One Big Thing

The theme for One Big Thing 2024 is Innovation – One Big Thing starts with One Small Change.

“Innovation is a word that gets used a lot and, at times, can feel intimidating, but it can actually mean small changes that cumulatively make a really big difference.”

Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary and Head of Civil Service

Find out more by reading the Guide to One Big Thing 2024. You can also download the accessible version.

The One Big Thing team standing beside the One Big Thing podium at Civil Service Live 2024

One Big Thing 2024

One Big Thing is an annual initiative for all civil servants to take action around a cross-government change priority. 

Last year, One Big Thing 2023 delivered over half a million hours of data learning to 212,000 civil servants.

Launching on 14th October, this year’s focus is innovation – part of the government’s reform focus in creating A Modern Civil Service which is skilled, innovative and ambitious.

Innovation is at the heart of how we improve policy, process and service delivery, and ensure we’re the most productive and efficient organisation we can be. This helps everyone; our people and the public. Being an innovator is not limited to certain fields or roles but something we can all learn to do.

The Civil Service is already doing pioneering and ground-breaking work to tackle problems. Some of our biggest challenges — Levelling Up, Net Zero, harnessing AI for good — need us to tackle existing issues in new ways.

Jo Shanmugalingam, Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport (DfT)

Innovation is, and must be, for everyone. One Big Thing 2024 is about giving all of us the knowledge, tools, time, and space to innovate.

Jo Shanmugalingham, Second Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport (DfT)

What does One Big Thing 2024 look like in practice?

Civil servants will have access to training and resources to demystify innovation and guide them through putting forward their ideas for change and bringing them to life. 

There will be three components to this: 

  • Learning: All civil servants will be invited to complete the ‘Innovation Masterclass’ – our innovation e-learning course, which succinctly breaks down the innovation process into small steps in a way that all civil servants can practically apply to their work.
  • Team Conversations: All civil servants will participate in team conversations to reflect on their learning and share ideas for a ‘small change’.
  • Experimentation: Teams will experiment with delivering the agreed small changes. This presents a huge opportunity for civil servants to leverage their individual and collective knowledge and experience to improve ways of operating in local contexts and deliver value for the public.

One Big Thing 2024 will run from 14 October to 14 February.

Emily Hobbs – Director of Capability, Learning and Talent, Department for Work and Pensions

I was really impressed with the way One Big Thing ignited a remarkable sense of unity across the department. The incredible enthusiasm and active involvement in the learning exceeded all expectations, highlighting DWP’s commitment to continuous learning.