ISO 11367:2025

Service excellence - Principles and model for public service organizations

This document establishes the principles of public service excellence and gives guidance on a public service excellence model. This document is applicable to public service organizations that deliver services and aim to provide an outstanding experience to their key stakeholders, such as the society (the citizens) they serve, and other partner organizations for the purpose of delivering excellent service.

Excellence de service — Principes et modèles pour les organismes de service public

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 10-Feb-2025
• ICS: 03.080.01 - Services in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 312 - Excellence in service
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 312 - Excellence in service
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 11-Feb-2025
• Due Date: 18-Jan-2025
• Completion Date: 11-Feb-2025

Overview

ISO 11367:2025 - Service excellence - Principles and model for public service organizations provides a principles-based framework and practical guidance for achieving public service excellence. It is intended for public service organizations (governmental and semi‑government entities) that deliver services to citizens, communities and partner organizations and that aim to create outstanding customer/citizen experiences, trust and societal value.

The document defines terms, explains the relevance and benefits of service excellence, and establishes a public service excellence model built around a four‑level pyramid. While lower levels (foundational quality and complaint management) are supported by standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 11367 focuses on the upper levels:

• Level 3: public service according to citizen/societal needs (warm, value‑creating experiences)
• Level 4: surprising public service provision (tailor‑made experiences that exceed expectations)

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 11367 lays out both general and specific principles and a structured model with elements and sub‑elements:

• General principles:

  • Managing the organization from an outside‑in perspective
  • Deepening customer/citizen relationships
  • People make the difference (employee engagement and culture)
  • Balanced attention to customers/citizens, employees, subcontractors and other stakeholders
  • Cross‑functional management and leveraging of technology
  • Creating value for stakeholders

• Specific public service principles:

  • Public interest and equitable approach
  • Transparency and communication
  • Accessibility
  • Efficiency and effectiveness
  • Accountability
  • Agility

• Model elements (major areas of guidance):

  • Leadership and strategy (purpose, vision, public accountability)
  • Culture and employee engagement (integrity, conflict management)
  • Designing outstanding customer/citizen experiences (co‑creation, understanding journeys, innovation)
  • Operational service excellence (process management, equity, monitoring and results)

Note: ISO 11367 contains guidance rather than prescriptive normative references (the standard lists no normative references).

Practical applications - who uses it

ISO 11367 is applicable to:

• National, regional and local government departments (health, education, transport, social services, public safety)
• Semi‑governmental agencies and public utilities
• Policy makers, service designers, quality and performance teams
• HR, IT and procurement units involved in service delivery transformation
• Partner organizations working on co‑creation and multi‑stakeholder service models

Practical benefits include improved citizen trust, more equitable and accessible services, enhanced employee engagement, better cross‑functional collaboration, and pathways for innovation to address societal challenges.

Related standards (for implementation)

• ISO 9001:2015 (quality management systems)
• ISO 10002:2018 (complaint handling)
• ISO/IEC 20000‑1:2018 (service management)
• ISO 18091:2019 (quality management in public sector)
• ISO 23592:2021 (co‑creation)

ISO 11367 is a strategic complement to these standards, focusing on the higher‑order goal of delivering outstanding, trustworthy public service experiences.

Standards Content (Sample)

