Approach

Approach

The NSSO will continue to implement the reforms of the Civil and Public Service developed by the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform with robust governance. In particular we will provide data and insights to our PSB clients, embed and spread a culture of innovation in our staff, and support our client PSBs as they face major challenges both operationally and strategically.

As a service organisation, the NSSO relies on its people for success and we will continue to engage, develop and invest in our staff. Our ambitious People Programmes will complement the Work Force, Workplace, and Organisation for the Future strategy within Civil Service Renewal 2030. We will build on this to become more effective by overcoming functional siloes to unlock responsive, innovative thinking. Under our Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duties we will promote equality, eliminate discrimination and protect human rights under our Equality, Inclusion and Diversity programme.

For the wider Civil Service we will continue to support the implementation under Civil Service Renewal Action Plan 2024 and its successor. In particular we will continue to improve and upgrade our technology to enhance our services and reinforce our security. We will implement the recommendations stemming from our organisational capability review, culture evaluation survey, and pulse surveys, and other feedback from our staff and stakeholders.

Innovation is central to our mission and values. We will play a key role in the Public Service-wide vision of harnessing the power of innovation to deliver world-class public services in Ireland. The NSSO has a culture of innovation. Over the term of this Strategy we will work to scale up our innovative efforts by connecting and collaborating with colleagues across the Public Service. The business intelligence we deliver to our clients will drive transformative innovation by providing them with strategic insights into future trends and requirements. We will develop an Innovation Strategy to define how the NSSO will implement the wider Public Service Innovation Strategy for citizen-centric innovation, developing a culture of innovation, scaling innovation across the Public Service and transformation through innovation.

The Financial Management Shared Services Programme was launched with Wave 1 in 2022 and is the third NSSO service. This is a large, complex technology and organisation development transformation programme and requires robust project management, strong governance and visible sponsorship from the Civil Service Management Board (CSMB) for further wave deployments. A risk and assurance framework, aligned with key milestones and reporting on deliverables and a detailed Integrated Project Plan, is in place to ensure that the programme remains on track.

The NSSO will need to invest in next generation technology to improve both the quality and speed of our services. We will deploy cloud technology where possible and exploit Artificial Intelligence to become a centre of expertise in Robotic Process Automation, rapidly accelerating and improving the digital work environment across the Civil Service through better access to employee data through business intelligence and enhanced workflow and integration of our IT platforms, more effective customer engagement, and more flexible ways of working through enhanced integrated HR and Payroll technology.

The NSSO also provides guidance and support to the other Public Service sectors of Education, Health and Local Government, as they advance their individual Shared Service plans. Shared Services is a Government policy and evaluation of benefits delivered is led in each sector in line with their individual Shared Service plans. Ultimately the NSSO’s success can reinforce Ireland’s leading position as a location for Global Business Services centres, gaining industry recognition for Government and Ireland Inc. for scale and best practices.