New CIMA Report identifies seven fundamental building blocks needed to successfully deliver UK Government’s Five Missions

16 October 2024, London - Today, CIMA launched its report "Delivering the Five Missions: Business Insights for a purposeful and integrated Government". The report is designed to stimulate thinking on how to accelerate the strategic delivery capabilities of Central Government in pursuit of its aim to set the UK on the road to long-term prosperity.

A compelling strategy requires a strategic vision, a comprehensive plan to get there and a team that is motivated and understands their role in its delivery and implementation. For effective government, the adoption of an integrated government business model, focusing on purpose, governance, strategy, performance, measurement, transparency, and people is essential.

The report makes seven recommendations to deliver the Five Missions over the short-, medium-, and long-term made through the lens of private sector best practices and insights from senior business leaders.

The Seven Business Insights are:

1. Build out the strategy and develop the business plan - translate the mission statements into defined and well-resourced multi-year business plans. Identifying key accountabilities and outcomes for the short-, medium-, and long-term.

2. Establish a strategy and reporting function - to support the strategy development and its delivery and provide management information to drive integrated and data-led decision-making at Cabinet and Missions Board level.

3. Address the governance - through a clear and well-defined structure of responsibility and accountability for strategic decision-making and delivery. Scrutiny and challenge of (and by) the Boards will be important. The Prime Minister should chair a new Mission Steering Group, and experienced independent non-executives will play a crucial role.

4. Take a multi-year investment outlook - reflect further on the fiscal rules. Differentiate between capital expenditure (CapEx) and operating expenditure (OpEx) for all public finances, including separate control mechanisms. Consider the benefits of "borrowing for growth" to invest in projects that deliver long-term growth opportunities.

5. Assess the risk appetite - clearly define the risk appetite for each strategic delivery and build in acceptable levels of tolerance and failure for each stage of delivery. Use data to assess and calculate risks and widely communicate the risk appetite to encourage and incentivise innovation.

6. Develop leadership and skills - focus on talent development, performance management, and delivery excellence. Build teams within the Civil Service with deep knowledge and subject matter expertise. Focus recognition and promotion on track record of delivering strategic projects and align incentives with delivery of the missions as well as business as usual activities.

7. Make better decisions - take decisions on an integrated basis, using high-quality data and prioritise transparency of information and reporting.

The report also highlights that delivery and effective implementation of the Five Missions will depend on capabilities within the Civil Service, calling for a skills transformation through investment in training and talent development to seize new opportunities that technologies, such as artificial intelligence, could offer to enhance better decision-making and productivity.

Andrew Harding, FCMA, CGMA, Chief Executive - Management Accounting at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said: "As any business leader will attest, delivering transformative change is challenging, difficult and takes time. It is also often necessary and rewarding. There are correlations and lessons learnt from business that could be applied to make government effective and deliver results."

Charles Tilley OBE, who chaired the Report's Advisory Group, added: "Given the long-term nature of the Five Missions within a dynamic world with changing priorities, implementation will be incredibly challenging. CIMA's Report seeks to share the insights from senior business leaders, all of whom emphasised the need for delivery to be built on the foundations of a clear strategy and implementation plan, and the effective separation of the funding of investments from the funding of current activities."