Delivering at Pace Examples, Scored
Delivering at Pace is about taking responsibility for getting quality results on time: planning the work, keeping it on track, dealing with setbacks and supporting the people doing it. Panels look for a deadline or target, how you organised the work, what you did when things went wrong, and the result.
Official definition: Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.
What panels look for
- A clear deadline or target and why it mattered.
- How you planned, prioritised and monitored the work.
- Corrective action when something went wrong.
- Supporting colleagues, and a timely, quality result.
HEO example, likely score 4-5 out of 7
As an HEO in a schools funding team, I was given four weeks to set up a new £6 million grant so that 300 schools could receive money before the start of term, with two of my team on leave.
I broke the work into a timeline with weekly milestones and identified the risks: the application form needed legal sign-off, and finance needed bank details verified before any payment. I agreed deadlines with both teams on day one and booked their review time in advance.
I set clear goals for each of my three team members and checked workloads twice a week, moving the data checks to me when one colleague was struggling with a family emergency. When legal sign-off was delayed by four days, I took corrective action: I asked finance to start verifying bank details in parallel using the draft form, which recovered the lost time without adding risk.
I kept my Grade 7 and the policy team updated with a short weekly note showing progress against each milestone.
All 300 schools were paid two days before the deadline, and our post-payment audit found no errors. The headteachers' association thanked the department for the speed of the scheme. My timeline template is now used for all new grants in the directorate. I learned to agree review slots early, because waiting for sign-off is where projects lose time.
- Risks identified on day one and review time booked in advance.
- Clear goals for each team member, workloads checked, a colleague supported.
- Corrective action that recovered lost time without adding risk.
- Measured result and a template now used across the directorate.
EO example, likely score 3-4 out of 7
As an Executive Officer in a records team, I was asked to digitise 2,000 paper files within six weeks, before the office moved to a new building.
I planned the work by splitting the files into weekly batches and agreed the plan with my manager. I made sure I followed the data protection procedures for handling personal records, and I checked the scanning quality of each batch before the paper files were destroyed.
In the third week, the scanner broke down for two days. I arranged to borrow a scanner from another team and worked with a colleague to catch up on the delayed batch. I kept my manager updated on progress every Friday by email.
All 2,000 files were scanned and checked a few days before the move, and no files were lost. My manager said that the project had gone smoothly. I learned that having a simple plan with weekly targets made it easier to catch up when something went wrong.
- A simple plan with weekly targets, following data protection procedures.
- Handles a setback (broken scanner) and keeps the manager updated.
- Delivered on time with no files lost.
G7 example, likely score 2-3 out of 7
In my previous role I was part of a team responsible for delivering a new IT system for our department. The project was very high profile and had a tight deadline set by ministers.
We worked very hard to deliver the system on time. We held daily stand-up meetings to track progress and we made sure that any issues were escalated quickly. There were several problems along the way, including delays from the supplier, but we worked through them together. I was responsible for testing some parts of the system and for keeping a log of any defects.
As the deadline got closer, we all put in extra hours to make sure everything was ready. We kept our senior responsible owner updated on progress through weekly reports.
The system went live on the date that had been agreed, and it has been working well since. Our Director thanked the team for our efforts. This experience shows that I can deliver at pace under pressure and take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results.
- "We" throughout; the candidate's own role (testing and a defect log) is below Grade 7.
- No planning, prioritising or leadership of delivery shown.
- The result belongs to the team, not visibly to the candidate.
These examples are written by us to illustrate the scoring. The scores are what our checker gives them (it tends to be a little strict), not a panel's. Use them to understand what earns points, not as text to adapt: panels look for your own experience.
Common mistakes
- "We worked very hard and put in extra hours".
- Copying the descriptors back as claims.
- A result without showing what you did to achieve it.
Situations that often make good examples
- Delivering a project to a fixed deadline with limited people
- Clearing a backlog
- Recovering a piece of work after a setback
- Reprioritising when urgent work arrived
Delivering at Pace at each grade
What the published descriptors say. Panels read your example against the list for the grade you apply for; you don't need every point, but several, with depth.
Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO)
- always work with focus and pace to get the job done on time and to a high standard
- follow the relevant policies, procedures and rules that apply to the job
- use own knowledge and expertise to organise work
- keep focused on delivery and take responsibility for the quality of work produced
- keep a consistent level of personal performance
- keep managers and stakeholders updated on how work is progressing
Executive Officer (EO)
- regularly review the success of activities in the team to identify barriers to progress or challenging objectives
- identify who and what is required to ensure success, set clear goals and areas of responsibility and continually assess workloads considering individual needs
- follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work
- ensure colleagues have the correct tools and resources available to them to do their jobs
- have a positive and focused attitude to achieving outcomes, despite any setbacks
- regularly check performance against objectives, making suggestions for improvement or taking corrective action where necessary
- ensure that colleagues are supported where tasks are challenging
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO)
- show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities
- promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation
- ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively
- regularly monitor your own and team’s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks
- act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance
- allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility
Grade 7 and Grade 6
- set and maintain a clear direction for the department, with highly focused priorities and project and programme outcomes
- define and integrate clear structures, systems and resources across the department which promote efficient service delivery
- swiftly adjust priorities as changing situations dictate
- enable the organisation to remain focused on core priorities irrespective of external challenges
- encourage, support and coach individuals and teams to keep focus on delivery
- drive a performance culture across the department which gives teams the space and authority to deliver objectives, whilst holding them accountable for outcomes Back to top
Descriptors from Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Their use here does not imply endorsement.