Service assessments
Plan, book and prepare for service assessments at Defra and understand what to expect.
All transactional government digital services need an independent assessment. This ensures they are secure, robust, and meet user needs.
Assessors are subject matter experts who check your service against the Service Standard.
Types of assessment
- Discovery peer review (informal check-in)
- Alpha (at the end of alpha)
- Beta (between private and public beta)
- Live (between public beta and live)
The Service Standard
All services must meet the Service Standard. It ensures services are built for user needs and are sustainable.
The Service Standard ensures public money is spent wisely. Read the GOV.UK Service Manual for guidance on designing and delivering services, including accessibility.
Does my service need an assessment?
You need an assessment if your service is:
- going on GOV.UK
- requires Cabinet Office spend approval
Service assessments in Defra
We use Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (requires Defra sign-in) to ensure consistency.
Discovery peer review
A peer review confirms if you:
- understand the problem and team priorities
- are ready for alpha
Things to do in Discovery
- Understand users and their needs (including those with access needs)
- Understand policy and technical constraints
- Explore the problem space widely
- Form a multidisciplinary team
- Plan for Alpha (budget, team, resources)
Things to avoid in Discovery
- Committing to a solution too early
- Building production code
- Ignoring non-digital channels
Alpha assessment
Alpha is for testing different solutions to the problems found in discovery.
Build prototypes and test ideas. Challenge existing processes and explore new approaches.
Alphas usually last 6 to 8 weeks. Book your assessment within 2 weeks of starting.
Things to do in Alpha
- Test multiple prototypes with users
- Tackle the riskiest assumptions (technical, policy, or user)
- Demonstrate technical feasibility
- Plan for privacy and security
- Iterate designs based on feedback
Things to avoid in Alpha
- Building full-scale solutions before basic prototyping
- Assuming your first idea is the best one
Beta and Live assessments
In beta, you build your best idea from alpha. You also prepare for the transition to live and integration with existing services.
Start with a private beta (limited users) to get feedback and improve.
After improving the service, you need an assessment to move to public beta (open to anyone).
Book your assessment 6 weeks in advance.
Things to do in Beta and Live
- Build a working end-to-end service
- Test with real data and integration
- Conduct a full accessibility audit (WCAG 2.2)
- Define and measure success metrics
- Prepare for ongoing support and operations
Things to avoid in Beta and Live
- Ignoring legacy system integration
- Treating 'public beta' as the finish line
Live phase
The live phase is for supporting and improving the service.
You will have a live assessment at the end of public beta. Spend public beta preparing for it.
Get support
If you need help preparing for a service assessment, contact the Service Assessment team.