Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Back to top anchor
Home Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
Page url
  • Events
  • Media
  • Contact us
  • Home
Open search Close search
  • Contact us
    • How to make an Official Information Act request
      • Tips for requesting information
      • Guidance on how we will respond
  • About DPMC
    • Who we are
    • Our work
    • Our history
    • Careers
  • Our business units
    • Cabinet Office
      • Roles and responsibilities
        • Statutory and formal responsibilities
      • Supporting the work of the Cabinet
        • Cabinet Committees
        • Elections
        • Cabinet Manual
          • Publication information
          • Foreword
          • Preface
          • Introduction
          • 1. Sovereign, Governor-General, and Executive Council
            • Introduction
            • Sovereign of New Zealand
            • Governor-General
            • Executive Council
            • Clerk of the Executive Council
            • Meetings of Executive Council
            • Gazetting and entry into force
            • Announcement
            • New Zealand Royal Honours System
            • Heraldry
            • Order of Precedence
            • Related Information
          • 2. Ministers of the Crown: Appointment, Role, and Conduct
            • Introduction
            • Prime Minister
            • Deputy Prime Minister
            • Ministers
            • Parliamentary Under-Secretaries
            • Parliamentary Private Secretaries
            • Conduct, public duty, and personal interests
            • Interactions with representatives from non-government or commercial organisations
            • Personal email accounts and phone numbers
            • Gifts and awards
            • Speaking engagements, endorsements, and non-ministerial activities
            • Government advertising and publicity guidelines
            • Ministerial travel
            • Related Information
          • 3. Ministers of the Crown and the Public Sector
            • Introduction
            • The public service and the public sector
            • Ministers and the public service
            • Ministers and Crown entities
            • Ministers and companies in the public sector
            • Integrity and conduct throughout the public sector
            • Related Information
          • 4. Ministers, the Law, and Inquiries
            • Introduction
            • Attorney-General
            • Comment by Ministers on judicial decisions
            • Crown legal business
            • Litigation involving Ministers
            • Legal advice and legal professional privilege
            • Inquiries
            • Related Information
          • 5. Cabinet Decision-making
            • Introduction
            • Cabinet
            • Cabinet committees
            • Principles of Cabinet decision-making
            • Cabinet and Cabinet committee procedures
            • Secretary of the Cabinet and the Cabinet Office
            • Related Information
          • 6. Elections, Transitions, and Government Formation
            • Introduction
            • The electoral cycle
            • Transitions following an election
            • Caretaker convention
            • Government formation
            • Mid-term transitions
            • Early election
            • Provision of information by the state sector during transitions
            • Related Information
          • 7. The Executive, Legislation, and the House
            • Introduction
            • Speech from the Throne
            • Prime Minister's statement
            • Government legislation programme
            • Revision Bills
            • Law Commission work programme
            • Development and approval of bills
            • Secondary legislation
            • Ministers and the House
            • Ministers and select committees
            • Parliamentary treaty examination
            • Crown's financial veto
            • Citizens initiated referenda
            • Declarations of inconsistency
            • Related information
            • Related information
          • 8. Official Information and Public Records
            • Introduction
            • Information held by government
            • Official Information Act 1982
            • Privacy Act 1993
            • Ombudsmen Act 1975
            • Providing information to select committees
            • Production or discovery of official documents
            • Requests for parliamentary information
            • Ministers and Public Records
            • Disclosure and use of official information by former Ministers
            • Convention on access to Cabinet records of a previous administration
            • Related Information
          • Appendix A: The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi
          • Appendix B: Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand 1983
          • Index
        • History of the Cabinet Manual
      • Ministers and their portfolios
        • Ministerial List
        • Ministerial portfolios
          • Briefings to incoming ministers (BIMs)
          • Directory of Ministerial portfolios
        • Register of Assigned Legislation
        • Delegations
        • Ministers' interests
          • Ministers' Interests May 2024 - Dec 2024
          • Ministers' Interests 2023-2024
          • Ministers' Interests 2022-2023
          • Ministers' Interests 2021-2022
          • Ministers' interests 2020-2021
          • Ministers' Interests 2019-2020
          • Ministers' Interests 2018-2019
          • Ministers' interests 2017-2018
          • Ministers' interests 2016-2017
          • Ministers' interests 2015-2016
          • Ministers' interests 2014-2015
          • Ministers' interests 2013-2014
          • Ministers' interests 2012-2013
      • Executive Council
