• Better Teams
    Our Agile and scalable delivery model allows us to rapidly mobilise our technical and delivery teams, aligning specific skills, security clearance, and industry specific knowledge (GDS standards, Technology Code of Practice, Cloud First Policy etc.). Standalone or embedded into Rainbow teams to create a truly collaborative delivery model.
  • Better Outcomes
    From creating MVPs at Discovery stage, through to Private Beta, Live and Retirement, BetterGov teams deliver better outcomes by hitting the ground running and delivering end-to-end programmes or specific work packages.
  • Better Services
    BetterGov adopt an iterative and user-centric approach to product development, driven by ongoing learning. Through user-centered design and research, we continuously gather insights on personas, behaviors, and scenarios to create better digital services.

Services We Offer

Trusted Delivery Partner to the Public Sector

We help organisations provide better services to citizens and cusomers through the discovery and delivery of key projects across digital, data and technology. Through our unique approach of ‘Building Better Teams Together’ our consultants not only limit their involvement to delivering projects and programmes, but rather extend their efforts to upskilling internal staff with a key focus on succession planning.

Find Out More

Accreditations and Awards

  • Awards -BCG Accreditation
  • Awards - Business Disability Forum
  • Awards-Armed Forces Covenant
  • Awards -G Cloud
  • Awards - UK's Leading Management Consultants Award
  • Awards BLOOM
  • Awards - Tech Talent Charter
  • Awards - Disability Confident Committed
  • Awards - REC
  • Awards - FT1000
  • Awards - CCS_Supplier
  • Awards - LivingWage
  • Awards - CyberEssentials

Our Success Stories

  • ​Your review report was really impressive. I’ve never seen quite that level of analysis and presentation in a document review. The rigour not only helped us practically, it also demonstrated the solidity of process to senior managers.

    Norfolk Andrew Moll Testimonial
  • "​A special and massive thank you to your team. I hold up the work we do with you as the best example of fantastic supplier behaviour and delivery and true partnership. Thank you and looking forward to the future partnership. "Paul Neville, CIO

    LBWF Paul Neville Testimonial
  • I would highly recommend considering utilising their expertise during the planning and implementation phase of case management systems for Local Government. BetterGov staff were always articulate, open and honest and is great at creating lasting and valuable partnerships.

    Testimonials 2
  • An absolute pleasure to work with. Efficient and reliable with customer focus at the heart. Look forward to continuing to work together with our current and future projects.

    NEL CSU Testimonial

Explore our work...

BetterGov is proud to have successfully supported key transformational programmes across Public Sector, delivering sustainable outcomes and creating true value through internal capability development.

View More

Website Blog Banner
culture
8 Steps to Cost-effective Digital Service Delivery by Leveraging Trusted Relationships

