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/ Canadian Government Executive
// March 2016
Strategy
Deliverology:
Evert A.
Lindquist
Lessons and Prospects
T
he Trudeau government’s drive to institute “delivery” capabilities
has garnered considerable interest in the national media. Sud-
denly the spotlight focused on Michael Barber, creator of the UK’s
Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) in Blair’s second govern-
ment. The PMDU was established because Blair had come to believe that
too many ministers and departments failed to follow through on govern-
ment commitments. Barber spread the deliverology brand with his books
Instruction to Deliver
(2007),
Deliverology 101
(2011) and
How to Run a Gov-
ernment
(2015). He has consulted extensively, and co-chairs the Centre for
Public Impact.
The Trudeau team indicated its interest in adopting a variation of Bar-
ber’s approach just after the election. Prime Minister Trudeau invited Mr.
Barber to speak to the January cabinet retreat in New Brunswick. Barber
also spoke to the public service executive community in Ottawa, highlight-