A1 Business Plan & Structural Reform Plan

Background

The Business Plan and Structural Reform Plans are the key tool of the Coalition Government for making departments accountable for the implementation of the reforms set out in the Coalition Agreement. They replace the old, top-down systems of targets and central micromanagement. DFID's Structural Reform Plan (SRP) sets out some of the steps we will take to help achieve the Coalition Government¿s objectives on international development. It focuses on the main internal, structural reforms we will make in DFID. We expect to be held to account by Parliament and by the public on whether we deliver these reforms. Underpinning the SRP is DFID's Business Plan to cover the Spending Review period. This will outline DFID¿s vision over the next four years. It will include the Structural Reform Plan, an Information Strategy and a list of indicators that DFID will report on regularly. This is developed in consultation with the business, including the different review processes. The 2012-2015 Business Plan is now published. To help ensure delivery of the overall Business Plan we have developed a format for DFID Operational Plans. These Operational Plans will be the single layer of planning across the organisation. They are designed to significantly streamline our planning and reporting processes.
Our corporate responsibilities are therefore to:

negotiate with Treasury the Structural Reform Plan for each Spending Review period
ensure that DFID's operational planning process addresses the goals and targets set out in the Structural Reform Plan
monitor progress against the Structural Reform Plan. Progress on actions are discussed at fortnightly meetings held between DFID Senior Management (Director Generals), No.10, Cabinet Office and HMT. This external reporting is complemented by quarterly reporting to the Management Board
respond to Parliamentary scrutiny by both the International Development Committee (IDC), and through the National Audit Office (NAO) the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). We have a responsibility to address requests for information from both Committees in their annual review of the Annual Report and Accounts together with other enquiries
ensure that the Accounting Officer completes the statement of internal control, which accompanies DFID's annual accounts. This is derived from the statement of assurance to the accounting officer provided by individual directors (Directors Statements).

Compliance Tasks

1. The Management Board is collectively responsible to Ministers for the delivery of DFID's corporate goals and targets. It provides strategic direction to the management of DFID's operations, ensures that corporate goals are cascaded through the organisation and that performance indicators are met. The Board monitors and manages risk through the Corporate Risk Register and reviews this on a quarterly basis along with corporate management information.

Task assigned to: All Staff

2. Operational Plans should translate the outcomes of the Spending Review 2010 as well as the Bilateral Aid Review, Multilateral Aid Review and Humanitarian Emergency Response Review processes into plans that will set out the operations of different units of DFID for the next four years. Director Generals are responsible for determining the appropriate level for operational planning in their Directorates.

For Country Programmes the operational unit is the country office (or regional office). For International and Policy Divisions the operational unit is the Department.

Task assigned to: Director, Head of Department, Head of Overseas Office

3. Directors must ensure they have a monitoring system, which enables them to report on these corporate requirements in line with the agreed timeframes set out in the corporate performance management system.

Task assigned to: Director

4. Directors' annual statements of assurance set out both the actions they will take during the year and their guarantee of the robustness of systems and processes to ensure that they can manage, monitor and report against corporate requirements.

Task assigned to: Director

5. Corporate Performance Group (CPG) will issue Commissioning Minutes and Guidance notes for Business and Operational planning processes along with Annual Report (AR), Autumn Performance Review (APR), monitoring exercises and all other external monitoring reports.

Task assigned to: All Staff, Director, Head of Department, Head of Overseas Office

Risks of non-compliance

Damage to Departmental Credibility.
Shortfalls in prioritisation, inappropriate deployment of resources and failings in DFID's external monitoring will all lead to criticism from the International Development Committee (IDC) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Permanent Secretary to be called to account before the IDC and PAC.
All of these have wider impacts on DFID's reputation and may have an impact on negotiations with Treasury in the next Capital Spending round.

Last updated: 07 Jun 2012

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