Building trusted relationships and fostering a collaborative environment between clients and vendors in Digital Service delivery is at the forefront of every project we deliver here at BetterGov. Like a hand in a glove, cost optimisation is the 'all leading' compass dial. We know that this leads to affordable and sustainable changes that are useful and trusted by our clients. By doing what we do and doing it well, we aim to progressively minimise our role, instil confidence, and empower independent progress with robust support throughout the process. Throughout the BetterGov service delivery journey, we continuously prioritise these eight core elements Engage and understand key stakeholders Clearly define outcomes Create a one-team culture Active engagement by the Service Owner Internal capability development Regular standups and show-and-tell Shift left and shadowing  Seamless handovers 1 | Engage and Understand Key StakeholdersTrusted relationships hinge on essential principles. Early collaboration in various formats and an unwavering commitment to working closely with the key stakeholders significantly enhance the chances of success. Establishing early relationships between us and the team responsible for running the service helps anticipate and prepare for its integration into their processes. Or, more importantly, strong relationships with senior stakeholders ease challenges when they arise – no delivery is perfect. By spending the time, care and attention to understand our executives' challenges, providing a supportive ear, and genuinely engaging on both the human and professional levels, we build trust that can be relied upon at times of need and in the years to come.  ​2 | Clearly define outcomesDuring the contracting phase, defining clear outcomes is crucial. Recognising that these outcomes may evolve as the project progresses through various phases of digital delivery according to the Service Standard. Trust cultivated in the early stages significantly improves the potential for successful outcomes. A ‘Definition of Done’ at inception is critical – this will always be the key measure by which the delivery will be judged and will be the crux of the committed outcome.  While delivery itself will be done in an agile fashion, following the GDS Service Standard, with regular demonstration of how the product is evolving, the Definition of Done ensures that everyone is aiming for the same target. Vital user research at the Discovery phase and ongoing throughout delivery effectively informs the Definition of Done. It provides the business with regular feedback so that they can see how the product evolves to deliver business outcomes.  3 | Create a one-team cultureWe ensure no distinction between the clients and vendor partners in all our engagements. Regardless of affiliation and paymaster, each team member checks that badge at the virtual door and wears the metaphorical client armband. This ensures that the teams behave in a unified manner and that all parties actively engage in a mutually agreed collaborative culture. Where possible, at the start of any engagement, we propose workshops across all team members to build an effective covenant and trust between team members. This ensures that a collaborative culture develops that is trust-based and mutually respectful, with all members focused on delivering the business and technical outcomes  ​4 | Active engagement by the Service OwnerEffective outcome delivery can best be done through a committed Service Owner. The Service Owner is responsible for the end-to-end service, including business and operations, which is larger than the technical delivery and outcomes. Sitting between business, technology delivery, and operations, the Service Owner ensures that the company remains informed throughout the product evolution while ensuring that the operations teams understand how to support the new product in service. ​5 | Internal capability developmentEarly in the engagement, BetterGov works with client stakeholders, the Service Owner in particular, to identify potential gaps in capability. By design, when the product is handed over, BetterGov will hand over the entire solution to civil servants. We ask fundamental questions – do the civil servant team members understand the technology and delivery methodologies? Is there capability to support the product once the vendor team completes its work?  Does the support team have the right infrastructure to improve the product continually? In asking these questions, we create a matrix with the client on where teams need upskilling. For example, if developers aren't entirely comfortable with the chosen development language, we pair them with our developers until they are comfortable. If methodologies are not aligned, we will ensure workshops are in place to get everyone on board.  Our main goal is to ensure that when we leave a project, the civil servant team feels they have received more than an excellent deliverable and that they have improved their personal and professional skills as a result of their engagement with BetterGov. ​6 | Regular Standups and Show-and-TellsIt comes as no surprise that all BetterGov deliveries primarily follow the GDS Service Standards. Of the guidance on agile principles and ways of working, we are particularly keen on the tenet "Go see for yourself." By regularly participating in Show-and-Tells, key stakeholders at all levels remain aligned, and the product can be stress tested. Business users and the service owner get regular insight into the product and whether it will achieve the desired outcomes.  Ongoing user research is key to ensuring that what's being built is what the users need and that a feedback loop can be fostered back to the business through this mechanism. By fostering – and insisting upon – this level of openness and transparency, trust and collaborative culture continues to evolve. 7 | Shift Left and ShadowingOften, there are different civil servant teams doing product delivery and operations, especially in a vendor-heavy engagement. Keeping on the theme of one-team, the delivery team actively engages with the operations team throughout the delivery lifecycle, even from the early discovery phase.  Operations and support are users, too, and their needs must be considered from the outset to have a successful service, so user research must be done on how the new service will integrate into a support organisation.  As delivery progresses into private beta, it's key to second a technologist from the support organisation into delivery, ensuring that there is core technical knowledge early in the support lifecycle. They can provide valuable insight into how technical decisions potentially impact the support teams. The term for this approach is 'shift left', bringing people in from the end of a delivery cycle much earlier. Similarly, as part of our delivery, some staff will 'shift right' and embed with the operations team for a time after the product is delivered. This approach is both a 'shadowing' concept, letting the support team fully upskill while having the product delivery team available if needed, as well as advice. For example, how will the support team evolve the service after it's deployed. ​8 | Seamless HandoversSuccessful implementation of the core delivery phases, especially considering the above points, leads to a seamless service handover and happy staff. Especially toward the end of public beta and as the service prepares to enter the live service, the extra support as part of shift left and shadowing ensures successful delivery.   We know that if we do all these things properly, especially setting ourselves up for success at the outset, civil service colleagues can take the service live – pain-free. We will have the satisfaction that not only was the delivery successful but that we have left the client environment, as well as individual civil service team members, in a better place. And that we are no longer needed. ​That's ultimately what we're about; we're BetterGov. ​​Authored by David Lewis, strategic lead at BetterGov. "I've been working in digital transformation with His Majesty's Government on and off for several years. I've been on both the buyer and supplier sides of the equation.  I've seen digital services supported by vendors go phenomenally well, just as I have seen trainwrecks – both in the bidding process and in active delivery" – David Lewis

