How Agile has made a big impact in DWP Technology
https://youtu.be/xciZULtjLAM
Transcript of Agile working in DWP video
Adam Tostevin, Product Owner: Carer’s Allowance digital service is a customer-facing service that allows people who need to claim Carer’s Allowance because they’re caring for a disabled person the opportunity to claim online, and be in receipt of benefits.
Adam Tostevin: The way we deliver on this service is little and often. So every fortnight we go live. It is research, build, test, release, research, build, test, release. It’s a continuous and constant theme.
Jo Clarkson: In an old waterfall way you’d probably be releasing code once every 6 months. In an agile way you should be able to release code whenever you want to.
Ray Robinson, Principal Test Analyst: With the paper if you wanted to react to various complaints in the paper form, you’d normally have to wait until the next cycle of printing to make that change.
What we can do now is develop a solution to that and deliver that within– normally we run on a 2 weekly cycle, 2 weekly release, but if it’s really urgent we can do that within a day.
Jo Clarkson: We use a lot of new tools to help us release code without impacting the current service. So actually on Carer’s Allowance we can release code any time, day or night, during the working day, without affecting the service.
From a customer point of view the service is easier, quicker, simpler to use. Completion rates are going up, so we’re getting more people going through the journey. Our satisfaction rate is fairly stable at around 90%.
Adam Tostevin: We judge our service against Amazon, Google, BBC. What we do here is very much a digital service for the benefit of the user. That needs to be measured against how a user interacts with other digital services.
This team is drawn from all backgrounds across the organisation. The enthusiasm within this team is second to none. Everybody works together, everybody helps each other out, and it’s just a constant and continuous conversation that helps us deliver at pace.
Adam Tostevin: The technologies that this government is now taking on board, the technologies that the government is trying to have at the forefront of all technologies. We’re no longer in the slow lane. We’re no longer playing catch up as government departments have always been doing.
To join something like Carer’s Allowance digital service you really would be at the cutting edge of technology of delivery.
More than anything you would get so much job satisfaction out of doing what you’re doing and making sure that you’re making dramatic changes for the lives of people.