      • The Honours Unit
    • National Security Group
      • National Assessments Bureau
        • Working for the National Assessments Bureau
      • National Security Policy
        • National Cyber Policy Office
    • Risk and Systems Governance Group
      • Strategic Crisis Management Unit
      • National Risk Directorate
      • Governance Directorate
      • Joint Office
    • Policy Advisory Group
      • Roles and responsibilities
    • Delivery Unit
    • Strategy, Governance and Engagement Group
    • Government House
    • Cyclone Recovery Unit
      • Cyclone Recovery Funds and Schemes for people in Affected Regions
      • Publicly released Cyclone Recovery-related documents
  • Departmental agency
    • NEMA
  • Our programmes
    • New Zealand Royal Honours
      • Make a nomination
        • Nominations for Honours
        • New Zealand Royal Honours nomination guidelines
        • Nomination Form and Guide to making Nominations
        • Bravery Award Nominations
        • The New Zealand Antarctic Medal: Nomination Guidelines
      • Honours lists and recipients
        • Honours lists
          • Current Members of the Order of New Zealand
          • Knights and Dames of the New Zealand Order of Merit
          • Knights and Dames of the Orders of Chivalry
          • The New Zealand Gallantry Awards
          • The New Zealand Bravery Awards
          • The New Zealand Antarctic Medal
          • The Privy Council
        • Titles and styles of knights and dames
        • Wearing of insignia
          • Order of wear: orders, decorations and medals in New Zealand
          • Method of mounting insignia
      • The New Zealand Royal Honours system
        • Overview of the New Zealand Royal Honours system
        • Forfeiture of Honours
        • History
        • Components of the New Zealand Royal Honours system
          • The Order of New Zealand
          • The New Zealand Order of Merit
          • The King's Service Order
          • Gallantry and Bravery Awards
            • New Zealand Gallantry Awards
            • New Zealand Bravery Awards
          • The New Zealand Antarctic Medal
          • The New Zealand Distinguished Service Decoration
          • Other distinctive New Zealand Honours
          • "The Right Honourable"
            • The Right Honourable in New Zealand
          • "The Honourable"
            • Roll of The Honourables
          • Privy Council
        • Order of Wear
        • Rules relating to the acceptance and wearing of Foreign Honours
        • New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary
      • New Zealand Royal Honours Image Gallery
      • New Zealand Royal Honours FAQs
      • Privacy statement
    • The Policy Project
      • About the Policy Project
      • Policy quality
      • Policy skills
        • Development Pathways
          • Use the tool
      • Policy capability
      • Policy Methods Toolbox
        • Start Right
        • Design thinking
          • Journey mapping
          • Role play
          • Prototyping
          • Experience interviews
          • Personas
        • Behavioural insights
          • Behavioural Change Models
        • Community engagement
          • Citizen juries
        • Futures thinking
          • Horizon Scanning
          • Assumption Testing
          • Futures Wheel
          • Scenarios
          • Wind Tunnelling
          • Backcasting
        • Treaty of Waitangi analysis
      • Long-term Insights Briefings
      • Policy advice themes
        • Engagement
        • Evidence and evaluation
        • Free and frank advice
        • Innovation
        • Policy and law
        • Stewardship
      • Policy community
        • Policy system leadership
        • Policy agencies
        • Policy managers
        • Policy practitioners
        • Ways to connect to the policy community
        • Open government
      • Agency panels and quality reporting
      • Publications
      • Policy community events
    • Government Targets
      • Government Targets Quarterly Reports
    • National security
      • New Zealand's National Security Strategy
        • New Zealand’s national security community
      • National Security Intelligence Priorities
      • Counter-terrorism
        • New Zealand's Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy
        • Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund
        • Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Research
        • Terrorist and National Security Event Media Protocols
      • Countering foreign interference
      • Critical Infrastructure Resilience
      • Cyber Security Strategy
        • Cyber ransom advice
        • United Nations Cybercrime Treaty
          • We asked, you said, we did
      • Intelligence and Security Act 2017
        • 2022 Review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017
        • Why did we need new legislation?
        • What is intelligence?
        • Defining national security
        • Bringing the agencies further into the public service
        • Powers and warrants
          • Activities allowed under intelligence warrants
          • The authorisation framework
          • Protections for New Zealanders
        • Strengthening oversight of NZSIS and GCSB
        • Whistleblowing and protecting classified information
        • Cover and immunities
          • Cover and assumed identity arrangements
          • Immunities from legal liabilities
        • Sharing information
          • Domestic information sharing
          • Arrangements with foreign partners
        • The National Assessments Bureau
        • Case studies
          • Counter-terrorism
          • Investigating a suspected terrorist
          • Counter-espionage
          • Cyber security in action
        • Resources
      • Strengthening resilience to disinformation
        • Multi-Stakeholder Group to strengthen resilience to disinformation