International
Standard
ISO 11367
First edition
Service excellence — Principles
2025-02
and model for public service
organizations
Excellence de service — Principes et modèles pour les organismes
de service public
Reference number
© ISO 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Relevance and benefits of public service excellence . 5
5 Principles of public service excellence . . 6
5.1 General principles of service excellence .6
5.1.1 Managing the organization from outside-in .6
5.1.2 Deepening customer/citizen relationships .6
5.1.3 People make the difference .6
5.1.4 Balanced attention to customers/citizens, employees, subcontractors and other
stakeholders .6
5.1.5 Cross-functional management approach .6
5.1.6 Leveraging of technology.6
5.1.7 Create value for stakeholders .6
5.2 Specific principles of public service excellence .6
5.2.1 Public interest .6
5.2.2 Equitable approach .6
5.2.3 Transparency and communication .7
5.2.4 Accessibility .7
5.2.5 Efficiency and effectiveness .7
5.2.6 Accountability .7
5.2.7 Agility .7
6 Public service excellence model . 7
7 Elements of the public service excellence model . 8
7.1 Public service excellence leadership and strategy .8
7.1.1 Public service excellence purpose, vision, mission and strategy .8
7.1.2 Public service leadership and management requirements .9
7.1.3 Public accountability .14
7.2 Public service excellence culture and employee engagement .14
7.2.1 Public service excellence culture .14
7.2.2 Employee engagement .16
7.2.3 Integrity and conflict management .21
7.3 Create best available outstanding customer/citizen experiences. 22
7.3.1 Understanding customer/citizen and societal needs, expectations and desires . 22
7.3.2 Designing and renewing outstanding customer/citizen experiences .24
7.3.3 Public service innovation management . 26
7.4 Operational service excellence . .27
7.4.1 Managing customer/citizen-experience-related efficient and effective
processes and organizational structure .27
7.4.2 Managing equity, fairness, transparency and accessibility . 30
7.4.3 Monitoring public service excellence activities and results .31
Bibliography .34

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
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with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
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Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
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For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 312, Excellence in service.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
Introduction
The purpose of public service organizations is to fulfil essential societal needs and provide services that
contribute to the well-being, development, and progress of communities, and customers and citizens. These
organizations are typically government/public services or semi-government entities established usually by
statute to serve the public interest and promote the common good.
Public service organizations are responsible for delivering a wide range of essential services to citizens,
such as healthcare, education, transportation, public safety, social welfare and environmental protection.
They play a crucial role in a functioning society, ensuring that the needs of citizens are met, resources are
efficiently managed and communities progress in a safe and supportive environment.
At the same time citizens and the society at large, expect public service organizations to be committed to
the idea of consistently providing high quality services all the time, not only meeting but exceeding these
expectations. More importantly citizens expect public services to provide protection as well as improvement
of the way of life and at the same time addressing a multitude of challenges such as demographic shifts,
shifts of economic power, accelerating urbanization, the climate crisis/resource scarcity and technological
breakthroughs but also crisis due to geopolitical changes that have a more immediate impact.
It is no longer enough for public service organizations to deliver the basic services expected by customers/
citizens resulting in customer/citizen satisfaction at its most. Public service excellence describes an
approach that enables the creation of outstanding customer/citizen experiences by public service according
to citizen/societal needs and surprising service provision, resulting in the creation of trust so that societal
challenges are addressed through innovation. Consequently, public service excellence leads to addressing
future societal challenges.
This document describes the principles, elements and sub-elements for creating outstanding customer/
citizen experiences. The basic foundations of implementing service excellence are the two lower levels of the
public service excellence pyramid (see Figure 1). These are described in standards such as ISO 9001:2015,
ISO 10002:2018, ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 and ISO 18091:2019. This document deals with the upper levels
which are:
— public service according to citizen/societal needs (Level 3);
— surprising public service provision (Level 4).
Public service according to citizen/societal needs (Level 3) results in service that is perceived by customers/
citizens as warm, genuine and value-creating. The customer/citizen experiences an emotional reaction by
feeling valued as his/her needs are being addressed.
Surprising public service provision (Level 4) results in service that is tailor-made and leads to emotions
of surprise and joy. It is delivered by exceeding customer/citizens expectations. This can be achieved by
delivering unexpected outstanding customer/citizen experiences.
The public service excellence pyramid should be used to explain to managers and employees why a public
service organization must focus on both: fulfilling the promises (Levels 1 and 2) and exceeding customer/
citizen expectations by delivering excellent services (Levels 3 and 4).

v
Figure 1 — Public service excellence pyramid
This document defines the essential terms, describes relevant principles and establishes a model on public
service excellence. It provides guidance for use by public service organizations wishing to achieve public
service excellence.
The recipients of services from a public service organization are typically the members of the public or the
community that the organization serves. These individuals or groups benefit from the services provided by
the organization, which can cover a wide range of offerings depending on the specific mission and scope of
the organization.
This means that in different circumstances the recipients of the public service can be the citizen, a customer
or the consumer. For this reason, for the purposes of this document, the term “citizen/customer” refers to
the recipient of the public service organization output unless otherwise specified.
The term “public service excellence” in the context of this document can take a number of different attributes
such as outstanding public service, exceptional public service or high-quality public service.

