The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) has just published our latest progress update report, looking back at our work since April 2023.

We produce these updates every 6 months, enabling parliament, the government and industry to see how the programme is moving forward.

Since our last report, we’ve made significant progress towards finalising a revised delivery plan that fits with the new connection deadline of 31 October 2026.

Here are some highlights from the report, covering our programme plan, our work on connection, standards, and user testing and how we are collaborating with industry, government and the regulators.

Programme plan

PDP has been focusing on producing a new programme plan as part of its reset activity. We need to ensure the programme is able to facilitate pension providers and schemes completing connection by 31 October 2026.

The refreshed plan will include prioritising work on preparing for connection, with resourcing dedicated to achieving this goal. The approach is also designed to provide adequate time to take into account the different needs of those providers and schemes who are building their own route to connection versus those who are buying a third party connection solution.

Connection

As you probably know by now, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now set a legal deadline of 31 October 2026 for pension providers and schemes in scope to have completed connection to the dashboards ecosystem. Alongside this, DWP announced that dates for pension providers and schemes to connect to the ecosystem would be set out in guidance.

Providers and schemes will need to demonstrate how they’ve had regard to the guidance when preparing to connect to the dashboards ecosystem, and provide a record of this.

Engagement with industry on the guidance will take place in autumn 2023. The aim in publishing the guidance is provide at least 12 months’ notice ahead of the first connection date in guidance.

We’ve continued working with more than 20 volunteer participants on developing the connection journey for the rest of industry. This has been invaluable in ensuring that connection processes are stable and effective in time for the first connection date set out in guidance.

Standards

PDP is empowered by law to set standards providing the rules and controls facilitating ongoing connection to the dashboards ecosystem. This includes data standards explaining how pensions data that will be returned on a dashboard must be formatted by pension providers and schemes.

In 2022 and 2023, we held consultations on dashboard standards and draft versions of the documents were published in late 2022. Further engagement on standards will take place over winter 2023/24 on refinements, ahead of final publication and approval by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. It’s intended that data standards will be made available ahead of other standards, timed to coincide with publication of connection guidance.

User testing

User research and testing play a crucial role in developing and designing dashboards services. It includes user research carried out by the MoneyHelper dashboard team, for example, to inform their initial design and build.

As we move towards dashboards being publicly available, user testing will be carried out to inform the ongoing design and development of the pensions dashboards service. The user’s experience will be an important aspect, ensuring that it is positive, effective and stable.

Once connection begins, we can start testing the live service with real data. This will begin with very small volumes initially, and gradually increase up to the dashboards available point (DAP).

PDP will set up a user testing and planning group that will launch in early 2024 to work with industry to develop and coordinate plans for user testing. At the same time, to ensure transparency for industry and other interested parties, PDP will regularly share updates and insights from user testing. Further information will be provided on what this will look like closer to the first connection date in guidance.

Working together

PDP continues to work collaboratively with DWP, regulators and industry to deliver dashboards. Alongside shaping connection processes and guidance, the programme will engage on the different documents that are necessary for undertaking connection and providing a dashboard.

PDP leads a range of groups and forums to get input from industry on dashboards, including our connection forum and the connection delivery group. We also actively participate of a number of other groups, such as the Association of British Insurers' and Pensions Administration Standards Association's dashboard working groups and The Pension Regulator’s (TPR) third party administrator forum.

You can find more information in our full report, including updates from our partners at DWP, TPR and the Financial Conduct Authority.

We’ve also hosted a webinar discussing our latest progress.

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