        • Fund for community-based initiatives to strengthen Aotearoa’s resilience to disinformation
        • Public Research and Insights into Disinformation
      • National Security Long-term Insights Briefing
        • LTIB Topic Consultation Summary
      • Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain
        • The Government’s Response
        • Working with Communities - get involved
          • Kāpuia - Ministerial Advisory Group Nominations
        • Response Steering Group
        • Response Progress
        • Measuring Success
        • Improving Community Engagement
        • Key Documents
        • Get in touch
      • Five Country Ministerial
    • Other work
      • Chief Science Advisor Forum
      • Severe Weather Events Recovery Review Panel releases
      • Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor archives
        • Archive
          • Professor Sir Peter Gluckman 2009-2011
          • Professor Sir Peter Gluckman 2011-2013
          • Professor Sir Peter Gluckman 2013-2015
          • Professor Sir Peter Gluckman 2015-2018
          • Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard 2018-2021
          • Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard 2021-2024
      • Historical Programmes
        • He Whenua Taurikura
          • He Whenua Taurikura Hui
            • He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2021
            • He Whenua Taurikura Hui 2022
          • Master’s Scholarship
            • Master's Scholarship 2021/2022
            • Master's Scholarship FAQs
          • He Whenua Taurikura Co-Directors
        • Greater Christchurch recovery and regeneration
          • Greater Christchurch Group
            • Roles and responsibilities
              • Disestablishment of CERA
            • External websites
          • The Greater Christchurch Regeneration Act 2016
          • Our regeneration partners
          • Global Settlement Agreement with Christchurch City Council
          • Recovery and regeneration plans
            • Cranford Regeneration Plan
            • Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Regeneration Plan
            • Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan
            • Residential Red Zone Offer Recovery Plan
            • Land Use Recovery Plan
            • Christchurch Central Recovery Plan
          • Section 71 proposals
            • Commercial film or video production facilities in Christchurch – Section 71 Proposal
            • Hagley Oval
            • Lyttelton Commercial Zone Parking
            • Yaldhurst Recreation and Sports Facility
            • Residential Unit Overlay District Plan Changes
            • Redcliffs School relocation
          • Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Project
          • Past Orders in Council
        • COVID-19 Proactive Releases
        • Kāpuia – Ministerial Advisory Group
          • Advice from Kāpuia
          • Kāpuia feedback to agencies
          • Kāpuia Pānui
        • All of Government COVID-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry
        • Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction
          • Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction Group
          • Child and youth wellbeing strategy
            • Publications and resources
          • Reducing child poverty
            • Formal gazetting of targets for reducing child poverty
        • COVID-19 Group
        • Health Transition Unit
        • Implementation Unit
          • Latest news and updates
        • Inquiry into the EQC
        • Connect Smart
        • Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Learning and Legacy Programme
        • Ministerial Committee on Poverty
        • Flag consideration project
        • Christ Church Cathedral Working Group
        • Tackling methamphetamine
        • CERA website archive
          • CERA corporate information
          • CERA legislation
          • CERA media releases 2011
          • CERA media releases 2012
          • CERA media releases 2013
          • CERA media releases 2014
          • CERA media releases 2015
          • CERA media releases 2016
          • CERA official information
          • CERA public information
          • CERA publications and reports
          • CERA websites
    • Risk and resilience
      • National Risk and Resilience Framework
        • New Zealand's National Risks
        • 2024 National Risks Public Survey Report
        • 2023 National Security Survey Report
        • 2022 National Security Survey Report
      • Building Resilience to Hazards Long-term Insights Briefing
      • The ODESC System during a crisis
        • ODESC
        • Watch Groups
        • Inter-agency Working Groups and Specialist Groups
  • Publications
  • Browse all sections
  • Publications
  • News and notices
  • Annual reports
  • CabGuide
  • Cabinet Manual
  • Contact us
    • How to make an Official Information Act request
      • Tips for requesting information
      • Guidance on how we will respond
  • About DPMC
    • Who we are
    • Our work
    • Our history
    • Careers
  • Our business units
    • Cabinet Office
      • Roles and responsibilities
        • Statutory and formal responsibilities
      • Supporting the work of the Cabinet
        • Cabinet Committees
        • Elections
        • Cabinet Manual
        • History of the Cabinet Manual
      • Ministers and their portfolios
        • Ministerial List
        • Ministerial portfolios
        • Register of Assigned Legislation
        • Delegations
        • Ministers' interests
      • Executive Council
      • The Honours Unit
    • National Security Group
      • National Assessments Bureau
        • Working for the National Assessments Bureau
      • National Security Policy
        • National Cyber Policy Office
    • Risk and Systems Governance Group
