Service Standard

10. Define what success looks like and publish performance data

Work out what success looks like for your service and identify metrics which will tell you what’s working and what can be improved, combined with user research.

Collect and use performance data from all channels, online and offline.

Iterate and improve your metrics and data collection practices as you learn more about user needs.

Why it’s important

Defining what good looks like and identifying appropriate metrics means that you’ll know whether the service is solving the problem it’s meant to solve.

Collecting the right performance data means you’ll be alerted to potential problems with your service. And when you make a change to the service, you’ll be able to tell whether it had the effect you expected.

Publishing performance data means that you’re being transparent about the success of services funded by public money. And people can make comparisons between different government services.

What it means

Service teams should:

  • identify metrics which will indicate how well the service is solving the problem it’s meant to solve, and track performance against them
  • use performance data to make decisions about how to fix problems and improve the service

Central government services must also publish data on the mandatory key performance indicators.

Measuring success

Data you must publish

Service standard points

1. Understand users and their needs

2. Solve a whole problem for users

3. Provide a joined up experience across all channels

4. Make the service simple to use

5. Make sure everyone can use the service

6. Have a multidisciplinary team

7. Use agile ways of working

8. Iterate and improve frequently

9. Create a secure service which protects users’ privacy

10. Define what success looks like and publish performance data

11. Choose the right tools and technology

12. Make new source code open

13. Use and contribute to open standards, common components and patterns

14. Operate a reliable service

Last update:

Added links to related guidance and other standard points. There is no change to the content of the standard point itself.

  1. Guidance first published