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Delivery cycle

In January 2024 the team started using a new 3-weekly delivery cycle which is then followed by a reflection week. This documentation explains what happens at each stage of the cycle.

3 week sprint

The new delivery model focuses on fixed time, variable scope cycles, with an expectation of generating insights that can be shared or shippable code at the end of each cycle.

Squads will form around a brief which has been prioritised by the team leads. Most team members will only work in one squad, however there may be occasions when they play a supporting role in another squad.

The squads can change in shape and size depending on the stage of development. There will be the option for team members to move squads if they want to work on something new, however this will depend on availability and requirements of the briefs in play at the given time.

Squads will have autonomy in deciding how they will deliver a brief. The squads will be able to decide when and how often they have stand ups and will be expected to self organise.

Throughout the 3 week cycle, there will be opportunities for support and feedback from the wider team. Fixtures such as:

  • mid-cycle check in to update the wider team on progress made
  • utilising our Slack channel and playbook guides on how to ask other roles for help
  • using 1.2.1 with either team leads or delivery managers to flag issues and blockers

In the third week of the cycle we will also look to do a release of GOV.UK Frontend so to settle into a regular cadence of releasing new features.

There will also be a no-meetings day each week to give the team focused, quiet time to work on aspects of the brief.

Reflection week

At the end of each cycle, we will hold a reflection week. This week is designed to host reflection activities.

Reflection week will begin with show & tell, where the squads will fulfil the “shippable / showable” instruction. Over the following days, the team will also take part in a retrospective and a facilitated learning and development session.

Planning for the next cycle will also happen in reflection week. The team leads will share the upcoming cycles’ briefs, and the team will have opportunity to review them. A cycle planning meeting will happen towards the end of the week giving the team time to plan how it will be delivered in the next cycle.

In between these core ceremonies, the team is encouraged to use the week to:

  • undertake further learning and development activities such as hosting skill sharing sessions
  • write weeknotes, blogs and update decision logs
  • write feedback for others
  • organise team building or social activities
  • experiment with new ideas which could be prioritised in a future brief