Principles for managing service development from Gov.uk

This post contains a list of “basic principles” (and not a set of steps to achieve the goal), which the UK e-government service has developed so that all employees involved in creating Gov.uk services understand how (in general) their work takes place.

The main task of the Gov.uk memorandum is to explain to the employees the general “rules of the game”, to form a corporate culture, to help them determine their expectations from each other and from work in general. And although these principles may seem trivial at first glance, perhaps they should be borne in mind when creating your own internal corporate “manifesto” - and we discussed with the residents of the IIDF Accelerator how important it is and whether it is necessary for small startups.
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The UK e-government service (GDS) has identified 6 principles for managing the “delivery” of services. Guided by these principles, you can create a favorable internal culture, within which new services will be created and current services will be improved. They are as follows:

1. Do not hesitate with the "delivery" of the service.
2. Make decisions when necessary and at the right level.
3. Involve the right people.
4. See for yourself.
5. Do only that which benefits.
6. Trust but verify.

1. Do not hesitate with the "delivery"

We help in the development of services that are constantly being improved in accordance with the needs of users. It means that:

• we eliminate everything that prevents the “delivery” of the service in cases where the team responsible for this process does not have enough authority to do this;
• you can always contact us if necessary through the appropriate service;
• we find a balance between functionality and quality of services;
• decision making does not lag behind the pace of service delivery.

We evaluate our success based on the services provided that meet the requirements of users. Successful management implies:

• Active search for obstacles encountered in the delivery of the service, and their elimination before they affect the work of the team;
• protecting the team from outside pressure or helping to eliminate it, as the service delivery teams will have to face it.

Transitions between the 5 phases of service delivery should be smooth, so management needs to be prepared for problems and make timely decisions to move to the next phase.

In addition, management is to create a favorable atmosphere for employees. In our organization we use a horizontal structure, so everyone can contribute to the success of the team.

2. Make decisions when necessary and at the proper level.

Accept the fact that everything changes over time. Make sure that:

• decisions are made on the basis of evidence and are aimed at meeting the needs of users;
• the service manager and his team are authorized to make decisions and contact management only when necessary;
• you adapt to changes and improve the quality of the service through its continuous iterative development;
• management copes with the pace of service delivery by holding short and frequent meetings;
• risks with a high impact ratio and a high probability of occurrence are eliminated as needed, and control measures (for example, for costs) are based on a balance between cost and possible benefits.

Services will be successful only if we recognize that customer needs arise and change while they use the service. This means that the service delivery team cannot determine its capability set at an early stage once and for all.

Managers should support this “evolutionary” model of service development, given that change is inevitable and cannot be removed or eliminated. They also need to make sure that the service delivery team knows:

• that she has the right to make decisions within her service;
• what is the limit on making these decisions;
• who is obliged to help them when it is necessary to make a decision that is beyond this framework.

Iterative development of the service is the best way to adjust to the changes and improve the quality of service. We can contribute to this by transferring the right to make decisions to service supplying teams and quickly removing all obstacles in the case of decisions that they have not yet received the right to make.

In addition, management should participate in regular meetings, such as stand-ups and sprint planning. Thanks to this, managers will be aware of all cases and will be able to make decisions quickly. It also has a positive effect on their interaction and work with the service delivery teams.

We know that it is impossible to simply remove or transfer risks to someone. We try to pay attention to them and take them on ourselves, but first of all we eliminate risks that can significantly affect the service delivery process.

Our approach to risk management is not in the routine discussion of the risk register, but in their timely elimination. We choose the most appropriate moment to eliminate serious risks and only then begin to plan and take any action.

3. Involve the right people.

Everyone should:

• act purposefully, effectively and decisively;
• focus on goals and KPIs;
• openly and honestly report your work.

Trust your employees and let them organize and carry out their work in accordance with the goals of the team, so that the quality of service is improved in response to user requirements.

In leadership positions should be only those who are able to:

• make the right decisions;
• manage the process and ensure the delivery of quality services.

They provide support to the service provider team and attract the right people at the right time at the right place.

The development of services is carried out by groups of multidisciplinary specialists who have different skills and roles in achieving collective goals. They may consist of technical experts, businessmen, and may also include groups of lawyers and political scientists. It is desirable that in each of the teams the service manager remains the same, despite the fact that as the service develops, the skills required for employees will change, and the composition of the team will also change.

We make sure that the service delivery groups have all the necessary skills, and, in turn, create a favorable atmosphere for them, provide them with jobs and facilities for cooperation, planning and delivery.

Teams benefit from being close by, so do everything possible so that they work together.

4. See for yourself

Chatting with the groups of service delivery, you can see for yourself how much success they are achieving.

Everyone must always be in the know. We try to talk as much as possible with each person personally, and the best way to track employee progress is to make sure of everything. By this we mean regular visits to the demonstrations of the service and the expression of comments and suggestions.

We use the materials that provide the service delivery group to report on their work.
Thus, we pay attention, for example, to their task boards, reports for each sprint and demo samples to get all the information, instead of looking at huge formal reports.

Each time we make plans together, talk with the teams to learn and openly discuss:

• what they are working on at the moment;
• their plans for the future;
• what trouble they face.