vi
International Standard ISO 11367:2025(en)
Service excellence — Principles and model for public service
organizations
1 Scope
This document establishes the principles of public service excellence and gives guidance on a public service
excellence model.
This document is applicable to public service organizations that deliver services and aim to provide an
outstanding experience to their key stakeholders, such as the society (the citizens) they serve, and other
partner organizations for the purpose of delivering excellent service.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
co-creation
active involvement of stakeholders in service design, delivery and innovation
[SOURCE: ISO 23592:2021, 3.3]
3.2
customer/citizen
person or organization that can or does receive a product or a service intended for or required by them
Note 1 to entry: A citizen is a person having a naturally or legally conferred status to belong to a nation with basic or
fundamental rights and duties as defined in the national constitution or other decree by law. Citizen rights can include
justice, equality, freedom of expression, freedom of association, protection and security, ownership of property and
franchise. Citizen duties can include allegiance, and protecting the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.
Note 2 to entry: In the context of this document, a citizen is a natural customer of services provided by the state.
Note 3 to entry: “Product or service” relates to the output of the public service processes and can be in many different
forms. The types of products and services are outlined in 3.9.
Note 4 to entry: In the context of this document, a customer of a public service (3.9) can be a citizen, a non-citizen, such
as visitor from another nation, an organization and a society representing a collective of citizens.
Note 5 to entry: The term “customer” can sometimes cause controversy in public administration and even in public
international law. However, due to its wide adoption and usefulness in the standardization of service excellence, the
use of the term “customer” has been adopted in this document, and is used in combination with “citizen”.
[SOURCE: ISO 18091:2019, 3.2, modified — Notes 1 to 4 to entry replaced Notes 1 to 2 to entry. Note 5 to
entry (previously Note 3 to entry) revised in the context of service excellence.]

