PRINCE2 Regulatory EDI Improvement Plan for UK Public Sector Organisations

PRINCE2 metholodogy is widely used in public sector organisations. The plan below uses PRINCE2 methodology to ensure scalability, compliance, and adaptability across public sector organisations looking to implement regulatory equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) improvement plans. It aligns with UK regulatory frameworks including the Equality Act 2010 and focuses on measurable outcomes. This plan ensures compliance, adaptability, and accountability while empowering organisations to meet UK EDI regulatory requirements systematically. It can be used as a starting point for those new to implementing EDI improvement plans and those with little experience using PRINCE2 principles. The overview below can be expanded and built on depending on organisational needs and drivers.

1. Application of PRINCE2 principles

Continued business justification

• Define the EDI improvement’s strategic alignment with organisational goals (e.g. workforce equity, service service equity).
• Establish a Business Case template for organisations to tailor, including:
  • Legal obligations (Equality Act 2010, PSED, Human Rights Act 1998, health and safety duty of care).
  • Risks of non-compliance (reputational, financial, workforce exit, workforce stress, toxic culture).
  • Benefits (improved public trust, inclusive service delivery, reduced litigation costs, sustainable delivery, continous service improvement).

Learn from experience

• Include a Lessons Log template to capture insights from past EDI initiatives (e.g. barriers, stakeholder feedback, resource use, sustainability, impact across protected characteristics, environmental impact).

Defined roles and responsibilities

• Adaptable role definitions (e.g., Project Executive = Senior Responsible Owner; EDI Lead = Day-to-day manager; Stakeholders = Staff Networks, Service Users, Strategic Partners).

2. PRINCE2 themes

Business case

• Objective: Ensure compliance with UK regulations while embedding EDI into organisational culture, processes, policy, procedures, structures.
• Template:
• Why? Legal mandate, service equity gaps identified in audits.
• How? Training, policy updates, data-driven monitoring.
• Return: Reduced discrimination complaints, improved staff retention, service user safety, quality of service.

Organisation – Project board

• Executive: CEO/Department Head (accountable for outcomes).
• Senior User: HR Director or EDI Champion.
• Senior Supplier: IT/Data Team (for EDI reporting systems).

Quality – Criteria

• Policies meet requisite industry standards.
• 90% staff completion of mandatory EDI training.
• Annual EDI impact assessments conducted and evaluated.
• Service user and workforce feedback.
• Impact on local economy.

Plans – Project Plan Template (Phased)

1. Initiation: Stakeholder analysis, baseline EDI audit.
2. Assessment: Gap analysis against PSED requirements.
3. Design: Update policies, design training, select monitoring tools.
4. Implementation: Pilot training, revise recruitment practices.
5. Review: Measure outcomes, adjust for continuous improvement.

Risk – Risk Log Template

• Risk: Resistance to cultural change.
  Mitigation: Engage staff networks early; use EDI champions, staff side representatives, professional bodies, communications policy, regular statements from project board.
• Risk: Budget constraints.
  Mitigation: Leverage free resources, share resources with other bodies, collaborative working across public sector functions, audit staff skills and competencies and use matrix working to deliver in areas that are understaffed.

Change – Process

• Use change control for policy updates (e.g., consult unions/staff/service user representatives).
• Track revisions via a Configuration Item Record.

Progress – KPIs

• % reduction in service accessibility complaints.
• Diversity metrics in recruitment pipelines.

3. PRINCE2 Processes

Starting Up a Project

• Project brief: Outline scope (e.g. “Revise procurement policies to ensure supplier diversity”).
• Tailored for Public Sector: Mandate alignment with Government Digital Service Standards if digital systems are involved.

Initiating a project – initiation document to include

• Equality Impact Assessments
• Audit of data and evidence gaps
• EDI legal obligations specific to the organisation (e.g. NHS, local council, police, education).
• Stakeholder map (e.g. internal staff, service users, regulators, government departments, universities, fund holders, commissioners).

Directing a project – project board decisions

• Approve training budgets with flex.
• Escalate issues requiring legal advice (e.g. conflicts with existing policies).
• Risk assessment framework.

Controlling a stage – weekly checkpoints.

• Monitor progress against reporting deadlines (e.g., annual equality reports).
• Integrate communication updates for all staff – reduce silo working and triangulate culture improvement work, enhance transparency of initiatives.

Managing product delivery – deliverables

• Revised policies and strategies.
• Equality impact assessments – living documents.
• Audit of data and evidence gaps.
• Triangulation of work with other public sector entities – identify synergies.
• Accessible service design guidelines (WCAG compliance).

Closing a project

• Handover: Transfer ownership to BAU teams (e.g., HR, Compliance).
• Post-project review: Share outcomes with regulators (if required).
• Audit: data integrity and evidence.

4. Tailoring for any public sector organisation – adaptation guide

• Size: Small councils vs. large NHS trusts may adjust timelines/resourcing.
• Sector-specific needs:
  • Education: Focus on inclusive curricula.
  • Healthcare: Address health inequalities.
• Existing EDI Maturity: Use the Equality Frameworks for benchmarking.

5. Compliance and resources – UK Regulations

• Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• GDPR for EDI data handling.
• Tools: regulator guidance documents, Government Equalities Office toolkits, international standards.

6. Example outcomes

• Policies updated with gender pay gap action plans.
• Staff survey showing 20% improvement in “sense of belonging.”
• Service delivery complaints reduced by 30% in underrepresented groups.
• Reduction in health inequalities by protected characteristics.
• Improvement in staff representation by protected characteristics.
• Reduction in equality related litigation.