The best way to assess progress, determine the attitude of the service delivery team and ensure delivery is to talk with everyone personally at his workplace. To do this, there are several tools that do not require additional costs. Among them:

• daily “stand-ups” with a duration of 10 to 15 minutes, within which the team members provide information about the work done yesterday, tasks received for today and difficulties encountered;
• regular scheduled meetings before the start of each of the stages at which the team is brought up to date;
• Regular reviews or presentations at the end of each stage to demonstrate the work completed at this stage and discuss any issues and changes that need to be made to the maintenance process;
• regular retrospectives , in which the team can remember what went well and what did not, and what changes should be made.

Management should regularly participate in such meetings, at least to monitor their progress. After verifying personally and examining the data used by service-supplying groups for supply management, you should get all the information necessary for successful management.

If such meetings are not held, find out why. If conducted, then you need to continue in the same spirit, if you are responsible for managing this service.

Service delivery managers must collect data during these meetings in order to use it in simple and visual reports. They should be presented so that employees can see them, for example, on task boards or in wiki / collaboration applications. Reports will help build discussion at subsequent meetings.

Task boards are an excellent way to track progress and reflect important points, for example, questions about what the team is doing now and at what stage it is. It helps with planning and communicating inside and outside the team.

Service delivery groups must ensure that up-to-date information is displayed on their boards and that they are actually used. Looking at the task board of any group, you can get an idea of ​​the current state of its work without resorting to wordy reports that distract attention from the work on the service. You should take time to follow this up regularly.

5. Do only what benefits

We do everything to meet the needs of users, and we try to constantly improve our efficiency from the very beginning. It means that:

• we set a clear goal, define success criteria and regularly inform everyone about them;
• we value quality and ensure that customer needs are met: the team is given the time it needs;
• we are engaged in the study and development of ideas that can benefit, otherwise we stop our work.

By “increasing efficiency,” we mean the provision of a quality service that meets the needs of customers, and its continuous improvement. Direct delivery of the service — as you go through the research, alpha, beta, and operational phases — is the most effective way to identify customer needs and provide users with the opportunity to influence service development.

Reliable management allows us to do this as quickly as possible, focusing the attention of supplier teams on the development of ideas that meet the requirements of customers. Management decisions, such as delivery decisions, must always be factual.

The service delivery group should develop a regulatory document in which:

• the idea of ​​their service;
• quantitative goals;
• key performance indicators that determine progress in meeting user needs and achieving organizational goals.

Leadership groups are working on the creation of this document and help to come to a common opinion and understanding of the document both inside and outside the organization.

Service development is a learning process, and we try to bring benefits during this training. Everyone should strive to find the best ways to meet customer needs. Even when something doesn’t work when researching a user audience, the lessons learned will direct you towards the development of the service. With this approach, you will not allow the creation of an expensive unpromising service that does not meet the requirements of customers.

6. Trust, but verify

We form a simple and convenient management structure in which management trusts subordinates and supports teams, so that they can focus on delivering the service.

We regularly communicate with teams to support them, to help them navigate and achieve the desired result. To track progress, we use a tactful approach, carrying out minor, but frequent checks. We pay attention to the delivery results and identify areas in which something can be improved.

To create a favorable atmosphere for the supplier team, we form groups with a suitable recruitment of specialists in order to increase, rather than reduce, the rate of supply and support executives. Constant communication with the team each time provides an opportunity for management to support, orient employees and help them, instead of waiting for less frequent formal meetings.

Regular discussion of the work process and finding ways to increase efficiency plays an important role in successful management. At the end of any stage, each of the groups conducts retrospectives on which the knowledge gained is discussed: what went well and what went wrong. This allows you to decide on the actions that are planned to be taken in the next stages. In addition, retrospectives should be included in the general work plan.

We discussed the material with startups from Accelerator FRIA:

Do you think the team helps in the creation of its “memorandum” with a list of core values ​​and objectives that the project pursues, as well as the rules in accordance with which these goals and objectives are planned to be achieved?

Do small companies need it, or should such things be created only in large corporations and on large-scale projects? Do you use something similar in your work?

Evgeny Dyachenko, CEO of the Supl.biz project: A startup is a very dynamic structure, including the values ​​that it brings to the world. Often there are pivots. Therefore, I believe that there are no values ​​to postulate at the stage of a startup other than “changing the world for the better”. Well and, moreover, in a small company, the founders and the first employees are value carriers. That's when the company grows, then the problem arises to broadcast these values ​​to all new hired employees. For these reasons, we still do not use such things in our work.

Anatoly Medvedev, co-founder of the A2 Leasing System project: A successful team must understand the value of its product. A project cannot succeed if its target audience does not see any benefit in it. This is perhaps the main thing that any startup should find and clearly convey to its client. The implementation of the project itself must comply with the plan. This is primarily customer development and hypothesis testing using the HADI method, which helps the project move in the right direction.

Alexey Krasnov, director of CloudStats : I think that the idea of ​​such a “constitution” for the team is very interesting. Perhaps we even sit down and make something like that. First of all, it is useful to the managers themselves. Writing down the strategy, vision and rules of behavior on paper, everything can be made more understandable and understandable. And making it understandable initially for the whole team, you can also save a lot of time in the process of achieving the goal.

It is generally great when the whole team sees the final goal, and not just works on tasks that they are “pulled down from above”. However, do not be too zealous. Memorandum on the page - no more. A clear separation of roles, tasks and responsibilities required in a large business is impossible in small teams. It requires flexibility, the ability to quickly reorient and experiment. For a startup, this is especially important, because during the project you can process dozens of different hypotheses and approaches.