As part of alpha, we designed a series of experiments to test different ways of shaping an all-Wales service assessment offer. However, that is not what we ended up delivering. Along the way our findings revealed the focus should be on supporting teams to embed the Standard into their way of working.
What we set out to learn
Our goal was to take the current service assessment offer and discover how it could be scaled up. We wanted to understand:
- what the specific end-to-end assessment service should be
- how it should be operated
- who is needed to deliver and support it effectively and safely
By researching with organisations from different sectors across Wales, including local authorities, arm’s-length bodies and Welsh government, we learned that teams were working in different ways and had different needs when it came to using the Digital Service Standard for Wales.
What we discovered
Teams told us they wanted:
- Clarity – a clear, simple way to check how well they’re meeting the Standards
- Guidance – practical signposts to help them improve between assessment points
- Support – assessors and reviewers who understand the realities of delivery
- Leadership buy-in – visible commitment from senior levels to use the Standards consistently
This feedback led us to design a practical checklist that teams could use to self-assess and prepare for reviews.
The checklist
The checklist prototype was a simple, accessible tool. Our research showed that it could be used to help teams to:
- raise awareness of best practice
- get a shared understanding of how to work
- shape project direction
- measure quality consistently
- communicate quality to leaders
It was something that could be used by teams to help embed the Digital Service Standard and helped us to make recommendations for how this work should be developed further.
5 recommendations for the future of service assessments
Our recommendations are based on refocusing around embedding the Standard rather than reviewing the work of service teams.
- Create a checklist tool and make it available to teams
Develop and maintain a digital checklist aligned to the Standards. This will give teams a practical way to understand how they’re working – before any formal review takes place. - Design user journeys that point to existing support resources
Assessments should connect teams to the right help at the right time – whether that’s design guidance, accessibility support or examples of good practice. A clear, joined-up journey will make it easier for teams to find and use what already exists. - Build a strategy to champion the Standard at leadership level
Leaders in public bodies need to understand and advocate for the Standards. Embedding them at a strategic level will ensure that service quality is prioritised. - Refocus effort on supporting teams over assessing them
Assessments should be conversations that build capability, not checkpoints that cause anxiety. This is an opportunity for CDPS to become more like mentors and less like gatekeepers. - Co-create a relevant ‘independent’ panel review
Develop a credible review model that meets teams where they are and gives them.
What this means
For CDPS, this is a step towards an all-Wales service assessment offer that feels constructive, respectful and focused on the ultimate goal of giving the people of Wales the best possible digital public services.
What’s next
We’ll go on to mapping user journeys that integrate a checklist into a suite of existing tools that help to embed the Digital Service Standard.
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