Home Office SAS

The Chief Technology Office (CTO) of the Home Office established a Shared Applications Service (SAS) to develop and maintain Home Office applications, aligned with its Operating Model. The SAS framework was designed to streamline services, eliminate redundancies in technologies, and promote a product-centric culture while building Home Office’s internal capability. These applications are critical to government operations aimed at ensuring citizen safety and national security.

The key objective of the SAS was to provide comprehensive application development and maintenance services while driving operational efficiencies and cost reductions. The service aimed to:

• Reduce duplication of technologies and services across the Home Office.

• Establish a product-centric model to foster continuous development and innovation.

• Build internal capability for the development, deployment, and support of applications.

OB Collective (Oliver Bernard), through this engagement, provided engineering services under a managed service model. Our engineers collaborated with the Home Office SAS development, DevOps, and engineering teams to build, deploy, and maintain critical applications. The key services delivered included:

Application architecture design — Identified and validated the best technical architecture that adhered to Home Office standards and frameworks.

Engineering plans and estimates — Created detailed development plans, resource estimates, and timelines for application delivery.

Technology selection — Recommended appropriate tools and technologies aligned with customer-approved design authority frameworks.

Technical knowledge transfer — Developed and implemented comprehensive knowledge transfer plans to enhance the internal capability of Home Office teams.

1. Multi-disciplinary Team Integration

The Home Office SAS model grouped engineers, developers, DevOps professionals, and product management into small teams but connected them through clusters and hubs. This required significant collaboration and communication across teams to ensure consistency in delivery.

2. Agile Delivery Approach

Re-prioritisation and restructuring of deliverables based on daily needs was a challenge, as the project required flexibility in managing timeframes and resources.

3. High Security and Compliance

Working on applications critical to national security necessitated rigorous adherence to security protocols and compliance measures.

1. Collaborative Working Model

OB Collective engineers worked closely with the Home Office's multi-disciplinary product teams, ensuring clear communication and smooth collaboration across development, DevOps, and engineering roles. Product Managers, Delivery Managers, and Test Managers were brought into the loop to manage project delivery effectively.

2. Agile Delivery Framework

Our team embraced the Home Office's agile approach, facilitating rapid re-prioritisation of tasks as required. We focused on delivering iterative software improvements and resolving issues as they arose during development.

3. Security-First Approach

We ensured that all application architecture, development, and deployment processes adhered to the highest levels of security, maintaining alignment with Home Office frameworks and standards.

The engagement was structured into several key stages:

Discovery

OB Collective engineers provided system architecture and developed an engineering plan with comprehensive estimates. Technologies were selected in line with the Home Office's approved design authority.

Alpha

Conducted proof-of-concept work and developed technical spikes to test various architectural components.

Beta

Our team delivered incremental software releases, applied bug-fixes, and aligned the development process with Home Office technical frameworks and policies.

Live

After successful testing, OB Collective provided early life support (ELS) for the applications and ensured a smooth handover to SAS live support teams

Cost Savings

By reducing duplication in services and technologies, OB Collective helped the Home Office achieve significant cost savings, aligning with the SAS objective of financial efficiency.

Improved Internal Capability

Through knowledge transfer plans, we empowered Home Office teams to take over the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of applications.

Enhanced Security and Compliance

Our delivery ensured that all applications met the high-security standards required for government operations, enabling the Home Office to fulfil its mission of ensuring citizen safety and national security.

OB Collective’s collaborative and agile approach helped the Home Office SAS teams achieve their goals of cost-efficient, secure, and reliable application delivery. By supporting the development lifecycle and focusing on a product-centric culture, OB Collective delivered critical applications that played a key role in maintaining government services essential for public safety.