      • Strategic Crisis Management Unit
      • National Risk Directorate
      • Governance Directorate
      • Joint Office
    • Policy Advisory Group
      • Roles and responsibilities
    • Delivery Unit
    • Strategy, Governance and Engagement Group
    • Government House
    • Cyclone Recovery Unit
      • Cyclone Recovery Funds and Schemes for people in Affected Regions
      • Publicly released Cyclone Recovery-related documents
  • Departmental agency
    • NEMA
  • Our programmes
    • New Zealand Royal Honours
      • Make a nomination
        • Nominations for Honours
        • New Zealand Royal Honours nomination guidelines
        • Nomination Form and Guide to making Nominations
        • Bravery Award Nominations
        • The New Zealand Antarctic Medal: Nomination Guidelines
      • Honours lists and recipients
        • Honours lists
        • Titles and styles of knights and dames
        • Wearing of insignia
      • The New Zealand Royal Honours system
        • Overview of the New Zealand Royal Honours system
        • Forfeiture of Honours
        • History
        • Components of the New Zealand Royal Honours system
        • Order of Wear
        • Rules relating to the acceptance and wearing of Foreign Honours
        • New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary
      • New Zealand Royal Honours Image Gallery
      • New Zealand Royal Honours FAQs
      • Privacy statement
    • The Policy Project
      • About the Policy Project
      • Policy quality
      • Policy skills
        • Development Pathways
      • Policy capability
      • Policy Methods Toolbox
        • Start Right
        • Design thinking
        • Behavioural insights
        • Community engagement
        • Futures thinking
        • Treaty of Waitangi analysis
      • Long-term Insights Briefings
      • Policy advice themes
        • Engagement
        • Evidence and evaluation
        • Free and frank advice
        • Innovation
        • Policy and law
        • Stewardship
      • Policy community
        • Policy system leadership
        • Policy agencies
        • Policy managers
        • Policy practitioners
        • Ways to connect to the policy community
        • Open government
      • Agency panels and quality reporting
      • Publications
      • Policy community events
    • Government Targets
      • Government Targets Quarterly Reports
    • National security
      • New Zealand's National Security Strategy
        • New Zealand’s national security community
      • National Security Intelligence Priorities
      • Counter-terrorism
        • New Zealand's Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism Strategy
        • Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Fund
        • Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Research
        • Terrorist and National Security Event Media Protocols
      • Countering foreign interference
      • Critical Infrastructure Resilience
      • Cyber Security Strategy
        • Cyber ransom advice
        • United Nations Cybercrime Treaty
      • Intelligence and Security Act 2017
        • 2022 Review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017
        • Why did we need new legislation?
        • What is intelligence?
        • Defining national security
        • Bringing the agencies further into the public service
        • Powers and warrants
        • Strengthening oversight of NZSIS and GCSB
        • Whistleblowing and protecting classified information
        • Cover and immunities
        • Sharing information
        • The National Assessments Bureau
        • Case studies
        • Resources
      • Strengthening resilience to disinformation
        • Multi-Stakeholder Group to strengthen resilience to disinformation
        • Fund for community-based initiatives to strengthen Aotearoa’s resilience to disinformation
        • Public Research and Insights into Disinformation
      • National Security Long-term Insights Briefing
        • LTIB Topic Consultation Summary
      • Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain
        • The Government’s Response
        • Working with Communities - get involved
        • Response Steering Group
        • Response Progress
        • Measuring Success
        • Improving Community Engagement
        • Key Documents
        • Get in touch
      • Five Country Ministerial
    • Other work
      • Chief Science Advisor Forum
      • Severe Weather Events Recovery Review Panel releases
      • Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor archives
        • Archive
      • Historical Programmes
        • He Whenua Taurikura
        • Greater Christchurch recovery and regeneration
        • COVID-19 Proactive Releases
        • Kāpuia – Ministerial Advisory Group
        • All of Government COVID-19 Royal Commission of Inquiry
        • Child Wellbeing and Poverty Reduction
        • COVID-19 Group
        • Health Transition Unit
        • Implementation Unit
        • Inquiry into the EQC
        • Connect Smart
        • Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Learning and Legacy Programme
        • Ministerial Committee on Poverty
        • Flag consideration project
        • Christ Church Cathedral Working Group
        • Tackling methamphetamine
        • CERA website archive
    • Risk and resilience
      • National Risk and Resilience Framework
        • New Zealand's National Risks
        • 2024 National Risks Public Survey Report
        • 2023 National Security Survey Report
        • 2022 National Security Survey Report
      • Building Resilience to Hazards Long-term Insights Briefing
      • The ODESC System during a crisis
        • ODESC
        • Watch Groups
        • Inter-agency Working Groups and Specialist Groups
  • Publications
  • Browse all sections
  1. Home
  2. Publications
  3. Policy Capability Framework: review tool
Resources

