This document provides an overview of Policy Lab, an organization within the UK government that uses innovative methods and tools to help policy teams work in new ways. It discusses Policy Lab's focus on design, digital technologies, and data to help transform government for efficiency and productivity. Several case studies are described, including using ethnography and data science to understand how to support people managing health conditions while staying in work. Policy Lab offers various types of support projects to policy teams across UK government departments.

1. Developing modern,
user centric and
innovative policy practice
November 2016

2. Innovation for policy
bring to government?
Business /
growth
Policy
Transport
Policy
Energy
Policy
Education
Policy
Farming
Policy
Environment
Policy
400 priorities
Foreign
Policy
Youth
Policy

3. About
Policy Lab

4. Department
for Transport
(DfT)
Department
for Business,
Energy and
Industrial
Strategy
(BEIS)
Department
for Education
(DfE)
Department
for Work and
Pensions
(DWP)
Ministry of
Justice
(MOJ)
Foreign and
Commonwealth
Office (FCO)
Department
for Exiting the
EU (DExEU)
Department
for
International
Development
(DFID)
Department for
Environment
and Rural
Affairs
(DEFRA)
Cabinet
Office
(CO)
70Whitehall
Ministry of
Defence
(MOD)
Department
of Health
(DH)
HM Treasury
(HMT)
Department
of Culture
Media and
Sport
(DCMS)
HM Revenue
and Customs
(HMRC)
Department
for
Communities
and Local
Government
(CLG)
Policy
Lab
Home Office
(HO)

7. Lab practice
and tools
Methods and tools
The methods we use vary
depending on the project but
routinely include:
• Ethnography
• Design thinking
• Data science
Our tools, techniques and methods
are now listed in the Open Policy
Making toolkit and are also in our
MethodBank on slideshare.

8. Lab offer
Lab projects - support for up to a
year to enable policy teams to
work in new ways.
Lab sprints - wrap-around
support over a short intensive
period of time to accelerate a
project.
Lab sessions - short
introductions to using Lab tools
and techniques.
Lab experiments - one off trials
of new and emergent techniques.
Working with Lab

9. The 3 big Ds
Design
Digital
Data

10. Open Gov
= Govx

11. Transformation
For efficiency & productivity

13. Digital Policing
Service design & digital transformation

14. “How can we improve police
support for victims of crime in
a digital age?”

19. @catdrew19 @PolicyLabUK Norwegian Government 2016

20. @catdrew19 @PolicyLabUK Norwegian Government 2016

22. Future of Ageing
Speculative Design in Foresight

24. https://vimeo.com/157995509

26. Employment
Data science and Ethnography

27. “How can we support people
to manage their health
conditions and stay in work?”

29. Health & work
Data science
Demonstration project
Health & Work

30. Health & work
Data science
Demonstration project
Health & Work

31. Demonstration project
Health & work

32. Health & work
prototyping
Demonstration project
Health & Work
Penzance
East London
Newcastle
Southend
Bournemouth
Demonstration project
Health & work

34. Policy Lab UK
Read more openpolicy.blog.gov.uk
On twitter @PolicyLabUK
Get in touch direct
policylab@cabinetoffice.gov.uk