Executive Summary
The FCDO’s Consular Department supports British nationals overseas, often in fast-moving and high-pressure situations. Their challenge wasn’t a lack of data, but the ability to interpret and report it clearly and consistently.
Techmodal worked with the team to simplify their data models, clarify definitions, and establish a more sustainable approach to reporting. This enabled faster, more reliable insights during routine activity and crisis response — and equipped the team to continue developing and maintaining their own data products with confidence.
Overview
The FCDO’s Consular Department helps British nationals in difficulty overseas — from lost passports to life-threatening crises such as forced marriage, political upheaval, or natural disasters. The nature of the work means responding to data requests quickly and reliably, often with limited time and resources.
Their challenge wasn’t a lack of data — it was making sense of it. Information arrives thick and fast from multiple domain areas. Internally, they needed a clear picture of where the demand was and what capacity was needed to improve the reporting function. Externally, they had to respond to Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests, and media enquiries with accurate, up-to-date information.
They initially asked for a Power BI specialist to improve reporting. But it quickly became clear that the real challenge ran deeper.
The problem beneath the problem
Over time, the Consular team had built reporting dashboards reactively — pulling in new data, responding to requests, and doing their best with limited human resources. The result was a patchwork of inconsistent models and conflicting insights. Power BI had been adopted, but without coherent data models in place, it became more of a burden than a solution — solving one issue often created new ones.
The team had experts who understood the business. They had tools and some training. But they lacked the ‘glue’ to bring it all together — a clear data structure, reliable data pipelines, and shared definitions to drive consistency and clarity.
Our approach
We stripped things back to basics. Rather than diving straight into dashboards, we started by understanding what stakeholders actually needed — and what they were really asking for. Together, we:
By focusing on the fundamentals, we helped the team move away from firefighting and towards a sustainable, more efficient way of working.
The outcome
We didn’t just deliver better dashboards — we gave the FCDO team the structure, methodology, skills, and confidence to build their own. By simplifying the data model and improving how information was processed, we made reporting faster, more reliable, and easier to scale.
Now, they can produce consistent reports across different areas, respond more effectively to urgent demands, and focus on delivering real-world impact for stakeholders helping British nationals in need.
This wasn’t about a shiny solution — it was about enabling long-term capability and unlocking future productivity. And there’s already demand for us to return and do more together.
Confident decisions in complex environments.
We help teams working under pressure translate fragmented information into clear, actionable insight. Our support combines analytical depth with real-world context — helping decision-makers move quickly, with confidence.
If your challenge involves high stakes and high uncertainty — let’s talk.
