The Government Digital Service (GDS) has re-established its Enterprise Architecture (EA) function to help departments align systems, data and infrastructure to deliver more joined-up public services.
Writing in a blog post, Jennie Vinnac, service owner for Enterprise Architecture in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) at GDS, said the team’s mission is to build “solid digital foundations that enable transformation across government” and to work with existing teams “to unlock greater value, together”.
Enterprise architecture, she noted, acts as the bridge between strategy and delivery – ensuring organisations make aligned, future-ready technology decisions and design services that can operate seamlessly across departmental boundaries.
Technical Design Council Up and Running
A core early achievement has been the launch of the cross-government Technical Design Council, framed as a key mechanism for shared architectural governance. The council has already convened six sessions involving technical leaders from across the public sector, with the aim of shaping direction, agreeing principles and establishing a community able to take collective decisions.
GDS has also supported the latest spending review by providing input on digital zero-based reviews and business cases. The goal, said Vinnac, is to reduce duplication, encourage collaboration and maximise the use of common components.
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The EA team has additionally contributed architectural insight to priority GDS initiatives, from simplifying end-user device procurement to scoping technical options for the “once-only” principle.
Building a Government-Wide EA Community
Over the coming months, GDS plans to develop an active community of enterprise architects across the public sector and begin co-creating a set of government-wide architecture principles. The team will also produce a suite of practical EA artefacts to help delivery teams adopt common components and good architectural practice.
Vinnac called on digital and technical architects across government to join the discussion about what the EA function should prioritise and to share the challenges they face. GDS is also seeking nominations for upcoming rotations on the Technical Design Council, aiming to bring in diverse experience from across the sector.
“This is just the beginning,” she wrote. “With your input, we can build an enterprise architecture capability for the public sector that truly supports better outcomes for people, services, and systems.”
