Digital service delivery phases
Use the 3 phases of digital service delivery to plan your work, make better decisions and improve your service over time.
Each phase sets out what teams should focus on at different points in delivery – from understanding the problem, to designing and launching the service, to maintaining and improving it after it goes live.
Key idea: Delivery phases are not always linear
You may move back and forth between phases as you learn more about user needs, policy, technology, risk and delivery constraints.
Overview of the 3 delivery phases
- Plan and discover – understand the problem, users, context and outcomes
- Design, test and build – create, test and launch the service
- Maintain and improve – monitor, support and evolve the service
Follow the phases below to guide your work. Each phase includes key activities and outcomes on which to focus.
Plan and discover
Understand the problem, your users and the context before building anything. Use this phase to agree what the service needs to achieve, what constraints may shape delivery and what evidence you need before moving into design.
Define the problems and outcomes
Include:
- a problem statement
- clear outcomes aligned with NSW Government priorities
- success measures and any baseline metrics.
Use the Establish metrics guide to choose measures and set a baseline for existing services.
Understand the policy, legal, operational and technical constraints that may shape the service. Identify risks and dependencies early so they can be managed before design and build.
Understand your users
Identify current and potential users. Use existing data and plan new research where needed. Combine qualitative and quantitative methods and use the findings to shape decisions.
Make sure you get consent and protect user privacy.
Related resources
Plan for accessibility and reuse
Design for everyone from the start. Plan to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and include people with diverse needs in research and testing.
Reuse what already exists where possible. This includes NSW Design System components, platforms, tools and domains. Designing for reuse helps create more consistent services.
Related resources
Plan for delivery, privacy and security
Set up the foundations for delivery early. Decide what data you will collect and how it will be used and protected. Engage cyber security experts early and follow NSW Cyber Security Policy.
Involve subject matter experts, service owners and delivery partners early. Agree who needs to make decisions, provide approvals and support the service after launch.
Define roles, governance and ways of working. Plan the skills, budget and support needed to run and improve the service after launch.
Design, test and build
Turn ideas into a working service. Test early and often.
Design for the full user journey, including online and offline interactions. Map key touchpoints and make sure the service reflects real user needs.
As part of the journey, decide what service information needs to be captured, where it will be stored, who can access it and how long it needs to be kept.
Related resources:
Test with users
Test early using prototypes and realistic scenarios. Include people with diverse needs and improve the service based on what you learn.
Meet accessibility and content standards
Ensure the service is usable and accessible before launch. Meet WCAG 2.2 AA requirements, test with assistive technologies and write in plain English.
Make all content accessible, including PDFs, and provide HTML alternatives where needed.
Related resources:
Use standards and the right technology
Follow NSW Government design standards and use NSW Design System patterns. Work with ICT teams early to choose the right platforms and delivery channels. Reuse existing technology where possible.
Protect privacy and prepare for launch
Address privacy and security throughout delivery, not just at the end. Follow privacy laws, de-identify data where possible and test security. Prepare the teams, processes and support channels needed to run the service.
This may include:
- training
- handover material
- escalation paths
- content ownership
- support arrangements.
Before launch, test the service in conditions that reflect real use. Complete usability testing and confirm compliance with accessibility, privacy, security and branding requirements.
Maintain and improve
Support the live service and keep improving it over time.
Monitor and improve
Track performance against your outcomes using analytics and user feedback. Use this to identify issues and prioritise improvements. Test changes before release.
Maintain quality and compliance
Keep the service accurate, accessible and secure. Assign clear owners for content, accessibility, security, analytics and service performance.
Review content regularly so it remains accurate, useful and compliant. Maintain WCAG compliance and run ongoing security checks, including monitoring, vulnerability scans and testing after changes.
Review changes in policy, law and technology that may affect the service.
Related resources:
Share and keep iterating
Share useful patterns, tools and research with others. Contribute to the NSW Design System and be transparent with users and stakeholders.
Continue to reassess user needs and return to earlier phases when needed.
Maintain a backlog of improvements based on:
- user feedback
- data
- operational insights.
Treat the service as something that is always improving.
Retire or replace outdated services
Retire or replace parts of the service when they no longer meet user needs, business needs or government standards.