Read More
Discovery Picture
Gov PaaS Discovery and PoC

​Delivering a GDS compliant Discovery GPaaS Migration and Proof of Concept​ChallengeTowards the end of 2022 an announcement was made by the Government Digital Services (GDS) that they would be decommissioning the GOV.UK PaaS (GPaaS) by the end of 2023, a decision which directly impacted 70+ services across over a dozen government organisations. The Crown Commercial Services (CCS) was one of the organisations impacted by this decision. Whilst the CCS already has an established cloud strategy with some services hosted on AWS and Azure, providing alternative hosting options, migration of digital services holds some inherent risks which needed to be fully assessed prior to the migration of any live services.SolutionTo ensure CCS were confident and made informed decisions during the migration from GOV.UK PaaS, BetterGov proposed an initial Discovery phase. The immediate outcome was to deliver a proof-of-concept (PoC) for a key service within 3-4 weeks, providing assurance and greater clarity on the migration approach for remaining services. An Agile delivery approach, following GDS guidelines, was agreed and the discovery was delivered in sprints. Continuous delivery was used for the fast-paced PoC development. Six sprints with Show & Tell sessions and collaboration facilitated knowledge transfer to internal civil servants. All agreed deliverables were provided in the final sprint.BetterGov prioritised communication and collaboration throughout delivery. Regular meetings, stand-ups, and progress updates kept stakeholders informed and engaged, which addressed any concerns and aligned expectations.A key success factor was the strong partnership between BetterGov and CCS. Both parties worked closely together, fostering a collaborative environment and ensuring that the project objectives were well understood and aligned. This partnership allowed for quick decision-making, issue resolution, and the ability to adapt to evolving requirements. ​ResultsA PoC built and demonstrated within 3 weeksUser Journey mapping and clear Functional & Non-functional requirementsMigration Options Assessment & RecommendationsMigration & Delivery plan for Alpha phaseDiscovery report detailing technical consideration As-Is Service Component CatalogueKnowledge transfer and upskilling of internal team

Read More
Devsecops
technology
DevSecOps Maturity Assessment

​ChallengeThe Health & Disability Digital services at Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) was undertaking a transformation of their digital journey for citizens with disability or health conditions. In order to offer an improved customer experience, providing easy access to Health and Disability related services, DWP needed to develop new, and improve existing, digital services. These new digital services would need to be easily navigable and would require interoperability between both new and existing systems, to allow a more consistent and responsive provision of services. As part of this transformation, they needed to make sure their services are highly resilient against malicious cyber-attacks and were looking for an organisation to help them shift left the role of security within the development lifecycle and enable DevSecOps as a standard pattern of working. Through a competitive procurement process, BetterGov were appointed as chosen supplier to support DWP with this work. ​SolutionTogether with DWP's engineering team, BetterGov's Secure Engineering team performed a security audit against the OWASP DevSecOps maturity model to give DWP a baseline and pinpoint areas for development. BetterGov was asked to help with the development and extending the existing CI/CD Gitlab CI Fragments in order to support with extra security checks and enhance DWP's cyber resilience posture. The BetterGov team examined the security tools currently in use and made suggestions for how to increase their efficiency and value. Additionally, we looked into security complaints and came up with suggestions and potential fixes for the problems found. BetterGov generated documents to support the DWP engineering governance processes and provide input on the security policy. The Health and Disability Digital team now had a greater grasp of how resilient their procedures were while developing and enhancing their digital services, which enhanced decision-making and decreased risks of prospective cyber attacks. ​ResultsCrown Commercial Service Framework procurement routeTransparent, controlled fixed price cost modelDetailed assessment of DevSecOps maturity model gap analysisImplemented recommendations for areas of improvementEnhanced cyber resilience postureIncreased efficiency and value of security toolsImproved governance process with supporting documentation

