Changing and Improving is about noticing when the current way of working is no longer good enough and doing something sensible about it. The Civil Service is not looking for change for the sake of change. A strong example shows that you understood the problem, involved the right people, tested a better approach and dealt properly with the consequences.
Some of the best examples are small. Removing a duplicated spreadsheet, simplifying an approval step or changing the way a team handles exceptions can demonstrate more judgement than a huge transformation programme where you simply followed somebody else’s plan.
The level changes with grade. At AA/AO, practical improvements and willingness to learn may be enough. By HEO/SEO and Grade 6/7, the panel expects you to consider wider impacts, bring people with you and challenge established approaches when the evidence supports it.
Writing an application? Go to the Changing and Improving 250-word statement guide.
Preparing for interview? Go to Changing and Improving interview questions and answers.
How this fits the Civil Service Success Profiles
Within Success Profiles, Changing and Improving develops from practical suggestions and willingness to learn into leading change, challenging assumptions and considering the wider impact on people and services.
At AA/AO: Notice better ways of working, learn new procedures, make sensible use of technology and raise problems with change constructively. At EO: Review how work is done, suggest practical improvements, respond positively to change and help colleagues understand and use new approaches.
At HEO/SEO: Work with others to simplify processes, use technology intelligently, invite ideas from a wide range of people and explain the reasons for change. At Grade 6/7: Create space for challenge and innovation, understand the full effect of change on people and users, use technology where it adds value and challenge senior proposals when needed.
Use the official Civil Service Success Profiles behaviour guidance as the final check on the level expected for the vacancy.
Improvement is not the same as introducing something new
A weak Changing and Improving example often starts with the solution: “I introduced a new system.” That tells the assessor very little about whether the change was needed or whether you made good decisions.
The stronger story starts with the problem. Perhaps work is being entered twice, customers are repeatedly contacting the team, a handoff creates delays or a policy has changed and the existing process no longer fits.
Then show how you tested your assumptions. A good improvement normally comes from understanding the cause rather than jumping at the first attractive idea.
What strong evidence usually contains
Useful evidence usually has a clear before-and-after story. The old approach created a real problem, you worked out why, tried something more effective and checked that the change actually worked.
It also helps if the example contains some resistance or constraint. A colleague may prefer the existing process, technology may have limitations, or a proposed improvement may create an accessibility problem. Showing how you handled that makes the change believable.
A practical example
Imagine a team records incoming work in a shared mailbox, then copies the same information into a spreadsheet before finally entering it into the case system. The spreadsheet was useful years ago, but now it mostly creates duplicated effort and inconsistent ownership.
Instead of immediately asking for a new tool, you map what each record is actually used for. You find that the case system already holds most of the information managers need. The missing piece is a simple way to allocate new work and flag exceptions.
You build a lightweight intake form and ownership view using an existing platform, test it with the people who process the work and alter the exception route after they show you where it would fail. Once the team is comfortable, the duplicate spreadsheet is removed.
That is a stronger Changing and Improving example than “I digitised the process” because the change is tied to a genuine problem, shaped by users and tested before wider adoption.
Using Changing and Improving in a Civil Service application
In a 250-word statement, spend very little time admiring the new solution. The assessor needs to know what was wrong with the old approach, what you personally changed and why your solution was proportionate.
Be especially clear about feedback. “I consulted stakeholders” is vague. Explain what somebody told you and what you changed because of it. That is where the evidence of flexibility often sits.
The dedicated statement article shows how to turn that into a concise B-STAR example without making the answer read like a process-improvement report.
Read the full Changing and Improving 250-word statement example.
See stronger change evidence at your grade
The grade-specific statement packs cover all nine behaviours with worked examples at your level. They show how improvement evidence develops from practical fixes into wider change, challenge and sustainable implementation.
Changing and Improving at interview
At interview, expect the panel to explore how you responded to challenge. They may ask what you would have done if the first idea had failed, how you assessed risk, or how you persuaded people who preferred the old way.
Good answers are comfortable admitting that an initial idea needed changing. That normally sounds more credible than pretending the candidate designed the perfect solution on day one.
Read the full Changing and Improving Civil Service interview questions and answers.
Preparing to talk through a change at interview?
The grade-specific interview guides cover all nine behaviours with worked questions and answers, helping you test whether your example shows enough ownership, challenge and delivery for the grade you are applying for.
What changes by Civil Service grade?
AA/AO
You notice customers are repeatedly asking the same question because a standard email is unclear. You rewrite the explanation in plain language, test it with colleagues and see repeat queries fall away.
EO
A team relies on a spreadsheet that duplicates information already held elsewhere. You map the process, involve the users and remove the duplicate step while keeping the control they actually need.
HEO/SEO
A reporting process is slow because teams use different definitions. Instead of buying another tool, you agree common measures, automate the existing platform and test the new approach with analysts before switching over.
G6/7
A major change proposal would meet a short-term objective but create accessibility and morale problems. You challenge the plan, bring user and workforce evidence into the decision and secure a phased approach that protects the intended benefit.
Improvement does not need a transformation programme
A candidate can demonstrate this behaviour by fixing a recurring problem in an ordinary process. The scale should fit the grade, but the judgement is often clearer in a change you genuinely owned than in a huge programme where your role was narrow.
Look for friction that people have learned to tolerate: duplicate entry, avoidable handoffs, confusing guidance or checks that no longer add value. Those are often better starting points than searching for the biggest project on your CV.
When should you challenge the existing way?
Challenge is useful when it is grounded in evidence and aimed at a better outcome. “We have always done it this way” is not a reason to keep a poor process, but neither is personal preference a reason to replace it.
Show how you understood what the current approach was protecting before you changed it. That makes the improvement safer and usually helps people accept it.
Common ways candidates weaken this behaviour
Starting with the shiny solution. The assessor needs to understand the problem and your reasoning, not just the technology or process you introduced.
Change for its own sake. Replacing something that already works is not automatically improvement. Show the benefit that justified the disruption.
Consultation theatre. Saying people were consulted adds little unless their input affected the design or decision.
Ignoring adoption. A technically clever improvement that nobody uses is not a strong result.
Pretending there was no resistance. Real change usually creates concerns. Handling them well is often part of the best evidence.
Choose the route you need
Use this page for the behaviour as a whole. For detailed preparation, go to the Changing and Improving 250-word statement guide or the Changing and Improving interview questions and answers.
