Seeing the Big Picture HEO Example Statement (250 Words)
At HEO, assessors want to see that you demonstrate seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. Your example should match independent judgement, leading small pieces of work and connecting your work to team goals. Focus on your actions and a clear result.
Example statement
SAs HEO project officer on a digital forms programme, my workstream was on time, but user research showed citizens abandoning a related GOV.UK journey that sat outside our formal scope and threatened the department's published access objective.
TI needed to decide whether to protect our milestone or raise the wider journey risk so the programme still met the departmental outcome, not only our workstream plan.
AI summarised abandonment data in a one-page note for the product owner, showing where our form sat in the end-to-end journey and the impact on the service standard. I convened a short huddle with content design and the contact-centre lead, who confirmed call volumes matched the drop-off point. I recommended a two-sprint scope tweak: keep our core fields, but add three clarifying questions owned jointly with content design. I briefed my Grade 7 on the trade-off against our original milestone and proposed a revised checkpoint rather than a silent slip. When a neighbouring team worried about their deadline, I shared our evidence pack so they could reuse the same argument with their senior responsible owner. I checked progress against the measures we had agreed and adjusted the plan when leading indicators moved.
RThe SRO approved the scope tweak. Abandonment at that step fell by 22% in the next release, and our programme still hit the ministerial commitment date. The approach was written into the programme's change checklist.
Use this as a model, not a script. This is an original example written for this site. Adapt the structure to your own experience. Copying it word for word risks plagiarism and will not reflect your evidence.
Why this scores well
- Looks beyond workstream scope to the citizen journey and departmental standard.
- Uses cross-team evidence and escalates trade-offs transparently.
- Delivers a quantified service improvement without hiding schedule risk.
What HEO level requires
| Grade | What assessors expect |
|---|---|
| AO | At AO level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing reliable delivery of your own work, clear communication and helpful teamwork on everyday tasks while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| EO | At EO level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing organising work beyond your own desk, coordinating with others and showing sound judgement while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| HEO ← this page | At HEO level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing independent judgement, leading small pieces of work and connecting your work to team goals while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| SEO | At SEO level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing leading workstreams, influencing without always having formal authority and managing risk while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| Grade 7 | At Grade 7 level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing strategic framing, leading teams or complex projects and advising senior stakeholders while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| Grade 6 | At Grade 6 level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing setting direction across areas, managing significant risk and influencing SCS and partners while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
| SCS | At SCS level, Seeing the Big Picture means showing organisational leadership, cross-government influence and accountability for major outcomes while demonstrating seeing the wider context and how your work connects to organisational goals. |
Common mistakes at this level
- Protecting your milestone while ignoring user impact elsewhere.
- Raising 'strategy' without data or a decision ask.
- Taking credit for another team's work.
Next step
Get the free HEO statement template pack. It uses the same STAR structure as this example.
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