Why is the NDA needed?

The UK Government is undertaking a significant digital transformation initiative with the National Digital Architecture (NDA).

This initiative is considered necessary because of several key challenges hindering the UK public sector’s efficient and effective use of digital technology. These challenges prevent the public sector from fully realizing the potential of digital transformation and delivering optimal public services.

Siloed Working and Duplication of Effort

One of the main challenges is the lack of information and resource sharing between different government departments. With approximately 100,000 digital data professionals working across the public sector, there is significant potential for collaboration and knowledge sharing. However, the current systems and incentives do not encourage such collaboration, leading to duplicated efforts and inefficiencies. Professionals often find themselves “doing the same thing as other people in another organisation they don’t even know about”.

Short-Term Funding for Long-Term Systems

Another challenge stems from the misalignment between the funding cycles of digital projects and the lifespan of the systems they create. While digital systems are often built to last for years or even decades, the projects that fund them have shorter lifespans. This discrepancy often results in periods of neglect for these systems once the initial funding runs out, leading to decay and ultimately necessitating expensive repairs or replacements.

Managing Digital Dependence and Risk

Finally, the UK, like many developed nations, is heavily reliant on digital systems for its critical infrastructure and public services. This dependence brings inherent risks, both from malicious cyberattacks and system failures. Currently, the UK public sector lacks adequate visibility into these national-level threats, making it challenging to prepare for and respond to them effectively. The CrowdStrike incident, for instance, highlighted how even unintentional events can disrupt public services on a large scale.

The NDA aims to overcome these challenges by implementing a unified approach to digital service delivery.