Apply the Service Standard in the Department for Education

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.

Discovery

Things to consider:

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

Alpha

Things to consider:

• the right team roles are in place to deliver the goal of your service at this stage
• make sure you have people with the skills to understand data and choose the right metrics to measure
• have a user researcher who leads research and usability tests
• include product and delivery managers with the knowledge and authority to make day-to-day decisions to improve your service
• create a plan to transfer knowledge and skills from contractors to permanent staff
• get access to the right specialists to support your team, for example AI, data and security

Beta and live

Things to consider:

• explain how the team and ways of working can keep improving your 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 your service
• set out the team you'll need to operate and support your service once it's live
• make sure the team has ongoing access to the right specialists, including AI, data and security