The Challenge

A central government organisation was undertaking a major Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) transformation programme, aiming to deliver new, user-focused services that simplify and speed up the application process for citizens, customers, and caseworkers.

• The organisation processes 3.4 million applications annually, but the existing systems and services were struggling to keep up, leading to:
• High rework, with 17% of applications containing errors causing delays and resubmissions
• Confusing processes for customers and caseworkers
• Incomplete or incorrect submissions due to varying levels of customer knowledge
• Time-consuming manual work for caseworkers correcting applications
• Difficulty accessing and understanding required information
• Overall poor experience for customers and caseworkers

While this project initially focused on improving the application process for conveyancers, there was also an opportunity to create a foundation for wider operational transformation.

Following a competitive tender, RedRock, in partnership with a digital services provider, was selected to deliver this programme, with a strong focus on knowledge transfer and upskilling in-house teams.

 

Our Approach

RedRock’s Managed Professional Service engagements are guided by three core principles:

• Client enablement
• Teams of excellence
• Impartial advice

The engagement was led by a RedRock Portfolio Director who worked closely with the organisation to define outcomes, monitor progress, and provide assurance throughout delivery.

A multi-disciplinary team of 30 digital experts was mobilised, working alongside our supply partner and client staff. The team included:

• Delivery Leads and Project Managers
• Business Analysts and User Researchers
• Content and UX Designers
• Technical Leads, Developers, and Test Engineers
• Product Coaches and an Agile Coach
• Together, we identified the project goals:
• Enable customers to successfully submit applications
• Build a robust, integrated digital application solution following Government Digital Service (GDS) guidelines
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Provide caseworkers with the information they need to process applications efficiently
• Simplify guidance for customers
• Improve management information and analytics to inform decision-making

 

The Solution

Following GDS principles, the team carried out a time-boxed discovery phase to understand business requirements, user needs, user journeys, and outline a technical solution, alongside developing a business case.

Extensive user research was undertaken across leadership, operations, caseworkers, IT, and customers to ensure the solution addressed all pain points.

The team then developed a fully functional, clickable digital prototype, replacing paper forms with online data capture and validation. This allowed users to test the end-to-end journey and provide timely feedback for continuous improvement.

During the build phase, an Agile Release Train methodology was adopted to:

• Prioritise the product backlog
• Define a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
• Deliver user stories and features incrementally into production
• Maintain quality and compliance checkpoints, including accessibility

Early adopter customers piloted the solution, and their feedback was incorporated before wider release. Regular demonstrations to stakeholders helped publicise progress and achievements.

The team also applied lifelong learning principles, pairing client staff with RedRock experts, running peer reviews and retrospectives to embed skills and knowledge transfer.

 

The Outcome

The new Digital Registration Service has already received positive feedback from early adopters and continues to be enhanced with new features. Key benefits include:

• Reduced errors and rework, improving data quality and speeding up application processing
• Simplified guidance for customers, reducing confusion
• Faster application completion, saving up to 15 minutes per application
• Integration with back-office systems, reducing requests for information already held by the organisation
• Improved analytics and management information, supporting better decision-making
• Enhanced user and caseworker satisfaction through standardisation and consistency
• Cost savings from reduced manual processing and more efficient workflows
• Less tangible benefits include:
• Better data integrity, supporting the credibility of the Register
• Stronger organisational capability, with staff upskilled to manage and improve the service

This project has demonstrated the value of a multi-disciplinary, blended delivery team working collaboratively with in-house teams. It has modernised the application process, empowered staff, and strengthened organisational capability, providing a foundation for future digital transformation.