Certificate Course in Public Policy and Delivery

Participants can produce a precise, evidence-based statement of the policy problem.

• Problem statements separating symptoms, causes, affected groups and consequences
• Five Whys analysis used to test assumed causal explanations
• Fishbone diagrams identifying institutional, behavioural, economic and service causes
• Systems maps showing feedback loops, dependencies and unintended consequences
• Population segmentation identifying differential needs, barriers and policy impacts
• Counterfactual questions clarifying what occurs without government intervention

Participants can assess evidence quality and use it appropriately in policy advice.

• Evidence hierarchies matched to descriptive, causal and implementation questions
• Administrative data assessed for completeness, timeliness, bias and access restrictions
• Research appraisal using sample, comparison group, limitations and transferability
• Triangulation combining quantitative data, qualitative insight and practitioner knowledge
• Evidence gaps recorded with assumptions, uncertainty and proposed research actions
• Policy judgement documented where evidence cannot determine the preferred option

Participants can map stakeholders and plan engagement proportionate to policy risk.

• Stakeholder maps identifying influence, interest, incentives and likely positions
• Power-interest grids prioritising engagement effort and senior sponsorship
• Political economy analysis examining winners, losers, rents and veto points
• Affected-user journeys revealing administrative burdens and exclusion risks
• Consultation objectives separated from communication, negotiation and co-design
• Engagement risks managed through transparent records and response protocols

Participants can construct a causal model for a proposed policy intervention.

• Theory of Change linking inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts
• Causal pathways tested against evidence, behavioural assumptions and delivery conditions
• Assumptions classified as controllable, influential or outside policy control
• Policy logic models distinguishing necessary conditions from supporting factors
• Intermediate outcomes specified before long-term social or economic impacts
• Failure pathways identified through pre-mortem analysis and causal testing

Participants can develop a credible longlist and shortlist of policy options.

• Option longlists generated across regulatory, fiscal, service and behavioural instruments
• Do-nothing and do-minimum scenarios established as baseline comparators
• Screening criteria covering legality, equity, feasibility, cost and public acceptability
• Multi-criteria decision analysis weighting options against explicit decision criteria
• International policy transfer tested for institutional fit and implementation capacity
• Shortlists documented with rejected options and reasons for exclusion

Participants can assess value for money and fiscal implications of policy options.

• Green Book principles applied to costs, benefits, risk and optimism bias
• Cost-benefit analysis distinguishing financial costs from social welfare impacts
• Cost-effectiveness analysis used where outcomes share a common measurable unit
• Distributional analysis identifying gains, losses and impacts on vulnerable groups
• Sensitivity analysis testing assumptions about uptake, prices and delivery costs
• Fiscal profiles separating capital, recurrent, contingent and administrative expenditure

Participants can identify legal, regulatory and ethical issues requiring policy action.

• Legal authority checked against mandates, delegated powers and statutory duties
• Regulatory impact assessment identifying compliance costs and enforcement implications
• Proportionality tests balancing public objectives against restrictions on rights
• Equality impact assessment examining differential effects on protected groups
• Data protection requirements incorporated into policy design and service processes
• Ethical review addressing consent, fairness, transparency and accountability

Participants can write concise policy advice that supports accountable decisions.

• Decision papers structured around issue, evidence, options, recommendation and risks
• Executive summaries written for rapid senior review and clear decisions
• Recommendations linked explicitly to stated criteria and supporting evidence
• Briefing lines prepared for likely challenge, media interest and parliamentary scrutiny
• Annexes used for technical detail without obscuring the core decision
• Clearance routes mapped across policy, finance, legal and operational functions

Participants can translate a policy decision into a workable delivery model.

• Delivery models compared: direct provision, commissioning, grants, regulation and partnerships
• Target operating models defining processes, people, technology and governance
• Service blueprints mapping user steps, staff actions and enabling systems
• Eligibility rules tested for clarity, fairness, fraud exposure and administrability
• Frontline operating requirements specified from policy commitments and user needs
• Implementation constraints identified across workforce, procurement, systems and legislation

Participants can create a phased implementation plan with accountable milestones.

