Delivery groups

Delivery group guidance

Draft This guide will be updated as we learn and improve our ways of working.

Use this guide to understand what digital delivery groups are, why they exist, and how they work with the rest of Defra group.

Delivery groups should use this guide as a starting point and tailor how they work based on their context, resources and users.

It sets out the minimum expectations and shared principles that delivery groups should be built on.

Contents

What a delivery group is

A delivery group is a structured way of delivering Defra's outcomes using digital, data and technology.

They exist to:

• provide a consistent group of digital experts to support the delivery of a set of policy outcomes
• work in partnership with business areas to build confidence and trust
• support the full end to end of service delivery, from policy to operations and from conception to live

Policy teams set the outcomes we want to achieve. Operational teams run the services that deliver those outcomes day to day. Delivery groups provide multidisciplinary digital teams to design, build and continuously improve those services.

How delivery groups work

Delivery groups are designed to support fast learning, safe decision making and continuous improvement. The delivery group governance model defines how each level and function supports a delivery group.

In practice, this means:

• working in small, multidisciplinary teams (typically around 10 people) within a wider portfolio
• taking an agile approach, delivering value early and learning as we go
• empowering people to make decisions as part of their roles
• using data, user insight and evidence to make informed decisions
• working transparently, using different tools to share progress
• access to the right digital expertise and tools

Structure and governance should reflect the context in which each delivery group operates. They should enable delivery, not slow it down.

Who is part of a delivery group

A delivery group is primarily made up of digital professionals. Roles are described in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDAD).

Delivery group funding should be directed towards creating and maintaining stable teams. These teams should ideally be aligned to services, if not digital products.

Funding should not be organised around short-lived projects – this results in waste and loss of knowledge as teams are regularly built and disbanded.

Teams should be made up of permanent civil servants, where possible. This creates the stability and longevity needed to make sure a delivery group carries and shares knowledge over time.

Typical functions in a delivery group:

• product management
• delivery management
• user centred design
• performance and insight
• technology and security
• service readiness
• operations and support

Delivery groups should publish who is working as part of the delivery group and how they are organised.

Culture and behaviours

Everyone should feel happy and supported at work. People should feel like they are actively contributing to outcomes as part of their team.

Delivery groups should work together to ensure people:

• have a positive work/life balance
• are trusted to make decisions and deliver outcomes
• feel safe to constructively challenge
• have room to test, fail and iterate
• contribute to a culture of learning and feedback
• work as one team, and don't simply 'hand-off' between professions

When a delivery group changes how it works, they should plan transparently, consult those affected and communicate early.

Ownership

Clear ownership is essential for effective delivery and accountability.

This means that:

• outcomes are owned by policy or arm's length bodies
• digital delivery is owned by the delivery group
• services have clear, named service owners
• products and delivery approaches support those services

Delivery groups are expected to take responsibility for the full digital lifecycle of what they deliver. This means:

• continuously improving and sustaining live services
• managing legacy systems and technical debt
• owning static and dynamic content, including tackling content debt
• ensuring delivery is user centred and accessible

How decisions are made

Decisions should be made at the most appropriate level across the delivery group. This is detailed in the governance model. This means:

• strategic roles set outcomes and decide how to allocate the delivery group's resources
• co-ordination roles plan and support the people delivering the work
• those implementing the strategy make decisions on how to deliver the work

Taking this approach means a delivery group can deliver faster and with clear accountability.

How direction is set

Strategic leads work together to set the direction of a delivery group:

• senior business leads are responsible for setting the outcomes the delivery group is trying to achieve
• the delivery group lead is responsible for deciding what the delivery group needs to do to achieve those outcomes

Decisions should be made based on evidence and insight. To make the direction clear, a delivery group should publish:

• the outcomes they are trying to achieve and how they measure success against them
• a strategic roadmap, which should link to more detailed service roadmaps
• objectives and key results (OKRs) or equivalent outcome focused measures
• an overview of services owned within the delivery group
• a pipeline of in progress and upcoming work

How we measure success

Success is measured by impact against outcomes, not just milestones delivered. It allows delivery groups to learn and improve – it is not a compliance exercise.

Delivery groups set their own measures of success and use performance data and user insight to guide decisions.

This means they can track benefits and outcomes over time, and stop or change work that isn't delivering value.

Assurance: how to stay on track

Assurance helps delivery groups spot problems early and act on them quicker. It builds confidence that the delivery group is moving in the right direction.

All delivery groups must use:

• spend controls (where applicable)
• service assessments at key points
• operational service readiness before going live

Transactional services are measured against the service standard.

Service assessments make sure this is reviewed and maintained at key points in delivery, for example, when moving between agile phases such as alpha and beta, or when there is a change in direction or team delivering the work.

This keeps us on track to deliver services in a user centred, secure and sustainable way.

Financial management

Financial forecasts and actuals should be regularly updated and reported.

This allows the delivery group to responsibly sequence spending and maintain transparency.

Delivery groups should:

• produce detailed forecasts for the current financial year - these should be updated monthly
• produce actuals monthly
• provide a high-level view of spend across the delivery group

Working across Defra and arm's length bodies

Delivery groups are successful when they operate as mutually supportive partnerships across Defra group. Defra, DDTS and arm's length bodies should work collaboratively together towards achieving Defra group outcomes.

To support this, delivery methods and measurements of success should be agreed as early as possible.

Using this guide

This guide defines the minimum expectations of delivery groups. It should be used as a framework, not seen as a blocker.

Delivery groups should adapt practices to context, where necessary, but as a minimum should:

• link the work they are doing to the highest priority business outcomes
• make improvements to live services every few weeks
• keep improving the way they work

What you must maintain

Delivery groups must maintain:

• a link to outcomes
• a strategic roadmap
• an overview of services in the delivery group
• a pipeline of work
• monthly financial forecasts and actuals

Next steps

This guide details how delivery groups should be run: aligned to outcomes, user centred, and grounded in data and evidence.

This guide only works if everyone plays their part, from strategy to delivery. When context is shared early, decisions are made at the right level and work is done transparently, it builds trust and delivers better services.

If something in this guide feels unclear or doesn't fit your context, raise it. It will be improved as delivery groups learn and mature.