Analysis Function Annual Report April 2023 to March 2024

Throughout the past year, we continued our research into the factors that ensure analytical advice is influential. We shared our findings with departments to ensure that analysis informs improved working practices. These covered:

• increasing engagement between analytical and policy teams
• using innovative methods and subject-matter expertise
• improving the quality of analytical outputs.

We worked closely with the policy profession to develop guidance on how analysis can support policy development. We also shared lessons learned following the 2023 Machinery of Government changes.

Our guidance on Theory of Change continues to be widely used. This was published in January 2023, and in the 2023/24 financial year it continued to grow in popularity, with 4,100 active users. We held a series of cross-government workshops to improve the use of Theory of Change in policy planning and evaluation.

We continued to promote a range of guidance and support throughout the year, ensuring people across government have the tools they need for effective analysis. This included running regular interactive sessions, seminars, and communities of practice, such as our communicating analysis clinics which help analysts solve problems in data visualisation and accessibility.

Our data visualisation e-learning, published in November 2022 was a source of learning for 11,400 active users in the 2023/24 financial year. It has been incorporated into the Data Visualisation Training Pathway from the ONS Learning Academy. We also worked with Data Science Campus colleagues, who developed the AF colour palette packages in Python and R. These packages were accessed by 1,600 active users in the same period, showing the importance of these tools for data visualisation across government.

We introduced a new series of innovation showcase events and ‘sold’ over 400 tickets across the Civil Service. We also published the AF Innovation Hub which is designed to be a central repository for analysts working within government who want to find new and exciting ways of working. We supported the creation of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Steering Group for Analysis to ensure government is using best practice and influencing developments on this topic.

We continued to promote the Integrated Data Service (IDS), encouraging members of the Analysis Function to support the development of the IDS by promoting it within their own departments. The IDS is a cross-government data platform that enables improved data analysis and integration to take place across government. The IDS has been designed to develop a culture of data sharing to encourage colleagues to work together across government departments, and the wider research community. This will lead to a more comprehensive and united data analysis environment that will improve ways of working.

The 2023 Coding in Analysis and Research Survey (CARS) is complete. Across government Python, R and SQL (open-source language coding tools) are the top three coding tools used by respondents. Awareness of Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP) has increased every year the survey has been running, starting at 68% in 2020 and now at 88%.

The Analysis Standards and Pipelines RAP team successfully completed several consultancy projects and case studies for this work, these are published on the AF website. The team also continued to support cross-government modelling, through the ONS Methodology Advisory Service and working with the cross-government modelling and forecasting network.

We have continued to promote the updated Analysis Function Standard, through various engagement activities, including bespoke briefing sessions and presentations for departments. There has been a 16% increase in website page views in the 2023/24 financial year when compared with the 2022/23 financial year. This increase has helped to promote awareness of the Standard across government. We are updating the Standard to include feedback from other functions.

Following user feedback from the 22/23 Analysis Function Standards Assessments exercise, run between February and April last year, we updated the assessment process and associated guidance. Since doing so, we have received a good response from participants for the 23/24 exercise. The feedback was particularly positive from Arms Length’s Bodies (ALBs), with twice as many reporting having completed the 23/24 assessment compared with the 22/23 exercise.

We worked with departments, professions and other functions on a project led by colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to draft an addendum to the Aqua Book. This addendum was published in October 2023 to meet the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommendations on Business-Critical Models. We are also supporting the wider update to the Aqua Book.

Analysis in Government Month

The third Analysis in Government Month (AiG Month) took place in May 2023, with the theme of “impact”. The aim of the event was to show how government analysis can best inform policy decisions and operational delivery, which ultimately affects the society we all live in.

We hosted 35 live sessions across the month and ‘sold’ 10,800 tickets, making it the best-selling AiG month yet. Ticket sales were higher for AiG Month 2023 than all previous AiG Month events combined. Thousands of colleagues from across professions and departments came together to learn from each other, share best practice, and develop their skills.

