Renewing the Technology Code of Practice
The Technology Code of Practice is a set of criteria to help government design, build and buy technology. It has supported public sector teams to make technology decisions since 2013, but it has not evolved with the changing landscape of modern technology and delivery.
The blueprint for modern digital government also sets out a requirement for a “radical consolidation of guidance and standards for digital and technology, retiring out-of-date and duplicative things, updating critical ones, streamlining the information teams need and making it easier for them to understand what to do”.
As such, we are renewing the Code so that it remains practical, relevant and easier to apply, and we want practitioners to help shape what comes next.
What we've heard so far
As part of the review, we've been carrying out user research with colleagues in digital and data professions across the public sector to understand how the Technology Code of Practice is being used today and where it could better support organisations from both a local and national perspective, delivering technology-enabled services.
While the principles remain widely recognised and valued, we've heard that users want guidance that is easier to navigate and clearer about what's expected. We've also heard a desire for guidance that evolves alongside changes in areas such as architecture, cyber security and artificial intelligence.
Those conversations have helped us identify where we can make the biggest improvements first.
Taking the first steps
Our initial focus has been on improving the content and making the purpose of each part of the Code clearer.
We’ve refreshed the homepage to give greater prominence to the principles and introduced a more consistent layout within the sections for user needs, technology architecture and lifecycle management. These areas were chosen because they provide important foundations for organisations making technology decisions and planning for long-term success.
The purpose of the Technology Code of Practice, as well as distinctions between requirements and recommendations have also been clarified to help make it clearer to users when and how to apply it. We’ve also begun removing content that no longer sits within scope of modern technology delivery to make it easier to see only what’s relevant.
Together, these changes represent the first step in helping public sector colleagues make better, more informed technology decisions.
Looking ahead
We're taking an iterative approach to renewal.
For future updates, we’d like to focus on responding to emerging areas of technology, ensuring the standards we publish remain practical in line with the evolving ways government designs, buys and operates technology.
We will also explore options for improving discoverability and navigation changes, alongside continuing improvements to the existing content.
Help us shape what comes next
The insight we've gathered so far has come directly from people across the public sector, and we will continue to reach out as co-design will remain central to how we develop the standards we publish.
We'd love to hear more on:
- How you use the Technology Code of Practice
- Your experiences around where criteria are difficult to apply and where further guidance would help
- Collect any practical examples and case studies you might have that could help others
You can get involved by:
- Emailing us at publicsector.architecture@dsit.gov.uk
- Sharing your feedback through communities of practice such as Architects Assemble, Heads of Engineering, Digital Workplace, Cloud community and FinOps community.
Leave a comment