Programme Promise Witness
Tests each programme target against what citizens say, and shows when their words move before the numbers.
The job
Makes every national-programme KPI testable against citizens' own words. Records in advance what success should sound like, checks it each quarter, resolves every KPI where the official number and citizens' experience disagree, and tracks how far citizens' words run ahead of the numbers.
The moment
At a national programme's stocktake, the digital-first target glows green: 97% of services are online, on target.
The office opens a note sealed in January predicting that "had to go in person" would fall below 3 per 1,000 conversations. It is at 11, with 2,600 citizens saying the app sent them to a centre to finish.
The measure is stamped as disagreeing with citizens, and four agencies are asked to explain. Two say it counts services launched, not journeys completed, so it becomes a completion rate.
Two quarters later the phrase is down to 2.4 per 1,000, and the sealed prediction is confirmed.
Citizens' words crossed the sealed line 7 weeks before the official completion rate moved: the third measure this year where citizens called it first.
What it does
- Seal a citizen signature
- Take the quarter's reading
- Issue one reconciliation order to all contributing agencies
- Record an agency's answer and version the KPI
- Thank the citizens who testified
- Print the Witness column
What you see
A stocktake room of sealed envelopes that open into rubber stamps, a Called It First lead timeline, and a Witness column printed into the annual programme report.
What it moves
The share of programme KPIs that can be tested against citizens' words each quarter, and the median weeks by which citizens' words moved before the official number.
Built for
- Executives & leadership
- Product & digital
- Citizens & customers