Analysis in Government Awards

Our Analysis in Government (AiG) awards are designed to recognise and celebrate the inspirational people and outstanding teams producing analysis across government.

We hosted the fourth AiG Awards, receiving 109 nominations from 29 departments and 13 professions across government. We hosted a “Celebration Day” event in February 2024, which gave attendees the opportunity to learn more about the AiG award winners and their work. We celebrated colleagues from across government analysis professions and departments including:

• Cabinet Office
• Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
• Office for National Statistics (ONS).

At least two of these high-level presentations were later developed into hour-long learning events for Analysis in Government Month (AiG Month) 2024.

Other engagement activities

Beyond these core events, we have engaged colleagues working in analysis across government by using a variety of communication channels, keeping the analysis community informed of continuous improvement opportunities and support. This includes our:

• monthly AF newsletter – this has steadily gained subscribers and now has a distribution list of over 3,500 analysts
• social media channels – these have grown steadily and we now have an audience of over 2,500 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

Since its launch in May 2022, the Analysis Function website has become an important source of information for our diverse analytical community, receiving 760,000 views from 151,300 active users from launch to the end of the 2023/24 financial year. Google Analytics recorded 106,200 active users in the 2023/24 financial year alone; double the active users in the previous financial year.

The AF central team also worked with Local Analyst Networks (LANs), to develop Analysis Function affiliated branding and broaden appeal, engagement, and relevance across local networks.

As a result of the AF capability workplan last year, we developed and released a collection of new tools and products to support our community of 17,000 analysts across government. This included:

• offering analysts from lower socio-economic backgrounds a place on the pilot ‘AF Links’ development programme
• supporting two new cohorts of junior analysts as part of our mutual mentoring programme
• providing information sessions on the Future Leaders Scheme (FLS) and Senior Leaders Scheme (SLS) throughout the summer
• encouraging our analytical audience to engage with central Civil Service development programmes.

We also updated the workforce data product which gives a clear view of the cross-government analytical workforce, including information about where analysts are working and the size of the workforce.

In August 2023 we launched the AF Resourcing Hub, which provides a central repository of analytical resourcing best practice. It has had 360 active users between its publication on 02 August 2023 and 31st March 2024. A popular product has been the process map for analytical recruitment. We also refreshed the AF Career Framework and upgraded the Online Skills Tool. Over 300 analysts attended show and tell events about these updated resources in December 2023.

A refreshed technical learning curriculum has replaced the previous learning curriculum . The new curriculum provides analysts with more recommended technical learning than ever before, from a range of providers and sources. The previous curriculum had received 810 views in the 2022/23 financial year, which increased to 1,900 views in the 2023/24 financial year.

We updated our learning pathway for non-analysts, which was accessed by 2,100 active users in the 2023/24 financial year. We also participated in a range of events across government to raise awareness of the importance of analytical skills for all civil servants, which is an important priority for reform.

Building on the success of previous years, we have continued to build a strong and inclusive functional culture. We have done this by working with Chief Analysts on our board of Departmental Directors of Analysis (DDANs) and departmental AF Champions. Our strategy webpage has seen 910 active users during the 2023/24 financial year, and the central team have provided regular reporting and updates about our work to DDANs, the Analysis Function Board and People Board throughout the year.

We also provided engagement and information sharing forums with our analytical leadership, through our monthly AF Briefing sessions. The briefing sessions provide an opportunity for analysts to showcase cutting-edge analysis and techniques. We also held 8 AF Champions meetings over the last financial year, with representation from 17 departments, showcasing analysis and sharing best practice.

In 2023, the central team conducted an exercise to understand how they can best support Chief Analysts in their roles. This included a small ‘Service Liaison’ pilot, where the team trialled new ways of working with departments. The findings from this pilot have already helped inform our priorities and approaches to achieving the aims of our strategy that we will deliver for the year 2024-2025.