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Your role as an assessor

As an assessor you'll help a team understand if they've completed their discovery.

You'll consider whether they've made well-evidenced recommendations and are ready to move on to the next phase.

A panel can be made up of a user researcher, designer, product or delivery and a technical role. Together, you'll provide a level of assurance for a team to decide if they need to stop or carry on.

As part of the panel, there will be a lead assessor, who'll be responsible for chairing the peer review and coordinating the report.

Before the peer review you'll:

• read the supporting artefacts about the discovery. Start to think about questions you might ask
• take part in a pre-call organised by the service assessment team to do introductions and agree a peer review agenda
• answer any questions or concerns the team may have

At the peer review you'll:

• review the work of the discovery
• decide if the team have done enough to understand who the users are and their needs
• understand what the problem is
• understand priorities for the team
• determine if the team has things to work on in an alpha or should stop
• provide authoritative advice, guidance, and recommendations

After the peer review you'll:

• write up any recommendations or outcomes in the report
• submit the report, if you're the lead assessor
• provide support if needed after the review with any actions from the peer review

You'll be supported by the service assessment team throughout the process.

Example review agenda

A peer review is 2 hours long and can take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

You should agree in the pre-call with the team how the session will run, an example agenda might look like:

Times and actions

Time	Action
5 to 10 minutes	Introductions and housekeeping
45 minutes	Team show and tell
10 minutes	Break
45 minutes	Questions and answers
5 minutes	Wrap up and next steps

You can also download this as a PowerPoint template for presentations.

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Updated: February 2023

Part of Service assurance: step by step

1. 1 Check what assurance you need

   All digital delivery work in DfE will need some kind of assurance.

   1. Types of assurance
   2. Check what assurance you need for your service
   3. Why you need to assure your work

2. 2 Prepare for a discovery peer review

   1. What a discovery peer review is

   If you're a team having a peer review.

   1. Who should attend a peer review
   2. What to prepare for a peer review

   If you're an assessor.

   1. Your role as an assessor

3. 3 Book and manage a discovery peer review

   You need to give at least 5 weeks notice when booking a peer review.

   1. Book your peer review online
   2. Manage your peer review online

4. 4 After a discovery peer review

   If you're a team having a peer review.

   1. Receive feedback and recommendations in a report
   2. How to take action on any recommendations

   If you're an assessor.

   1. Complete the report

   Everyone involved in the peer review.

   1. Give feedback on the discovery peer review process

5. 5 Prepare for a service assessment

   Service assessments are done in the alpha, public and private beta, and live phases.

   1. What a service assessment is
   2. DfE panel assessments
   3. Cross-government panel assessments previously GDS/CDDO assessments

6. 6 Book a service assessment

   You need to give at least 6 weeks notice when booking a service assessment.

   1. Book your service assessment online

7. 7 After a service assessment

   If you're a team having a service assessment.

   1. Receiving the assessment report
   2. How to take action on any recommendations
   3. If you need a reassessment

   If you're an assessor.

   1. Completing the assessment report
   2. Reassessing the service