We use some essential cookies to make this website work.
We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use the Government Project Delivery website, remember your settings and improve government services.
5.1 The purpose of equality, diversity and inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion are important considerations to ensure that everyone working in government:
meets the public sector equality duty and other legal requirements protecting equality within the United Kingdom
champions diversity and inclusion in how public services are developed and delivered, to help all British people, tackle disadvantage and improve lives
helps create an inclusive culture that draws on a rich diversity of talent, skills and experience, welcomes innovation and challenge, guarantees fairness and provides a safe and supportive place to work
5.2 Key points
Build equality, diversity and inclusion into working practices, solutions and outcomes.
Listen to different voices.
Be creative in how to involve different ideas and perspectives.
Value people, skills, and diversity of thought.
Trust and empower people to deliver.
5.3 Why are equality, diversity and inclusion important in project delivery?
Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental principles underpinning the work of government. The work done in government and the outcomes delivered involve and affect many people across the UK and internationally. People working in government must meet the legal obligations on equality and champion diversity and inclusion, both in the outcomes delivered and how they are delivered. These are therefore important considerations for everyone working in project delivery, underpinning the work and culture of government.
eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010
advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not
The UK is a signatory to the United Nations sustainable development goals, as set out in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The goals most relevant to equality, diversity and inclusion are around:
good health and wellbeing
gender equality
decent work and economic growth
reduced inequalities
Government project delivery, nationally and internationally, has a key part to play in working towards these collective goals.
Championing diversity and inclusion creates an open, inclusive and welcoming working culture, where people feel safe, able to contribute freely and valued for what they bring.
Encouraging diversity of thought and approach involves:
attracting people with a wide range of skills, experience and background
working collaboratively across different disciplines
listening to different voices in teams and among stakeholders
This helps ensure work is inclusive by design and delivered in an appropriate way.
5.4 What is equality, diversity and inclusion?
Equality is a fundamental principle in UK and international law, whereby everyone is equal before and under the law and is entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection and benefit of the law.
In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 defines age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation as protected characteristics. It is unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly on the basis of a protected characteristic, subject to certain additional provisions under the Act.
Diversity provides a focus on championing a broad range of backgrounds and opinions- included those protected by prevailing equality legislation- with the merit principle front and centre and drawing on the talents of the widest possible range of geographical, social and career backgrounds. All diversity and inclusion people policies, processes and practices should be data-driven, evidence-led and delivery-focused.
Inclusion describes how we ensure that all staff feel valued, supported and have a sense of belonging to their organisation and team, supporting them to drive organisational performance through innovation, creativity, productivity and utilisation. All diversity and inclusion people policies, processes and practices should be data-driven, evidence-led and delivery-focused.
5.5 Who is responsible for promoting equality, diversity and inclusion?
Everyone who works in a public function or provides public services, including suppliers, shares in the duty to promote equality. In government project delivery, everyone also has a part to play in championing diversity and inclusion in the design, development and delivery of the work and in the day-to-day working environment.
The portfolio director, within a portfolio, or the senior responsible owner in a programme or project, have a specific accountability for ensuring that legal requirements are met at all times, for championing diversity and inclusion, and for establishing a safe and inclusive environment for delivery, with day-to-day responsibility then held by the portfolio, programme or project manager. Work package managers have a duty to make sure those needs are reflected in the management of their teams and deliverables they produce. Business case managers also play an important part in ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are considered in framing outcomes and options in the business case.
Behaviours are fundamental in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Leaders have a critical role in setting and modelling standards but everyone contributes.
5.6 What to consider in managing equality, diversity and inclusion
5.6.1 Consider equality, diversity and inclusion in planning
Public investments are expected to deliver social value through their outcomes, benefiting the UK’s communities, economy and nation as a whole. To achieve this, it is important to consider the differential impacts of proposals on different social groups when planning and making decisions on public investment; this includes the mandatory requirements set out in the Green Book and summarised below.
The public sector equality duty must be considered in appraising all proposals for public investment. It requires public authorities to advancing equality for individuals with protected characteristics identified in Equality Act 2010: age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and, for some purposes, marriage and civil partnership.
The consideration of equality issues must influence the decisions reached by public bodies, and practitioners are required to inform decision-makers of the potential differential impacts on groups or individuals with characteristics identified by the Act. Accordingly, equalities analysis is a required element of investment appraisal when developing and refining longlist and shortlist options, and the results must be made visible to decision-makers.