Policy Capability Framework: review tool

Publication type:
Resources
Published by:
Policy Project
Part of:
Policy Project
Issue status:
Current
Issue date:
Thursday, 25 July 2019
Additional details
Publication category:
Resources
Last updated:
Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Copyright:
© Crown Copyright, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

This is a resource to help you conduct an in-depth review of your agency’s policy capability and to develop action plans for performance improvement. It's one of two tools that apply the Policy Capability Framework. For a light-touch version, see the Policy Capability Framework: light review tool.

The PDF is editable. It can be completed electronically and then printed, or you can print it out and write on the form manually. Please download the PDF and open it from your computer before using and printing, as it contains pages in both A4 and A3 that may not print correctly from the web browser.

The HTML is provided for accessibility purposes. Please don’t print the HTML or use it as the primary source for this information. The PDF is the primary product and should be used for distribution and printing.

Formats
  • Policy Capability Framework: review tool
    PDF
    3 MB

What is the Policy Capability Framework? #

The Policy Capability Framework (PCF) is a performance improvement tool. It aims to help agencies review and improve the overall policy capability of their organisations. It describes the key components of capability as relating to policy, and offers related lines of inquiry and potential indicators for reviewing that capability. 

The tool is not a ‘how to’ guide. Rather it's designed to prompt reflection and courageous conversations about current policy performance, and to support agencies to develop strategies and priorities to improve that performance. It covers four main dimensions of capability that were identified by policy leaders as critical in a high performing policy shop:  

  • People capability 
  • Policy quality systems 
  • Engagement and customer-centricity 
  • Stewardship

The tool draws on the Performance Improvement Framework (PIF) model. Where the PIF deals with overall organisational capability and performance, the PCF facilitates a deep-dive review of policy capability. The PCF sits in the context of overall organisational capability and substantive government policy settings and priorities. 

Why a Policy Capability Framework?  #

Policy leaders are all interested in building the capability of their policy functions. Often improvement efforts are driven by enthusiastic individuals without a model or tools to guide the process. The upshot is a tendency to ‘reinvent the wheel’ which in turn denies the wider policy community the opportunity to learn from improvement processes in other agencies. As a system, we have no collective view on what a high-performing policy shop looks like and how to get there.

By capturing the experience of policy leaders, the PCF supports agencies to build on the experience of others and helps build overall policy capability and the quality of policy advice across government – the ultimate aim of the Policy Project.

The PCF was co-produced by policy leaders and launched by the Head of the Policy Profession and the Prime Minister in August 2016. 

How to use the Policy Capability Framework  #

Getting started  #

  • A PCF review is about seeking capability improvement. It's not a retrospective audit. The aim is to understand current capability, and to set an improvement trajectory towards a desired future state. 
  • A clear mandate from the leadership team (agency or policy team) for the self-review is critical.  
  • Staff need to feel involved and part of the review process – ‘doing with’ rather than ‘doing to’ – and should have time allocated to participate in the diagnosis and design of improvement solutions.
  • The policy team needs to have an open mind and be prepared to challenge itself.  

 

 

How the Policy Capability Framework can be used for self-review#

Approach and process#

There are different ways the PCF can be used. Things to consider for a self-review are:

  • Review team – the team may be the leadership of the policy function (e.g. using the tool to prompt a conversation at a senior leaders/managers ‘away day’) or a purpose built team (e.g. three to five people from across the function) who then engages with staff and the leadership of the policy function to moderate its findings.
  • Background information – relevant existing information can inform the review (e.g. recent PIF, responses to the Treasury policy measurement exercise, engagement/policy quality/ministerial satisfaction scores, and workforce data).
  • Applying the PCF tool – begin by considering the lead questions for each element of the four dimensions. If you have difficulty answering any of those lead questions, consider the more detailed lines of inquiry and indicators, which will help you answer the lead questions. The self review will probably get bogged in detail if it attempts to answer every individual line of inquiry, or develop action plans for all 19 elements of the PCF. Applying the model takes judgement, based on evidence about current state, as well as insights and knowledge about identified trouble spots or gaps. The PCF is intended to stimulate a discussion about the capability of your agency’s policy function, and to identify your areas of strength and priority actions in a small number of PCF elements to improve overall policy capability.
  • Ratings – maturity levels can be used to rate current capability against the PCF lead questions. They are optional, but can help guide decisions on the priority areas for capability improvement and on the levels of improvement sought.
  • Timing – the action plan should include a defined schedule and timeline (who will do what by when). This is important to ensure that momentum to improve capability is maintained and findings remain current. Short and sharp is better than a drawn out process. Taking action sooner rather than later is preferable. Ideally a PCF review should be undertaken every two years, to assess progress, and reset priorities and the schedule of actions as appropriate.
  • Reporting – the report on the PCF self-review should summarise the key findings (e.g. referencing the lead questions) and conclude by setting out the four to five key things that the team and leadership agree they should focus on to improve capability.

