Who are the Ministry of Justice?

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), a pivotal government body, manages Subject Access Requests (SAR), which is a crucial service for individuals seeking personal information from the organisation.

What was the project?

MoJ handles a diverse range of SARs, including requests from offenders, all the while struggling with complying with new GDPR regulations, manual processing, outdated IT systems, and a paper-intensive legacy process that was leading to numerous inefficiencies and delays.

A paper-filled warehouse in Branston represents the challenge: manual processing of 500 SARs per month, stemming from varied requests, using an outdated £500 million IT system. Delays, inefficiencies, and potential GDPR breaches posed significant risks.

How did I help?

I conducted a 5-week discovery using a service design approach, analysing existing research, and interviewing Branston team members. I documented everything using both service and system mapping approaches, engaging stakeholders in workshops, and promoting a mindset shift from “digitise everything” to designing a user-centred service for offenders and staff.

I identified barriers, weaknesses, and opportunities through service and system mapping, highlighting issues such as inaccessible offender records, a risk-averse culture, and unreliable IT systems. I participated in program board meetings to advocate for the user-centric design process.

Transformation involved identifying critical problems, recommending next steps, and influencing the establishment of a team for further Offender SAR journey discovery. Lows encompassed the challenge of a risk-averse culture and outdated systems.

What was the outcome?

The project identified and addressed key issues, including inaccessibility of offender records and IT system failures. Short-term and long-term solutions were outlined, influencing the Head of Information Services to initiate further discovery work on the Offender SAR journey. The shift towards a user-centric approach promised improved efficiency and compliance for the Ministry of Justice.