The Green Book recommends that where people with protected characteristics are negatively impacted by options differentially to the general population, consideration should be given to reducing the likelihood of this occurring. It also requires analysis of particular diversity and inclusion impacts to be considered in appraising options, specifically:
place-based analysis to consider how an intervention might have different impacts in different geographical areas, or in rural areas
distributional analysis to consider how an intervention might have different effects on individuals according to their characteristics (for example, income level or geographical distribution)
the family test to consider impacts on family relationships in the development of policy
The Green Book provides further guidance on conducting equalities and other forms of impact analysis in investment appraisal.
Ensure that sufficient time is allocated for this analysis and that the appropriate expertise is available. Start early, so that risks and issues can be identified and worked through robustly as part of options development and appraisal: equality, diversity and inclusion can raise many different considerations, and so analysis is often iterative and takes shape over time.
Engaging early with a wide range of stakeholders, including those who oppose the proposals, is critical in ensuring that outcomes are framed with equality, diversity and inclusion in mind, and can help address evidence gaps and find ways to address risks and issues identified as the analysis progresses. Chapter 26: Stakeholder engagement sets out more detail on this.
Where risks or issues on equality, diversity and inclusion remain, following decisions on investment, these should be added to the relevant register and managed through the established procedures.
Equality, diversity and inclusion should also be considered in evaluation design and implementation throughout the life cycle, both to understand whether the desired outcomes and expected social value are being delivered, and to identify any unexpected impacts. Further guidance on this is set out in Chapter 2: Policy and evaluation and in the Magenta Book (requires sign in).
Decisions on solution design and development are critical in determining how well the solution works for different users and influences the outcomes delivered and social value generated by the work. Solution design and development should ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion considerations are understood by the design and development teams before work begins, and that the relevant expertise is available, so that these are factored into the work as it progresses.
User-centred design practices, in particular, play an important role in ensuring that a solution meets the current and future needs of users in an accessible and inclusive way, and meets statutory requirements on accessibility. These include obligations under the Equality Act 2010 which require all public services to be accessible to everyone who needs them, including services only used by public employees; and specific provisions on access to digital services under the Public SectorBodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations (2018), which cover websites and mobile applications and apply to all public sector bodies. Further information on this is set out in the Government Functional Standard for Digital and in associated guidance on GOV.UK.
Designing for inclusion and accessibility is not just about meeting the needs of specific identified groups, however. All users can have different needs at different times and in different circumstances: their ability to use a service could be temporarily affected by their location, health or equipment, for example. Beware, too, of making assumptions about user needs. Bringing in first-hand user experiences, developing and validating user stories and journeys – virtually or, even better, physically – helps bring breadth of thinking into the team.
Consider also how the solution is to be validated, assured and implemented. For example:
are delivery partners aware of inclusion requirements?
have the needs of different groups been included in trials?
are guidance and signage accessible to all?
does a service rollout prioritise larger user groups and leave minority groups, for example those requiring special adjustments, to the end?
is a solution required to meet all identified user needs as a condition of acceptance, or is there a risk that some minority user needs might be passed to operations to sort out as part of ‘snagging’? Such issues can have a significant impact on whether or not a solution is felt to be inclusive by users, and on subsequent take up, as well as on wider reputation.
More information on user needs and requirements, solution design and delivery is set out in Part F: Solution delivery.
Project delivery is an inherently diverse discipline, involving people from many different professions and backgrounds. It also takes many forms in government, from iterative digital service transformation using product-based approaches, to major construction and defence projects, and international, national and local social and economic programmes. Attracting, retaining and developing the diversity of skills and experience needed, and being able to work collaboratively across disciplines, organisations and environments, are critical for successful project delivery in government.
Diversity, inclusion and fairness should underpin all people activities in government project delivery, as set out in the Government Functional Standard for People. In particular:
recruitment activity should be transparent, data-led and ensure a merit-based approach based on fair and open competition. Recruitment panels should be diverse, as defined in cross-government and organisational policies on diversity and inclusion
learning and development opportunities should be offered fairly, taking account of the results of capability, learning needs, and talent and diversity analysis, as well as organisational objectives
performance management should comply with policy and recommended practice on equality, diversity and inclusion; and consideration should be given to workplace adjustments that might support performance and progress
bullying, harassment and discrimination should not be tolerated under any circumstances, and appropriate polices, guidance, learning and communication should be in place to enable people to recognise and report any instances
Beyond these core requirements, consider how best to enable everyone in the team to use and grow their skills, experience and professional expertise effectively, even if they are only involved for a limited period. Encourage people with different backgrounds and expertise to share their experience, and provide opportunities for more junior staff to present to wider or more senior groups. Working collaboratively with people from other professional disciplines and backgrounds also provides excellent opportunities for learning and development as well as supporting the work: think about how to encourage and support this.
