Summary

It's important to have a diverse mix of the skills and roles needed to build and operate the service.

Make as many decisions as possible as a team, so that you can respond quickly to what you learn about users and their needs.

Why it's important

A team with a range of expertise and perspectives is more likely to come up with the best solution.

The size and roles you'll need will change as you build the service.

When planning for a team, for the next phase, think about how much it would cost to build and the roles you might need.

How to meet this standard in every phase

You'll be assessed on what you've done to meet this standard at service assessments. However, even if the service you're working on is not being assessed, it's good practice to consider how you'll meet this standard point.

Discovery

Things to consider:

  • roles specific to discovery to the type of work that needs doing
  • if working with contractors, create a plan for how knowledge will be shared
  • identify a service owner and consider how they will be engaged through the design and delivery of the service
  • identify where additional roles may be needed and how to fill them

Things to avoid in discovery

  • not having the right roles for the work being carried out
  • decisions being made without understanding, or having evidence to support them

Alpha

Things to consider:

  • the right team roles are in place to deliver the goal of the service at this stage
  • having people with the skills to understand data and what metrics you need to measure
  • a user researcher, responsible for research and usability tests
  • product and delivery managers with the knowledge and authority to make day-to-day decisions to improve the service
  • a plan to transfer knowledge and skills from contractors to permanent staff

Things to avoid in alpha

  • not having the right roles for the work being carried out
  • decisions being made without understanding, or having evidence to support them

Beta and live

Things to consider:

  • how the team and ways of working can keep improving the service
  • how knowledge and skills from contractors have been transferred to permanent staff
  • how the team has evaluated and iterated the less common paths through the service
  • a plan for what team you'll need to operate and support the service once live

Things to avoid in beta and live

  • not having a plan to transfer knowledge from contractors to permanent staff
  • not evaluating and iterating less common paths through the service

Profession specific guidance

Each DDaT profession in DfE has their own community and guidance.