Follow up and follow through#

After the PCF self-review is completed, the leadership of the policy function should communicate the findings and follow up, acknowledging the efforts of the self-review team and staff. In particular:

  • Agreed priority areas for capability improvement, the plan to progress them, and who is responsible for taking things forward should be clear.
  • Regular updates on progress with opportunities to acknowledge and celebrate success as well as open channels for feedback on and iteration of improvement strategies (‘learn as you go’) are preferable. This will help to maintain momentum and mitigate the risk of returning to business as usual.

Inviting others in – from self to peer to external review#

The PCF is intended in the first instance as an internal self-review tool for policy teams. An external ‘fresh set of eyes’ perspective can add an extra layer of insight. For example:

  • Non-policy input – including someone from another function in the agency (e.g. from operations, finance, HR) can draw insights about how the policy function is perceived by others and explore the interface between functions in the agency.
  • Critical friend peer review – including someone from an external agency in the self-review team (perhaps someone who has used the PCF in their policy team) can enable cross-fertilisation of ideas and neutral challenge.
  • Independent/external review – the PCF can also be used as the basis of a more detailed assessment, including by independent external reviewers.

Sharing the lessons – building capability across the system#

The Policy Project team is available to support agencies to undertake a self-review.

We encourage review teams to document their journey and share their lessons learnt. We are interested in both the process of designing an improvement trajectory and in how useful the PCF was. Knowing this will help us to improve the PCF for future users.

Get in touch at [email protected]

Applying this review tool#

The following section presents the four dimensions of the Policy Capability Framework. Under each of these dimensions is a series of elements, which are each accompanied by the lines of inquiry and potential indicators. After reviewing the lines of inquiry and indicators under each element, record your answers to the following three questions:

  1. Where are we now?
  2. Where do we want to be and by when?
  3. What will we do to get there?

Collectively, your answers to questions 1 and 2 provide an in-depth assessment of the current state of the policy capability of your agency or your policy team. Your answers to question 3 can form the basis of your action planning to improve future performance. 

Elements of the Policy Capability Framework#

 

Policy quality systems#

Build the systems and processes that support the delivery of quality policy advice

The Policy quality systems dimension contains the following elements:

  • Commissioning
  • Planning and project management
  • Research, analysis and knowledge
  • Quality assurance
  • Evaluation and learning.

Commissioning

Lead question:

  • How well does the team use appropriate systems and processes to ensure that the supply of policy advice meets demand and has impact?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is the policy intent/commissioned product clear from inception? Is there ‘free and frank’ challenge where necessary (where an alternative approach/process might have more chance of delivering policy intent)? Are appropriate commissioning tools, templates and guidance made available and consistently used by policy staff? To what extent are policy staff able to be present at meetings with senior officials/ministers when work is commissioned? What strategies are in place to avoid policy intent being ‘lost in translation’ (including through relationships with ministerial office staff)?
  • How is proactive, unsolicited, policy advice offered and received (e.g. proposing changes to policy settings or transformative policy shifts)?

Planning and project management

Lead question:

  • How well does the team ensure that the right policy outputs are delivered, on time, using the most efficient mix of resources?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How are resources prioritised to the highest value work, and low value work deprioritised/stopped?
  • How are policy outputs costed, and how is this information used for planning, prioritisation and resource allocation? Are outputs typically delivered on time and budget?
  • Are ‘fit for purpose’ project management methods and tools effectively employed by policy staff? What templates and guidance are available to support the choice of method? Are project management skills present in the policy team?

Research, analysis and knowledge

Lead question:

  • How well is the policy team actively investing in building its knowledge base over time?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How well does the policy team understand, keep up to date with and contribute to the body of knowledge in its field, including relevant literature, and evidence? Are key information gaps identified and is there a plan in place to address them? What systems are in place for recording and accessing relevant previous approaches to policy issues, current evidence (local and international) and anticipating future trends? Are policy staff clear about the set of analytical tools they are required to have proficiency in? Is there good data architecture? Is knowledge (not just data) being generated?

Quality assurance

Lead question:

  • How effective are policy quality assurance processes?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • What quality assurance and/or peer review processes are in place? Are all policy outputs reviewed for accuracy, formatting and clarity of message? Do the authors of papers receive regular feedback?
  • Are quality ratings from internal and external checks good? Is the robust methodology of the Policy Quality Framework consistently applied when assessing policy advice deliverables?
  • Is ministerial and stakeholder feedback solicited? Is feedback positive/on an upward trajectory?

