SERVICE STANDARD · POINT 7
Use agile ways of working
Agile delivery prioritises learning and user need over fixed specifications. You ship small increments, measure response, and adjust — rather than locking scope months before you understand the problem.
Deliver in small increments, prioritise by user need, and respond to learning. Fixed specifications and big-bang releases make it harder to iterate when research shows you were wrong.
In government context, agile does not mean chaos. Teams still need roadmaps, governance, and assessment points — but backlog prioritisation should be driven by user need and risk, not by which stakeholder shouted loudest.
Working in sprints within phases is common: Discovery sprints might focus on research synthesis; Alpha sprints on prototyping; Beta sprints on hardening and scale.
How teams usually demonstrate this
- Visible backlog prioritised by user need and risk
- Regular demos or show-and-tells with stakeholders
- Evidence of reprioritisation when research changed direction
- Incremental releases rather than a single big-bang launch
Phases where this often matters
See also delivery phase guides and how frameworks fit together.
Related standard points
- Point 6: Have a multidisciplinary team
- Point 8: Iterate and improve frequently
- Point 10: Define success and publish performance data
Point 7 of the Service Standard is published by the Government Digital Service on GOV.UK. Content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0. UCD Services explains the standard in its own words and is not affiliated with GOV.UK or the Government Digital Service.