Guidance

Service assessments

Services must be assessed against the Service Standard at the end of each phase. Being assessed is a condition of Cabinet Office spend approval.

Part of: Assurance collection Owner: DesignOps

Prepare for an assessment

Think about the best way to tell the story and show the work of your delivery phase. This might include a mix of Lucid boards, documents and sketches.

You can use a slide deck, but keep it to a minimum. Use slides to set context, and show the real work done to build the service.

What to expect during an assessment

After you request an assessment

You'll receive an email with next steps, including how to share links to artefacts such as strategy documents, Lucid boards, design histories or slide decks.

You can share work in progress. This helps the panel understand what you've done so far.

One to 2 days before

The team will have a Teams call with the panel. This is a chance for everyone to meet and agree on what will happen during the assessment.

For larger projects, user research, design, and tech will also have pre-assessment calls with the relevant assessors.

On the day

Service assessments usually last 4 hours. Smaller services may need less time, and larger or more complex services may need more. You can discuss this with the Service Assessment Plus team when booking.

Someone from each discipline should attend. Other team members can join as silent observers.

The panel includes a user researcher, designer (content, interaction, or service design), tech assessor, and product or delivery manager. Large or complex services may also have an accessibility specialist.

There may also be silent observers from DfE or cross-government for learning and development.

During an assessment

Assessors review the team's work against the Service Standard in a proportionate way.

They will consider the context the team are working in and ask questions to help you explain what you did and how you've met the standard.