SoW Opportunity Review
When scoping a new Statement of Work, the Hub recommends proven improvements to build in — so every new piece of work starts from accumulated learning.
New discovery phase for a Defra digital service
Recommended opportunities to consider
Reusable discovery patterns
DiscoveryThis is a discovery phase — the stakeholder engagement toolkit removes weeks of set-up and gives consistent, comparable outputs from day one.
Faster discovery mobilisation, more consistent outputs, reduced duplication.
Discovery activities will reuse the partnership stakeholder engagement toolkit (mapping templates, interview guides, workshop formats and synthesis methods) rather than designing engagement approaches from scratch.
Dependency mapping workshop
DependenciesNew services almost always sit across programmes. Mapping dependencies at inception avoids the late surprises that derail discovery findings.
Earlier risk identification, improved planning, better coordination.
A dependency mapping workshop will be held at project inception, producing a maintained dependency register with agreed escalation routes for cross-programme dependencies.
Accessibility review process
AccessibilityEmbedding accessibility checkpoints from discovery means inclusive design decisions are made early, not retrofitted in beta.
Fewer accessibility defects, reduced remediation costs, better outcomes for users.
Accessibility will be assured through the partnership accessibility review process, embedding review checkpoints at design and build stages and following the shared testing guidance before each release.
Research insight repository
Service insightsBefore commissioning new research, the team can reuse 120+ existing insights about Defra users — saving time and avoiding duplicate fieldwork.
Reuse existing evidence, avoid repeated research, build on previous learning.
User research will first draw on the partnership research insight repository, and all new insights generated will be published to the repository against the shared taxonomy.
New team onboarding pack
OnboardingA newly mobilising discovery team reaches productivity faster with ready-made governance routes, contacts and ways of working.
Faster mobilisation, reduced onboarding effort, earlier productivity.
Newly mobilising teams will be onboarded using the partnership onboarding pack, covering key contacts, governance routes, delivery standards and common ways of working.