3.3
customer/citizen experience
perception by a customer/citizen (3.2) about their interaction with a public service organization (3.14), its
products or services
Note 1 to entry: An interaction is related to a customer/citizen journey (3.4) or the whole relationship with a public
service organization, its products, systems, services or related networks. Interaction can be directly related or
indirectly related to the public service organization.
[SOURCE: ISO 23592:2021, 3.6, modified — “customer/citizen” replaced “customer” and “public service
organization” replaced “organization”. The last sentence of Note 1 to entry deleted.]
3.4
customer/citizen journey
series or sum of customer/citizen experiences (3.3) when engaging with a public service organization (3.14),
and its products or services
Note 1 to entry: “Series” is based on processes; “sum” is based on results.
3.5
employee engagement
extent to which employees are committed to the public service organization (3.14), feel enthusiastic about
their job and put discretionary effort into their work
Note 1 to entry: Engaged employees are motivated to go above and beyond what they are expected to do for customers/
citizens (3.2) and the public service organization.
3.6
outstanding customer/citizen experience
services that are significantly better than the level that creates public service (3.9) satisfaction (3.8)
Note 1 to entry: As shown in Levels 3 and 4 of the public service excellence pyramid, see Figure 1.
3.7
service provision
delivery and management of a service
[SOURCE: ISO 41011:2024, 3.1.7, modified — “service provision” replaced “internal service provision” and
“in-house service provision” as the term. “by staff employed by the demand organization” deleted.]
3.8
satisfaction
perception of the degree to which expectations have been fulfilled
3.9
public service
service provided by an organization, established, appointed or approved by the government, to customers/
citizens (3.2)
Note 1 to entry: Types of public service include the following:
a) services provided for the protection of citizens, such as defence, law and order, justice, and cyber security;
b) services provided to cater for societal governance through regulatory measures, such as taxation and other
revenue collection, central banking, environment protection, labour market regulation, immigration control, food
safety, and other licensing and approvals;
c) services provided for the conservation of culture, arts, heritage, forests, land and water resources, and
biodiversity;
d) services provided for citizens’ welfare, such as infrastructure development, healthcare, basic education, social
security and shelters;
e) services provided on commercial basis, such as airport and postal, and public utilities such as water, electricity
and gas.
Note 2 to entry: Services provided by international organizations established under multilateral intergovernmental
agreements can also be deemed to be public services.
Note 3 to entry: A public service can be provided for free or on payment of charges.
3.10
public service excellence
capabilities of a public service organization (3.14) to consistently deliver outstanding customer/citizen
experiences (3.6) to achieve customer/citizen delight
Note 1 to entry: Capabilities reflect the four dimensions and twelve elements of the public service excellence model
and their interplay (see Figure 3).
3.11
public service excellence mission
general expression of what a public service organization (3.14) is committed to do to achieve the public service
excellence vision (3.13)
[SOURCE: ISO 23592:2021, 3.13, modified — “public” added to the term and definition. “general expression of
what a public service organization is committed to do” replaced “commitment of an organization on how”.]
3.12
public service excellence strategy
translation of the public service excellence vision (3.13) and mission (3.11) into sound principles, objectives
and actions in order to realize the envisaged goals
[SOURCE: ISO 23592:2021, 3.14, modified — “public” added to the term and definition. “envisaged” added to
the definition.]
3.13
public service excellence vision
future aspiration of a public service organization (3.14) for achieving public service excellence (3.10)
[SOURCE: ISO 23592:2021, 3.12, modified — “public” and “public service” added to the term and definition.]
3.14
public service organization
institution, service organization or system, which is under the policy direction of and controlled by a
government (national, federal, regional or local)
Note 1 to entry: Public service organizations can include organizations that deal with development of policy and
enforcement of law, i.e. matters that could not cannot be regarded strictly as services whose activities influence public
interest at large.
[8]
[SOURCE: CAF 2020 , Glossary, modified — “elected” added in the definition. “whose activities influence
public interest at large” added in Note 1 to entry.
3.15
accountability
duty to be answerable for assigned responsibilities, including the responsible use and oversight of allocated
resources
Note 1 to entry: Those who assume accountability are tasked with providing explanations and updates regarding the
management of resources and operations within their purview to those who require accountability. Therefore, both
parties have distinct roles and responsibilities in this process.
[8]
[SOURCE: CAF 2020 , Glossary, modified — “obligation to answer for responsibilities that have been
conferred and accepted, and to report on the utilisation and management of entrusted resources.” replaced
by the definition. “Those who assume accountability are tasked with providing explanations and updates
regarding the management of resources and operations within their purview to those who require