5.6.4 Build social value and diversity in the supply chain
Government investment has a lasting impact on individuals, communities and the environment including through its commercial activity. A focus on social value can encourage inclusive employment and supply chain practices, address skills gaps, promote co-design, community integration and environmental sustainability. A competitive and diverse supply landscape can help deliver innovation in public services, manage risk and provide greater value for taxpayers’ money.
The Social Value Act 2012 requires all public bodies to consider how what they are proposing to buy might improve economic, social and environmental wellbeing. Government departments and arm’s length bodies must use the social value model to explore and identify social value opportunities during early engagement with supply markets and service users in support of the government’s missions to kick start economic growth, make Britain a clean energy superpower, take back our streets, break down barriers to opportunity and build an NHS fit for the future. Public sector bodies must maximise social value effectively and comprehensively through procurement and account for it in their evaluation criteria.
Inclusion should be considered in setting up the work and the team to do it, particularly in developing the governance and management framework. This plays an important part in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for the work, where people with different skills and talents, backgrounds and experience can thrive and contribute fully.
Consider how the work is to be organised, governed and managed, including expectations on location and working arrangements. Do these encourage inclusion and diversity of participation? Do they mean that some people or groups have more influence than others? Are there particular considerations in terms of accessibility?
Think about the needs of everyone in the team. For example, governance and management can seem complicated, hierarchical and restrictive. Consider this in the design, so that everyone in the team understands how arrangements work and how to contribute and make their voice heard. Being clear on formal governance and decision-making arrangements, agreeing roles, responsibilities and accountabilities and documenting them, together with agreed routes for escalation, is critical in this. So too, however, are informal channels and opportunities for people to raise ideas and issues beyond their formal remit, for example through town halls, scrum meetings and retrospectives, team and individual meetings; these also should be considered in designing the governance and management framework.
Consider also how to involve a diverse range of voices in the team and in formal governance fora, including user perspectives where possible. Rotating representation can help bring balance and new perspectives and ideas, as well as providing development opportunities for individuals. Shadow boards can also help explore ideas and generate a wider range of contributions.
Collective development and discussion at an early stage helps set clear expectations on inclusive working practices and build understanding of how they work. Some teams also agree a short ‘charter’, setting out shared commitments to expected values and behaviours, including on inclusion within the working environment.
5.6.6 Create a safe, inclusive and empowering working environment
The need to work across professional disciplines and organisational boundaries can create misunderstandings and tensions among project delivery team members. The pressure to deliver to agreed parameters can create conflict. Risks and issues raise the stakes further. Unless these challenges are managed, working environments can quickly become unpleasant and divided places to work, increasing the likelihood of people feeling excluded, harassed, bullied or discriminated against.
Psychological safety is recognised as a key factor in establishing high-performing teams, particularly in challenging environments. It is also a critical foundation for promoting inclusion. Creating a working environment where people feel safe to express their views, raise issues and challenge assumptions is critical in this; as is building a strong culture of inclusion, trust and empowerment across all parts of the team. This also means recognising that no-one has a monopoly on knowledge and everyone makes mistakes: encouraging people to try new things, admit errors, ask for help and seek feedback helps create a learning culture across the whole team.
Leaders have a particular role to play by setting expectations and modelling behaviours. Ministry of Defence research, Psychological Safety in MOD major projects, highlights the importance of clear direction and shared goals; a strong focus on learning, particularly across different teams and cultures; empowering people to deliver; and recognising individual contributions as part of celebrating team success.
Ultimately, project delivery cannot happen without people and relies on a diversity of skills, talent and experiences to be successful. Creating an inclusive environment where people feel safe and valued for what they bring, regardless of grade, discipline, background or any other factor, enables everyone to contribute to their best in delivering the work.
Data and evidence are important in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly in:
framing outcomes, appraising investment options and evaluating progress against them
considering representation, for example in stakeholder engagement and trials
assessing impacts on different groups as part of trialling and implementation
understanding perceptions in teams, among stakeholders, and more widely
The Government Functional Standard for People requires that all policies, processes and practices concerned with diversity and inclusion should be data-driven, evidence-led and delivery-focused.
Care is needed in gathering and analysing data in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion as that data is often sensitive and often involves protected personal data. Published data sources should be drawn on where possible. Further information on the use of data and analysis is set out in the Aqua Book (requires sign in).
