Digital Service Team at Each Stage

Match how you launch and grow your digital service team to your organization’s current maturity.

Launching a Digital Service Team Based on Your Current Stage

You don't need advanced digital maturity or a fully staffed team to begin. Start with a team structure, scope, and level of investment that fit your current capabilities. As the team demonstrates value and shows what is possible, you can strengthen its capabilities, expand its work, and build support for its long-term growth.

Teams at any maturity stage can use approved AI tools to increase their capacity. Start with work that fits your current technical environment, data access, security and privacy requirements, and path to production.

See AI-Augmented Delivery for guidance on choosing an approach that fits your team’s capabilities.

Exploring

Digital work is ad hoc, with limited structure and unclear ownership

1

How to approach the team

Begin by assigning ownership and bringing together a small group around one focused need. The team may rely on existing staff or short-term support while it tests a more coordinated approach.

2

What's reasonable

• Assign a clear owner for the team or function

• Bring together existing staff with complementary skills

• Start with one focused service, workflow, or internal tool

• Keep the scope manageable and document what the team learns

3

Focus on

• Delivering something useful without waiting for perfect conditions

• Showing what a digital service team can make possible

• Building support for dedicated staff and funding

Organizing

An initial team and basic practices are beginning to take shape.

1

How to approach the team

Establish a small, cross-functional team with a clear purpose, reporting line, and initial dedicated roles. The team may still rely on contractors, borrowed staff, or departmental partners to fill capability gaps.

2

What's reasonable

• Define the team’s responsibilities and initial scope

• Introduce basic planning, research, and delivery practices

• Build relationships with programs and other key partners

• Use early services and workflow tools to refine how the team works

3

Focus on

• Clarifying how the team operates

• Reducing reliance on informal staffing

• Building credibility through successful work

Standardizing

The team has defined roles, shared practices, and more predictable support.

1

How to approach the team

Strengthen the team’s cross-functional capabilities and establish consistent ways of working. Create enough structure to support predictable delivery without preventing teams from adapting to different needs.

2

What's reasonable

• Define roles, responsibilities, and career expectations

• Use shared processes, tools, and standards

• Create a consistent approach to selecting and delivering work

• Onboard new staff into established team practices

3

Focus on

• Strengthening consistency across projects

• Reducing reliance on individual knowledge

• Developing the team’s long-term capabilities

Scaling

Digital service capacity is expanding across the organization.

1

How to approach the team

Launching becomes an organization-wide effort that aligns with strategic priorities and supports multiple teams.

2

What's reasonable

• Support multiple services, workflow tools, or initiatives at once

• Develop specialized roles and shared capabilities

• Coordinate priorities and resources across departments

• Provide shared standards, platforms, and infrastructure

3

Focus on

• Expanding capacity without losing quality

• Clarifying coordination across teams

• Reducing duplication and sharing what works

Leading

Digital services are continuously improved and influence work beyond the organizationDigital teams strengthen capabilities within and beyond the organization.

1

How to approach the team

Position the digital service function to support direct delivery while also helping other teams improve how they work. Continue developing shared services, coaching, platforms, and specialized expertise.

2

What's reasonable

• Help departments strengthen their own digital practices

• Test and adopt new approaches based on evidence

• Partner across agencies or jurisdictions on shared challenges

• Share tools, practices, and lessons with other governments

3

Focus on

• Sustaining a strong internal digital function

• Continuously improving team capabilities

• Supporting broader government transformation

No matter your organization’s stage, the team still needs a clear purpose, defined ownership, cross-functional capabilities, and organizational support.