accountability. Therefore, both parties have distinct roles and responsibilities in this process.” replaced by
Note 1 to entry.]
3.16
transparency
visibility of policies, strategies and decisions, and actions of an organization provided to its stakeholders
through open access to information, proactive communication and/or responses to queries
Note 1 to entry: In the context of public services (3.9), transparency can include providing information regarding the
processes deployed to arrive at the policies, strategies and decisions.
Note 2 to entry: Public service organizations (3.14) can be protected by law from divulging information that is sensitive,
such as matters affecting national security, oath of secrecy and privacy of individuals.
Note 3 to entry: Some of the methods adopted to ensure transparency include voluntary disclosures of accounts,
statutory provisions guaranteeing the right to seek information, creating forums for interactions with citizens, audits
and reviews.
3.17
governance of organizations
human-based system by which an organization is directed, overseen and held accountable for achieving its
defined purpose
Note 1 to entry: Governance is the framework and the top-level processes involved in:
a) setting the strategic direction of an organization;
b) the development of vision, mission, values, policies and strategies;
c) the deployment of strategies through the delegation of authorities, responsibilities and accountabilities;
d) monitoring and control of processes;
e) reporting of information and compliances
Note 2 to entry: Attributes of effective governance include establishing mechanisms for reporting achievements
against goals and targets, ensuring that stakeholders are informed regarding decision-making processes and
management actions, requiring people to be responsive to stakeholders’ needs, and managing resources effectively
and efficiently.
[SOURCE: ISO 37000:2021, 3.1.1, modified — Note 1 to entry added.]
3.18
integrity
adherence to a code of values that entails the continuous upholding of the organizational value system
and principles, exemplified through the words and deeds of both the leadership and all members of the
organization
Note 1 to entry: Particularly in public services (3.9), integrity stands as a pivotal element in ensuring accountability
(3.15) and in preserving the public’s trust and confidence in the organization.
3.19
service standard
definition of requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to
ensure that services are fit for purpose in order to achieve customer/citizen satisfaction (3.8)
Note 1 to entry: ISO/IEC Guide 76:2020 provides guidance on how to meet the needs of consumers in the development
of service standards.
3.20
public service excellence purpose
clear direction provided by a public service organization (3.14) towards public service excellence (3.10)
Note 1 to entry: It provides clear direction for strategic planning and the formulation of a public service excellence
strategy (3.12).
4 Relevance and benefits of public service excellence
Increasingly public service organizations are facing a number of key challenges. These challenges stem not
only from mega trends such as demographic shifts, shifts of economic power, accelerating urbanization, the
climate crisis/resource scarcity and technological breakthroughs, but also from crises due to geopolitical
changes that have a more immediate impact.
In addition, there is not only regional competition within a country, but also global competition between
nations for talents, visitors, investors, companies that create jobs and growth, events and recognition in
the global society. Public service organizations must operate within this challenging environment and at
the same time deal with the growing demands and expectations of customers/citizens. As customer/
citizen needs and expectations expand, public service organizations should concentrate on optimizing the
experience, using innovation at all touch-points in customer journeys. Services should be continuously and
consistently improved, in co-creation with the customer/citizen and all other interested parties.
Public service excellence describes an approach that enables the creation of outstanding customer/citizen
experiences by public service according to citizen/societal needs and surprising service provision, resulting
in the creation of trust so that societal challenges are addressed through innovation. Consequently, public
service excellence leads to addressing future societal challenges.
This cause-and-effect chain is shown in Figure 2. This chain can be seen from the perspective of customer/
citizens and employees.
Figure 2 — Public service excellence effect chain
Public service excellence is a continuous process and requires investment in people, infrastructure, systems
and research. The organization can benefit from this investment in a number of ways, for example:
— higher reputation as a customer/citizen centric organization;
— establishing and strengthening of long-term customer/citizen relationships (leading to co-creation);
— cost-saving potential in the long term (e.g. lower failure costs, productivity improvement);
— an excellent public service brand (leading to improved recruitment opportunities, higher levels of staff
engagement, higher brand awareness);
— improved customer/citizen co-operation and engagement;
— better management of networks with subcontractors;
— enhanced organizational efficiency and performance;
— higher agility to respond to changes;
— potential to develop innovations that would address societal challenges;
— providing convenient access of public services to customers/citizens.

