Moral Contract

We’ve found the best way to deliver valuable work is to follow these principles. This applies to everyone involved in our work: customers, staff, partners, contractors and members of the public.

Partnership

We collaborate to solve challenging problems by sharing a complete and transparent picture. Effective solutions balance people, money, time, and technology. Achieving this balance requires gathering and understanding evidence across all these areas.

Flow

Our work thrives when we have time to immerse ourselves in a problem. To maintain focus, we may not always be available for impromptu conversations or unscheduled meetings. Grouping meetings and planning ahead help us strike a balance between focused work and discussions. Continuity is key to maintaining momentum. We recommend budgeting for a sustained programme of work rather than separate projects that create downtime between efforts.

Support

If a solution we build requires operational support from us, it indicates missing functionality or processes. Our goal is to empower you with tools and ownership of the solution. Success is when you have complete control without ongoing reliance on us.

Progress

We provide weekly updates summarising the previous week’s activities and required actions. Any issues requiring discussion are best addressed immediately.

Risk

We build things for you, on your behalf. Exploring technologies and techniques involves evaluation and experimentation, which come with inherent risks. Outcomes are not guaranteed. We openly discuss potential risks. We share risk together.

Acceptance

Before starting work, we agree on requirements. If these change, we collaborate to assess and address the impact. Validating results quickly ensures clarity on whether the work is complete or requires adjustment. Providing acceptance or feedback within a week is ideal.

Value

The value of what we do is measured by the impact it has for the final user of the solution, the organisation who benefits. Functionality not in use can be an indication of progress but is only a substitute. When we are not in control of the release of functionality to final users we continuously advocate for this ultimate measure of success.

Done, done, done is when functionality is in use, the benefit is realised, marketing is completed, documentation is written and the appropriate level of maintenance is achieved.

We are here to help

If these principles are unfamiliar or challenging, we’re here to guide you toward this approach to problem-solving. We excel at providing leadership in this area.