capability using ordinary people, not an elite group.
Started late 2012, GDS service manual published April 2013, I failed a service assessment in June, and used feedback to iterate
Started late 2012, GDS service manual published April 2013, I failed a service assessment in June, and used feedback to iterate
November 18, 2025 at 8:18 AM
I was allowed to fail right from the outset. The instruction I got from the director was that we were going to build capability using ordinary people, not an elite group.
Started late 2012, GDS service manual published April 2013, I failed a service assessment in June, and used feedback to iterate
Started late 2012, GDS service manual published April 2013, I failed a service assessment in June, and used feedback to iterate
That was certainly part of it. However even the more complicated services can categorise better and use branching logic to improve the questions they ask and then collect information they need to resolve in one human interaction (if not automated).
Too many online services look like paper forms
Too many online services look like paper forms
November 18, 2025 at 8:13 AM
That was certainly part of it. However even the more complicated services can categorise better and use branching logic to improve the questions they ask and then collect information they need to resolve in one human interaction (if not automated).
Too many online services look like paper forms
Too many online services look like paper forms
If anyone managing a public service that would like to make it better wants to get in touch feel free.
I'm still a civil servant, and my current programme role finishes in February.
I'm still a civil servant, and my current programme role finishes in February.
November 18, 2025 at 8:09 AM
If anyone managing a public service that would like to make it better wants to get in touch feel free.
I'm still a civil servant, and my current programme role finishes in February.
I'm still a civil servant, and my current programme role finishes in February.
I did service design on the passport service in 2015 (other people built that, and others make it continue to work well give them the credit).
Other public services could do that if they had a senior with vision. I think the success in HMPO was the senior leadership allowing us to do new things.
Other public services could do that if they had a senior with vision. I think the success in HMPO was the senior leadership allowing us to do new things.
November 18, 2025 at 8:06 AM
I did service design on the passport service in 2015 (other people built that, and others make it continue to work well give them the credit).
Other public services could do that if they had a senior with vision. I think the success in HMPO was the senior leadership allowing us to do new things.
Other public services could do that if they had a senior with vision. I think the success in HMPO was the senior leadership allowing us to do new things.
They're not too bad in Scotland. Abolished peak fares too.
October 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
They're not too bad in Scotland. Abolished peak fares too.
Slight lull at the moment in Angus, but it was battering my windows earlier!
October 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Slight lull at the moment in Angus, but it was battering my windows earlier!