5 Principles of public service excellence
5.1 General principles of service excellence
5.1.1 Managing the organization from outside-in
The organization should design the desired experience from the customer’s/citizen’s perspective. Once
designed, resources and processes should be aligned to sustain customer/citizen centricity on an ongoing basis.
5.1.2 Deepening customer/citizen relationships
The organization should strive for a superior level of individual personalization and be focused on the
customer/citizen needs and expectations throughout the relationship. A strong relationship can be fuelled
by continuous communication, which should reflect the customer’s/citizen’s desired level of interaction.
5.1.3 People make the difference
The engagement of everyone in the organization, including partners, in achieving customer delight/citizen
delight is of key importance.
5.1.4 Balanced attention to customers/citizens, employees, subcontractors and other stakeholders
Customers/citizens, employees, subcontractors and other stakeholders are important, and the organization
should give a balanced focus of attention to them all.
5.1.5 Cross-functional management approach
The organization should work through customer/citizen journeys with an integrated cross-functional
approach.
5.1.6 Leveraging of technology
Appropriate technology should be used to create outstanding customer/citizen experiences, for staff,
customers and partners.
5.1.7 Create value for stakeholders
Implementing service excellence leads to additional sustainable value for stakeholders. Co-creation with
stakeholders should be used to create enhanced value. Value can be monetary as well as non-monetary.
5.2 Specific principles of public service excellence
5.2.1 Public interest
Public services are provided to serve the larger public interest that may include diverse purposes and
objectives such as societal, ecological, economic and security. A measure of excellence is the ability to
effectively manage conflicts of interest among citizen groups that ensures that precedence is always given
to the larger public interest against the interests of individuals or smaller groups.
5.2.2 Equitable approach
The public service should be provided to everybody with the utmost fairness and impartiality to all service
recipients, irrespective of their gender, social status, level of literacy, influence and background. Special
focus should be given to ensuring that the underprivileged, marginalized segments receive the full benefit of
the public service.
5.2.3 Transparency and communication
A public service organization should develop policies and procedures to ensure that the existing and
potential customers/citizens or service recipients are aware, fully understand and comprehend the service
intent, methods of availing services, its terms of delivery and the possible outcomes. All communications
regarding the services should be transparent, clear and timely, and delivered through multiple channels,
ensuring the widest possible coverage.
5.2.4 Accessibility
Public services should be available digitally or otherwise to the customers/citizens with simple access
procedures at convenient locations, time periods and durations, minimizing incidents of outages, crowding
and waiting to acceptable levels. A measure of excellence is the doorstep delivery of the public service for
marginalized and disabled consumers.
5.2.5 Efficiency and effectiveness
As public services are provided using government funds or charges borne by the citizens, an important
aspect of their excellence is that all resources should be deployed and utilized in a way that maximizes their
use and application, and avoids wastage, idling and delays. Resources include finance, people, building and
spaces, equipment and materials, knowledge and information. The service processes should be designed,
operated, monitored and continuously improved to enhance citizens’ experience and reduce service errors
and failures.
5.2.6 Accountability
Personnel associated with public services should be made aware that they are accountable to the
government, public and society for the proper discharge of their designated function and responsibilities.
With a view to protect citizen’s rights, a public service organization should set up mechanisms through
which accountability can be established, monitored and, when required, invoked (e.g. when lapses occur).
5.2.7 Agility
Agility in public service organization refers to its ability to effectively and quickly respond to changing
circumstances, emerging challenges and emerging citizen needs. A public service organization should
continuously track these and revise its policies, strategies and processes to sustain an excellent services
delivery, without losing focus on its mission, vision and purpose.
6 Public service excellence model
The public service excellence model (see Figure 3) contains four dimensions with twelve elements, which
lead to outstanding customer/citizen experiences.

