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Technical architecture in BPDTS

Updated 30 April 2019

Our purpose

Working with other experts at DWP Digital we’re reshaping the digital landscape of UK government. Our people, our biggest asset, use their expertise to help build secure and intuitive digital services used by millions of UK citizens.

Our aim is to help DWP accelerate delivery and reduce its reliance upon expensive third party providers. We’re doing this by establishing a centre of architectural best practice to become a partner of choice.

We provide technical leadership, create technical designs and define strategies to help make the best use of existing IT. We also make decisions about what other IT assets need to be invested in to deliver high quality services.

Steve Anderton, Architecture Digital Service Practice Lead, describes technical architecture in BPDTS as:

Our architects work hand-in-hand with DWP to develop and apply architectural good practice. We work within delivery teams across multiple parallel initiatives to deliver complex enterprise digital solutions.

We use intentional and emergent design techniques so that:

• teams understand the context within which their solutions are to work and the sequence in which their
• products may be released
• teams work in an agile way, developing emergent, simplified and innovative solutions
• we maximise the flow of value to DWP and the 20 million people who use DWP’s services every year

Our customer

With other experts across DWP Digital, we work together in multi-disciplinary teams to achieve shared goals. This unique relationship means:

• we’ve a detailed knowledge and understanding of DWP’s technology estate that is unrivalled in the market
• we understand and work seamlessly with DWP’s business processes and architecture practices
• we can make long-term investments to build our architecture community’s capabilities and services they offer
• our peoples’ expertise is valued and we’re seen and treated as a trusted partner by DWP Digital – increasingly taking on new, more complex and valuable things to do

We have the agility of a small lean organisation, are able to respond quickly to external changes, deliver value for our customer and stay ahead of the game.

Our people

Based in vibrant digital hubs across the country, we’re embracing agile ways of working to ensure what we deliver meets and exceeds our customer’s needs.

Our people want and need to keep up with fast paced changes in digital technology to be masters of their craft. An excellent range of learning and development is available to tap into, which enables our people to build their skills and develop their careers.

Every one of our people is different. We care about what’s going in their lives and want to help them be happy and healthy, both at and away from work. We value people for their differences and will do everything we can to create a positive, safe and healthy environment for everyone to be themselves at work.

We believe in celebrating successes together, and recognising and rewarding our people for their creativity and commitment.

Our services

Enterprise architecture

Enterprise architecture in BPDTS is:

• working closely with DWP strategists, creating holistic enterprise solutions to DWP’s business challenges
• building unified IT capability to support current and future business delivery

Information architecture

Information architecture in BPDTS is:

• integrating the outputs of product and interaction design with technology to provide a joined up set of customer centric digital channels and services
• connecting citizens and colleagues to everything they need to understand and engage with DWP services

Application architecture

Application architecture in BPDTS is:

• innovatively integrating software, databases and middleware to ensure that all of DWP’s digital services functionally deliver the business requirements and are robust, flexible, scalable and accessible
• constantly seeking creative ways of using technology to enhance business service delivery and improve both citizen and DWP employee experiences

Infrastructure architecture

Infrastructure architecture in BPDTS is:

• defining the hardware, software, security and integration building blocks that underpin DWP’s digital services
• providing a consistent and secure technology base over upon which innovative solutions can be built and operated

Network and Security architecture are integral elements of our Infrastructure Architecture Services.

Data architecture

Data architecture in BPDTS is:

• defining the standards and governance for the collection, storage, structuring and integration of customer and business data

Intentional architecture design

Intentional architecture design in BPDTS is:

• establishing architecture principles and values to increase collaboration across teams and to enhance system design, performance and usability
• identifying system roles, boundaries and integration requirements to maximise delivery team autonomy
• assuring deliveries in the context of agreed architectural principles and values

Technical debt management

Technical debt management in BPDTS is:

• maintaining a prioritised backlog of technical debt, concessions and maintenance requirements
• developing architectural strategies for avoiding and reducing technical debt, ensuring that technical debt does not become too great

Continuous architecture delivery

Continuous architecture delivery in BPDTS is:

• managing architecture requirements
• capturing and managing architectural decisions
• identifying and prioritising architectural issues and concerns
• researching and evaluating architectural and design options
• maintain architectural roadmaps (or runways) to plan and coordinate delivery activities (Just in Time)

Architectural spikes

Architectural spikes in BPDTS:

• reduce delivery, performance and other risks by evaluating architectural choices through prototyping
• research solution options, such as to inform build or buy decisions
• explore and experiment with potential solutions to increase understanding of how a solution will be deliver so that the quality and accuracy of estimates may be improved

Contact BPDTS

Email bpdts.engage@dwp.gov.uk for more information about our services.