Evaluation and learning

Lead question:

  • How well is evaluation and learning embedded into business as usual?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is the impact of policies within the agency's or team’s area of responsibility subject to systematic monitoring and evaluation? How are results documented? What investment is there in benefits monitoring, learning and evaluation? Does this inform future policy development? How well are the insights, information and knowledge produced through policy processes systematically captured, shared and used to inform future improvement strategies?

People capability#

Ensure the right skills are in the right place at the right time

The people capability dimension contains the following elements:

  • Team make-up and diversity
  • Career paths and progression
  • Development and training
  • Decision rights and enablers
  • Work allocation.

Team make-up and diversity

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team ensure it has the skills and diversity to achieve its purpose, including the right mix of new talent and experience?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is there an explicit strategy for the make-up and diversity of the team (using the Policy Skills Framework)? Does it ensure the team is fit for purpose/able to deliver on strategy and priorities over time?
  • Is there a good balance between specialists (subject matter experts providing depth) and generalists (providing breadth, including management skills)? Does the team include transformational, not just transactional, policy expertise? How is institutional knowledge maintained and built?

Career paths and progression

Lead question:

  • How well are career pathways, rewards and progression opportunities effectively managed?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is there an explicit career progression strategy? How are high performing staff rewarded and retained? How are high potentials developed – to ‘grow or go’? How well are junior staff developed to progress to more senior roles? How effective is succession planning – are (some) senior roles filled internally?
  • How are opportunities to participate and share capability across government encouraged (including through secondments, cross-agency teams)?

Development and training

Lead question:

  • How well do managers know what skills the team needs and how they are going to develop and maintain them?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is there an explicit staff development strategy – the ‘what’ (e.g. broad versus deep capability), and the ‘how’ (e.g. 70/20/10 model)?
  • Do all policy staff understand the ‘policy basics’ (e.g. legislative and Cabinet processes, agency policy processes, analytical tools and methods, choice of policy instruments – see the Policy Quality Framework)? How well are staff provided with performance feedback that enables them to set a trajectory for developing their policy skills?
  • To what extent is staff induction, development, and training prioritised and resourced?
  • How are staff encouraged and enabled to have good external connections (including with other agencies, stakeholders, academia and international counterparts) and to keep up with the latest thinking?

Decision rights and enablers

Lead question:

  • How well are staff provided with autonomy commensurate with their experience, and provided with adequate assistance when making decisions that stretch them?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Is responsibility for policy advice outputs/activities devolved to the lowest possible level?
  • How are staff provided with advice, frameworks and tools to help them assume responsibility for decisions up to the level of their competence and the agency’s risk management/tolerance?

Work allocation

Lead question:

  • How well does the distribution of work support staff development and resilience?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How well is work distributed amongst staff? Are there some staff that regularly have spare capacity or are regularly overloaded?
  • Is there an overreliance on experienced ‘policy stars’ to keep the policy machine running (key person risk)? To what extent are core staff (versus contractors) doing the key work? How does the distribution of work (in the team, buying in expertise) support building in-house capability?

Engagement and customer-centricity#

Understand and meet the expectations of ministers, customers and other stakeholders

The engagement and customer-centricity dimension contains the following elements:

  • Ministers and Cabinet
  • Customers and other end users
  • Other agencies
  • Stakeholders
  • Frontline staff/delivery units.

Ministers and Cabinet

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team provide advice and services to ministers and Cabinet?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Do ministers (including non-responsible ministers) show confidence in the team and its advice? Is the policy team sought out to solve ministers’ problems rather than implement ministers’ solutions? Does the team consistently provide ‘free and frank’ advice?
  • Does the policy team understand the needs of multiple ministers and give joined-up outcome focused advice? Do leaders perform with confidence when fronting proposals in ministerial meetings/Cabinet committees?

Customers and other end users

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team understand the agency’s customers and their needs?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How well does the team explore ways to deliver value to citizens as customers? What methods are employed to generate insights about, solicit the views of, understand and respond to the various needs of those who will be affected by policy options? To what extent do insights about user needs influence policy options? How does the team ensure it considers customers’ short and longer term needs?

Other agencies

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team work with other agencies to facilitate alignment and coordination across government?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How does the policy team build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholder agencies? How does the agency determine what needs to be managed across agencies/the system and when to do that? What contribution does the team make to policy alignment across government (e.g. ensuring minimal incidence of split recommendations in Cabinet papers)?
  • Do other agencies actively seek the input of the policy team or invite the team to participate in their policy processes?

Stakeholders

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team collaborate with stakeholders?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Does the team take a deliberate and systematic approach to engaging with key stakeholders (e.g. Māori) to build ‘relationship capital’? Are key stakeholders engaged in the policy process (including early in problem definition, not just consulted on solutions)? To what extent is there common ownership of key outcomes (and some co-production of solutions) with stakeholders?
  • Are relationships with stakeholders considered (mutually) effective? Do stakeholders feel heard, even when there is disagreement?