Figure 3 — Public service excellence model
The objective of permanently achieving customer/citizen delight and public interest is at the centre of the
model. The four dimensions and twelve elements are equal with no sequence of implementation, although
ideally a public service excellence strategy should be in place and should be incorporated in the organization’s
overall strategy.
7 Elements of the public service excellence model
7.1 Public service excellence leadership and strategy
7.1.1 Public service excellence purpose, vision, mission and strategy
The purpose of the public service is usually documented through the government’s orders, notifications or
statutes that informs its business scope and the key functions at the time of its establishment, and changes
through revision orders.
The leadership of the public service organization guarantees organizational adherence to a well-defined
mission, vision and strategy that align with its intended purpose. This means that they develop the mission,
the vision, and the strategy and values required for the organization’s long-term success. Each public
organization requires values that form the foundation for all its activities. These values should be in line
with its mission and vision. The elements of service excellence vision, mission and strategy frame and
determine the targeted citizen experience interaction with the public service organization. They translate
the principles and the design of outstanding citizen experiences into all other elements of the public service
excellence model.
The public service excellence vision, mission and strategy should be aligned with each other and with
the public service organization’s overall strategy. They should be created and reviewed by involving
all stakeholders including management, staff and citizens. The vision, mission and strategy should be
communicated to and implemented by all parts of the organization to help create a service excellence
culture and to inform everyone about decision-making. This element is divided into the following three sub-
elements:
a) Service excellence vision: The public service organization should have a service excellence vision in
the long term which clearly states its aspiration to consistently meet and exceed customers’/citizens’
expectations and desires through exceptional public service delivery. The vision should embrace the
whole organization and should be based on a deep understanding of the needs and expectations of all
relevant stakeholders as well as the external environment.
b) Service excellence mission: The public service organization should have a mission in the long term which
will enable the development of a service excellence strategy that sets the goals and objectives to achieve
the service excellence vision. The mission of public service organizations is well stipulated in the legal
framework that defines clearly its role and responsibilities towards the society it is called upon to serve.
c) Service excellence strategy: The public service organization should translate its service excellence
vision and mission into a coherent strategy in the form of documented strategic and operational
objectives. The service excellence strategy forms an integral part of the overall organizational strategy
and describes what the organization will achieve and how it will realize these objectives.
The public service excellence strategy should be based on the defined principles and the other model
elements to achieve the results. The strategy should be translated into actionable objectives, goals,
programmes and other tools. Responsibilities and how the organization plans to implement these should
be defined. The strategy should be deployed to all relevant parts of the organization and reviewed
regularly. This review should take into account any changes in the external environment that could
potentially affect service excellence.
Appropriate practices for the development and implementation of the service excellence vision, mission and
strategy can include:
— Engaging with key stakeholders, including employees, in structured strategy workshops in order to
develop a service excellence vision, mission and strategy;
— Developing strategy documentation that is circulated to the main stakeholders as per the stakeholder
engagement plan, and subsequently engaging with them to gain acceptance;
NOTE Stakeholder engagement plan (SEP) documents the involvement and influence of project stakeholders.
It also outlines how the organization plans to communicate with stakeholders.
— Ensuring organizational agility by regularly reviewing the relevance of the service excellence strategy
in the context of internal and external changes.
7.1.2 Public service leadership and management requirements
7.1.2.1 General
The public service organization top management, and relevant managers at all levels have a vital role in
determining, implementing and sustaining the service excellence strategy and should be committed to
service excellence. They should demonstrate their leadership by developing and deploying the service
excellence vision, mission and strategy in line with the overall strategic direction of the organization. They
should develop the necessary service excellence values and make sure that the whole organization, including
its people, are united towards achieving them. The mindset and commitment of top management to create
an environment which allows employees to realize their full-service potential is critical in order to achieve
service excellence.
This element is divided into the four sub-elements described in 7.1.2.2 to 7.1.2.5.

7.1.2.2 Leadership
Relevant managers at all levels should focus on service excellence and create a service excellence culture
that captures the whole organization, including its key stakeholders. They should link the performance of
the organization directly with the performance on public service excellence.
Managers should:
— develop the public service excellence vision, mission, strategy and purpose, and ensure that it is
communicated throughout the organization;
— regularly monitor and review the progress of implementation of the service excellence strategy and
objectives by defining and using a set of relevant key performance indicators (KPIs);
— inspire employees on service excellence and create an environment of ownership, engagement and
accountability;
— set the direction for service excellence innovation;
— receive regular customer/citizen feedback and use this information as an important input to the
performance of service excellence as well as the employee performance;
— ensure achievement of service excellence objectives through supporting and developing employees’
knowledge and skills.
Appropriate practices for implementation can include the following:
a) Public service organizations in collaboration with associations or local academies of public
administration developing and implementing management development programmes specific for public
sector managers in the area of service excellence.
b) Institutionalizing citizen feedback as part of the improvement management or performance
management.
NOTE Institutionalize can include giving official status (formalize) to citizen feedback as part of the
improvement management or performance management.
c) Developing the necessary organizational structure with clear responsibilities in relation to service
excellence.
d) Developing a data management system that includes, as far as possible, capturing data from the work
flow, and using the data for effective measurement of performance.
e) Developing an effective internal communication system so that all aspects relating to service excellence
performance are communicated effectively.
7.1.2.3 Shared efforts, defined responsibilities and objectives
Managers, through strong leadership and leading by example, should create an environment in which
employees are able to deliver outstanding customer/citizen experiences.
Managers should:
— translate the strategy into actionable operational objectives and programmes for departments, teams
and employees so that each one is fully aware of their impact on service excellence;
— establish and communicate motivational and agreed service excellence targets;
— communicate the operational objectives to external stakeholders, includ
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