Exploring how AI takes the heavy lifting out of casework — A UK Independent Statutory Body
Customer overview
A UK independent statutory body is an arms-length body of a central government department. It provides free, independent and impartial service to complainants.
At a glance:
- Zaizi explored how AI can generate case summaries to improve the independent statutory body’s adjudication process.
- We analysed four AI tools — on risks, costs, and technical viability — and recommended the highest-scoring option based on our evaluation matrix.
- More broadly, we identified operational, data, and governance constraints impacting AI readiness and provided 18 actionable recommendations.
The challenge
The UK independent statutory body provides free, independent and impartial UK service to complainants. It makes legally binding decisions on complaints, typically where there has been a mistake or maladministration by scheme managers, trustees, or employers.
The organisation faces a substantial case backlog and rising volumes of new cases. Increasing case complexity places sustained pressure on investigators and adjudicators, making it harder to resolve cases in a timely way.
Specifically, staff spend significant time manually reading large volumes of mixed-format documents and writing case summaries. The risks are longer wait times for complainants if existing processes remain unchanged.
The client says…
“Felt super comprehensive. We have landed the plane really well so no matter what way we decide to go we have got really good information. From a governance point of view.”
Deputy Chief Operating Officer, UK independent statutory body.
Our solution & process
We reviewed the independent statutory body’s activities and discussed how the organisation can improve processes.
This included:
- Mapping the “as-is” state: we used simplified user journeys and persona cards to understand the user experience and key pain points.
- Suggested improvements: we proposed technical and design improvements, and where changes would matter most.
- A “Data Transformation Day” workshop: we held a deep dive with stakeholders from various disciplines unpacking the technical landscape, data management, and security pain points.
A comprehensive report and findings identified root-cause non-technical issues and provided a list of recommendations grouped into quick wins and longer-term strategic improvements.
A quick win — AI case summarisation
Following the workshop, we identified a high-impact opportunity to explore: using AI to speed up its adjudication process.
We investigated how auto-generating case summaries could reduce staff burden and how to manage the very real risks of data security and AI “hallucinations.”
Our approach included:
- Workflow analysis: Mapping the existing case resolution process, identifying pain points, and defining summarisation requirements.
- Future design: Developing a proposed workflow incorporating AI summaries at two stages with mandatory Human-in-the-loop review and auditable agents.
- AI tool appraisal: Reviewing four options against the organisation’s strict compliance needs (e.g. UK data sovereignty), including licensing costs, features, risks (such as hallucinations and prompt injections) and implementation steps.
- Governance and preparation: Defining robust governance and outlining pre-pilot actions.
The results & benefits
We provided the independent statutory body’s leadership with the evidence and recommendations needed to modernise their case resolution process.
- Clear decision-making on AI adoption: A comprehensive analysis of four AI options and recommended one subject to UK data sovereignty requirements.
- A “to-be” workflow with a responsible AI pathway: A future-state blueprint for the adjudication process that embeds AI summaries with Human-in-the-loop oversight and full audit trail.
- Setting the foundation: A plan on what to do before undertaking a pilot, including data hygiene improvements, privacy policy updates, and completion of Data Protection Impact Assessment.
- Executive-ready artefacts: A suite of collateral — 2 in-depth reports, in-person playbacks — designed to inform quicker decision-making and budgetary approval by senior leaders.
- An improvement roadmap: Beyond AI, the “Data Transformation Day” revealed 18 recommendations for broader improvements in data management, technical governance, and internal processes, spanning short-and long-term priorities.
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Next steps
If your organisation is facing growing demand, manual or complex processes, limited team capacity and mounting backlogs, we’d love to explore how data and AI could help.
Speak to our team about running a discovery or Transformation Day to get started.
“Thank you very much to Zaizi colleagues for the engagement. It’s been great meeting and working with you all on this and it’s really helped us move forward and it’s given us that concrete plan for how we can make a decision but also you know that expert insight on the risks and steps to help us understand the options better.”
Deputy Chief Operating Officer, UK independent statutory body.
Read our white paper: Unlocking government efficiency — An AI readiness roadmap for decision makers.
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