Frontline staff/delivery units

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team engage across the agency, including with delivery units?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Are policy processes characterised by end-to-end partnerships between the policy team and other agency staff?
  • How well does the policy team engage with delivery/frontline units (including delivery staff in other agencies where applicable) to understand the interface with end users and implementation requirements? Does implementation typically proceed smoothly, with room for iteration, without being negatively impacted by unforeseen issues?

Stewardship#

Focus on policy outcomes and build capability for the future

The Stewardship dimension contains the following elements:

  • Leadership and direction
  • Policy quality systems
  • People capability
  • Engagement and customer-centricity.

Leadership and direction

Lead question:

  • How well do leaders articulate a clear vision of policy directions and a roadmap for achieving policy outcomes that benefit New Zealanders?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How does the agency shape and influence the broader policy agenda and engage others in that vision (agency and wider system including government and sector goals)?
  • To what extent do policy leaders demonstrate the importance of visioning, exploration and debate about emerging strategic issues?

Strategy and priorities

Lead question:

  • How well does the policy team know what it is trying to achieve and its contribution to agency, sector and system policy objectives?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How do leaders ensure a steadfast focus on better public value?
  • How well does the team understand its environment and foresee upcoming trends, issues and demands? Can staff articulate what they are trying to achieve? Is the policy team strategic, and able to deliver proactive and long-term policy advice as well as being responsive to immediate ministerial priorities? Are trade-offs deliberate and based on clarity about what matters most? Are resources safeguarded for longer-term work, and less important work deprioritised?
  • How well is the work agenda driven by current and anticipated future demands (not by what current capability can supply)?

Culture

Lead question:

  • How well is a culture of achieving outcomes, constructive challenge, innovation and continuous improvement promoted and maintained?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • How are credible and robust discussions within and between policy teams encouraged? How are opportunities presented to consider different approaches to policy challenges (i.e. to invite innovation)?
  • To what extent do staff demonstrate that they are motivated, engaged and invested in the mission of the policy team and agency? How well do leaders drive and enable high performance?
  • Does the reputation of the policy team mean it is sought after for opinions and input? Do people want to work here?

Investment in future capability

Lead question:

  • How well does the team plan and resource to build future policy capability (both policy content and people)?

Lines of inquiry / Indicators:

  • Are leaders committed to organisational learning and growing policy capability?
  • Is there a clear plan for investing in capability that might be needed in the future, including through knowledge management and a research strategy? How well are knowledge gaps identified (e.g. scanning) and a clear plan for addressing them developed? Are policy staff consistently striving to improve their capabilities (e.g. training, stretch goals)?
  • Previous
  • Next
Sidebar anchor
View all on one page
Show content paged
Print this publication

Table of Contents

  1. What is the Policy Capability Framework? 
  2. Why a Policy Capability Framework?  
  3. How to use the Policy Capability Framework  
    1. Getting started  
  4. How the Policy Capability Framework can be used for self-review
    1. Approach and process
    2. Follow up and follow through
  5. Inviting others in – from self to peer to external review
  6. Sharing the lessons – building capability across the system
  7. Applying this review tool
  8. Elements of the Policy Capability Framework
    1. Policy quality systems
    2. People capability
    3. Engagement and customer-centricity
    4. Stewardship

Related publications

National Resilience System Handbook

Resources
9 May 2025

Competency framework for public sector economists (2024)

Resources
19 Dec 2024

Developing A3s for policy advice

Resources
29 Aug 2024

Development Pathways Tool: Leading level skills

Resources
17 Jul 2024

Development Pathways Tool: Developing level skills

Resources
17 Jul 2024

Development Pathways Tool: Practising level skills

Resources
17 Jul 2024
View all publications

Content wrapper

Help us improve DPMC

Your feedback is very important in helping us improve the DPMC website.


More menu anchor
Home Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC)
Page url

Toitū carbon reduce ISO 14064-1 organisation

Back to top

About DPMC
  • Who we are
  • Our work
  • Our history
  • Careers
Our business units
  • Cabinet Office
  • National Security Group
  • Risk and Systems Governance Group
  • Policy Advisory Group
  • Delivery Unit
  • Strategy, Governance and Engagement Group
  • Government House
  • Cyclone Recovery Unit
Departmental agency
  • NEMA
Our programmes
  • New Zealand Royal Honours
  • The Policy Project
  • Government Targets
  • National security
  • Other work
  • Risk and resilience
Publications
  • Publications
  • News and notices
  • Annual reports
  • CabGuide
  • Cabinet Manual
  • Contact us
  • Copyright and licensing
  • Privacy
  • About this site
  • Disclaimer
  • Site map

© Copyright Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

New Zealand Government