Speed is an expected feature of modern governance – and sometimes unavoidable. This matters. As ministers turn to civil servants for fast advice, it is vital to understand how to do it well. This report focuses on ‘urgent priorities’ that demand a fast response but fall outside the bounds of genuine crises or emergencies. These can be driven by public outcry, media scrutiny or political imperatives, such as a minister’s desire for an ‘announceable’. 

The report explores the challenges and trade-offs civil servants face when working under compressed timeframes and sets out practical recommendations for how they can be better supported to deliver robust advice at pace. It draws on a survey, interviews and workshops with civil servants, research institutes and government officials in the United Kingdom.

The recommendations offer a practical roadmap across three levels of ambition: quick winds, deeper reforms and more radical change. It recommends government needs to make three key shifts to better enable rapid, yet robust policy making:

• normalise a culture that empowers people to take risks and embrace a ‘test and learn’ mindset
• build on and scale existing tools, systems and processes that can facilitate fast, informed action
• recruit and invest in people so they have the skills and capabilities to thrive under pressure.