A new governing party brings big changes for civil service decision-makers. For some, it will mean a reassessment, reprioritization or intensification of existing work programs. For others it will mean creating new policy from first principles and – given the speed at which the Labor government seems to be moving – at a significant pace!

From my experience leading in departments such as DESNZ and (formerly) BEIS, teams can find the early stages of the policy development cycle difficult at times, even overwhelming. They may be unsure where to start or how to incorporate ministerial wishes, departmental goals, stakeholder views, data and research findings, technical expertise and policy knowledge into the work while identifying policy options and key decisions to drive progress. In newly established teams – an obvious characteristic of a new government – ​​some staff will be completely new to the subject.

A quick google of “policy development” reveals a myriad of detailed information online. But what seems to be missing is a set of high-level prompts that teams can use to drive work in greater depth, connect thinking, connect stakeholder engagement with the use of evidence, identify uncertainties and trade-offs, and move to decision-making.

The Developing Options Pathways framework (at the bottom of this article) is my attempt to support policy teams with this. It guides the user through six mini-steps of policy development (all before implementation) using key questions to stimulate thinking to move from first principles to identifying precursors. Not all steps need to be followed sequentially; several (1-3) can be progressed in parallel with some coordination in between. And given that political decision-making in government is rarely linear, the framework provides flexibility so that if circumstances or priorities change, the knowledge and results can be easily updated across each mini-step and rolled into updated outputs or options.

So what advice would I give to teams as they embark on a policy development journey?

1. Take the time to understand the strategic context. Sometimes teams jump straight to problem identification without considering what or who is driving the change and why. The political (small “p”) context can be critical to the choice of final policy options, so it should be understood and documented early on. For example, if a minister has commissioned the work, talk to his private secretary to discover background, expectations, red lines…
2. Feel empowered and be curious. If you are asked to lead a policy or an aspect of it, own it! What may seem like a silly question can stimulate deeper thinking, even among experts. Use your curiosity to constructively challenge the status quo, test an opposing view, or explore possible solutions.
3. Stretch out. Unless the topic is very sensitive or restricted, I recommend talking to various stakeholders (such as industry experts, academics, researchers, regulators, engineers, consumer groups, NGOs) throughout the process. This will drive diversity of thought, challenge your own thinking and help you discover what the stakeholder community already knows or can contribute.
4. Focus on what you know (not what you don’t know). When learning about a problem, it’s possible to be overwhelmed—even paralyzed—by what you don’t know. Make a plan to catch the gaps and adjust as you know more, but don’t let that stop you from developing what you know.
5. Stress test. The best policy solutions come from a process of creation, feedback, iteration and pragmatism. You don’t have to find the perfect answer the first time – give ideas, share them widely and diversely (you can reserve this as “initial thinking”) and be ready to refine them after feedback.
6. Decide how to handle gaps in the substrate. By evidence base, I mean all kinds of tangible information that can support decision-making, such as modeling and survey data, research results, consultation responses, stakeholder views, market and technical intelligence and government statistics. In my experience, the evidence base in one segment rarely matches 100% of policy needs, but cumulative results across segments can identify trends and drive pragmatic solutions. Identifying where the gaps are and how you will address them is critical to robust policy design.
7. Ministers will need to know about risks and trade-offs. When evidence- and rationale-based advice is given to ministers, teams often focus on articulating the merits of the recommendations. But for full transparency, it is important to also make the ministers aware of the disadvantages. Be sure to specify the risks associated with the recommendation – what might come back to bite? – and the trade-offs – the things you have you had to sacrifice or de-prioritize to get ahead. By doing this, you support your minister to make decisions based on a holistic view of the issue or situation.

Policy development: developing alternative pathways

Clare Dobson is an independent policy consultant. She is a former senior civil servant with over 20 years of policy-making experience.