Case Study: UK Civil Service improves digital leadership evaluation with ICF's pilot RCT

UK Civil Service boosts Digital Excellence Programme outcomes with ICF’s pilot RCT and 73% follow-up response rate

The UK Civil Service sought to improve the digital and data capabilities of its senior leaders through its Digital Excellence Programme (DEP). Commissioning ICF, the challenge was to design a rigorous evaluation for this training to address concerns about low digital fluency and its impact on large-scale digital delivery performance.

ICF implemented a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the DEP's effectiveness and the feasibility of the evaluation approach. The results provided promising evidence that the training improved participants' self-reported attitudes and behaviors. The pilot also demonstrated that a full trial would be feasible, achieving a 73% survey response rate with over 150 civil servants recruited. ICF's work established a valuable test case for using rigorous RCT evaluations within the Civil Service.

UK Civil Service