Case Study: Office of Rail and Road builds a people-first data strategy with Objective Corporation

Office of Rail and Road launches data strategy in 2023 with Objective Corporation

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) sought to enhance its use of data to better regulate the rail industry and monitor national highways. The challenge was to develop a comprehensive data strategy that would unlock greater value from its data, requiring significant cultural change, leadership buy-in, and staff engagement. Vikas Dhawan, Head of Data Strategy, led this initiative for ORR with insights from Objective Corporation.

The solution, guided by Objective Corporation's expertise, was a 'people-first' approach to developing the data strategy. This involved extensive staff engagement through one-to-one discussions, a bespoke survey, workshops, and a formal data maturity assessment. The resulting strategy, launched in 2023, garnered strong staff buy-in and created significant internal momentum. A key measurable impact was ORR coming top of the league across all civil service departments in the ‘One Big Thing’ initiative, and an implementation plan was established with open workstreams for staff to help embed the new data-led culture.

Office of Rail and Road