Read More
Screenshot 2023 06 29 At 09
case study
Why a co-designed social care system implementation works

Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) together with Westminster City Council: a co-designed social care system that worksRBKC had a much-loved in-house social care system, which was at the end of its life and no longer possible to maintain. After much debate, a decision was made to move to a new system. The idea of change often seems appealing, however many of us, understandably, baulk at change when the time comes!Read on to learn more about how RBKC and Westminster successfully implemented their new system, collaboration and co-production being integral to this success.Over the past 18 months, BetterGov has been on a journey, working in partnership with Children’s Services to configure and design the new social care system. As RBKC’s new system will be shared with Westminster Council, it was also an ideal opportunity to co-design new shared ways of working in the system, taking the best ideas from both authorities.The results speak for themselves. We have immensely enjoyed this collaboration with the boroughs and the suppliers. In our view, this is what ‘good looks like’!​Practitioner led, not IT team designHow can we make this new system work best for our practitioners? This was the challenge laid out, and focus, for the project team from day one. Fortunately, given the unique situation, where RBKC’s Bi-Borough partner, Westminster, was already using the system, we had some fantastic co-design sessions. In these sessions, both Kensington and Westminster practitioners shared what worked well, and what didn’t work so well for them.Practitioners bought their expertise in local social work and business practice. BetterGov provided the requisite system knowledge across a range of disciplines and had experience from many implementations to compare and contrast different ways of working. This collaboration in a structured workshop format helped guide practitioners to practical solutions that kept recording simple, whilst also meeting the needs of statutory reporting and audit compliance.Collaboration, not only from a design perspective but also from a support perspectiveWe wanted to provide a deeper level of upskilling as part of this project. We designed the project team to ensure a mix of BetterGov and Authority staff, the concept behind this being to pair senior BetterGov staff to work alongside Authority colleagues. This partnership delivery model naturally upskilled the internal support team and allowed a seamless transition into business as usual support.Seeing the resultsGiven Westminster were already using the system, we were able to deliver improvements to priority forms and workflow early in the project. This ensured immediate benefits could be realised by Westminster staff. Some examples of positive feedback in this area included;“The LAC process is so much easier and quicker to use”“The Referral forms are much simpler and less of a tick-box exercise”Whilst adopting a ‘big bang’ implementation for RBKC, we used a ‘waterfall’ approach for Westminster. The approach to the upskilling of internal staff worked extremely effectively as the Project Team were able to hand off areas to business as usual support and continue with the implementation, without getting bogged down.Training: Social Work practice first, system secondA new social care system with a co-designed work process involves changes to working practice as well as simply learning how to use the features of a new system. BetterGov trainers worked alongside service leads to ensure key practice messages were embedded and a key component of a blended training programme. After all, learning how to open a Child and Family Assessment form is arguably the easy part, but practitioners also need practice guidance on how to complete the new form questions well.How was the Kensington social care system implemented on time and under budget?Delivering technology that supports social work practice and is an enabler for change is always challenging. There is the complexity of migrating data from one system to another; understanding and developing processes to meet local requirements; training users and ensuring they are logged in and up and running on day one; working with multiple internal and external stakeholders among many other challenges.BetterGov has delivered similar programmes of work across the UK enabling an understanding and management of key risk areas from project mobilisation through to Go Live. Resources including business analysts, who understand the business of social care, and technical teams, who live and breathe systems configuration and data, overseen by Project Managers, who specialise in Social Care system delivery, ensure the right people are deployed at the right time to manage budget expenditure and project constraints and dependencies.So, what next?Now that the Kensington system is implemented, the teams are starting to feel more confident using the system without specialist on-site support from BetterGov and local support teams. Nonetheless, help is always on hand, and with our implementation of new digital channels for support the council support team are easily available on a video call.

Read More

Follow BetterGov

Lets Connect!