• Implementation roadmaps sequencing design, mobilisation, piloting, scaling and transition
• Critical path analysis identifying dependencies, decision gates and schedule risks
• RACI matrices assigning accountable, responsible, consulted and informed parties
• Work breakdown structures converting delivery scope into managed work packages
• Pilot designs defining learning objectives, selection criteria and exit decisions
• Readiness assessments covering staff, systems, funding, communications and controls

Participants can establish governance and assurance arrangements for policy delivery.

• Governance structures separating strategic direction, delivery oversight and operational management
• Terms of reference defining decision rights, escalation routes and meeting cadence
• Risk registers recording cause, event, impact, owner and treatment actions
• Assurance reviews testing evidence, feasibility, affordability and delivery confidence
• Issue logs distinguishing current impediments from future uncertain risks
• Tolerance thresholds triggering escalation, intervention or formal decision review

Participants can assess external delivery capacity and manage partnership dependencies.

• Make-buy-partner decisions assessed against capability, cost, control and market capacity
• Market engagement plans testing supplier interest before formal procurement
• Outcome-based specifications defining results, service standards and reporting requirements
• Grant agreements aligning eligibility, payment conditions, assurance and outcomes
• Partnership agreements clarifying contributions, governance, information sharing and dispute routes
• Supplier risks assessed for concentration, financial health and delivery resilience

Participants can design communication and behavioural approaches that support policy uptake.

• Behavioural diagnosis using COM-B: capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour
• Audience segmentation matching messages, channels, messengers and support needs
• Behavioural insights tested through prompts, defaults, simplification and social norms
• Communication plans distinguishing awareness, understanding, compliance and sustained adoption
• Implementation communications sequenced before launch, during transition and after rollout
• Feedback loops collecting user experience, complaints and frontline implementation insight

Participants can build a performance framework that supports delivery decisions.

• Performance frameworks linking policy outcomes to outputs, activities and inputs
• SMART indicators defined with numerator, denominator, source and reporting frequency
• Baselines established before intervention changes obscure existing performance patterns
• Targets set using historical trends, capacity limits and intended improvement rates
• Balanced scorecards combining outcome, quality, timeliness, equity and cost measures
• Performance reviews converting data exceptions into corrective management actions

Participants can specify monitoring and evaluation approaches suited to policy decisions.

• Magenta Book principles applied to proportionate evaluation planning and governance
• Evaluation questions distinguished across process, impact, value and implementation learning
• Baseline and follow-up designs selected for plausible contribution assessment
• Experimental and quasi-experimental methods matched to ethical and operational constraints
• Qualitative methods capturing lived experience, mechanisms and unintended effects
• Learning loops translating evaluation findings into policy revision decisions

Participants can manage uncertainty while maintaining accountability for policy results.

• Scenario planning preparing responses to plausible political, fiscal and operational shocks
• Adaptive management cycles using evidence, review points and authorised adjustments
• Decision logs recording rationale, uncertainty, dissent and subsequent outcomes
• Leading indicators signalling delivery stress before outcome measures deteriorate
• Contingency plans assigning triggers, actions, owners and communications responsibilities
• Stop, start and scale decisions governed through pre-agreed evidence thresholds

Participants can build, review and present a complete evidence-based policy proposal and delivery plan.

• Problem definition substantiated with evidence, system causes and affected populations
• Theory of Change connects intervention choices to measurable intended outcomes
• Options appraisal compares costs, benefits, equity, legality and feasibility
• Recommended option documented through a concise senior decision paper
• Implementation plan specifies governance, milestones, risks, operating requirements and resources
• Performance and evaluation framework establishes indicators, learning questions and review points
• Peer review tests logic, delivery credibility, stakeholder impacts and decision readiness