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Unlocking the power of data analysis at the Home Office: introducing the Analytics Workbench

Blog posted by:  and , 30 October 2024 – Categories: Continuous improvementData.

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The true power of data is only realised when it's analysed effectively and efficiently. With our new data platform, Analytics Workbench, we are delivering a streamlined approach for data analysis, ensuring that the insights derived are not only high in quality but also impactful in informing decision-making.  

The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office plays a fundamental role in the security and economic prosperity of the United Kingdom. Data-informed decision-making plays an increasingly important role in this.   

The challenges we faced in delivering a unified approach to analysing data 

A photo pf Stefan Collymore, author and Product Manager.

Stefan Collymore, Product Manager.

Being part of the data revolution is vital for driving innovation, delivering better outcomes for the public and supporting the nation's long-term aspirations in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. 

Over the years, the Home Office has leveraged systems and tools and taken a variety of approaches to data, analytical methods, and the sharing of insights.  

This approach needed a refresh. We conducted a discovery involving user research with our analysts across the Home Office. The discovery revealed that, in the past, designs curated for individual teams have not always fulfilled the needs of analysts and varied approaches to data management has inhibited the ability to share or re-use code and capability.  

While this data landscape delivered insights, it challenged integrated ways of working and innovation. 

We needed a department-wide focus on maintaining high standards of analysis. High quality data delivered to the right people at the right time helps us identify emerging risks as part of high level strategic planning across critical services. It enables effective resource deployment across the many aspects of our operations via trend and pattern analysis. 

Analysts from across the department have been clear about their need for a unified offering that can support their work, foster collaboration, and take advantage of the rapidly evolving field of data analytics. Our analysts asked for: 

  • a centralised data hub 
  • the most updated software packages on offer, and  
  • data models that are fit for purpose. 

Introducing the Analytics Workbench: a single platform centralising data access and management  

In response to these challenges, Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) worked with Home Office analyst colleagues to design and launch the Analytics Workbench.  

This platform is transformative for analysts, providing a centralised and cohesive environment for data access and management, analysis, and collaboration.  

The Analytics Workbench was developed through a user-centred design approach and in line with Government Service Standards. We engaged the analytical community to understand their needs and pain points. We conducted an alpha to experiment with solutions, with a criteria for assessment based strongly on the user experience of analysts. We used KPIs and metrics, aligned with the Government Digital Service, to capture holistic performance through different product phases.  

Benefits of the Analytics Workbench 

The Analytics Workbench offers numerous benefits to its users. Centralising data access and management on a single platform streamlines the entire process, ensuring that users can easily navigate their operations efficiently. Now our analysts can: 

  • easily upload data via code or User Interface 
  • use industry standard tooling to perform analysis and generate insights 
  • collaborate with team members on data sets to raise the level of set quality, and 
  • re-use code and packages to make analysis quicker and more effective. 

A photo of the author Annika Toomer, Product Manager.

Annika Toomer, Product Manager.

Upholding the highest standards of data governance and security, the platform enables analysts direct access to billions of data records, which are essential for generating the insights necessary for evidence-based and data-informed decision-making whilst protecting precious public data via secure processing and storage.  

With automated data management processes in place, users benefit from using the matched and cleansed data with a clear understanding of its governing frameworks. For example, Analytics Workbench is helping address complex migration challenges by providing more accurate data and improved analytical outputs, saving operational time and ensuring a higher efficiency of resource deployment.  

The Analytics Workbench enables quicker assessment of test scenarios and options in real time, making the impacts and implications of operational decisions better understood. 

The platform also standardises the technology used for analysis, incorporating advanced tools such as R and Python that enable analysts to produce and share their insights in more efficient ways. Analysts can now work together more effectively, sharing code, data, and outputs across teams and units.  

The Analytics Workbench has enabled analysts to tap into thousands of industry standard coding packages from the wider analytical community through new capability that ensures that these are readily available and secure to use within the Home Office.  

Analytics Workbench: a success story 

We’ve surveyed our analysts since the launch of the Analytics Workbench. A remarkable 100% viewed the Analytics Workbench as essential to their work and the outcomes they are delivering for the department and the public: 

“The potential is incredible and will totally transform the work we do” - Data Scientist  

Our goal is to gradually enable the convergence of a significant amount of the analytical technological landscape to the Analytics Workbench.  

The platform acts as a roadmap, focused on building the capability to experiment and creating an environment for great innovation in line with DDaT's 2024 Strategy to converge technologies where possible, create shared technology products, and be product-centric over programme-centric.  

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Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office

Original article link: https://hodigital.blog.gov.uk/2024/10/30/unlocking-the-power-of-data-analysis-at-the-home-office-introducing-the-analytics-workbench/

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