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The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has launched a new resource designed to help public service organisations strengthen performance and efficiency across departments.The Public Sector Productivity Toolkit aims to support professionals, managers and leaders in government and public bodies to improve outcomes and deliver greater public value.
The toolkit offers practical tools, checklists and frameworks to help professionals across finance, human resources, operations and strategy measure and improve productivity.
It is structured around eight areas: defining productivity in public services; strategic planning and alignment; governance, accountability and reporting; improving productivity tracking and measuring outcomes; finance as a catalyst for change; people and organisational culture; leadership and management practice; and digital technology and artificial intelligence.
It comes as CIMA said productivity growth has stagnated in the UK since the 2008 financial crisis and was further weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently reported that total public service productivity fell by 0.7% in the three months to June, the sharpest decline since late 2022. Despite recent gains, it remains 3% below pre-pandemic levels, leaving the UK behind other advanced economies.
CIMA added that slow growth in public sector productivity is estimated to cost the UK economy £80bn a year. It warned that if unaddressed, that figure could rise to £170bn by 2030, and that a renewed focus on strategic productivity is needed to keep public services “financially sustainable, resilient and trusted”.
Andrew Harding, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, said: “Every part of the public sector is under pressure to deliver more while reducing costs to keep public finances sustainable. Unfortunately, public sector productivity results post-pandemic have been very disappointing.
“A comprehensive transformation of public services is urgently needed, and that starts with shifting to outcome-based performance management that aligns strategy, people, processes, and technology.”
He added: “Our new toolkit is designed to help public sector leaders, managers, and finance professionals tackle productivity challenges head-on. It offers practical guidance and tools to align strategy with delivery across services and departments.
“CIMA’s research highlights a lack of integration as a key barrier to productivity – this toolkit helps users identify those gaps and build a performance-driven culture.”
